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Health insurance

 
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weechattyemz



Joined: 20 Aug 2012
Location: Glasgow

PostPosted: Tue Nov 13, 2012 6:22 pm    Post subject: Health insurance Reply with quote

Hi I work in a hagwon and have been here for 6 weeks now. I not long ago got my first pay cheque and notice that i didn't pay health insurance. I asked my director about this and he said I can't get insurance until I have been here for 3 months. Is this correct?
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newb



Joined: 27 Aug 2012
Location: Korea

PostPosted: Tue Nov 13, 2012 7:04 pm    Post subject: Re: Health insurance Reply with quote

weechattyemz wrote:
Hi I work in a hagwon and have been here for 6 weeks now. I not long ago got my first pay cheque and notice that i didn't pay health insurance. I asked my director about this and he said I can't get insurance until I have been here for 3 months. Is this correct?


Are you the first FT there?

If so, blame his ignorance and tell him to apply it for you right away.

If not, he's bsing you.
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hogwonguy1979



Joined: 22 Dec 2003
Location: the racoon den

PostPosted: Tue Nov 13, 2012 7:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

you should have been signed up when he signed you up for pension (if he did)

Let me ask you ask you, are you being taxed at 3.3% If you you wont get health insurance as you are being IC'ed and you will have to pay pension and health insurance in its entirety

Use the search function to see how being IC'ed is technically illegal on an E2 visa, there has been a lot debate here on that
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weechattyemz



Joined: 20 Aug 2012
Location: Glasgow

PostPosted: Tue Nov 13, 2012 8:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

No I am not the first FT there and nope I didn't pay a pension. I was charged at 3.3% though for tax. I tried to tell him that it should be paid now but he wont listen to me
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newb



Joined: 27 Aug 2012
Location: Korea

PostPosted: Tue Nov 13, 2012 9:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

weechattyemz wrote:
No I am not the first FT there and nope I didn't pay a pension. I was charged at 3.3% though for tax. I tried to tell him that it should be paid now but he wont listen to me


By law, employer has to provide you the health insurance. You and your employer MUST contribute equal half.

What your boss is doing is illegal. You can do two things:

1. Do nothing. (no health insurance) You may face consequences later when you are sick or NHIC catches up to you when you find another job which does offer health insurance where you'll end up owing back premium since the beginning of your sojourn in Korea.

2. Fighting it out with your boss or filing complaint to the labor board for treating you like IC.

Either way, I wouldn't want to work for a boss who is doing something illegal which will cause harm to my well being.
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hogwonguy1979



Joined: 22 Dec 2003
Location: the racoon den

PostPosted: Tue Nov 13, 2012 9:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

weechattyemz wrote:
No I am not the first FT there and nope I didn't pay a pension. I was charged at 3.3% though for tax. I tried to tell him that it should be paid now but he wont listen to me


yup, you've been IC'ed, best advice is try and get out of this job. You will be liable for all pension and health insurance payments as its a requirement to be enrolled in NHIC and therefore pension as part of your E2 visa.

I know there are a few people around here who will say being an IC is fine and legal yada yada but in the long run you will get screwed. I've said it 10000x times here but read the Bill Kapoun story and you will learn why its important to be covered
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Wildbore



Joined: 17 Jun 2009

PostPosted: Wed Nov 14, 2012 10:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have self-employed NHIC for W82,000 per month. If you are made an indepedent contractor, the NHIC will use the default rate, W82,000 per month.

I pay into the pension myself as well (it is tax deductible, and you accrue interest on balance until the lump-sum refund). It isn't as a good as employer match, but the job pays better than most so I'm not losing anything compared to a lower-paid job with a workplace-based pension.

Either way, whether you have workplace National insurance or Independent National Insurance, just get it so you won't get screwed in the case of a catastrophic injury.
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hogwonguy1979



Joined: 22 Dec 2003
Location: the racoon den

PostPosted: Thu Nov 15, 2012 3:12 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Wildbore wrote:
I have self-employed NHIC for W82,000 per month. If you are made an indepedent contractor, the NHIC will use the default rate, W82,000 per month.

I pay into the pension myself as well (it is tax deductible, and you accrue interest on balance until the lump-sum refund). It isn't as a good as employer match, but the job pays better than most so I'm not losing anything compared to a lower-paid job with a workplace-based pension.

Either way, whether you have workplace National insurance or Independent National Insurance, just get it so you won't get screwed in the case of a catastrophic injury.


What is your visa status? Technically if you are on an E2 you cant be an independent contractor but immig and pension/nhic don't communicate so people get set up as ICs but are never told until its too late
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Wildbore



Joined: 17 Jun 2009

PostPosted: Thu Nov 15, 2012 9:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

hogwonguy1979 wrote:
Wildbore wrote:
I have self-employed NHIC for W82,000 per month. If you are made an indepedent contractor, the NHIC will use the default rate, W82,000 per month.

I pay into the pension myself as well (it is tax deductible, and you accrue interest on balance until the lump-sum refund). It isn't as a good as employer match, but the job pays better than most so I'm not losing anything compared to a lower-paid job with a workplace-based pension.

Either way, whether you have workplace National insurance or Independent National Insurance, just get it so you won't get screwed in the case of a catastrophic injury.


What is your visa status? Technically if you are on an E2 you cant be an independent contractor but immig and pension/nhic don't communicate so people get set up as ICs but are never told until its too late


Technically you can. The pension office actually sent me a foreigners pension application form for individual insurance with my E2 status and address (which only immigration knew) already printed on the form. All I had to do was fill out the income section. I went to health office and E2 enrollment as self-employed status IS ALLOWED. Even states this on the English website. There is a 3 month waiting period, however.

Immigration doesn't care about IC status, all they care about is you work for your sponsor and other places approved by them.
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Seon-bee



Joined: 24 Jan 2003
Location: ROK

PostPosted: Fri Nov 16, 2012 4:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

If I'm not mistaken, don't you need an ARC card to register for pension and medical? If you've only been here 6 weeks, it's also possible you haven't yet gotten it. Lot of schools take most of the 3 months to get that done. If you have it, get them to register you ASAP.
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Wildbore



Joined: 17 Jun 2009

PostPosted: Sun Nov 18, 2012 1:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Seon-bee wrote:
If I'm not mistaken, don't you need an ARC card to register for pension and medical? If you've only been here 6 weeks, it's also possible you haven't yet gotten it. Lot of schools take most of the 3 months to get that done. If you have it, get them to register you ASAP.


Yes you need an ARC, then you can be registered, then the following month, deductions will be taken and sent to the NHIC.

Sometimes the schools will just start deductions off the bat and register the teacher late so they can pocket the money for a few months (the new teachers wont know better).
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