The owner, Mr. Lee, and the President, Jun, promised again and again to pay our severance and pension (they claimed they didn’t realize they had to pay the pension) at the end of our contract. Then they said they had to take out bank loans to pay us. It wasn’t until we got an excel sheet detailing over a million won in bogus deductions that we realized that in fact our bosses, who had pretended to be our friends, were actively trying to reduce their liability and inevitably not pay us what we were owed.

They succeeded. We went back to the US with our tails between our legs and they didn’t pay us a bek won.

It is also important to note that Topia headquarters ignored repeated cordial requests for assistance. If I had it to do over again I would not work for any Topia branch since they do not support their teachers and they look for every way to cut corners. And they do it all with a grin and a free bottle of soju so you think you are among friends.

TOPIA in Jeonju is just one franchise or division of the owner’s hagwan conglomerate in Jeonju because this owner also has TOP Kindergarten in Seosin-Dong and 18 or more smaller TOP Hagwans throughout Jeonju which don’t have all the amenities of TOPIA. Presently working at one of these TOP branches, I can tell you first hand not everything is NOT as it seems. Most TOP locations are old, losing money and their foriegn teachers work under less than ideal conditions. Housing for these foreign teachers is also in noisy, run down and poorly managed apartments due to keeping costs down. Finally, foriegn teachers who are initially promised TOPIA are farmed out around town to these TOP Hagwans and many of them never teach a day inside TOPIA. Why does this happen? Easy, appearance and discrimination practices are being used routinely used by the owner and the management staff to “place” undesirables who fail to look young enough or pretty enough–never mind their ability to teach. Even the Korean managers who work for this owner work under less than ideal conditions and can be transferred to a lesser TOP Hagwan without warning. So what? You might even say he’s the owner, and you’d be right, but he’s violating Korean immigration and Korean labor laws! In addition, this owner also teaches so his knowledge of the teaching profession is impressive, but that’s just so he can “push the envelope” (belittle and/or stress out) with/the foriegn teachers. His ideas of curriculum at the old TOP Hagwans are also old and used in everyother hagwan throughout Jeonju and Gunsan in my experience. Any teacher that dares to try something new based on passed successes is quickly stifled.

So, TOPIA and TOP “Language Institutes” are a tale of two cities, but the only difference is it’s really a tale of one city with two different standards for foreign teachers, perspective students and its Korean managers. Foriegn teachers are being graded on their appearances. Forien teachers who work for this owner aren’t guaranteed anything despite whatever is on their visas or put into their contracts–if they don’t fit the mold they’re farmed out to the lesser hagwans of this English education conglomerate here in Jeonju. In conclusion, if you’re looking at Jeonju TOPIA to teach and you’re female–look in the mirror first. Do you look like Bo Derek or Elle McPhearson (sp? on Elle’s last name–excuse me–I’m not a super model fan)? If you don’t you could be jeopardizing your resume. Work for Sullivan in Jeonju instead.