Job Discussion Forums

[nighthawk]

I�m an American working in South Korea. I�ve got some problems with my employer, and I�m thinking about going elsewhere in Asia. I just want to understand my options. In South Korea you get a work visa that lasts 1 year. One of the things that really irks me about South Korea is that if you want to quit your job and get another in SK, then you have to get a letter of release from your 1st employer in order to work legally or you have to leave the country and wait until your 1-year work visa expires before you can reenter. Well, as I�m sure you can imagine, there are a lot of employers that don�t provide these letters of releases like they should, so the teacher either has to put up with his employer�s b.s., try to fight the system legally, which is often futile, or pack his bags and leave the country. Is a letter of release required to change jobs in Vietnam? Can a teacher just quit a bad employer and start working for a better one? Do you have to leave the country? Basically what I'm asking is what happens if you find out that your employer is a scumbag and you want out? What are your options then?

Also, how common is it to work in Vietnam illegally? How much do you get fined if you get caught working illegally? How long do they prohibit you from reentering the country if you get caught working illegally? Thanks in advance for the help.

[Aramas]

Ok, I only know what I've been able to find out so far - I'll be there in October. You can buy a VN business visa for up to 1 year, so employers have nothing to do with it.

Here's a cut & paste from RMIT's CELTA page (http://www.rmit.edu.vn/public/asp/OurPrograms.asp?id=42)

[hanisay]

Most employers of English schools in Vietnam hire you on your tourist visa, and the better employers will then provide a business visa for you after a few months (which requires you to leave the country and reenter on the new visa). So once you have a business visa, it's probably not easy to switch jobs, but it is while you're on the tourist visa. It's pretty common for people to work on a tourist visa here and to keep extending it for months.

[nighthawk]

Thanks for the replies. How long does the tourist visa last for? Also, what happens if you get caught working on a tourist visa, i.e., what's the fine and how long do they prohibit you from reentering the country for? Thanks again. -nighthawk

[daily chai]

FYI, Taiwan used to require the draconian letter of release but they changed the law recently. You are a free agent. Bear in mind the only country I know of where foreign workers have the most rights is Japan: you "own" your visa/work permit; not your employer. Other EFL teachers say it's taken as a given you will get a job to submit a visa app for you, then change jobs once you get the visa. I haven't been there, so I can't confirm. You could check the Japan forum.

Just to clear things up, in Taiwan an employer sponsors your visa, but if you want to change employers you have to make a visa run to cancel your current visa to a tourist visa, then submit paperwork with your new employer to get working permission. Everyone works while waiting for permission, which is short anyway--2-3 weeks max.

HTH in your journey for worker's rights.