Korean Job Discussion Forums

Traveller · Joined: 20 May 2007 Location: Chungnam

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/02/117_19296.html

spliff · Joined: 19 Jan 2004 Location: Khon Kaen, Thailand

Wow, I guess a Koreans will now think twice about giving private lessons.

justin moffatt · Joined: 29 Aug 2006

This is fuc*ing ridiculos. Even if one registers with the Ministry, how does the government know how many privates you actually engage in? It is my understanding that they expect you to register your private names and contact information. Everyone knows your privates can change. Is there an expectation to re-register this infomation now to be law abiding citizens and not get jail time?

One year jail sentence for teaching English to children, due to absence of reporting taxes is downright shameful.

Sparkling Korea . . . The Land Of Angry Faces

P.S. Maybe I am exempt since I am a Korean language student at a University . . . oh wait . . . I am a foreigner. Drat.

bassexpander · Joined: 13 Sep 2007 Location: Someplace you'd rather be.

This is mainly aimed at Koreans who are making 7 million a month off of students cramming for entrance tests and the like. It's at the point where it's eating into the big chains, and they've obviously pressed the gov't to do something about it.

When I taught High School, some of my richer students paid in excess of 1 million per month for private tutors. One student knew her math tutor had six other students at that price.

Us foreigners are just caught up in the riggama-roll of it all. This law wasn't passed for us, but they'd gladly apply it to us.

Chris Kwon · Joined: 23 Jan 2008 Location: North Korea

The jail time should be aimed at shady hagwon owners.

flakfizer · Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2008 8:49 pm Post subject:

Not to be a jerk, but "rigmarole" is an actual word.

DrunkenMaster · Joined: 04 Feb 2008

diver · Joined: 16 Jun 2003

The thread title is misleading.

It is actually jail for teaching privates illegally, or teaching them illegally and not paying taxes.

Privates are legal for a certain group of people provided they follow the regs and pay taxes.

I did a Google search. Here was my first hit. Go check out what happens in the US if you screw around with your taxes.

http://www.taxdeal.com/tax_penalties.html

I am not a big fan of the Korean government, but whining because they expect you to pay taxes? Isn't that a bit much?

justin moffatt · Joined: 29 Aug 2006

Diver:

Granted, however the punishment seems quite stiff. F2/F4/F5 and Koreans have to register with the government (Ministry of Education) if they wish to teach private lessons. Perhaps, this is a possible solution to prevent unqualified individuals in teaching English to unknowing citizens. Reporting one's taxable income based on privates seems reasonable as well (as mentioned same rules apply to Self Employed individuals in westernized countries). Although, it is my understanding that instructors must inform the Ministry of Education of the names, contact information, and billing of their private lessons. If this is indeed true, it appears of yet another means of the government intervening in controlling one's income. Of course, one's privates often change over time. Is there an expectation to inform the government of these changes?

In other words, it appears that if one is legally entitled to teach English private lessons, and one does not report to the Ministry of Education all information regarding one's English private lessons, even if one may report this information to the Tax Office (come tax time), and one is found teaching private lessons, the penalty could be one year imprisonment.

I am not an expert on legal issues in North America or Europe, however, I would venture to guess that if one reports their taxable income for engaging in legal employment without notifying Governmental authorities of this, jailtime would never be an issue. In fact, in my experience in working in the Criminal Justice System in Canada, one year imprisonment is usually imposed for very serious offences (e.g. endictable offenses).

I shudder to think about what the new penalty will be for foreigner English instructors who are caught teaching private lessons on an E2 visa (immigration issues aside).

lastat06513 · Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2008 10:15 pm Post subject:

One of my friends in the army just PCSed to Korea several months back and, thanks to my advice, is making an extra 700,000 a month teaching a class of 20 elementary school students 4 hours a day on Saturday and Sunday.

Heres his email

Fresh Prince · Joined: 05 Dec 2006 Location: The glorious nation of Korea

Considering that foreigners on an E2 visa can't report taxes as they aren't allowed to teach privately, and the extremely dramatic difference between the old 1 million won fine and the new 1 year in jail, I can't help but wonder if Korea is trying to send a message to foreign teachers.

I don't think any Koreans are going to report on each other for not paying taxes on private lessons. I don't see how the authorities would ever find out that a Korean is not paying taxes unless the students asked for proof, which I doubt would happen. Besides, if the authorities were really interested in tax revenue, they would make it legal to teach privately on an E2 visa so that foreigners could pay taxes. If they were really interested in the quality of teaching, they would make a law saying that only certified teachers, or holders of MA-TESOL's are allowed to teach privately. Instead they make the penalty harsher for the one group that can't actually comply with that law.

It's really funny how the one country that can't get enough English teachers; and complains that its English ability isn't up to par, will put someone in jail for a year for teaching English.

Captain Corea · Joined: 28 Feb 2005 Location: Seoul

diver · Joined: 16 Jun 2003

Kimchieluver · Joined: 02 Mar 2005

Whatever, these new measure will just cause the price of tutoring privately to go up.

Pink Freud · Joined: 27 Jan 2003 Location: Daegu