Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Aussiekimchi]

Most teachers will opt for their medical exams to be done in Korea on the school's coin, rather than at home on their own.

So, schools may well do the following:

* No upfront airfares
* Reimbursement will be made after the medical has been passed.

If the exam is failed:

* teacher is not reimbursed for airfare
* teacher repays recruiting fee
* visa is cancelled
* you are sent home

So if you had previously been given an upfront airfare and failed a medical, are you going to repay that cost or run?

Immi changes policy ..... schools change contracts with teachers ....
recruiters change contracts with schools

[Otherside]

Firstly, repaying the recruitment fee is a bunch of BS.
Most recruiters do little more than introduce you to the prospective school and then get creative with describing how wonderful it is. If things dont work out, that should be their loss.

Regarding the airfare. I would actually prefer if a different system was put in place. At the time of signing the contract work out the price of 2 x one-way tickets to and from Korea to your home country. Take that sum and ammortize it over the year.

(so if each ticket costs W1.2mill) I pay my for my ticket out of my pocket and get an extra W200K a month. That takes all the pressure off the school in the initial couple of months (will he/she do a runner after 2 months and I'm down 1.2mill) and by the same token it takes alot of the pressure off the teacher in the final months of the contract. Not to mention it would make it alot easier to leave a contract mid-term (some hagwons stipulate that you must repay the cost of the airfare if the contract is terminated...end of story, not the usual 6 month clause).

These are just my 2c, but I understand for applicants in a little financial difficulty it might be hard to muster the cash for the flight upfront and wait to be paid back over time.

[sojourner1]

I wouldn't go to Korea under the conditions the OP mentions. It simply is a huge risk if you don't have back up money to restart you life elsewhere at a moments notice should you be sent packing.

I think already the level of risk to our health and financial situation is too high for the level of pay, but it's a job for us with only modest means who seek to travel.

[MarionG]

If one might be expected to repay the recruiter's fee, that's a good reason not to use a recruiter.

And yes, if you come to Korea and fail the medical, you will NOT be reimbursed your flight, and you will have to go home on your nickle. At least that's what SOME immigration people are saying, who knows?

A medical in Korea will be much less expensive than in the west, and I'd rather pay for it than have the results turned over to my boss, which is what happens if she/he pays for it...guess I just have that belief in medical confidentiality ingrained in me.

[mj roach]

pay your own airfare on a promise of re-imbursement ...

for a 'run of the mill' k/hakwan job??

someone's joking..eh?

[some waygug-in]

Why can't people get the medical at home?

If they expect the school to pay their airfare that is.

[jadarite]

Considering the restrictions Korea has compared to other countries, they need to either allow teachers to teach at other schools or pay the airfare upfront.

Remember to look at the whole picture, not just one condition. I noticed Koreans like to draw your attention to only one thing while changing all of them to their advantage.

As long as I get something suitable in the end, I am fine. I just don't want all the perks to dwindle down to nothing.

If they make a limitation, MAKE THEM OPEN UP SOMEWHERE ELSE.