Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Rapacious Mr. Batstove]

I have been at my school since March, enjoying the fine cafeteria cuisine every lunch time.

My handler comes to me today and says "We forgot to tell you, you must pay for lunch, heres a bill for 350000 won."

I told her that I refuse to pay it.

In my opinion this is the schools fault for not telling/charging me.

What would you do in this situation?
What is the best argument for my defense?

[SeoulShakin]

That bloody sucks.

Same thing happened to me, but I was only 3 months into it when they decided to drop the bomb. Now I have to pay monthly.

Good luck fighting it out.

[Paji eh Wong]

[CentralCali]

Yo could say, "Well, since you forgot to tell me about it, we'll consider what I had already a gift. I'm no longer eating here."

But I think a better plan, since the Korean teachers also have to pay for the lunch and meals are not included in your contract, is to suggest that they pro-rate the 350,000 won over the remainder of your contract.

Since I'm vegetarian, I ensured my school financial staff was fully aware that I would neither eat at the cafeteria nor agree to any deductions from my pay. When they told me they could prepare vegetarian food for me, I laughed. No, they can't.

Lesson learned: Check the box for or write on the "special dietary needs" blank of the job application, "Cannot dine at school facility."

[MarionG]

350,000 won? How many years have you been eating there? I pay about 2500 to 3000 won for lunch, if 1 paid 3500, that's 100 lunches, or 50 weeks.

I doubt you'll get out of paying it, and I think you should pay it. If you were in your home country, and the phone company (electricity, whatever) forgot to send you a bill, do you think "it was a gift" would fly? I doubt it...but proration might be helpful.

And of course, they're just going to take it out of your next check, so I'd go for the proration...

[MarionG]

Oops, a little math problem in that prior post...

[Whistleblower]

Reminds me of the situation in the UK where the Benefits Office overpaid me entitled benefits to some error in calculation. I had to pay 170 quid back bacause of their error. Happens the world over.

[The Perfect Cup of Coffee]

[spliff]

[princess]

They should have told you to pay from the get-go.

Also, what's this "handler" stuff? It sound slike you are a circus animal, since you have a "handler". No one "handles" me...hehehe

[isthisreally]

if had to pay for my school's lunch i would never eat it, i barely touch the stuff now it's so cheap and mostly nasty, i don't think i would be able to handle a school lunch back in my home country either.