Job Discussion Forums

chinwubachu · Joined: 02 Oct 2005 Posts: 32

Hi,

I have just begun working in Greece and signed a contract before I came back to the UK to teach summer school. I was just wondering if it is normal practice to pay teachers in cash as I havent seen a payslip yet. They have been paying me every two weeks cash in hand. They are also deducting 50 euros for insurance, but am wondering where exactly the money is going with no record of it.

Also it says in my contract that if I break it in any way I must pay 1000 euros ( 2 months salary for me pretty much). My boss says this is normal proceedure ( after trying to hide it from me as I was signing it) or is it just a threat?.

I have been teaching for a fair few years, but was just wondering if this was the norm in Greece??

Many thanks Laughing

teacheringreece · Joined: 05 Feb 2005 Posts: 79

Cash in hand is common, but they should be giving you some kind of pay slip with it. When you say 'insurance' do you mean IKA (i.e. national insurance)? If so, it sounds a bit odd that it's �50 exactly. You should get a letter from IKA every month or so with a record of the payments you've made into the system, but they tend do be very slow in sending them so it doesn't mean anything if you haven't got one yet. If you're really concerned then ask to speak to the accountant or see the paperwork showing the payments - they will have something to show you if they really are paying. It's certainly not normal procedure but I expect it's just a threat and probably not even legally enforceable. I would worry about that far less than whether or not they're paying IKA - you need the IKA payments to get medical treatment, and you can actually get unemployment benefit over the summer when you're contract runs out (if you stay in Greece over the summer that is). To be honest, the lack of any paperwork suggests to me there's a big change that they're not actually paying you properly.

chinwubachu · Joined: 02 Oct 2005 Posts: 32

Thanks for your reply teacher. That clears things up a bit Confused

also I was wondering if 650 Euros a month was the normal wage because one of my students told me 700 was the minimum wage in Greece.

teacheringreece · Joined: 05 Feb 2005 Posts: 79

650 isn't much, but are you getting free accommodation? The pay you get as a teacher in a private school is based on an hourly rate, which is itself dependent on your qualifications and experience, but then that rate is a bit irrelevant if you're also getting accommodation for free. If you're getting 650 and a flat, it's not too bad.