Korean Job Discussion Forums

luvnpeas

I renewed my contract, and as a result qualified for a free (I thought) roundtrip ticket home. Now the school is claiming it only has to reimburse me 75% o the ticket, based on an unintelligeible part of the contract that does say something about 75% (incoherently). This is from the 2006 GEPIK contract. Is anyone else having this experience?

Atavistic · Posted: Wed Sep 26, 2007 9:20 pm Post subject:

That's not in the 2007 contract. Since you renewed this year, take it up with them or contact Dain Bae.

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

icicle · Joined: 09 Feb 2007 Location: Gyeonggi do Korea

Definitely do call GEPIK ... They did explicitely mention 100% airfare reimbursement at the orientation last week ... and that if anyone had problems they should contact them ...

mountain goat · Joined: 18 Dec 2006

Yeah mine says the same thing, 75% of the airfare, but my school havent said anything and I handed in my tickets yesterday. They have been absolute sticklers when it has come to my contract in the past. I'll let you know how it goes.

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

luvnpeas · Posted: Thu Sep 27, 2007 10:55 pm Post subject:

This is from the 2006 contract, under which I was operating at the time.

Article 9
3. In the case of renewal of this contract pursuant to the foregoing 2,
employee will be given a free round-trip ticket.
4. The round-trip airfare for the employee's home leave shall be loaned
by employer based on an economy class air-fare (less than 75% of the
regular price) of the most direct flight available from Incheon to the
airport nearest the employee's residence.

As usual, it is not very clear. They didn't "loan" me anything. It is not clear what "regular price" means. But "given a free round-trip ticket" would seem to be clear, regardless of what the 75% junk is supposed to be about.

pkang0202 · Joined: 09 Mar 2007

Its simple. If round trip ticket is $1000. Then the school has to give you $750 if you decide NOT to take the plane ride.

Plane ticket prices are not fixed. The school has to see when you are leaving and the prices of airline tickets at that time. If you leave during Christmas then you can expect a crap ton of money since airfare around holidays are very expensive.

If you leave in the middle of April then chances are you aren't going to get as much.

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

chris_J2 · Joined: 17 Apr 2006 Location: From Brisbane, Au.

100% reimbursement for the inbound flight, & 75% for the outbound flight. Same same in my 2006 contract with GEPIK.

tob55 · Joined: 29 Apr 2007

The 75% language in the contracts has caused quite a confusion here during the last couple of years since they included it. It all came as a result of people who were purchasing their own airline tickets home and expecting the schools to pay for them. GEPIK got wise to this because some people were purchasing expensive tickets and then cashing them in and not going home at all. Neat trick, so they determined that they would pay up to 75% of the full fare price for a round trip ticket home, knowing that people could find travel packages for at least a 25% discounted price...

Unfortunately, now it looks as if the school will only have to pay 75% of the cost for an airline ticket, but that is not the case. They should be purchasing a round trip ticket that is priced at 75% or less of what the regular airfare would be...My school, which is a GEPIK school, understood this only after consulting with the powers that be at GEPIK...

The schools should use the same diligence they expect from the foreign teachers who were trying to rip them off before...Now, if you are not planning on going home, then they will reimburse you 75% of what the regular airfare price would be to your home destination. I know this is a fact because I chose that option this year and it was like getting an extra bonus along with my end of the year bonus...That is what I know and if you need more information let me know and I'll be happy to share what I can...

I don't work at the GEPIK Office, but I have made it my business to be up to date with what they know and what they are doing in terms of my contract...They are a business like any other business in this country...You have to do your homework if you don't want to be taken advantage of...

luvnpeas · Posted: Wed Oct 03, 2007 11:19 pm Post subject: Re: Interesting question...

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

luvnpeas · Posted: Thu Oct 04, 2007 11:02 pm Post subject: Re: Interesting question...

Rteacher · Joined: 23 May 2005 Location: Western MA, USA

I'm into the third year at the same (GEPIC) high school. When I renewed the first time, in 2006, I was hoping that they would pay my airfare to visit the U.S. based on the clauses in the 2006 contract (though I figured that the 2005 contract - which did not include those clauses - might be applicable)

Actually, I think that they did apply the clauses that were in the 2006 contract, but my school liason told me that the ministry official told her that the clause refering to their "loaning" me the money superseded the "free ticket" clause. So I had to pay them back for that airfare (in regular monthly payments.)

However, I was later told that if I re-signed again in 2007 they would reimburse my airfare for visiting home - which they did. I'm wondering now if I'm the only one who had to repay an airfare "loan" for re-signing last year...