Korean Job Discussion Forums

elliemk · Joined: 01 Jul 2007 Location: Sparkling Korea!

Well, I was fired yesterday. I got angry on Friday - slammed the door to the director's office and wound up leaving school early because her daughter refused to talk to me in our one on one class.

I know I made terrible mistakes by reacting to the director's never-ending criticism (she hasn't kept a teacher for a year yet). And that is my fault. She will not agree to a grace period or warning period. I have two weeks.

I just started this job at the beginning of December, went to Japan, etc. On top of everything else, she is only going to pay me for hours taught for the next two weeks, thereby stiffing me nearly $700. I was supposed to get five days vacation and now she says she will not provide that or payment of full salary for the next two weeks - that I have to work on a "per class" basis (24 teaching hours in this next week, 14 the week after).

My contract says this about dismissal:

"6.1 Institute shall have the right at its sole discretion to dismiss Employee for clear and frequent neglect of duties under this Agreement, including, but not limited to frequent absences from Institute without approval of the Academic Director, or good reason thereof, or for inability to perform duties such as sicknesses, especially when it hasn�t been informed to the Academic Director before the Agreement was met. However, before any such dismissal, Employee shall be warned of dissatisfaction with performance and shall be afforded at least twenty (20) working days in which to remedy the situation. Criminal or other conduct inside of outside Institute that would in the opinion of the Academic Director and owner seriously jeopardize any person or the reputation of its students, or its staff, will cause for immediate dismissal and no warning or time for remedy will be allotted.

6.2 In the event that Employee is dismissed for any of the reasons set forth in 6.1 herein above or for any of the reasons set forth herein below, Institute shall have no duty and shall not be obligated to pay the cost of return airfare to the point of hire for Employee, and also that Employee is dismissed within 3months of from Employee's point of origin to Korea."

I sold everything I owned to come here again this year. The first director refused to subscribe me to health insurance and national pension. Now this.

I am devastated and beyond depressed at this point. I don't want to go back home (in spite of everything), and if I did, I would have enough money for airfare and little else once I got back to the U.S.

So, I'm looking for support from this group. If you need and want to flame or whatever, go ahead. But if you can offer me some support, I would surely appreciate it. Friends and family are encouraging to me, so it's not like I'm totally without a support group. But if anyone has any advice or whatever, please feel free to pm or email me at elliemk at mindspring.com

tomato · Posted: Sun Dec 16, 2007 1:15 am Post subject:

Hello, Ellie!

If I could vote more than once in your poll, I would.
I have been fired from 4 jobs and asked to leave 1 job.

Don't worry about explaining the situation to your next prospective employer.
They ask very little about why you got fired.
I find your story easy to believe.
We all know that the English school business is chuck full of nutniks, and the sane English school directors probably do too.

I have been on my present job since April and I have never yet been summoned to the office for a parents-have-been-complaining conference.
So it must not be me.

garykasparov · Joined: 27 May 2007

I know you're telling the truth but what is she busting your chops about?

elliemk · Joined: 01 Jul 2007 Location: Sparkling Korea!

She has an American-based curriculum system - "Open Court Reading." She makes up lesson plans for each week. The preparation time for the lesson plans is a minimum of 12 hours per week. We are not paid for prep time (as are many people here). There are weekly tests, monthly tests and homework sheets, all of which have to be done from scratch, as she has not kept any of the tests, etc. from prior teachers. I missed two things on the lesson plans last week. I didn't realize I had missed them and so didn't mark them on the daily report. That is what she was so upset about on Friday afternoon, saying I wasn't doing my best.

crazy tigger · Joined: 06 Aug 2006

i don't have anything constructive to say apart from maybe speak to the labour board? Best of luck to you, maybe try and see if you can stay in your accomodation a bit longer? She won't get another foreign teacher here in 2 weeks with a visa.

elliemk · Joined: 01 Jul 2007 Location: Sparkling Korea!

addition to last post. She just wouldn't stop going on and on about it on Fri. afternoon. I told her I was sorry I had forgotten the two items and it still wasn't enough. She said I wasn't doing my best. I finally couldn't take it anymore and walked out of her office and closed the door loudly. Then I closed my own classroom door loudly.

elliemk · Joined: 01 Jul 2007 Location: Sparkling Korea!

She says she is going to get a Korean teacher instead of a foreigner.

Kimchieluver · Joined: 02 Mar 2005

inkoreaforgood · Joined: 15 Dec 2003 Location: Inchon

Hotpants · Joined: 27 Jan 2006

I'm sorry that you got fired. It sounds like you are better off without that type of nonsense. Did you know that the school hadn't ever managed to keep a teacher for an entire year before you signed your contract?? - red flags all over it.

I'd say walk from the whole thing and don't look back. Although, do get a letter of release. Even though it seems a big hassle to go through the visa application once again, now is the prime hiring time, and provided you can see things through financially, why not take your time to cherry pick from a better job option. I've also been fired from one position, and at first things looked really bleak, but some 48 hours later, I found myself being offered a really good job.

Good luck.

yingwenlaoshi · Joined: 12 Feb 2007 Location: ... location, location!

chris_J2 · Joined: 17 Apr 2006 Location: From Brisbane, Au.

I know how you feel. I almost quit my job, because my co-teacher kept needling me, when I was very sick with the flu. Things have improved dramatically for me, since I lodged a written complaint that found its way to EPIK. How about contacting EPIK for a PS position? There are always vacancies. You need a letter of release asap, & if the dragon lady declines, go to the Labor Board. Also mention that any future foreign ESL teachers considering employment there, will probably speak to you first. She really is burning her bridges behind her. Good Luck!

NightSky · Joined: 19 Apr 2005

Yeah, contact the labour board and good luck with your situation. You'll find something better than this, so hang in there. Smile

tomato · Posted: Sun Dec 16, 2007 4:21 am Post subject:

Unposter · Joined: 04 Jun 2006

Please go to the labor board.

Regardless of what it says in the contract, your employer still has to follow the law. You get 30 days notice, full pay and she has to pay for your ticket out of the country. She sponsored you for a visa which means she is responsible for you in Korea and responsible for you leaving Korea.

Keep calm and get exactly what you deserve.