Korean Job Discussion Forums

Tblake · Joined: 02 Feb 2008 Location: Songkhla, Thailand

I'm arriving to Korea on the 18th of August. I was going to just arrive, then get a job at a hogwan in Seoul. I got a bit scared that schools wouldn't reimburse my flight, so I applied with a bunch of recruiters.

I got offered a position that pays 29,000 won an hour, 96 hours guaranteed, but usually more like 110-120 hours a month. There's 5 million won key money, BUT there's NO severance, NO pension, NOR medical. That got me pretty bummers.

Sounds like a bust to me. I don't think I'll take it.

I read some of the other posts and it seems like I can just arrive, get a job that I want and not one my recruiters want me to take. But, will I be able to get reimbursed for my flight over, if I'm hired in Korea?

Dunno if it matters much, but I'll have an F4 visa. Just got it in Boston and it was super easy.

So.....flight getting reimbursed in Korea? AND what about good paying jobs, without any benefits...are they worth it?

Thanks.

Zaria32 · Joined: 04 Dec 2007

You will probably not be reimbursed...however, that's between you and your employer. You can make it a condition of employment before you agree to work for someone. They can say "OK" or they can say "bye."

PRagic · Joined: 24 Feb 2006

1. Read the countless threads on CDI. Sounds like the place you are talking about.

2. If you are a gyopo and just come over and find a job, odds are they will NOT pay for your air.

3. Use a ton of recruiters and don't settle for less than you want in terms of location, pay (within reason) and housing.

4. There is little incentive for employers to offer F2, 4 or 5 people air or housing. Anyone on an F2, 4, or 5 visa can legally pick up and leave on a month's notice, so it's just not worth it.

So you have to weigh your options. You can pay your own way over, but then have the benefit of being able to check out potential employers first hand. You could also get a contract from where you are that includes air and housing, but you'd have to rely on information from recruiters and current staff to form an opinion. Again, the up-side for you would be that you could legally quit with one month's notice. They can't touch you unless there is a clause in your contract that says otherwise AND they want to pursue the matter in civil proceedings. Most don't bother.

Good luck with your job hunt.

Tblake · Joined: 02 Feb 2008 Location: Songkhla, Thailand

thanks, I've checked out some of the other posts about this. I've bought my ticket and signed the contract. I'll be in Seoul on the 17th, and I start orientation on the 18th!

Like you said, worse comes to worst, I can quit relatively easy. My flight will be reimbursed, but if I don't stay for a full year, they'll take it out of my last pay.

Be good!

KoreanAmbition · Joined: 03 Feb 2008

Tblake,

No offense meant by this, but I think you need to look at your mathematics of your finances a second time.

A flight to Korea shouldn't be costing much more than $1000 USD, and with that said, that's a small amount of an annual salary to be worried about.

You can't be so cheap that your entire rational behind taking a job should be based on the reimbursement of a flight.

Look at job conditions, annual salary, vacation time, and hours per week.

Trust me, and I'm sure many others will agree, that the above list of job conditions would be EASILY chosen over the $1000 USD flight reimbursement if the conditions were positive.

You're coming here on an F-visa, so just work 1 hour of private tutoring even other week, at 40,000 won per hour, and that will RECOVER your losses on the flight.

I'm not trying to say money grows on trees, but neither do good job conditions. Take the job you want, don't worry about the flight reimbursement. That way, you can leave when you want and not feel bad. There are many stories on here about people that want to leave jobs and then owe money back... you seem to be in a good position so leave your options open by paying for your own flight. If you can get the flight included then it's a bonus for you, but don't make that part of your job selection.

Just my opinion.

Yu_Bum_suk · Joined: 25 Dec 2004

ttompatz · Joined: 05 Sep 2005 Location: Kwangju, South Korea

Voyeur · Joined: 19 Jun 2003

ttompatz,

Normally you seem knowledgeable. But here I think you might just be parotting the anti-CDI mantra without really understanding what is going on. CDI isn't screwing anyone. They offer you two options. One is the normal way of being paid with all the normal benefits. The other is is to be paid hourly without those benefits. Your choice. You decide. Nobody is being screwed regardless of what may or not be technically illegal.

Frankly, the hourly is usually better and it doesn't always work out even.

30k hourly is usually my threshold for picking CDI as a no-brainer choice for a first-year teacher. 29K is pretty close, and especially if you think you might want to stay another 6 mo. to 1 year, then I'd still say go with it. There are always these other "dream jobs" that offer 2.5 million for 4 hours a day etc... But how likely is it that the OP has a chance to get one of them?

He has a CDI offer and even at 29k, it is likely a lot better than working for 2.3 Million a month at a regular hogwon IMO. Yep, lack of holidays sucks. But money talks. And you can always take your holidays AFTER your year is up. Even a CDI job is a LOT easier than a real, full-time 9 to 5 back home. It really isn't hard to do it for a year with minimal time off.

ttompatz · Joined: 05 Sep 2005 Location: Kwangju, South Korea

Young FRANKenstein · Posted: Mon Aug 11, 2008 3:19 pm Post subject:

Voyeur · Joined: 19 Jun 2003

ttompatz · Joined: 05 Sep 2005 Location: Kwangju, South Korea

TheUrbanMyth · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Location: Retired

KoreanAmbition · Joined: 03 Feb 2008

Ttompatz,

Aren't CDI hourly employees considered "independent contractors" or something of the sort?

In that case, isn't that why they don't get pension, medical or severance.

To be honest, that's the law in most other countries, and I was under the impression it's that way here. They treat you like a freelance employee that isn't really their responsibility and they are using you on a "need-to-use" basis.

Now don't go nuts here anyone, because I'm not saying this is concrete information. I'm just saying that was the impression I've been given. Does someone know otherwise, because I'm actually curious how a large corporation goes about doing "illegal" things in broad daylight, if in fact it is illegal.

Voyeur,

That previous post about "screwing the law" and "CDI is offering better than the law" was just plain outlandish. In fact, I fail to even understand if you actually used logic in your rebuttal.

If someone gets 29K plus pension, medical and severance, and another person gets 29K without the 3 perks... how in the world is the second person better off?

Voyeur · Joined: 19 Jun 2003