Korean Job Discussion Forums

[shawner88]

Listen. I feel your pain. I understand your situation. Listen to me.

I don't know anything about you, but if you're like most people, you came here with an ideal and got a screwin'. It's easy for everyone to say you screwed up, but it's easy to get duped when you're not aware of other options.

If what you say is true, that you are teaching as much as you say you are, then my advice: quit! There is absolutely no need to suffer in Korea. That's what you are feeling, suffering. Take the next bus to the airport, relax in the lobby, read the newspaper. When you get to Japan, apply for an official tourist visa for Korea at the Korean Embassy in Fukoka or Japan. Next, eat a McDonald's breakfast, go for a walk in the cool October air, check out some Japanese culture, do a little shopping. Pick up your wonderful new visa! Shout for joy! Then come back to Korea refreshed. With the experience you have, you know now what to look for.

I teach 3-6 classes/day and make 2.0 tax free. I quit 3 jobs before I landed this one. You don't need to talk to your boss about anything. He's screwing you over and knows it, and if he doesn't know he's blind.

If you need to, work on a tourist visa for awhile until you feel comfortable with your new job. Don't listen to these other goody gumdrops that don't have any idea of the hell that is your current schedule. Do what you feel is right. Wake up in the morning and say to yourself "man, i don't have to do this," and change your situation. I did it and I never looked back. I did it 3 times and I'm still here. I have an ideal job now, finally. There is nothing to feel guilty about. Feel proud of yourself for making the change that you need.

[bjonothan]

I totally agree with this guy. The others should be probably a bit more sympathetic to your situation. I wish you luck, and if you can't get a visa to teach here again just go illegal for a while. I did it for two years and did ok.

[Austin]

More reasons to support why I post what I do! Thanks for being so responsible and mature guys.

Ever consider giving notice and leaving "properly?"

Yeah, it will end up costing you money to go out the "right" way, but are not you responsible for the decisions that you made and continue to make?

The next time somebody wants to bust my chops, take a read of the above posts, and tell me that you think these people are justified just because they are "unhappy!"

I did not know that "happiness" was a part of people's contracts, and here I thought that we were responsible to create that for ourselves.

[Holden]

There is a difference between being unhappy and getting screwed royally. I'm sure his boss is making a killing. So he makes even more of a killing jacking his teachers.

We all know what leaving "properly" entails. It means getting jacked out of your last month's pay and begging for a release letter.

If it weren't for the monthly pay system and the release letter BS requirement, I would also suggest leaving "properly"...

Get real, Austin...if the guy is taking advantage of this teacher then he is not a decent person who would issue a release letter.

[rapier]

It continually guts me to start out at a new job time and again, only to find that the director is just as much of a cynical greedy shark as his predeccesor. They have no idea how to look after or motivate their workforce.
As soon as you're in a position to, (financially, with other options lined up) issue an ultimatum. Its the only way to play the game. Quite often, you have to actually quit before they see things your way. Don't be afraid to do it.
Its a shame that so often the dam boss is the only thorn in the side of an otherwise good situation. You gradually build up a good system, a good work environment, nice friends, etc, and then you have to throw it all away because the boss is an a**hole. its always happening, and I hate them for it.

[Basil Brush]

Whether the director is taking advantage or not isn't the problem. It's the letter of release. No letter of release, no job. If Saxiif leaves without any notice, he has a high probability of not getting another legal job in Korea for some time.

However Saxiif doesn't have to work legally...if he worked illegally he could get similar money, better hours, and give his relationship a far better chance of suceeding.

It seems the decision rests on whether Saxiif thinks spending more time with his girlfriend outweighs the disadvantages of working illegally.

[Saxiif]

Update:

Pro:
-I don't have to repay boss for my airfare afterall (yay miscommunication!)
-I don't have to teach a 9th class, I just had to show up an hour early the first time I taught a class at the local elementary school (yay miscommunication again!). Anyone know if its illegal for him to make money having me teach at different location? I don't mind personally, I just really don't want to get deported if worst come to worst.
-Boss sat in on some of my classes and said he was "very grateful" about the quality of my teaching, which I hope means that I'm not going to get micromanaged.

Con:
-He's delaying my payday by a week. This is his second violation of our contract, (have kept my end to the letter thus far), but I don't really mind since I don't need money until my student loans start coming due next month.
-He's making me teach with laryngitis (or at least that's what the Korean doctor who didn't even bother to take my temperature told me I have) bad enough that my voice sounds like a geriatric chain-smoking vampire. Again, I don't mind so much as long as I can use an extra sick day or two later to spend a long weekend with my gf later.
-I really miss my gf.

That clears things up a good deal. But I'm still pissed about having an arraingement where I teach 160 split-shift classes a month w/o overtime. I did some research and I found out that for the Korean teachers and my predecessors ALL get their overtime calculated with 1 class = 1 contract hour, I'm just being treated differently because he's screwing with me apparently. Under my predecessor's second-year pay arraignment he would have been paid 800,000 more won a month than me, now I understand that people with second year contracts deserve a few hundred thousand more but that's a bit ridiculous especially since he got a free car too. My current thinking is I'll stick around long enough for him not to mind having paid my airfare and my recruitment costs enough to cause me any problems with immigration (since he'll be getting out of paying my bonus and my return airfare cost) and then quit and move to Seoul, after I get my replacement brought up to speed. Its just not worth being kept away from a great woman to have a job with bad hours (checked out a thread here where people posted their hours and there was a lot of responces and I would be overjoyed to trade hours with all but two of the many responces), but I don't want to risk having any problems with immigration and for the time being I really like not being micromanaged while I get the hang of teaching.

[rapier]

Due to the whole E2/letter of release thing, i'd say hes got you where he wants you for the time being. You could try negotiating and making your opinion felt, but hes unlikely to make any changes until he has to.
Sit it out until you are in a good position financially and otherwise, a few months away, then strike with the ultimatum if he doesn't come through, you can quit and either work here illegally until you qualify for a new E2 job elsewhere, or you could opt for a stint in a different country.

[shawner88]

I meant apply for the official tourist visa for Korea. You have to do it outside of the country and can do it in the Korean embassy in Fukuoka or Japan. This elminates your current work visa. Why I try to help people is beyond me when they don't even bother to read what I write and when they are intent on being helpless because they have a girlfriend.

[Saxiif]

[bjonothan]

Correct me if I am wrong, but the only way to stay here is just to just rock up unless you are going for another kind of visa. The only ones to my knowledge who can stay for more than three months are Canadians. Otherwise it is the standard 3 months. Also if you do it ellegally for the record, you can earn almost double the money but you have to pay for your own appartment which is not that bad if you look into it. Some charge a little more if you can't pay a huge deposit. When you are earning 4 mill. plus, that is no big deal though is it???