Korean Job Discussion Forums

[mexican-american-in-korea]

I was working at my Sejong English Institute in Apgujeong for the past month not entirely legally. A huge risk for me to take, but they promised to send me to get a work visa to allow me to work legally at their school once our summer intensive classes were finished. The classes were going to end this Saturday, but they were going to send me and another foreign teacher, a Canadian, who has also been working illegally for the past month to Japan. We had our hotel reservations made, plane tickets in hand (all arranged by the school) and were ready to go to Japan on Thursday morning for a visa-run.

On Wednesday night, I was getting ready to go to work out at the health club when the counselor from my school called me. She never calls me. She told me it was urgent and asked me if I could come to the school as soon as possible. So I rode my bike to the school the entire time pondering what could possibly be more important than working out. I show up and she calls me into the little office along with another English teacher to speak to me.

Apparently, too many students parents have been complaining about my teaching and as a result they were going to have to "let me go".

To be honest I was pissed and quite surprised. Getting fired was the last thing I expected to happen to me. Especially since for the past few weeks I have been anticipating going to Japan for my Korean work visa. Needless to say, they fired the other new teacher on the same grounds as me. All the teachers had some complaints a few weeks ago but we haven't been given any notifications lately. In other words, I feel like both the new teacher and I were used solely for the summer intensive sessions and discarded once we were no longer needed. Getting fired without notice a prime example of shady Korean business practices. I heard all about them from other foreigners on the internet but being the optimist that I am I never thought it would happen to me.

Interestingly, my school is owned by one of the largest newspapers in Korea and therefore it would not be very good publicity if it was known they employ teachers illegally and then fire them suddenly. So now it comes down to whether or not I want to seek further employment in Seoul (which is very easy to do). Or if I should just go home after I get my final paycheck. If for some reason they try to be shady with my paycheck all it takes is a phone call to immigration along with all my documents showing that I've been working illegally for the past month and this school will undergo plenty of negative publicity and incur lots of fines from Seoul's immigration office. I am already packed because my last apartment was paid for by my school and since I am no longer employed I don't have a place to live. They said they'd give me a month to find another job and stay in my apartment, but I decided to just move to my friends house and sever all ties with the school itself.

Just a friendly reminder to stay clear of Sejong English Institute aka Golden Bough Institute.

[DCJames]

[big_blue_21]

Obviously, I haven't done all I could to put warnings about Sejong aka Golden Bough aka any school run by Jiyoung Park . . . but that place has got to be the most evil school in Korea. Avoid that school! The owner Park is a sociopath and his "vice" deputy, a man by the name of Cho, is exactly that, a master of vice . . . I'm just mad that I didn't do enough to keep another teacher from getting cheated . . .

[big_blue_21]

[garykasparov]

I don't understand how places like that are allowed to do business. Why hasn't immigration held them accountable? Why hasn't the pension office held them accountable? Why hasn't the tax office held them accountable? The government of Korea wants to crackdown on foreigners with fake diplomas, "sickness", and those working without the proper work visa. However, they allow corrupt schools to operate and don't shut them down or impose fines on them like they should. I feel bad for the teachers who have been cheated at that school. In addition, this could be a learning experience for the OP. I hope the OP seeks employment at a public school. The contracts are written better than hagwon contracts. I know this for a fact because I've seen almost all the contracts in the contract thread.

[big_blue_21]

i was just thinking about it . . . i'm actually kinda amazed they're paying you the money . . . that's still bad, though, man. Still feel for you . . .

[Paul_Zerzan]

Travis, you may want to reconsider the wording of your post. I'm pretty sure it leaves you open to libel charges.

But I'm no lawyer.

In fact, I'm barely human.

[big_blue_21]

how so? i mean just for the future . . . i'd be pretty fun if they sued me . . . just cause how messed up that place is . . . i've definetly put worse up about them . . . thanks for covering my back, though, i appreciate it.