Korean Job Discussion Forums

Hyeon Een · Joined: 24 Jun 2005

I know of this rule, but I don't think I ever understood the reason for it. Now it may be enacted at my University.

From what I've read on this forum I think I learned that people who work at Unis for MORE than 3 years suddenly become entitled to certain rights which they wouldn't otherwise have had.

What are these rights?

A co-worker of mine has been at my uni for about 9 years, another guy will shortly cross the 3 year mark. It turns out that some all-powerful c^nt in administration has recently learned about this magic 3 yr mark and wants to stop all professors from reaching it, or stopping their contract on reaching it. Why? What are the advantages one gains after working in one place for that long?

This prik-tards' 'clever' plan is to offer these teachers a semester off and then they can be re-employed. This kunt doesn't take into consideration that these lecturers are older than him, more qualified than him, are ranked in the top 10% of ALL professors at the University, and have more stature than him within the University. He thinks they'll just accept a summary refusal to offer them a new contract because they're foreigners.

And furthermore, the teacher who has been here WELL OVER 3 years.. what rights does she have? None? A lot? If so what are they? I think she has been here in the region of 7-10 years. If she has a complaint at them not offering her a new contract what are her options? Is it the Labor Board or some other ministry?

(More background information: The English department will be fighting this all the way. The Korean English professors LOVE these teachers. The students LOVE these teachers. It's going to be a war between admin and English professors. What does admin have on their side??)

[I can't believe I was happy in my job until just a few hours ago
when I heard that this new crappy bullshit is going down ]

TECO · Joined: 20 Jan 2003

What school are you at?

inkoreaforgood · Joined: 15 Dec 2003 Location: Inchon

After the three year mark, all lecturers must be considered for a tenure track position, as I understand it. Or, like at my small school, after you have three years employment, you cannot be simply "let go" without a very good reason for it. Either way, the school will lose money, by allowing the foreign teachers to continue to work there, via salary increases. If they are considered and accepted for tenure track positions, there is a serious increase in pay coming their way.

The person with nine years should definitely fight this.

mindmetoo · Joined: 02 Feb 2004

Sucker · Joined: 11 Feb 2003

Some (most?) universities do not pay into the regular public pension scheme. The private scheme that they pay into works in basically the same way as the usual scheme � the employee pays a percentage of their salary into the scheme and the employer matches it. However, there are three main differences.

1. The regular pension carries over to the employee�s next position and the employee receives the payout when they leave Korea. However, the university pension is paid to the employee immediately after they leave their position. Also, unlike the regular pension scheme, employees of any nationality can receive this payment.

2. The university pension scheme caries a clause whereby after some number of years (five?) the university has to increase their contribution in the payout. Thus if someone finishes after four years, the pension payout may be 8 million won. But if that same employee finished after five years, the pension payment may be 12-14 million with the difference being made up by employer contributions.

3. Universities paying into this scheme do not have to pay severance. Usually Korean companies are required to pay employees one month salary for every year worked when the employee leaves the company. Universities/colleges that pay into the private pension scheme do not have to follow this law.

I spent three years at a university. At the beginning of this year I left the school for a non-teaching job. This particular university had a �five-year rule�. After five years they would �fire you� and make you �re-apply� for the position.

This was their strategy, but during my time at the school at least two teachers reached the five year mark and were asked to �reapply�. Both of them refused and the school ended up renewing their visas anyway. One of these teachers (a Japanese teacher) stayed at the school for 6 years and quit the same time I did. She received a huge pension payout.

kittyfye · Joined: 23 Feb 2004 Location: South of Seoul..way south

Sucker, or whomever:

Is it true that once you redeem your pension, you can't earn pension again?

There was a LOT of confusion about this at my previous uni; bless her heart, our contact person just couldn't speak English. But believe it or not, it was a pretty good job. The admin finally figured out their contact between us and them knew no real English, fired her, then hired a real a**wipe who has made everyone's lives hell.

sliderama · Joined: 24 Oct 2007

seems a lot of unis just ignore this stipulation. is it actually a law?

at the uni where i teach, there is no enforcement, some teachers have been here 10 years.

diggler · Joined: 15 Mar 2007 Location: on way to amarillo

what exactly are the benefits of working at a uni for over three years?
what is tenure track?

lastat06513 · Posted: Thu Nov 08, 2007 2:39 pm Post subject:

Optimus Prime~~~ I love that avitar!!!!

mindmetoo · Joined: 02 Feb 2004

ajstew · Joined: 04 Feb 2004 Location: Korea

It is a disappointing thing, the 3 year rule, and it would be sad if it were implemented without warning if you believed you could stay for a long period of time. You might check your contracts and see if they say something like 'can be renewed up to 2 times'... basically meaning the three year rule is in place.

PRagic · Joined: 24 Feb 2006

True. Just ask any of the people who left SNU's General English Program.

There were people who had been there for over 5 years or more, and who had planned to do their career there. Nope. They implemented the good ole' 3 year rule, cut salaries across the board, increased the number of contact hours, and decreased overtime opportunities.

They have had a 100% turn-over.

TexasPete · Joined: 24 May 2006 Location: Koreatown

The only thing that makes sense about a three year rule from a Uni perspective is that they're getting rid of the people with the highest salary. It's a way of cutting costs. At my Uni they're doing something similar, only they're basically putting in a 5 year rule so they can get rid of teachers that are too expensive and so that the pension payouts are less.

TexasPete · Joined: 24 May 2006 Location: Koreatown

jellobean · Joined: 14 Mar 2006

I think the effect of the three year rule (the tenure track part, not pension and salary) only exists with certain types of visas and positions. I think its the difference between being a lecturer or being a teaching professor, similar to the difference between tenure-track and non-tenure track in the US. Teaching professors (both Korean and foreign) are not considered tenure-track ever. That would just leave salary and pension issues.