Korean Job Discussion Forums

[CentralCali]

I mentioned this in another thread (possibly on another forum) after seeing yet another post of "The boss caught me by surprise and I signed a 'final warning' letter.'" I think any new folks here or folks thinking of coming here should be aware of this after they start their employment in Korea:

SIGN NOTHING!

I'm not kidding. The boss is not your best friend. The boss is not talking to you to help you appreciate Korea more. The boss only cares about a warm foreign body in front of the tykes so the parents of said tykes will ooh and aah over having their kids in a pricy cram school.

If your boss is handing you something to sign and it's only in Korean, you can leave it on your desk for the rest of the year, you can throw it in the trash, you can throw it in the hall, or you can politely hand it back and say, "A-ni." Don't forget to leave off the honorific so your point will hit home.

If your boss hands you something written in English or (miracle of miracles!) in both Korean and English, follow the above advice. You have no guarantee, unless you're absolutely fluent in Korean, that the English and Korean versions have any other relationship to each other than merely being on the same piece of paper.

If your boss hands you something written only in English, still refuse to sign it unless it's only something obligating the boss to increase your salary with no additional conditions for you (this will never happen, of course). The only reason the boss is giving you this paper is to lay groundwork to can you so fast that it will make gods blink. He's doing this to prove to the labor board and the courts that you are the culprit, that you did not honor the contractual obligations, that you therefore have not earned and will not get severance, plane fare, or termination pay/notice (because of your egregious abuse of the employer and/or students).

The boss is not your friend. If you want Korean friends, go out and meet some. Make friends on your own. Learn a bit of the language so you are not dependent on the boss or his minions (Korean employes, aka "slaves" {in the boss's mind}) to get things done in your non-work life. The boss does not care if you like, hate, or are even aware of Korean society in general. He just cares that you bring your warm body (no matter how ill you may be at the moment, no matter what devastating event has happened in your immediate family) to prop you up in front of the tykes at the hagweon.

In short: DON'T SIGN ANYTHING OTHER THAN YOUR CONTRACT!

[bellum99]

I agree. As nice as they are at the begining is how bad they will be at the end.

[ryouga013]

[ChopChaeJoe]

Yeah, I was presented with a form a few months ago, sostensibly a permission form for a check that I had no sexual offenses. it's the law, they told me. if it's the law, they don't need my persmission, i shot back. Whatever it was, i'm sure they just forged my name.