Korean Job Discussion Forums

waygooksaram · Joined: 18 Jan 2003 Location: Pohang

Our director has told all of the foreign teachers at our school "no vacations!" We have been trying to be reasonable since December, but now he refuses to discuss this at all and dismisses us like children. All of us are supposed to get '10 days paid in addition to national holidays', but we have yet to see a single day (contacts all begin and end at various times). It would be very easy for us to cover each other's classes while one of us goes, but he won't hear of it. Does anyone have any success stories or advice for us? We all would like to finish our contracts, but we don't even know if we trust our director enough to stay. He is a new director and have never worked with foreigners before.

My favorite quote by him, "You are not to discipline children! You are only foreigners!!!"

IconsFanatic · Joined: 19 Jan 2003

This guy's Korean?

My best idea would be to print out an English AND Korean (get a friend to help) copy of the labour law, and for all of you to present it to him en masse.

Sure, hagwon owners have heaps over control over us in many aspects, but we can screw them over just as bad. After all, it's THEIR money that's invested in this business!

Is he really willing to lose several foreign teachers all at once? He'd have some serious explaining to do with all the parents....

Plus, he'd be risking legal action if you contact Labour/Immigration/Justice and all your respective embassies/consulates.

Add to that the blacklists....

My advice: if he's playing head games with you, go one up on the head games. Think North Korea! Laughing

IconsFanatic · Joined: 19 Jan 2003

Pohang might be tricky, but apparently there's heaps of lawyers in Korea willing to work pro bono (for free) on cases like this, if it eventually comes to that.

waygooksaram · Joined: 18 Jan 2003 Location: Pohang

Do you have any idea where to get a copy of the labor law? My korean friends probably aren't even aware that there are labor laws. As a female, they are shocked I'd consider opposing the boss at tall. Also, one time the director mentioned MAYBE letting us all leave two weeks early from our contract, which we all found unacceptable. Does this count as vacation in the eyes of the labor board? Whether he'd pay us or not is another story, as he is known to not even pay severance, why on earth would he pay us for two weeks at the end of our contract, haha. Also, we fear contacting these boards may result in lost pay. I just don't know. So you say threaten him?

IconsFanatic · Joined: 19 Jan 2003

poet13 · Posted: Fri Feb 10, 2006 8:10 pm Post subject:

IconsFanatic
you wrote that there were heaps or lawyers who do pro bono. Do you know of a link, a phone number, or a resource directory where i may find one or five in my area?
Thanks

poet13 · Posted: Fri Feb 10, 2006 8:12 pm Post subject:

ahh, another question.
does anybody know if the employer must reimburse the employee for unused vacation days? I havent been paid for any scheduled days off (6 this contract) or national holidays, but i have four left and my contract expires in three weeks.... do i get that money or is it just gone....?

Yu_Bum_suk · Joined: 25 Dec 2004

If you have workplace solidarity you can make a stand. Everyone can simply submit the days they will take off in advance and then just start taking them. However, knowing what doormats some foreigners are, you can probably do nothing more than whine. Getting more than a few days off in a row may be a problem, but there are 10 days off in the contract so you had better start using them. I'd start by submitting in writing a day you plan to take off - give them two weeks' notice. Then just take it. If you can convince your co-workers to do the same there's really nothing the director can do.

poet13 · Posted: Thu Mar 02, 2006 12:28 am Post subject:

id love to just schedule the time off, and tehn take it, but i am the only foreigner at this hogwan, so that doesnt work. I did end up getting some money for the days, but i will see if its in my next paycheck.... doubt it. some ol' same ol' ....

Pak Yu Man · Joined: 02 Jun 2005 Location: The Ida galaxy

If it's in the contract they have to give you vacation. Hell even if it's not there they have to give you time off.

Do they other teachers get some time off? Even a day? Does the boss take time off? I bet he comes in late all the time still drunk from the night before.

It's not worth working so hard for so little.

poet13 · Posted: Tue Mar 07, 2006 2:27 am Post subject:

there is only one other teacher here, a korean fellow. we hvae the same days off. those are the days the school is closed. last year it was the national holidays, and the school vacations, which were three and three days respectively during the summer and after new years. I dont mind having no time off as long as i'm paid the going day rate, but i wont even get that. there were 4 reamaining days, and she simply said that she would give me 200,000 won. sucks. this coming monday should be the tell all. I am scheduled to receive the balance from the previous contract. that would be 1.9 for the severance month (we agreed that she would pay it even though i have extended), pay from Jan 27 to March 8, and 200k for the vacation. that sums maybe 4.5 or more mill. my guess is that she will deposit maybe 3 and make an excuse for the rest. we will go to war over that. I found out last week that my father in law has lung cancer and I am footing a lot of the bills. I need that money, and if she plays games, it will go bad, it will go bad fast, and it wont go her way. Can you say tax office, immigration and labor three times fast?
A lot of people say that being the only foreigner in a small school is very bad, but on the other side of that coin, it gives me a great deal more leverage than say, a school with 10 foreigners. they lose one, and the rest cover for a week until he or she is replaced. they lose me, and in the few days without a foreigner, they would likely lose a good percentage of their clientele...
hey, heres a question, off topic to this post for sure, but a flyer. Do you know how long after the end of a contract the employer has to provide a tax receipt? I heard it is 30 days. But i also heard that the tax year for koreans is may to may. In which case, should i haev received a tax receipt for the period march to may, and another from may to march?