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question about doing a runner...
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miwi



Joined: 13 Jun 2012

PostPosted: Thu Nov 22, 2012 6:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

So its better to just verbally resign? Apparently they're deciding now whether to fire me or not, but who knows how long I'll have to wait.

I'm giving them until Monday and if they don't do anything then I'll resign myself on Monday. Was planning to print a letter but, if I can do it verbally I shall?
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EZE



Joined: 05 May 2012

PostPosted: Thu Nov 22, 2012 9:06 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

miwi wrote:
So its better to just verbally resign? Apparently they're deciding now whether to fire me or not, but who knows how long I'll have to wait.

I'm giving them until Monday and if they don't do anything then I'll resign myself on Monday. Was planning to print a letter but, if I can do it verbally I shall?


Are you in your first six months? If so, they can fire you immediately and Wonderland won't pay you for days you have worked. You should just pull your runner ASAP. If you're in the last six months of your contract, you have more leverage.

If I was in your shoes, which I actually have been if you're at Wonderland, I would quit after the next payday. I'm assuming your contractual payday is on the 5th and you'll actually get paid between the 6th and the 10th. You've worked half the month. You might as well work until you get paid and then pull your runner. Just don't book your flight in advance since you never know which day Wonderland will actually pay you.

In April, we were fortunate enough to be paid only one day late, on Friday the 6th, so my Australian co-worker pulled his runner that weekend, as expected. My Korean co-workers went to his apartment after he didn't show up for work, and then they knew he had quit.

I wasn't yet 100% sold on the idea of quitting, but after my much younger Korean supervisor put me in the corner for serving a female American teacher's bowl of soup, I ended up booking a flight myself on the April 11th election day. It's funny how I had put up with such monumental BS and something relatively tiny like that was the straw that broke the camel's back. Laughing

Anyway, my British neighbor who worked at another school said a Korean teacher and an American teacher from Wonderland checked my apartment and knew I was gone. Neither the Australian nor I ever turned in a notice, and I didn't really expect to leave until I started dreading Thursday's lunch period and logged onto Delta.com. It was just a spur of the moment thing, in my case.

Don't tell anyone you're leaving. Just receive your next paycheck and go, like so many Wonderland employees before you have done.
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CentralCali



Joined: 17 May 2007

PostPosted: Thu Nov 22, 2012 2:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

OP: So, which is it, CDI or Wonderland?

EZE wrote:
I wasn't yet 100% sold on the idea of quitting, but after my much younger Korean supervisor put me in the corner for serving a female American teacher's bowl of soup, I ended up booking a flight myself on the April 11th election day.


Huh?
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EZE



Joined: 05 May 2012

PostPosted: Thu Nov 22, 2012 7:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

CentralCali wrote:
OP: So, which is it, CDI or Wonderland?

EZE wrote:
I wasn't yet 100% sold on the idea of quitting, but after my much younger Korean supervisor put me in the corner for serving a female American teacher's bowl of soup, I ended up booking a flight myself on the April 11th election day.


Huh?


I looked at miwi's posting history and he or she had put a Wonderland contract up for review.

Yeah, the soup incident was the straw that broke the camel's back. We would always serve food on the trays of the kids and other teachers, so I don't know why she got so upset that time. It was just so strange to be treated like a four year old by someone so much younger than me.

There were a lot of bigger problems, though. Probably the biggest was how my boss required us to turn in our utility bills. She would deduct the amount of our bills out of our pay. She was supposed to pay the bills, but wouldn't, so our utilities would get cut off. I had no gas from August through October and then it got shut off again in March. Other foreign teachers had similar issues with electricity and internet. Plus, we all got hit with late fees.
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CentralCali



Joined: 17 May 2007

PostPosted: Thu Nov 22, 2012 7:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

EZE wrote:
I looked at miwi's posting history and he or she had put a Wonderland contract up for review.


Wow. People still do sign up for those outfits. The whole "But my branch is okay" is pure malarkey. I feel for anyone who's gotten suckered into working for either outfit. And, yes, I do know the usual apologists for each outfit will soon be here to flame me for that comment.

Quote:
Yeah, the soup incident was the straw that broke the camel's back. We would always serve food on the trays of the kids and other teachers, so I don't know why she got so upset that time. It was just so strange to be treated like a four year old by someone so much younger than me.


I still don't get it. Why are the teachers serving food? The bit about being treated like a four-year old sure brings back a recent memory, though. I'm sure my department head back in Busan knew I was going to bolt on them when the day before I told her that I'm not a child and I will not be treated as one. My sympathies go to the department head, though. The person put in charge of me was also causing problems for her. Gah, how can Korea be so close to Japan, imitate Japan in so many aspects, but still peter away good management practices while Japan has elevated them to a veritable art?

Here's something funny about it, too. The "foreigner wrangler" kept on telling me that I had to learn about Korean culture. She'd do this before class, during class, after class. She'd call me and "suggest that I learn about such-and-such." Finally, I told her a simple truth: "Lady, I came to Korea before you did. I already know about that stuff. I don't need to learn something I already know. And I'm certainly not going to pay to do that." To this day, she still doesn't have a clue what I meant when I told her I got to Korea before she did.

Quote:
There were a lot of bigger problems, though. Probably the biggest was how my boss required us to turn in our utility bills. She would deduct the amount of our bills out of our pay. She was supposed to pay the bills, but wouldn't, so our utilities would get cut off. I had no gas from August through October and then it got shut off again in March. Other foreign teachers had similar issues with electricity and internet. Plus, we all got hit with late fees.


That's why so many people suggest getting the utilities in your own name. There are disadvantages to that, too, though.
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miwi



Joined: 13 Jun 2012

PostPosted: Mon Nov 26, 2012 5:44 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I tried to post a reply last week but it never posted.

