Korean Job Discussion Forums

[TheUrbanMyth]

So I asked my minder about getting a pay raise. He said he would call the local education office and find out. This was last week. Yesterday I approached him about that again. He informed me that the office had told him it was up to the school...in fact up to the Korean teachers. He said that they would meet on the following Monday and decide.

Strange...since I was under the impression that GEPIK determined the pay raise...still I'd rather have people who know me and whom I feel I have a fairly good working relationship with to make the call.

Just wondering...has this happened to anyone else?

[Yu_Bum_suk]

It means 'GEPIK said no, they could find any old white person to replace you and don't give a damn about retaining experienced people through such obvious incentives as a pay scale for experience with them, but if we decide we really want you instead of having to start over with another randomn whitey we may be able to scrape some extra funds together from somewhere'.

[tob55]

Here is what few people know or care not to know...

The primary Office of Ed, in this case GEPIK, sends all of the monies associated to your position as an EFL-ESL instructor shortly after you signe the contract of employment...This includes not only your salary for teaching, but also all other money that will be needed to help wth paying your pension, your medical insurance, your housing, if the school is providing it, plus several thousand dollars in general expenditures...SO, for one person the MOE allots a set amount that is in the neighborhood of $37,000 - $42,000 dollars (35 - 42 mil KRW) ( I repeat, they receive ALL of your position monies at the time the contract you signed was approved. This is the way it works in Korea...) The only money the school is presonally responsible for is the key deposit money for your living accommodations...

Now, there is plenty of money to cover the increase in pay for receiving additional training or professional development which would entitle you to receive your raise, but herein lies the rub...

School admins often find their own little pet projects to funnel English teacher fund money into...In some cases the money is spent almost immediately after it comes to the school, and then the English department literally has to beg for money when they have a legitimate need...I could tell you numerous tales of people who have facts regarding this occurrence...

The school people don't want to lose face or be accused of spending money they know was supposed to be used for the English teacher, so they have gotten into the habit of telling the English teacher, sorry, we have no money in the budget or GEPIK said we can't, neither of which is usually a truth of fact...

[pkang0202]

[boyne11]

[wylies99]

[skconqueror]

My friend actually tried to report his school for the exact same thing.. well more importantly the principal. The " _______ office of education" said that they knew of the situation and are just limited the amount of funds it is able to acquire.

[tob55]

wylies99

I am simply someone who is living and working in this country just like you, and spent my time trying to figure out how and why the current educational system works the way it does...I have lived here for four years, I have sources from many places, and I have found out what anyone who was interested in doing their homework could find out if they were so inclined to do so...

I assure you, the information is factual, regardless of the people who attempt to downplay it as rumor or fanciful thinking...

The schools receive a fairly wide berth of autonomy when deciding how to determine the salary and other financial arrangements with their employees...This is why there is such a discrepency among different people working in different places...Do you think if things were actually standardized and equal that people would be having so many problems with their contracts?

[passport220]