Korean Job Discussion Forums

Texas T-Bone · Joined: 09 Jun 2007 Location: SK

Today marks the last day before our summer program begins and all I feel like doing is telling my boss to go get f*cked.

I am due pay for half of May, all of June, and in two more weeks I can expect July will be added to this list. Our boss warned us troubled financial times would happen during the summer months, but wtf? The school collected money the first two weeks and no one was paid anything. By my estimates, I would guess a good 30 million in salaries is owed to 10 teachers. Most are due at least two months pay. The simple solution would be just to walk, f*ck it. . .good bye! But, I am concerned about cosequences.

I was warned by my boss about immigration knowing I was doing privates. My visa was changed to F2 a few months ago, so why warn by telling my boss? I specifically put a clause in my contract before I signed it about teaching privates after marriage, and now I am being told I am violating the law because my contract was signed as an E2 holder. Why would immigration care, isn't this an educational matter anyways. When I was first told, it didn't feel right to begin with. I still am having a hard time believing any of it. . maybe his little chain around me to keep me in line?

I am pissed to even go to work. I am too f*cking old to work for free. The b*tch responsible for paying us just laughs and says "next week, next week" knowing she is just lying. I have already told my boss I am leaving before my contract is up to take a new position. But this was well after the pay issues started. So my questions:

Do I need a LOR as an F2 visa holder to start a new job if I just quit my other job?

What kind of cosequences could I expect if he decides to be a complete pr*ck? Heavy fines for private teaching, law suits, black-balling (I waited to teach until I thought I was legal to do so)?

What kind of recourse would I have with the labor department to get my back pay?

Should I continue to just bite my tongue. . .I feel like a ticking bomb, hoping each day the fuse will just disappear with some money in the bank. My co-worker says we will get money before the vacation. So the f*ck what? My co-worker is owed around 7 mil, I don't f*cking get it.

I haven't slept tonight. . .my apologies if somethings don't make sense. I hate this, almost two years I considered myself lucky to be paid fairly on time because I always made an issue if it was late. My co-workers, K teachers included, just allow things to deteriorate. . .I knew someday it was going to come around to me. I said I wouldn't stay if it did, but I feel like I am falling down the rabbit hole and am concerned about the sh*t my boss could impose on my life if things end ugly.

A little help please . . .this isn't just a job, I have to live here too (smallish city).

Squid · Joined: 25 Jul 2003 Location: Sunny Anyang

Don't sweat a thing!

Keep all the paperwork- payslips, contract and anything else.

Give them 30 days notice, according to the Korean Labor Standards Act, telling them exactly how you feel about non-payment of money owed to you...in writing.
The next sentence goes: "Whilst I am reluctant to involve outside agencies, including the Korean Labor Office, the Pension Office etc., to secure my unpaid wages and benefits I will not have any choice unless I am paid by you in full on or before (insert last day).

There will be no repercussions. You're F2. You have all the employment rights of a Korean. I suggest you exercise those rights vigorously.

Make them understand that you're not going anywhere, and that you're prepared to go the distance.

Calculate your unpaid wages as at today and have the missus ring the local Labor office- have your employer's full name and phone number handy and chances are they'll give him a call immediately to try to avert a claim. The sh88 will hit the fan at work but if he tries any monkey business it's all good for you later at claim time. Try to keep a record of "meetings" that suddenly occur, just date, time and key facts.

I did this (2 for 2) and watch the slimy smile run from their face as you stack up a big sh88 sandwich and force it down their misbegotten throats.

F2...you can't touch this...

PM me for details on claiming...you may lose any pro-rata severance.

Typhoon · Joined: 29 May 2007 Location: Daejeon

The above post is right on the money. To add on, immigration will have no issue with your private lessons. The education office is another story. They may have an issue with you teaching (although I really doubt it). You need to get some documents from them to allow you to teach 100% leagally. However, the education office will even tell you that it is not a big deal and they are more worried about people doing gong-bu bongs and raking in the big money. They told me they generally do not care about the little guys teaching a few lessons and were surprised that I would even bother registering with them. At worst you could face a small fine for teaching lessons without permission from the education office. Not too much for you to worry about on the private front.

bellum99 · Joined: 23 Jan 2003 Location: don't need to know

Here is a hint: DON"T TELL PEOPLE ABOUT YOUR PRIVATES!!!
OF course you have to go to the labor board to settle the non-payment. Don't wait or they may close or sell the school and then you are really screwed.

ttompatz · Joined: 05 Sep 2005 Location: Kwangju, South Korea

spyro25 · Joined: 23 Nov 2004

could anyone point me to the requirements / process for getting the private tutors license from the ministry of edu (getting an F-2 next year and wouldn't mind opening a study room)

Pak Yu Man · Joined: 02 Jun 2005 Location: The Ida galaxy

Give them 30 days and walk. You could walk right now and there's not much your boss could do about it. If you give them the 30 days notice stated by Korean law...you are the good guy following the contract. The Korean is the one and only one breaking your contract.

In this situation it's better to have the moral high ground and say "I followed my contract to the letter".

Edit: Sounds like your boss is an a$$. Give him a written notice and get him/her/it to sign it. This way the can't say you didn't give notice.

cmr · Joined: 22 Mar 2006

Ryst Helmut · Posted: Thu Jul 19, 2007 1:41 am Post subject:

Ryst Helmut · Posted: Thu Jul 19, 2007 1:42 am Post subject:

Ryst Helmut · Posted: Thu Jul 19, 2007 1:54 am Post subject:

Squid, ttompatz & PYM gave sound advice. Oh, and a reminder....get legit...errr, too legit to quit (hey, Squid started it...) Visit the links I posted above (to see how to go about doing it).

It is (at times) a selling point. Sometimes (ok, rarely) people ask about the legality of me teaching...I just point to the wall which displays my license. A nod of contentment soon follows...

!shoosh,

Ryst

Texas T-Bone · Joined: 09 Jun 2007 Location: SK

Update

Appreciate the replies. Gave my notice today due to another job offer. Given the town I live in, I am not in the habit of burning bridges, so I am trying to be nice about things. Though I gave 30 days notice, tomorrow will be the deciding point if I even bother to go back.

Rant on....

Things have gone from bad to worse as far as I am concerned. We were promised pay tomorrow. . .ah so nice of them. Sad how we will go on vacation for a week, only to come back to another pay day which we probably won't get paid for. Then, we find out the director's son is going to Europe for a month. . .must be nice. At least we know the money is being spent on important matters. 5 teachers behind between 2 to 9 mil each. . .yes, I know, "let's send our son to Europe and f*ck paying the workers! And then let's whine to the dumb monkeys of how poor we are, and how there is no money so we can't pay them." Today was the final straw. I got a break, and accepted a position elsewhere. What a f*cking dumb*ss. I seriously don't understand how the f*ck this idiot has stayed in business as long as he has. He collects two months of tuition, and additional pay from the summer program, and doesn't pay anyone for two months. WTF!

...Rant off

Drinking and deciding whether I even want to wake up for the 9 am class or not. The advice is appreciated, and I will be calling the labor board. I feel for my co-workers in a way, but enough is enough. Again, thanks for the input.

Cheonmunka · Joined: 04 Jun 2004

A few years ago, almost the same position. I walked and didn't do my classes for the afternoon. I called the Labor Dept before classes and they said I could walk, because pay was overdue by about a month. Later, the school was heading for bankruptcy so a group of people (bus drivers, staff together worked thru a lawyer and I ended up getting all my money up to the point where I walked as well as severence for the uncompleted year.