Korean Job Discussion Forums

[peppermint]

I gave notice at my old job- not long ago, and wish to god I'd run. This particular school tried to take me for five million won, and it basically came down to forfeiting my last months pay- if I wanted the release letter.

That said, a friend left her job after giving notice without a hitch.

[teachingld2004]

Try and stay. You are here 8 months. If you give 2 months notice, that means you stayed 10 months. Just stay the year and get the bonus. Try it if it is possible. Good luck.

[dulouz]

Yea, I quit into the contract. I didn't want to but I certainly did not want to be there after the contract and I told them that. The owners moved the school and we shed half our students and the situatuion got tense and not worthwhile.

I gave the 30, they gave me 18 days. I said "you have to give 30" they said to paraphrase "don't tell me what I can or cannot do foreigner". I said I go to the labor board, they said "you must never speak of that". I said, I had one my students, the pretty one I took out alot, translate my complaint already. I'll be there tomarrow. We settled on one more week pay and a good reference.


I've already forgot what your problem is, but let them know that you wont be there after you get your bonus. The korean will get the cash boner and want to shed you. Make it work for you. Do you job, give them 30 but try to find out what if you get the release letter and then try to get the air fare. Mine was prorated.

good luck

[CanadaCommando]

Was gonna just ditch ship, rethought it, got screwed, and felt like an idiot for it.
If your boss is a sketch case already-good chance that giving notice will get ya screwed. Labour Relations doesn't solve it all...

That being said, I am at a wicked job right now, and would 100% give a couple of months notice if I had to leave. Depends on what you think of your boss really.

[SpecialK]

[quote]Don't forget to turn in your alien card to immigration on the way out

[jajdude]

Just hand it to the guy at immigration. He won't ask. It will be obvious by your passport.

[whatshisname]

two friends came to my hogwan together... one got sick and went back to canada for treatment. he gave 1 months notice after only being in korea for 1 month... they couldn't find another teacher so they made him stay another 2 weeks... still no teacher but he had to go. He had to refund his plane ticket, and they tried to get recruitment fee back from him... (dunno if they did or not though - i think they made a deal with the recruiter for a new teacher for free instead). They wouldn't give him a release letter so went he left the country he was interrogated by immigration. He came back to korea for another job - the hogwan is trying to sue him for deceiving them (or some other rubbish). He had the pay for ticket home including cancelling and rescheduling fees.
The second teacher (after 3 months) gave a letter to management citing problems with the school - things he wanted to change - he gave 30 days for them to make the changes or he would tender his resignation. nothing changed so he told them that on monday he'd give his resignation - they didn't pay him (when pressured later they only gave him 1/2 of his pay - he is fighting for the rest), they refused to give him his degree back, they are refusing to give him his release letter, they are trying to get him deported and are saying he is a bad teacher (they gave him a bonus last week for being a good teacher!!!).
Both teachers gave notice and did the right thing - both got screwed. My advice... it's not worth the hassle. Run. However, they might put some black mark against you when you come back... but korea is pretty disorganised so i even doubt that. It's not worth the fight. But teachers who run are one of the reasons why hogwan owners don't trust foreign teachers. Good luck!

[bijjy]

Just bumping an old thread.. does anyone else have experience with breaking a contract? I've been here a month, have worked hard, the director likes me and my friend/roommate I came here with. However, I've been sick all the time, this little town is isolating, I feel overworked, and my friend S. may have a better paying job in Seoul for me.

If I break my contract though, I have to:

-pay my $1000 airfare here
-pay about $1000 for the recruiting fee (is this normal? my other friend B. is supposed to get half the recruiting fee for referring us after our contract ends, so perhaps we should only have to pay $500 each)
-possibly pay for airfare to Fukoka and back for a Visa run - $1000?
-possibly pay to stay in Japan for a few days to sightsee - $500
-feel bad about abandoning the kids, who have to deal with many teacher changes as is

In the end I could be paying $4000+ to break my contract early, when I haven't even gotten my first full paycheque yet. From others who've experienced this.. is it worth it? Should I move to Seoul for the culture, arts, better social experience and increased 500,000 W month in pay considering I don't yet know much about the new job offer (will research it thoroughly if they email me back) and considering I have to pay about $4000? Will I be able to obtain a new working Visa on the basis that I simply found a better paying job?

ps. my director *did* screw me over slightly by lowering my pay from 2 mill to 1.95 mill won. She changed my contract by tearing out the renumeration page and stapling in a new one, and sending it to immigration, and telling me later about it. It was an honest mistake because there was miscommunication between the director and human resources lady, and yet the director *did* arbitrarily change my contract after i signed it, without having me re-sign. so i feel a little less guilty about leaving.

[brento1138]

[silver_butterfly]

Hi I was wondering if anyone could help me.
I started my contract at the end of August, and I intend to stay til the end of Feb on the basis that would be my 6 months and I wouldn't have to pay back my flight. The drawback is my contract doesn't state anything about what to do if I want to quit so if they're gonna charge me the cost of my flight (they bought a round trip ticket so I don't know if the return is refundable) I'd rather finish at the end of Jan - but there's no way of asking as my boss will throw a wobbler once I mention it - not sure whether to hand my 2 months notice at the end of November or December? There's also a job at a public school I want in Seoul and that starts at the beginning of March - wish my boss wasn't so hard to just talk to and reason with! I know he's gonna be awkward once I hand my notice in!
Any advice would be much appreciated.
This particular school has a history of not keeping people so I'm scared they'll be really mad, but I know I can't stay past the end of Feb, I desperately want to relocate.

[jambonsambo]

so just let me get this straight

if you run without giving notice can you get another job in korea ever? or is it only for the duration of the remainder of your contract , regardless of weather you are released or not ?

[ttompatz]

[Lonewolf]

They will screw you everytime. Unless you have a Korean who will stand by you. If not 2 words. Midnight Run!!!!!!!!! Get paid save your money next pay day if your not coming back until your contract ends hello airplane good bye South Korea. Even if you complete your contract they try to find little ways of nickel and dimeing you to death One hagwon owed me over 5000 last pay bonus and plane ticket I only got 4000 after all their deductions I could have bought my own ticket and save my money for 2 months and came out the same.

[yoyoyo]

i just left my hagwon today after giving the 60 days notice required to break my contract. i got royally raped in the ass when i looked at the final pay slip. deduction for this, deduction for that and 100% airfare i had to pay, even though there is no mention on this on the contract. granted, i broke the contract, but i went about it in an honest way, as per the contract. and, i busted my balls helping out the new teachers and doing my job to the best of my ability until the very last day. what do i get? 600 thousand for a whole month's work.

i say screw them!

[guerillera]

Any more stories of people who broke their contracts? What if you break a contract after one month? Do you have to pay your airfare back?