Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Countrygirl]

My school won't give me my 100K raise because they say that there is not enough money in the budget...yet they say that I am the best FT that they've ever had. I really want to leave but I was assured months earlier, by my co-teacher that, yes, they want me to stay and yes, I would get the raise. So I booked my plane ticket before prices became too high for my home leave for myself and my kids for this summer vacation. Basically, if I quit, it will cost me more than if I stay (and receive my first royal dongchim from the Principal).

So, to try and make myself feel better, I negotiated with the Principal to get 2 extra weeks vacation. When the co-teacher went to the Principal to get her to sign the paper detailing the changes in the contract, she said that she wouldn't sign a paper but she would give her word. I said no, I need a signature. She got pissed off and said that she won't sign and if I want to quit, I should quit.

This matter got passed off to the head teacher, who asked, "Why you don't trust my Principal's word". I said that I was told that I was going to get a raise and I didn't...even though it is in the contract. Fact is, I would never trust anyone that said, 'I give my word'. But I lied and said that I had to do this in case if there was ever a reason that she wasn't there (ie car accident) then I would need proof of what her promise was. The head teacher finally got frustrated and used the Principal's stamp. He said that she knew that the contract changes were stamped but both my co-teacher and I don't know if this is true. His attitude was that since the school needed me so badly, I could force them to sign this against their will. It seems to me that I am more over the barrel than they are.

All of this happened so quickly. Three days ago I was going to happily renew my contract. Now I can't stand this country. No money in the budget, my arse...a 5 year old school and the Principal just renovated her office and now they are renovating the library. I asked if the other Korean teachers will not receive their pay raise since the school was in such debt. I was told that Korean teachers and FT are not the same. Of course they will receive their 2.5 K yearly raise (not to mention bonuses throughout the year).

I really can't stand this place. I also just found out a fellow GEPIKer quit his job for the same reason. No wonder Koreans are leaving this country in droves. The people in power here are unreasonable.

Financially, it is better for my family to stay in Korea a little longer, but I am so bitter and pissed off that I have to do something to make myself feel better. This year our school is going to have their English Festival...I clearly won't be going. I'm also thinking about finding another public school position (I want to be in the same school as my kids) but maybe GEPIK won't let me go to another school mid-contract.

So, two questions...(1) How did your school treat your 100k raise? (2).What options do I really have?

When I look at this situation I feel trapped. It's against my personality to take this out on the kids by becoming a lazy teacher, but I need to do something to feel like I have some control over my life. Please advise.

[Tokki1]

They should put us all at the salary cap. GEPIK salaries are WAY TOO LOW.

I'm asking for a W400,000 raise at the end of my contract.

Seriously...W300,000 for housing allowance? Go F yourself, GEPIK!

QUIT.

[Otherside]

Are you at level 1 with Gepik? Now you are asking for the 100K raise to bring you to level 1+?

If that's the case, its absurd - the raise is clearly written there in the contract - the same would apply if you decided not to teach Summer camps:
You:"Sorry Mr Kim, I don't want to teach these camps its during the vacation"
Head Teacher "But you have to, it's in the contract.."
"Contracts...good one Mr Kim, good one..this is Korea"

However, if they were willing to give you an extra 2 weeks leave, for many people (myself included) that would be a decent trade-off.

[KYC]

It's contract renewal time for GEPIKers...and most teachers I know are having similar problems as well. It's frustrating as hell. No matter how much you have done for the school or how great of a teacher you are, you will still have to put up with that kind of bs. (I am no way saying I am a great teacher or have done much for my school--it's not even reference to me but to others I know).

[Whirlwind]

Absolute garbage. They think so little of you that they can't afford to give you an extra $100 a month. That is pathetic. That amount of money to a school is nothing. Just shows what they think of you. Definitely try another school.

[tob55]

I am only going to say this once, and I want people to understand it. Read my print: "misappropriation of funds."

Korean administrators have seen and abused this gold mine that is English education money for a number of years. Principals and administrators are commonly used to taking the money that is earmarked for English training and spend it on extravagant things like after school activities for them and a few of their buddies, or some other in-house program, all the while writing it off as English expense. BTW, how do you think the principal was able to remodel her office? I am not saying all the money for remodeling came from English funds, but I would bet my pay check that a fair amount did. I know this from the experiences here in my school.

