Korean Job Discussion Forums

[sjk1128]

Here's my vent for the day: the crooked accountant at my school filed my taxes wrong last year. It took a formal complaint and a letter from the district tax office to convince him to correct his mistake and pay me my tax refund. I later found out he had declared to the pension office that my contract ended Dec 31 even though it really ended Jan 31. Consequently, the pension office refunded the money he sent in for me in Jan without my getting the matching school funds I would normally have been due. Now I have discovered - while preparing my taxes for this year- that he also withdrew 103,500 from my last paycheck for (un)employment insurance. As an E2 visa holder, I was not required to pay that. And the icing on the cake is that the last time I talked to him, he had the nerve to complain about how "difficult" I was being, considering how "professional and efficient" he has been thus far.

His "professionalism" would have "efficiently" retained about 1.2m won that should have been in my pocket if I had not been so "diffcult" up to now. When dealing with these crooked Korean employers, the real insult is how they act like your complaints are so inexplicable and unexpected when they try to take your money. I can almost accept the actual swindle as part of human nature - human greed and dishonesty being what it is. But the attitude they throw at you when they're caught is what I can't fathom.

[thegadfly]

That absolutely sucks that you have been/are being cheated!

However, I think the whole "deny there is a problem, blame the guy complaining" is par for the course when anyone is caught cheating/lying/stealing. Pretty much every person I have ever caught doing me dirt has taken that stance...so while I don't fathom it either, I don't think it is a Korean thing -- I think it is a liar/cheater/thief thing....

I hope you can get everything you are entitled to, and a bit more for your troubles...and hope he gets a taste of karma before the next life

[CentralCali]

Unemployment Insurance is voluntary. If you did not sign the form, tell him to fork over the freaking money on the spot.

If you're working at a public school, have a chat with the principal, then the district Office of Education rep over you, then the provinicial or metropolitan Office of Education rep over you. Following that chain should get you satisfaction and keep all of their names out of the Labor Board.

[Mr Crowley]

Where and when do you fill out a Korean tax return?

[Roch]

[thegadfly]

I may just have bad luck -- been rooked over more by Americans than by Koreans...so only speaking from my own personal experiences there....

[sjk1128]

I was working at a public school. Now I'm at another public school. I've already called the labor board gu office to ask about the matter. They confirmed that the (un)employment insurance should not have been withheld from my check. I'll call the accountant at my former school tomorrow and tell him to refund the money. If he doesn't, I'll just call the labor board again and they will call the school for me. Since I had to file a formal complaint at the tax office and the accountant waited to be ordered by them before paying my tax refund earlier this year, I have no desire to cut the guy any slack now.

As for whether the problem and the strange attitude surrounding it is more prevalent in Korea than in western countries, I certainly think that it is. I worked for more than 15 years in the US and Italy before coming to work in Korea 3 years ago. So far, every employer I have had here has done something shady as far as my money is concerned. Nothing like this has ever happened to me before, and I had more than 20 full and part time jobs including high school and university experiences. I am beginning to just accept this as part of living and working in Korea. It's like drug abuse and inner city violence in the US. It is a serious social problem in Korea that influences everyone's life here either directly or indirectly. What I have not been able to accept is these baffling responses toward my businesslike and firm demands that my money be deposited to my bank account. I've never bribed, swindled or stolen from an employer. I only expect the money that is legally mine according to Korean laws and policies. If they would just admit the "mistake" immediately and give me my money, I'd move on and might even give them the benefit of the doubt regarding intention.

The other thing that baffles me is how many foreign English teachers I meet who just accept whatever their employers tell them. Korean employers know this. They try to rip you off for just enough money to be worth their while - but a small enough amount that you won't notice or go to any end necessary to get it back. They make up stories about why the money is not there or why your situation is not the same as what is explained on the government websites. Then they lie and use any weakness you have (including the language) to hold on to that money, even after you've made it clear that you know what's rightfully yours and expect it paid.

For example, I know a guy who has been here for 5 years or so. His employer gave him a leadership position, head teacher or something. That made him feel important, but it involved a lot more work and very little extra pay. Meanwhile, after carefully questioning him, I'm convinced that the b1tch was ripping off all the teachers there with regard to taxes, pension, and health insurance. Multiplied by 6-7 teachers, we're talking well over 10m a year. Meanwhile, most of the teachers only stayed 1-2 years. He was their "head" teacher and was genuinely convinced of her good will and honesty. He's not a stupid man, quite the contrary, but how gullible can you be? I mean, all it would take is 2-3hours reading the regulations published IN ENGLISH about taxes, pension, and so forth on the various government websites to see the truth. As it is, she used him to "train" the new teachers and explain things to them -- just as she had explained them to him. So they never expected a tax refund, or a pension refund, or that anything was amiss in how their salaries were calculated....

It all just turns my stomach. On the one hand, I ask myself how so many Korean employers can be so crooked. On the other hand, I ask myself how so many (presumably university educated) foreign teachers can be so gullible and passive. I mean, if you know what you should get, demand it from your employer, file a formal complaint, and still don't get what's yours, I feel sympathy for you. If you're just too lazy to even bother learning what you should be getting for yourself and taking the steps necessary to get it, I don't feel sympathy for you. I feel annoyed with you because you are the type of person who convinces my future Korean employers of how easily ripped off "the foreigners" are. Then when I arrive, they try all the tricks on me that you let them get away with.

[sjk1128]

God! It felt good to get that out of me. I hope you all enjoyed reading my rant as much as I enjoyed the catharsis of writing it.

Cheers!

[xtchr]

[thegadfly]

...well, I do have to admit that bribes seem much more "par for the course" here than other places I have been...I just kinda chalked it up to not being in on the dealings when I was younger, and being a bit more "in the know" now...maybe I am in the know now because I see it so much more now....

Every employer everywhere I have known has done something shady...I have owned my own business twice, and have not done anything shady...and went OUT of business (I am told by others in business) because of it...so I kinda just thought it went hand in hand with making money as a business.

Vent on -- better out than in!

[oldfatfarang]

Ah, those delightful memories of working in a Korean hagwon. That embarrassing end-of-month question, "Where is my salary?" "No money - no teach, etc." Those rushed trips to the bank - forcing your employer to withdraw cash to pay you.

And the sweetest memory of all - physically counting out each 10,000 note (knowing that your pay will always be 20,-30,000 short). Yes, he optimistically thought 3 notes short was just enough to stop you being enraged at his short-changing. But the sweet memory of asking for the extra 3 notes - everytime! I kinda miss those days (not!).

[the eye]

[fusionbarnone]

The scam-talk brought back memories.

The largest sum I almost lost was US7k. Apart from dropping my guard and getting shafted on payment for an English camp after leaving the ROK, I was able to head the other k-hopefuls off at the pass on every other occasion whilst working.

[fusionbarnone]

The scam-talk brought back memories.

The largest sum I almost lost was US7k. Apart from dropping my guard and getting shafted on payment for an English camp after leaving the ROK, I was able to head the other k-hopefuls off at the pass on every other occasion whilst working.

[TDR]

CentralCali said: