The company advertises heavily and is so notoriously grueling that having worked there for any length of time and then applying for a job in the same industry is a major advantage: “You actually managed to last that long?! That’s amazing! You’re hired!”

1. Far too many practices do not comply with the Labor Standards Act: employees are often required to work overtime without overtime pay; events are often scheduled during employees’ rest time (such as weekends or evenings) and attendance is mandatory, effectively forcing employees to use their leave; employees are required to sign illegal non-compete clauses; salaries differ greatly from what was initially promised, and may even be subject to improper deductions....and so on.

2. The office atmosphere is terrible. Reportedly, there have been data leaks in the past, so employees are treated like thieves: surveillance cameras or mirrors are everywhere, which feels extremely uncomfortable; a culture of informing and backstabbing is rampant. Many supervisors love to find fault with employees, making a huge fuss over the tiniest trivialities and threatening to dock pay or reduce leave, or even using such incidents as a tool to curry favor with and flatter upper management. It is ugly.

3. The company spends a great deal of money on advertising, attempting to create an image of itself as a top-quality provider of excellent products, but the reality is far removed from appearances: the teaching materials may not have been written by professionals, and the instructors may not actually be teachers.

4. The company seriously disrespects employees’ personal information! Even after leaving the company, it may use it as a customer list. I personally continued receiving harassing emails and sales calls for more than a year. Repeated complaints were ineffective, and I had to invoke the name of the Fair Trade Commission before the harassment finally stopped.