The key to the situation is that they spend the money liberally just as long as they don't get caught. When they do get caught the only thing that happens is that they get shifted to a new location in the country where they can do it all over again. My first two years in a school we had to beg for money to do things. It led to frustrations for me and the co-teachers simply because of what was happening with the money. These days my principal and VP are good guys, so we actually get money to do our activities, and I get my raises.

The OPs principal isn't telling a lie, there is no money because they have spent your English funding on something else, and now they have to cover their collective behinds by telling you that the money has dried up for some flimsy reasons. Too bad the system is operating on the premise of deception, corruption and misappropriation, but unfortunately no one is going to jail, and if you quit they will just have more money in their pockets because the next sucker will come in at a lower salary.

Sorry for your trouble. We all feel your pain, but it is a bad system and doesn't look to be changing for the better in the near future.

[wylies99]

For ANY teaching job, in Korea, if there's no pay raise, you should find another school.

[Draz]

[xCustomx]

Since the won has decreased about 7% this year, you've actually taken a pay decrease by staying at the same salary. The 100k raise won't even equal the same amount of money that you were making six months ago.

So what are you going to do about it? If you quit, things won't necessariliy be better at a different school. In fact, they could be worse. Renogotiating the vacation time is a good start, but GET EVERYTHING IN WRITING. You did a good job in telling them that. In my case, my vice principal was at some principal training course for 5 months, so I negotiated my renewal with the principal. He agreed to increase my vacation time during both summer and winter. When the vice principal returned and heard about this he went off. If I hadn't gotten my EXACT vacation dates in writing, I probably wouldn't be going on my vacation next week.

In addition to vacation time, you could try and reduce the number of teaching hours per week. Or perhaps you can leave early when you finish classes. GEPIK won't allow you to change schools mid contract, so you'll probably have to finish the contract and then move on to a different school if things dont work out. Good luck

[SHANE02]

[nomad-ish]

^ i agree with taking this matter to the foreign teacher coordinator at the board. if it's black and white in the contract, they'll enforce it.

last year, my school tried to "delay" paying my severance at the end of my contract after we both agreed on the payment day, they told me they had no money left and neither did the school board to pay me. anyways, the foreign coordinator told my school that she didn't care how they got the money, but they were to pay me on the agreed date.

contact your foreign coordinator, they can help you with this issue! if you still can't resolve it for some reason, i wouldn't necessarily leave, i would try to negotiate lots of little extras in my new contract to make up for the loss of money.

[Countrygirl]

[SHANE02]

I would firmly ask for a meeting with the principal. You have obviously worked hard for the school so you have that to discuss. Take the contract, and ask why and in what way you have not met the obligations to earn the raise. Talk about what you have done.

Don't allow youself to get angry, and don't allow the school management to talk down to you. Remain calm and professional, and put it on them. See what they offer you. If they refuse to discuss the issue calmly or refuse to make adjustments to your benifits and/or renumeration that you think is acceptable, then you know what ? Find a new job after this one.

Give them time to think thru what you have said and stress that you have not wanted to create ill will, you just feel dissapointed that you have worked so hard in an effort to meet Gepik requirements for a raise.


I don't buy the "we can't afford it" line. It's up to you if you want to.

[fromtheuk]

I'm on my 2nd contract at the same GEPIK school, I got the 100,000 won pay rise without difficulty. The problem with not speaking Korean and Koreans not speaking English well means I tend to feel suspicious about whether I am getting everything I am due.

This thread sums up why I don't feel any motivation to do anything extra for my school. I want to do the bare minimum precisely because of the awful attitude of various colleagues in positions of power at my school.

For all of those posters who try to condemn my attitude, read the OP on this thread again.

Some Koreans are slave drivers and will never appreciate anything you do for them, no matter how much you do or try. Therefore, for anybody with a hint of a brain cell, it should be clear the most sensible approach is to do as little as possible and to not volunteer for extra work at all.

All the best OP.

[Real Reality]