Korean Job Discussion Forums

[littlemisssmiles]

I am planning on leaving my contract early, and will give the required two months notice. I have been here three months, and plan on leaving the end of August, which would be six months. However, I am unsure if I will have to repay half of my airfare.

Here's what the contract says:
"In the case the employee terminates employment with the company in less than 6 months, and has had round trip airfare provided, the employee will reimburse the company for the cost of the half of the round trip ticket"

When I read it, I understood that if I stay less than six months, I have to repay it. However, another teacher told me that "terminate employment" means give my notice, and since I would be doing this after only 4 months, I would need to repay it.

I am not sure what to do...I was staying until the end of August specifically to avoid repaying it. However, if I would still need to pay, I would most likely give my notice this week, and get out of here even sooner.

Help please!!!

[icicle]

Terminate employement normally means "stop employment" so it would be at the time you actually stop being employed by your employer ... rather than when you tell them that you intend doing so ... Which would put you in a safe situation re the repayment ...

However I have definitely heard of emplyers who give their employees a hard time after they have given notice ... to try and encourage them to leave earlier (and be put in a position of having to repay) or who have fired employees after they have given notice ... and deducting the airfare from the final payment ...

Ignoring the legality of the repayment of airfare for a minute ... I think in your position that I would also weigh up the impact on you of staying longer ... You need to consider for yourself if working until the 6 month mark is worth the non-financial cost to you ... Is getting out sooner than 6 months worth the cost of an airfare to you ?

If working up to 6 months (so you don't have to repay the airfare) is your decision ... Then I would give them the minimum notice that you have to do ... and make sure that you do everything by the book ... So you don't get stuck in a position of having a few difficult weeks ... and then find that you can't get the reimbursement because you have stopped a day or 2 earlier than your 6 month time ...

[spliff]

If you're not coming back just leave one or two days after being paid. Your boss will deduct a lot of money from your last paycheck knowing you can't/won't do anything about it as you're leaving.

[poet13]

Nah, terminate amployment means stop working. Yes, the employer might try to bend you over, and you see signs of that, call labor straight away.
If your boss is a *beep*, be prepared to start receiving complaints about your work, written warnings etc....all leading up to you getting fired just before your 6 months is up.
If that happens, have a friendly conversation with your boss about...

tax office
labor
pension
health

Be nice, but also make it plain that you wont' be stepped on.

[littlemisssmiles]

Ok, thanks One more question - my contract is very vague about this, all I can find is the part I quoted above. They already provided me with a round trip ticket, but another teacher told me that I wouldn't be able to use it to come home. So, I would have to buy my own (and this one would go to waste?) This is looking costly....repay approx. $800 for flight here, and then buy my own home, another $800!!! Does this sound right? It does not state in the contract, and I am hestitant to ask before I tell them for sure that I am leaving.

[spliff]

NIce! If you have the ticket you can use it. Just call the airline and make a reservation. Be sure you don't tell anyone at work and schedule to leave after you get paid. Repeat, don't inform anyone at work!!!!!! But I fear you probably already have.