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ChciPivo
Joined: 09 Sep 2007
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 Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2008 6:13 pm Post subject: What to do when the school doesn't pay? |
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My salary was due on the tenth (fifth actually, due to holidays) and I'm getting a bunch of shuffles and excuses when asking why I don't yet have it. What are the proper steps to get it asap and make sure it never happens again? Is it time to throw down the LOR and ask for a signature?
TIA. |
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nomad-ish
Joined: 08 Oct 2007
Location: On the bottom of the food chain
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| Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2008 6:16 pm Post subject: |
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are you at a hagwon? what i would do is just stop teaching. i'd go into work, tell my boss "no pay, no teaching", and sit around in the teacher's room for a couple days.
in most of these cases, they do have the money available and if pressured, will pay up |
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ttompatz
Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Location: Kwangju, South Korea
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| Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2008 6:19 pm Post subject: Re: What to do when the school doesn't pay? |
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| ChciPivo wrote: |
My salary was due on the tenth (fifth actually, due to holidays) and I'm getting a bunch of shuffles and excuses when asking why I don't yet have it. What are the proper steps to get it asap and make sure it never happens again? Is it time to throw down the LOR and ask for a signature?
TIA. |
IF you are getting nothing but excuses AND it is the first time, then patience and persistence are your ally.
If this is or has been a repeat occurrence then it is certainly time to sit at your desk and refuse to enter the class until the matter is rectified.
If it is NOT rectified quickly, then it is time to file a complaint with the labor board and seek your LOR. |
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ChciPivo
Joined: 09 Sep 2007
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| Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2008 6:22 pm Post subject: |
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All the K teachers were paid yesterday, 3 days late, but I was told my salary is "big money" and I'll have to wait until Friday. This is the first time and I've been patient thus far, but I'll have to see what Friday brings.
Does this not constitute a contract violation on their part, and therefore give me solid ground for the LOR? |
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Atavistic
Joined: 22 May 2006
Location: How totally stupid that Korean doesn't show in this area.
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| Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2008 6:25 pm Post subject: |
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| Problem is that you have to wait a certain number of days (15? 20?) past late pay to file with Labor. Before then, Labor won't touch it. |
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ttompatz
Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Location: Kwangju, South Korea
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| Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2008 6:28 pm Post subject: |
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| ChciPivo wrote: |
All the K teachers were paid yesterday, 3 days late, but I was told my salary is "big money" and I'll have to wait until Friday. This is the first time and I've been patient thus far, but I'll have to see what Friday brings.
Does this not constitute a contract violation on their part, and therefore give me solid ground for the LOR? |
It does NOT give you contractual grounds for a LOR unless it is stated at such in your contract.
Most hakwon contracts give reasons why an employer can terminate you early but do not usually give grounds for you to leave early without substantial penalties (like re-paying airfare, etc.)
Tomorrow is Friday, see what that brings, especially if this is the 1st occurance. |
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mindmetoo
Joined: 02 Feb 2004
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| Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2008 9:01 pm Post subject: Re: What to do when the school doesn't pay? |
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| ttompatz wrote: |
| ChciPivo wrote: |
My salary was due on the tenth (fifth actually, due to holidays) and I'm getting a bunch of shuffles and excuses when asking why I don't yet have it. What are the proper steps to get it asap and make sure it never happens again? Is it time to throw down the LOR and ask for a signature?
TIA. |
IF you are getting nothing but excuses AND it is the first time, then patience and persistence are your ally.
If this is or has been a repeat occurrence then it is certainly time to sit at your desk and refuse to enter the class until the matter is rectified.
If it is NOT rectified quickly, then it is time to file a complaint with the labor board and seek your LOR. |
I second this course. Koreans are Koreans. There may be something behind the scene going on that might involve changes to the contracts of the Korean teachers (poor souls) and the pays are delayed. If they miss two pay days or don't make good on the missed pay day, then simply refuse to come to school until you're duly paid. |
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wylies99
Joined: 13 May 2006
Location: I'm one cool cat!
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| Posted: Thu Feb 14, 2008 12:57 am Post subject: |
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| It's probably a BS way of keeping you here longer. If they don't REALLY pay you, each month, until the 15th, or later, it makes it less likely you will do a runner. My advice? Resign. Get out of there, ASAP. They will only play more and more "games" with your pay/benefits/apartment/life. |
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garykasparov
Joined: 27 May 2007
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| Posted: Thu Feb 14, 2008 8:00 am Post subject: |
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| OP, you are working for crooks. Don't trust anyone. Pack your stuff and start mailing things home. Be prepared to pull a runner because it will get very bad for you. |
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midwest
Joined: 25 Dec 2007
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| Posted: Thu Feb 14, 2008 8:57 am Post subject: Re: What to do when the school doesn't pay? |
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| ChciPivo wrote: |
My salary was due on the tenth (fifth actually, due to holidays) and I'm getting a bunch of shuffles and excuses when asking why I don't yet have it. What are the proper steps to get it asap and make sure it never happens again? Is it time to throw down the LOR and ask for a signature?
