Korean Job Discussion Forums

greenthaicurry · Joined: 24 Oct 2007

First time on here and desperately need some advice as regards leaving Korea.

It will sound daft and wimpish I'm sure to say that I am considering the above having only been here a short while.

Basically, I came here on a whim, mainly for the money and the idea of a rent-free existence. I was weighing up a teaching opportunity closer to home in Europe, but the money was awful and it seemed I would be defeating the object.

I am well travelled worldwide and have previously visited 7 other Asian countries other than Korea and have a genuine feel for the continent.

However, I now realise that all is not what it was cracked up to be. My living conditions are not satisfactory (far from it) and the main school I am teaching in (for there are two) is hellish. I am the sole foreigner and there is only one bilingual Korean teacher who is willing to help when asked.

She tells me that the previous foreign English teacher left after 3 months and that none of the Korean staff liked him at all (I imagine they weren't backward in coming forward when letting him know this). A few things I have seen suggest things are't what they seem and I get the feeling I'm getting a bit of a follow on and it doesn't bode well.

Whatsmore (and somewhat typically) another opportunity has arisen at home which might well be worth a punt. A massive U-turn it would be, but i already know that Korea is definitely not for me, and although it may sound like the rant of a quitter, I am not one to hang around for the sake of it.

Naturally, should I decide to leave at this early stage, this could doubtless bring about problems.

To even try and explain my reasons to those in charge could make things a hell of a lot worse for me and I don't know what to do should I up and leave.

The decent and honourable thing to do would be for me to verbally agree to terminate my contract and for me to re-imburse them the cost of the flight - which is not a problem. It is not a money issue at all.

That said, I am the distrusting type I suppose (and feel like I have good reason here) and am just keen to leave the country first and foremost and then start feeling guilty (and re-imbursing them for for my flight.

However.......logistically / legally speaking, can I be stopped by anyone at the airport should I leave unnanounced to the school?

Does the E2 visa tie me in legally and will this be seized upon by airport officials?

Is a 'midnight run' even a realistic option? I know it should be the last option and not the first, but the only thing keeping me going right now is the thought of leaving Korea.

I'm curious to cover any angle and would hugely appreciate any help whatsoever with these issues. I must stress that on the face of it, the school has not breached their contract. My worry is if my honesty comes back to haunt me and life becomes more difficult as a result.

Korean food by the way....not a patch on any other Asian country i think. Real shame that.

Thanks heaps for any help

D[/b]

Sincinnatislink · Joined: 30 Jan 2007 Location: Top secret.

Well, if you'd like to stay in Korea you can do it.
Be a bad employee, get fired.
Talk with a mess of recruiters, take the job that sounds least-shitty. You came here on a tourist visa without a job, if they even ask.

endo · Joined: 14 Mar 2004 Location: Seoul...my home

Why don't you grow the f@ck up talk to your employers like an adult and say that you can't work there anymore.

Give them there's months notice and reimberse them for their flight.

Christ, even the fact that you're even thining about cutting and fleeing shows me the maturity or lack of maturity you have as a person. People like you who come over here with little or no planning make me sick.

stevie rotten · Joined: 31 Jan 2003

there is no ball and chain around your ankle. you always have the right to get up and leave.
if you do leave just bring your E2 to the airport. when passing through korean immigration just say "E2 finished" and the officer will take it off your hands and it's done.
understand that you may not be able to return and get a new work visa for several years but other than that there really are no repercussions.

giving notice would be the most honorable (and often regrettable) thing you can do. grabbing the money and leaving (paying reimbursements from outside of korea) insures you will actually get paid for your last month. you can best judge your situation for yourself.

sr

bejarano-korea · Joined: 13 Dec 2006

Why are you a wimp?

If you don't like it, leave. It's your life! Why spend the next 11 months doing something you hate?

You don't owe anyone anything apart from your family.

I spent 10 months studying dillegently about how to not end up in a mess out here, I would have never come here on a 'whim' and thankfully am working at a great school with a great director and staff.

I think your quality of life out here is 80% how well the school treats you, if you don't get the support from the school then I can see how life here can be hard.

Get the hell out of there, and next time study your options a bit more carefully.

zeppelin · Joined: 08 Jan 2005

endo · Joined: 14 Mar 2004 Location: Seoul...my home

bejarano-korea · Joined: 13 Dec 2006

ldh2222 · Joined: 12 Oct 2007

Basically, if you say it doesn't come down to money, why don't you work out the compromise, reimburse the money, and leave?

greenthaicurry · Joined: 24 Oct 2007

Thanks for your help and responses (all of them).

Perhaps I could have made that post sound a little less desperate in hindsight.

Like I said, I'm just trying to cover every angle - and although this scenario would be a last option, it is an option nevertheless.

Thanks again.

D

Yesterday · Posted: Sat Oct 27, 2007 11:32 pm Post subject:

yingwenlaoshi · Joined: 12 Feb 2007 Location: ... location, location!

You're thinking too much. Nothing can happen. If you don't care about the money then you have nothing to worry about. If they truly treat you like *beep* and your apartment is really crappy and unbearable then by all means do a runner, if you like.

But I don't see any reason to be paranoid about giving notice.

Jizzo T. Clown · Joined: 27 Mar 2006 Location: at my wit's end

You're an adult you can do what you like. I wouldn't see leaving the country to "go on vacation" as a problem as far as getting out of the contract which you signed.

I do believe in karma, and stiffing someone who spent lots of time and money to get you over here (not to mention the innocent students, who will have a negative opinion of foreigners if you do this) will come back to bite you on the ass. And it perpetuates the backpacker / alcoholic foreigner stereotype.

Be an adult and own up to your responsibilities. Running away from problems solves nothing, but confronting them makes you stronger (and more mature). By this I mean put in your notice and "tough it out." Chalk it up to not doing your homework.

When you blame others, you give up your power to change. ~Author Unknown

and

I believe that every right implies a responsibility; every opportunity, an obligation; every possession, a duty. ~John D. Rockefeller Jr.

Tjames426 · Joined: 06 Aug 2006

Last time I went through airport immigration this happened.

The immigration offcier looked at my ARC card. It was good for another 7 months. However, the officer noticed no return visa in my passport. My E-2 visa had not been cancelled.

He wanted me to explain. The truth was ... I was departing Korea for 3 days of glorious vacation, then returning to Korea and job.

The officer pulled me out and put me in a back office to wait. He looked up my status on the computer - immigration files. He let me purchase a return visa. Everything turned out fine. I had plenty of time to catch my plane.

___
Later I thought the Korean immigration might be strengthening laws to capture runners.

skeeterses · Joined: 25 Oct 2007

GreeenHai, I would highly recommend that you DON'T do the midnight run option. You should talk to your recruiter first and other ESL teachers in your neighborhood. And you might actually want to talk to your director about the problems that you're having in Korea to see if he/she could work out a compromise with you.

It's true that you may not ESL teaching. But as others point out, suddenly running from your job could hurt you down the road. I don't know about Europe but I know from experience that employers in America do not like to hire workers with spotty employment records. Having too many blemish's on your Resume could result in your employment opportunities being reduced to working at Walmart or joining the Army. Also, being able to live and teach in Asia is a once in a lifetime opportunity that may not come up again. You may not like the teaching job, but there's a lot of hidden treasures to see throughout Korea and other parts of Asia. If you stick it out and get that teaching experience, as well as learn to speak the Korean language, that will help you down the road personally and in your next job.