GKR Karate - Warning!

**tae-kwon-do-jud** · Posted On: 5/17/2011 8:44am

Hey everyone,

Thought I'd just come on here and put a warning out to anyone thinking of joining GKR Karate to train or to work.

A couple of days ago I saw an advertisement on the Jobcentre website for "Self Defence Consultant" with GKR. Sound's flashy right? Anyway, I got given an interview but the Regional Manager for my area. I was made to watch some rubbish video about Karate and then was basically told that the job was knocking on doors selling a the GKR Karate membership to people for £25. I got paid when the person who signed up to the membership paid, that £25 was meant to go straight into my pocket. Nice :/ . There was no basic rate of pay, 100% commission. I was given a little pack full of information and told I'd have a phonecall at 3pm.

Anyway, I went home and my girlfriend looked at all the paperwork and immediately said "this sounds like a scam" we did some research and low and behold, I found nothing good said about GKR.

He rang me at 3pm saying "we would like to offer you the job but you need to pay us £35 in order for us to get your karate suit" Since when did employee's need to pay their employers money just to get a job ?! Well, theres the catch. GKR class you as self-employed in order for them to skip out on having to pay your tax, NI and any basic salary at all. Even though as a SDC you work employed hours. When he called at 3pm, I accepted the job and asked when I would start, he said "tomorrow at 12". That was it, no reference check, no credit check, no criminal record check. I am expected to go into peoples homes and sell them self defence for £25 and they have not checked me out at all.

At my interview I also got told that the Regional Manager who was interviewing me and ran the Dojo, was only an orange belt! Me myself, I'm a black belt in Tae-Kwon-Do and to have my "boss" be a lower belt than me was absolutely shocking.

I am telling you all this information because I don't want anyone else to get caught up in the scam of GKR. It is basic pyramid selling, they've just found a corner to cut so that its legal. The instructors are lower belts than some of the students who train with them and its completely unacceptable.

I also found out that Go Kan Ryu is an anagram of Kan Go Ryu as GKR was originated from an Australian guy. This is a mockery of Karate and brings shame on the heads of those who have trained for so many years to deserve the name Sensei.

I wish there were something we could all do to expose GKR as the con artists they really are. The guys at the top are making a hell of a lot of money selling their "product" which just so happens to be Karate. They seem to have a flashy website, and flashy ideas but if you google "GKR Karate Scam" you'd be horrified at what you saw.

I hope no-one else gets roped into GKR's trap. I saw some posts about GKR from about 5 years ago, so they have been doing this con business for a long time now.

Maybe someone should write to Watchdog! Rogue Traders! HAHA!

**Tom .C** · Posted On: 5/17/2011 9:01am

You're not a very good salesperson. I'm not even remotely interested in joining yet. Try a different approach. Try to work something about it being a good deal into your sales pitch. Good luck on your new position.

**Ignorami** · Posted On: 5/17/2011 9:29am

Here is how to put out a real warning.

Turn up at twelve to pick up your kit.
Put on a tight pair of speedos, and a baseball cap.
Go around the designated area knocking on doors.
Regardless of who answers, ask if their daughter is in. (this especially applies if the person answering the door is a child.)
Whilst giving the sales pitch, keep leaning to try to see past them into the house.
If they ask any questions, pause to eat a scotch egg.
Tell them the price is £25, but perhaps you could come to some kind of "arrangement"
Tell them how buff they'd look in a karate suit.
Leave the details for the local branch, including the Regional Manager's direct line.
As you are leaving, shout "I DON'T GET PAID TO BE TOUCHED!"

A few days of that should do the trick.

FYI, there are a number GKR threads here. (surch funkshun). You may want to get in touch with some of the people here who have previously had a run in with them.

**Permalost** · Posted On: 5/17/2011 10:29am

So...as the guy off the street going door to door selling karate, were they going to teach you karate first, or were you just supposed to make up your own menacing looking stuff?

**Colin** · Posted On: 5/17/2011 10:40am

Hehe..
Here's my thread on my own GKR run-in:
http://www.bullshido.net/forums/showthread.php?t=105694

Yup, these guys are a joke.

**tao.jonez** · Posted On: 5/17/2011 11:26am

Originally Posted by Ignorami

.[*]If they ask any questions, pause to eat a scotch egg.

I haven't had Scotch eggs for ages. Now I want one. I will have that and some toast for dinner tonight.

This is the best thing in the thread. +1

**Soldiermedic** · Posted On: 5/17/2011 11:37am

I have to go out for my scotch eggs, every time I make them at home, it ends up being an unmitigated disaster

**tao.jonez** · Posted On: 5/17/2011 1:34pm

It's all about the method.
You have to patty the sausage out into a large, even thickness before you wrap the egg. Uneven sausage thickness is probably the issue. Also boil your egg for 9 min, then cool immediately before peeling. This will give you a yellow interior that's delicious and firm, not green or runny.

Making a thick breadcrumb crust helps, too. I do flour, egg, breadcrumbs, egg, breadcrumbs because I like a crunchy outside. If you have time to let it set in the fridge, do so. This will help the egg maintain it's shape.

375 degree oil to fry, and let it get to the darker side of golden brown.

Lastly, drain and let it cool for about 3-4 mins before you slice it with a serrated knife. It will hold together better that way.

Serve with some good spicy mustard, not the crappy yellow bottle stuff.