Korean Job Discussion Forums

[retrogress]

For those of you who have worked in hogwons without any problems finishing up at the end of contract, beware of public school accounting offices. They may want to do everything exactly by the book to keep from getting penalized, losing "promotion points" etc.

A bunch of anal nazis they are....

This is especially for RURAL teachers at schools who have no experience with foreign teachers, immigration or whatever. IF YOU HAVE HAD PROBLEMS ALL YEAR WITH YOUR HAENGJEONGSHIL (ACCOUNTING OFFICE), YOU SHOULD WATCH OUT!!

1. Make sure that your flight out IS NOT BEFORE end of workday on FINAL day of contract. (My accounting office would not pay me my severance because my flight was at 12:38 PM and end of the day was at 4:30. They said later someone might check and they would get blamed (and fined) for paying me severance when I had not finished "a complete year".
Laughable yes, but SO VERY REAL. No joking around here.
Finally, we changed the contract--resigned and everything just so I could get my severance.

2. Further, be prepared to extend your residence card if needed so that you finish your contract (and entire 1 year) before your card expires and you have to leave the country. Look at your contract. If it expires after or on the day your card expires, go through the immigration website and extend your card a few days so that you can clear everything up.

3. Also, I am getting paid severance and airplane ticket ONE DAY AFTER my contract expires. If I had arranged to stick around an extra day I could have withdrawn that money from my NONGHYUP account. AS it is, I have to wait until I come back to Korea to enjoy that money.

4. Try to get an evening flight out of KLand rather than a morning flight. Your school will ask you to settle your elec.,gas, cable, etc. bills. They may come and turn everything off when you pay.

WRAP UP:
A: CARD MUST EXPIRE AFTER CONTRACT EXPIRES.
B: DATES OF CONTRACT MUST BE A FULL YEAR.
C: FLIGHT OUT A COUPLE OF DAYS AFTER CONTRACT IS COMPLETED.
D: EXTEND RESIDENCE CARD IF NECESSARY.

[Bibbitybop]

Looks like the people you deal with are idiots.

Related to your points in SMOE (Seoul public schools):

Almost every single teacher takes vacation at the end of the contract and leaves Korea before the contract end date. No problem at all.

Severance can be paid to your home or other outside-of-Korea bank account. No problem at all.

Teacher pay a 500,000 won deposit at the beginning of the year. This is held until after the contract and its used to pay all left over utilities, bills, etc. This can also be wired to an overseas account.

[sojourner1]

[Kid65]

Hmm. I've had a slight worry regarding my severance pay. The contract states...


6. Upon completion of a one-year contract, Employer shall pay Employee an extra 30 days� average wage as a severance pay for Employee�s continuous employment of one year.


I started my contract on the 10th of September, but my contract ends on 31st August. I've had no payment issues thus far but I am aware that they do like to do everything exactly by the contract.

And yes, i'm in a rural school with no experience working with foreign teachers before. Your post has exacerbated my worries...

[aarontendo]

Yeah last year in SMOE they let me head out early (I was using my vacation days for it). Wasn't a problem....when I got back into Korea the next month severance was in my account already.

It might be a school by school thing, or maybe a message was sent out to schools I have no idea. Sucks tho man that's shitty of em to check the TIME on it heh.

[CentralCali]

[Kid65]

Well, having checked my contract my fears have been allayed somewhat.

Article 4 (Term of Employment) The term of employment is for a year which shall begin on 9/14/2007 and end on 8/31/2008.

So it looks like I'll be in the clear, even though I'm not actually working a full year. I've never asked the admin before, as I didn't want to be the one that let them know they might not have to pay my severance.

[retrogress]

Like I said, schools that have no experience with foreign teachers or schools which are particularly anal are the ones to watch out for.

[CentralCali]

I'll be stunned if your employer pays you severance for less than a full year's work. Your best bet is to get your contract and your visa both extended to September 13, 2008.

[Kid65]

Hmm, well my VISA is actually valid until the 13th. They recently asked me to renew. I turned them down but said I would be willing to work until the 13th (a Saturday) if they needed me a little longer while looking for a replacement teacher. They seemed to suggest this wouldn't be possible, however, communication isn't too easy with the staff's lack of English.

"The term of employment is for a year which shall begin..."

Doesn't this seem to suggest that they will consider it a full year regardless?

Thanks for the feedback btw...

[Mr. BlackCat]

Everything you listed, while rigid and somewhat laughable, is sort of common sensical (in a Korean context).

[retrogress]

To Black Cat,

I don't think anybody is attacking you here, so don't take anything in this post personally. Nor should you take offence at someone trying to warn others about possible troubles.

Persons coming from private hogwons where the boss occaissionally lets you go a few days early, and there is not a lot of strict accounting rules and regulations might run into troubles with public school accounting offices.

In my case, my contract ended on the 8th, legally I had to be out of the country by midnight on the 8th, so I bought a ticket leaving on the 8th. I could not imagine, nor could any of the teachers at my school, nor could any of my Korean friends who had been teachers believe that I would be refused my severance because of 4 hours. At the same time, everyone told me that at Korean public schools the accounting office and teachers are constantly at odds, and two teachers even suggested that the accounting office was trying to get their hands on my money!

Sharing information like this is going to help some people. That's what this forum is for, whether you like it or not.

[Mr. BlackCat]

^^

I'm not taking this personally. I'm just amazed at the little, easily avoidable, things people blow out of proportion. If you simply wrote a warning to others about extending their ARC beyond the termination of the contract, that would be good ('tho it's been done here several times already). However, you made it out to seem that your school is out to get you and you used the term "Nazi" to describe them. As a descendant of two concentration camp survivors I find that desciption a bit over dramatic.

I also think it's a bit silly for your school to deny you severance over 4 hours. But did you discuss the situation with them before purchasing the ticket? Did you look into your options, including trying to extend your ARC?

You're right, some people get royally screwed by their hogwans. That's why I find posts like this annoying. It's like setting yourself on fire over US beef when millions of your countrymen are starving just 100km away. I'm not doubting your convictions, I'm just calling you out on your methods of protest.

[JJJ]

[marlow]