Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Beezo44]

Hey, I have an offer from SLP in DONGjak and should be leaving in a few days and i have a few questions for anyone that has worked with SLP and is familiar with the schools. I know a lot of people have given SLP schools negative reviews but is there anyone with positive feedback? I just need straight rationalized honesty. I am not trying to get jerked in Korea. I turned down a CDI offer because i would have been working forever with no type of free time to actually see the country.

They already have my flight ready would i be responsible for the costs of the flight if i decide to renege on the offer? Also if I decided to go and the contract i signed isn't recognized could i just up and leave without warning? and not be responsible for the costs of my flight over?
I would be teaching something like 19 classes at 90 minutes which is just under 30 hours a week and seems good. It should not exceed 21 classes a week is what they say. Also, there are two areas of my contract that i have some reservations on which are: 1. How often i would have to come in Saturdays. They mentioned "IF" (which is vague) "special events" should occur i would be required to come in with no additional pay.
The other thing deals with the pension and what alarmed me was how in some of your posts that some of the schools don't pay the pension well here is a piece of my contract dealing with the pension that has me a bit worried.
" In accordance with Korean Law all foreign workers employed by Korean businesses shall pay into the Korean National Pension plan at a rate stipulated by the Korean National Pension Law deducted against monthly earnings with the employer's contribution.

Refund of the National Pension to a teacher who becomes a compulsorily insured employee, where the Pension Act of the Teacher's home country provides the benefit corresponding to the lump-sum refund of the National Pension Plan, the lump-sum refund of this plan shall be refunded to the teacher, according to Korean Law"

I am just looking for any kind of feedback on this as soon as possible because i am supposed to fly out there in a couple of days. If i feel like i will be getting jerked i may as well stay home and start teaching out here or start the job process all over with Korea again. I need to know if i could deny the job even if they have arranged for my flight. any help or feedback is always cool.

[ttompatz]

[garykasparov]

Ask these questions to foreign teachers, not the employer, at the school. If possible speak to two or three current foreign teachers and one former employee.

Questions to ask foreign teachers

Job Duties

-What do you do that isn't written in your contract?

Working Hours

-What are the working hours?
-How many classes do you teach per day, week, and how long are they?
-How many hours of preparation do you work before and between classes?
-How many students do you teach per class?
-How many students attend the school?
-When do you take your break and how long is it?

Wages

-When is payday and are you paid on time?
-When are you eligible to earn overtime pay?
-Does your employer provide you with a "pay receipt" that clearly defines taxes, monthly salary and all deductions?
-Are you paid in cash or does your employer deposit your wages into your bank account?

Housing

-Was your apartment clean and everything in working order when you moved in?
-Were you provided with all the furnishings stated in the contract when you moved into your apartment?
-Does your employer respect your privacy?
-Are the bills in your employer's name or yours?

Paid Annual Leave

-When and how do you take your paid vacation?
-Does your employer count non-working days as paid vacation days?

National Holidays

-Do you work on Korean National Holidays?
-Are Korean National Holidays paid or unpaid?

Paid Sick Leave

-Have you ever asked for a day of paid sick leave?
-(If yes) How did your employer react?
-(If yes to 1st question) Did you have to work work another day to make up for the time you didn't work due to illness?

Airfare

-(If your contract states your employer will pay for the ticket) Did your employer deduct the cost of the airline ticket from your monthly salary?
-Does your employer provide all teachers their plane tickets at the end of their contracts?

Health Insurance

-Has your employer provided you with a medical insurance card?
-Does your employer respect your medical privacy?

National Health Insurance Corporation
( http://www.nhic.or.kr/english/about/sub03/sub0302/eng_about_major_02.html )

Korean National Pension Plan

-Does your employer pay into the Korean National Pension Plan?

National Pension Service
( http://www.nps.or.kr/ )

Income Taxes

-Does your employer deduct the correct amount for income taxes from your monthly salary?

( http://www.nta.go.kr/eng/default.html )

Severance Pay

-Does your employer pay employees their severance pay at the end of their contracts?

Employees/Financial

-What are the English speaking abilities of the Korean Teachers and the your employer?
-How many foreign teachers and Korean Teachers work at the school?
-Is there a high turnover rate amongst the foreign teachers and Korean Teachers?
-Is the director abusive towards the students or staff?
-Is the school in financial trouble?
-Has the employer fired an employee for the sole purpose of not providing severance pay, wages or an airplane ticket home?

Location

-Is there a bank, train station, subway station and bus terminal near the school?

Government Websites

Ministry of Labor

( http://www.molab.go.kr/ )

Ministry of Justice

( http://www.moj.go.kr/HP/MOJ03/index.do )

Korean Immigration Service

( http://www.immigration.go.kr/indeximmeng.html )

Ministry of Eduction

( http://www.moe.go.kr/ )

[cazador83]

hey, i interviewed for this same job just a week ago.

i talked to a woman first, and then a man (owner i guess), and he was rude as f*$%. i turned it down for a reason. it also sounded real shady.

[nomad-ish]

i have a friend that works at a SLP in seoul. she is absolutely miserable with her job. she is constantly coming in early or staying late trying to finish her mass of report cards, marking, and other paperwork. of course, this is counted as overtime

[crusher_of_heads]

Tom is right again-avoid SLP like the plague.

[Beezo44]

[Beezo44]

Thanx for the advice! I think it is too late in the game to get any e-mails from teachers at the school since they want me to fly out like right away and have already booked my flight but that would be an ideal approach to get information. I guess I can still turn them down but I feel terrible about ditching them this late in the process. Anyhow is there a school that is reasonable? Where I would be able actually have holidays and vacation and not work all the time on the weekends? I thought I had a good contract but apparently not. I just hate all the vague details I have come across in the few contracts I have seen. Does anyone have any info on the Incheon English Village and whether or not it is good? How is Incheon?

[nomad-ish]

[ttompatz]

[Captain Corea]

[Beezo44]

[crazy tigger]

Do you have a visa? If notthen you may face problems when you arrive, noone knows what the new visa regs are exactly but one rumour is you have to have an interview youin your own country to get the visa, will SLP fly you home for this? Are they expecting you to work without a visa? Or have they arranged a visa run to Japan?

Speak to otherteachers there, you've already said the guy is rude, it maywell be him you have to deal with every day in order to sort anything out.

[Beezo44]

[cbclark4]

Seriously don't trust the visa run thing.

Get the visa sorted before you leave for Korea.

I recommend Epik for all first timers.

Go to the contracts thread and pull off one of the Epik contracts.

That's what your contract should look like from anyone even the hogwans.

The only difference should be how much salary,
work hours and vacation time.

Understand you get 14 (or is it ten work days) days vacation with an Epic
contract, however you get several extra days off in the summer and
winter breaks, (not to mention half days during exams) only use your
vacation when you leave the country.

Tear up that SLP contract, use a different recruiter and get a job with
Epik, Gepik or SMOE.

Also if there is anyone who's advice on these matters is solid it is
tthompatz, he will review your contract if you ask nicely.

Best of luck.