Anyway ... I just thought I'd let you guys know that I was basically fired today but they want me to leave in Feb.

I won't be teaching the one problem class anymore (the one with the picky parents). Whether I'll stay until Feb, I'm not sure. My bosses told me that I wouldn't need to pay back my flight (if I stay until Feb) or any other fees.

But they told me that my pay would be docked (because I'm teaching one less class). I half suspect they will take the airfare out of my pay, but will wait and see. I worked out how much they should cut from my pay if its only for that one class.

Payday is pretty soon, so if they take out a huge chunk well then ... I sure as hell won't be sticking around.
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CentralCali



Joined: 17 May 2007

PostPosted: Mon Nov 26, 2012 6:37 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

miwi wrote:
I tried to post a reply last week but it never posted.

Anyway ... I just thought I'd let you guys know that I was basically fired today but they want me to leave in Feb.


That's because February is the soonest they can someone to replace you.

Quote:
I won't be teaching the one problem class anymore (the one with the picky parents).


Friend, all the parents are picky.

Quote:
Whether I'll stay until Feb, I'm not sure. My bosses told me that I wouldn't need to pay back my flight (if I stay until Feb) or any other fees.


Do you trust them? If so, why?

What "other fees" are there? The only stuff you should pay for is:

  • Apartment maintenance fees--demand to see a bill each and every time for that. Better yet, you pay to the apartment building manager, demanding to see the bill each and every time.
  • Utilities (water, gas, Internet, cable TV), demanding to see the bill each and every time.
  • Airfare to Korea if, and only if, the employer flew you there and you are leaving before the six-month mark. In that case, it's a legitimate deduction.


Quote:
But they told me that my pay would be docked (because I'm teaching one less class).


That's illegal. There's no such thing as undertime negative payment. On the other hand, there is such a thing as overtime pay. Your boss's plan is to do what's known in legal circles as unlawful withholding of pay. If you stay long enough to give them a chance to pull that stunt, you'll have a great case at the Labor Board. If you're canned before you hit the six-month mark, though, you'll have no case for the firing, but you'll still have a case for the "undertime" deduction.

Quote:
I half suspect they will take the airfare out of my pay, but will wait and see. I worked out how much they should cut from my pay if its only for that one class.


I'm not a betting man, but I don't think I'd lose if I bet the school deducts the airline fee and recruiter's fee "just in case" you don't stay until February.

Quote:
Payday is pretty soon, so if they take out a huge chunk well then ... I sure as hell won't be sticking around.


This is why you should stand your ground when you negotiate a contract and have your payday be the last day of the month, payment including all work during that month. There is really no excuse today for that not to be the case. If the public schools can pay all the foreign teachers in the province on the 25th of the month, payment including all work through that very day, a small employer can easily do that for one person.

Oh, and your situation here is exactly why you should never work for Wonderland.

By the way, please look at your contract right now and see if you're listed as an employee or an "independent contractor."
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miwi



Joined: 13 Jun 2012

PostPosted: Mon Nov 26, 2012 7:40 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yes exactly ... it all sounds too "nice", the only reason I'm still sticking around is because I want to see what happens on payday (and since it's soon) I figure a few more days won't hurt.

Also I see all of my bills, so they don't charge any extra for that. Oh yes they tried to tell me today that if they fired me I'd have to pay them back for a bunch of stuff (not just the flight, recruiter fees, damages to the school, etc etc). Lol. Clearly they need to reread the contract, because it sure as hell doesn't say that.

And no I don't trust them, it's just I figure if I've stayed this long after payday might as well wait until the next payday. (Plus its cheaper living in my apartment then moving out.)

They also gave me the day off I wanted, but that doesn't make me trust them anymore tbh, in fact it makes me trust them less. Considering other teachers told me that it was impossible to get time off even if a relative was dying/very very ill. Yet they just gave me the day off with no convincing or anything.

I'm basically all packed up and ready to leave anyway. Lol.

The way I see it, is that this payday they will probably not take off too much money to fool me into thinking "oh they are being honest" and then just keep cutting away at my pay. Which is why I will prob leave pretty soon.
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EZE



Joined: 05 May 2012

PostPosted: Mon Nov 26, 2012 8:00 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

What a bunch of crooks at Wonderland.

Good luck on your midnight run. It's perfect timing since you'll be home for the holidays instead of spending your Christmas waiting around for the lump of coal your boss would be putting in your stocking.
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CentralCali



Joined: 17 May 2007

PostPosted: Wed Nov 28, 2012 5:03 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Dude: You're going to get shafted this payday. And then they're going to wonder why you're pissed off. Heck, they're even going to tell you that you skipped work a day and they'll dock you a day's pay in addition to not paying you for that day.

So, from last payday to next payday (which is when?), how many days will you have worked for these bastards essentially for free?
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miwi



Joined: 13 Jun 2012

PostPosted: Thu Nov 29, 2012 6:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well it's not too many days, it was literally a few days after payday that things turned to shit.

It's about 25 days I guess sigh.

Oh and they just told us we need to work around Christmas lol. Why am I not surprised.
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CentralCali



Joined: 17 May 2007

PostPosted: Thu Nov 29, 2012 7:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

25? That's almost an entire month. Why haven't you pulled a runner yet?
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EZE



Joined: 05 May 2012

PostPosted: Fri Nov 30, 2012 3:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

At the Wonderland branch where I worked, we actually had a full week off for Christmas...nine days total counting the weekends. I'll have to work the week of Christmas at my current hagwon, which I don't mind doing. I like my current school.

Can you please tell us more about the problems at your Wonderland? The part about them deducting pay since you're teaching one less class is obviously crooked, but what else has happened?

And please let us know how payday shakes out.
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