TIA. |
I left Korea when my school would not pay me and when they were forced to do so, because I complained, they threatened to withhold my next 6-weeks of pay because they knew I was seeking a letter of release. I was cheated too, when they did pay. I simply left, I realized that with all this trouble (and lack of pay), I'd be better off going to another country where teachers are not rather brutally treated by a system that permits the schools to mistreat them.
Also, when I realized how often I would be mistreated and cheated at pay, the venture of Korea no longer seemed worth the effort. I also realized that I would have to beg each month for my wages to somehow appease the tyrant or Napoleonic Moron who directed the school.
I am amazed at the number of teachers who permit their schools to make deductions for things like taxes and insturance, month after month, even though they know these aren't being paid, but that the money is pocketed by the school. You all need to get up and walk on these people. Make it hard for them to keep teachers if they are cheaters.
I agree with "no pay, no teaching," and when you are paid, I'd get the hell out of there ASAP. |
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rD.NaTas
Joined: 06 Nov 2007
Location: changwon
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| Posted: Thu Feb 14, 2008 9:50 am Post subject: |
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| i got lots of time on my hands , il break sum legs for a small minimal fee |
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ChciPivo
Joined: 09 Sep 2007
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| Posted: Thu Feb 14, 2008 4:09 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks for the responses.
I'm going on my 7th month and this is the first it's happened. Yeah, I know they're crooks and not paying pension and skimming my taxes, but at least the pay hasn't been a problem until now. Today is the day so it either hits my account by 1800 or I stay home from Monday.
My contract says I have to pay for my airfare here if I walk before the sixth month mark, but lists no other penalties after that. What happens if I go in Monday and give thirty days notice? I assume I'm legally entitled to do so. Can they say no and demand I finish the contract? And what happens when I tell them to eff off? And what exactly is the purpose of the LOR if not to protect us from contract violations, late payment, and other bs? When can it be used? |
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CentralCali
Joined: 17 May 2007
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| Posted: Thu Feb 14, 2008 4:24 pm Post subject: |
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| ChciPivo wrote: |
Thanks for the responses.
I'm going on my 7th month and this is the first it's happened. Yeah, I know they're crooks and not paying pension and skimming my taxes, but at least the pay hasn't been a problem until now. Today is the day so it either hits my account by 1800 or I stay home from Monday. |
Sadly, if you stay home instead of going to work, the Labor Board won't look favorably on your case. They'll consider you to be the "more at fault" party.
As far as taxes, if you know they're taking more than what's supposed to be going to the tax office but are actually paying the right amount to the tax office, you can wait until the end of your contract and file a complaint at the Labor Board for illegal withholding of salary. If they're not turning the right amount over to the tax office, you can still file, but you are still subject to paying the taxes that weren't paid.
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| My contract says I have to pay for my airfare here if I walk before the sixth month mark, but lists no other penalties after that. What happens if I go in Monday and give thirty days notice? |
Your boss will either fire you outright, make your life a living nightmare, or be reasonable and treat you right for the last 30 days to include forking over a Letter of Release. Now, if the boss were reasonable, you wouldn't be in this situation in the first place.
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| I assume I'm legally entitled to do so. |
You're legally entitled to walk in today, tell him you quit effective today, and walk out on him. Of course, that would put you in a bad light as far as the Labor Board is concerned. But you can also just up and leave the country over the weekend. Let the bum find out the hard way what happens when he treats you like a slave.
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| Can they say no and demand I finish the contract? |
He can refuse to give you the Letter of Release.
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| And what happens when I tell them to eff off? |
He can refuse to give you the Letter of Release.
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| And what exactly is the purpose of the LOR if not to protect us from contract violations, late payment, and other bs? When can it be used? |
You don't seriously think that unconstitutional Letter of Release requirement has a thing to do with protecting the employee, do you? It's something that Immigration put into place obviously at the urging of the hagweon owners.
Your options are:
- Continue working for the bum until the end of the contract period, then file a complaint with the Labor Board over illegal withholding of salary.
- Leave the country ("midnight run") with no notice.
- "Negotiate" for the Letter of Release after you find a new job. Regarding the negotiation: SIGN NOTHING! Get whatever cash you can get, but ensure the bum gives you the Letter of Release. Once you have your new job and the new visa for it, then you take a trip to the Labor Board to file for illegal withholding of salary, to the Pension Office to report the bum, and to the tax office to settle the tax account.
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ChciPivo
Joined: 09 Sep 2007
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| Posted: Thu Feb 14, 2008 4:32 pm Post subject: |
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So the LOR is not required unless I want to seek further employment in Korea? I understood it was necessary in order to leave the country. 
Great, no worries then. |
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Atavistic
Joined: 22 May 2006
Location: How totally stupid that Korean doesn't show in this area.
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| Posted: Thu Feb 14, 2008 4:34 pm Post subject: |
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| ChciPivo wrote: |
So the LOR is not required unless I want to seek further employment in Korea? I understood it was necessary in order to leave the country.
Great, no worries then. |
A LOR isn't even needed if you do want further employment. I have gotten a job without one. I have canceled my own visa without one.
I have also stopped working and Labor STILL looked favorably upon me. Of course, they had several open cases against her from other coworkers, which probably helped me.
If I were you, I'd start calling Pension and the Tax Office. If you're one of the people who gets pension back, you're getting royally screwed. |
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