Korean Job Discussion Forums

irwinpryce · Joined: 30 Apr 2007

Hi,
I have a serious problem with my hagwon which has been a joke from day 1.
They have scimped on cash, not paying the right amounts, never paying my overtime and giving my pay late and deducting tax whithout actually paying it.

I have emailed my recruiter, been firm etc but nothing changes.

I have 3 months left here and today is my first day back after the holidays and I have been greeted with the request of reproducing all lesson plans (typed) with all resources attached from the past 9 months.

The various reasons given changed every minute when I turned sour.

For the next teacher.
As all teachers do it.
For the director to see as she is interested in education.
For me to improve and develop as a teacher.

Obviously they want me to create a curriculum for the next teacher. My contract states that I must create a monthly plan, as my place dont know what day it is I have created a daily one which all lessons accounted for.

Sorry to rant, I am just so fed up with this place. Many will say you should have cleared off ages ago etc, though I couldn't be bothered with the hastle as there were still things here I wanted to see and do. Just wanted to hear opinions and what will most likely happen as I am refusing. What kind of plans are needed in other schools (kindy hagwons.)

Thanks
grrrrr

afsjesse · Joined: 23 Sep 2007 Location: Kickin' it in 'Kato town.

I love how Hagwons try to come up with so much BS. Shocked

Look you have a couple of things you can do.

1. Just say no and that the task they want you to do is unreasonable. If they wanted such a thing, they should have told you from the beginning.

2. If your up to staying another year in Korea, give them your 30 days and apply for a Public School job. Hiring is commencing as we speak for March positions. I have a friend who is in a hagwon like yours in Gumi and she applied 2 days ago and has already been placed in Busan.

When you give them your 30 days notice, put it into writting and sign it. Request a Letter of Release so you can transfer your visa. If they don't give you one, you will have to get an exit order. After your 30 days are up, go to immigration and tell them FIRMLY!!! that you quit your job and need an exit order. This is a peice of paper that you give to immigration when you leave the country. It has a date by which you must leave. You give it to them on the way out of incheon and presto! your visa is cancelled.

Go to SE Asia for a month or to Japan and process your new visa there. Come back and enjoy K-Fluff one more time Very Happy

Contact Rowan Hall at ESL PLANET. www.esl-planet.com
By far the best recruiter in Korea, plus he's Australian and not korean so no funny business.

3. Google is your friend, copy and paste a bunch of BS.

Good Luck and keep us informed!
Jesse

jdog2050 · Joined: 17 Dec 2006

Scotticus · Joined: 18 Mar 2007

icnelly · Joined: 25 Jan 2006 Location: Bucheon

irwinpryce · Joined: 30 Apr 2007

thanks to all who replied. Further to this, I have no plans on returning to Korea to work again. Im here to do the job for the next 3 months and get paid for doing it in the hope that I can get my bonus and airfare.

It is looking very unlikely that I will get either of these now and I am prepared for an 11th month goodbye. All signs are pointing this way. Any advice on how to keep my guard up? Should I tout on them to the labor board for charging me for taxes and not paying them? How common are 11th month firings?

afsjesse · Joined: 23 Sep 2007 Location: Kickin' it in 'Kato town.

Go to the Labor Board just to report them. But as far as getting your severance and flight home, you can kiss those goodbye. You won't be here long enough for the Labor Board to settle your case which can take months. Even then, they don't have any authority to enforce their decisions.

Cut your losses and go.

I'm no Picasso · Joined: 28 Oct 2008

That sucks, man. Sounds like you've got two choices if you don't want to stay in the ROK another year:

1. Suck ass, give them the lesson plans and hope they don't rip you off (unlikely).

or

2. Tell them to go screw themselves and wait for the axe to come down.

Obviously do what everyone here is telling you to, with the labor board and all. And ... after whatever goes down goes down, post the school and director's name on every EFL internet site you can find. The only vengeance you can really hope for is that they'll have a hard time getting a FT from then on.

Otherwise, just sit back and enjoy your last three (two?) months in SK. Take your sick days, travel around and try not to get too bent out of shape. Don't let this situation ruin more for you than it has to, if you can manage it. When there's nothing you can do, there's nothing you can do.

Milwaukiedave · Joined: 02 Oct 2004 Location: Goseong

Offer to from this point forward and tell them simply that the request should have been made clear from the beginning. For you to go back and recreate 9 months of lesson plans is unreasonable.

Whatever you do, don't quit. Especially if you think they are going to fire you. Let them do it and then go to the Labor Board and report them. I believe that if they do fire you (and someone please correct me if I'm wrong) you can request to stay and fight for your pay (and you should because you've earned it). Don't back down for the love of god. The more backbone you show now, the less the school will be able to screw other teachers in the future.

Beej · Joined: 05 Mar 2005 Location: Eungam Loop

Just google "ESL lesson plans" print it out, write in some dates and give that to them.

irwinpryce · Joined: 30 Apr 2007

To let everyone know, I do actually have all lesson plans accounted for. The director wanted me to dothis and itsnotin my contract, however I agreed as i needed to know what I was doing the next day and have the memory of a goldfish.

My problem is that she wants them typed as my writting is dreadful with a copy of any resources attached them. Obviously they can bugger off and I will not do it.

I know I am in a crooked hagwon, and am ready for an 11th month goodbye, though its almost impossible to know which hagwons are bad and which are not. Some get it lucky, others don't.

I also found out that my K co teacher is working illegally. Is this common?

PigeonFart · Joined: 27 Apr 2006

What they're asking you to do is rediculous! As other posters have said, the school is probably doing this cos they want you to do a midnight run and leave the country (so they wont have to pay flights and severence).

There is another option....a very passive aggressive Korean style solution....

Just agree to do it but don't even bother starting it. When they ask you how you're getting on, tell them everthing is great. When they give you a deadline to hand it in, tell them you need another week or two. Keep playing this game until they give up. Maybe you have technical problems or you lost your notes. Keep telling them its on its way and the process is ongoing.

Problem solved, no face lost. Terrible that you have to do this but that's the korean way.

Odds are that even the manager will be gone by the time your final month comes around anyway, so all will be forgotton. At least with my last hogwon, there had been 4 managers by the time i did my 12 months!

PigeonFart · Joined: 27 Apr 2006

What they're asking you to do is rediculous! As other posters have said, the school is probably doing this cos they want you to do a midnight run and leave the country (so they wont have to pay flights and severence).

There is another option....a very passive aggressive Korean style solution....

Just agree to do it but don't even bother starting it. When they ask you how you're getting on, tell them everthing is great. When they give you a deadline to hand it in, tell them you need another week or two. Keep playing this game until they give up. Maybe you have technical problems or you lost your notes. Tell them you're a perfectionist and you want to hand in a high quality product. Keep telling them its on its way and the process is ongoing.

Problem solved, no face lost. Terrible that you have to do this but that's the korean way.

Odds are that even the manager will be gone by the time your final month comes around anyway, so all will be forgotton. At least with my last hogwon, there had been 4 managers by the time i did my 12 months!

poet13 · Posted: Mon Jan 05, 2009 2:36 pm Post subject:

Your severance and airfare are not necessarily gone... You still have an ace...or three.

The first ace is the Ace of Health Insurance. This is a very good ace because when dealt, it automatically comes paired with....

..the Ace of Pension. The Ace of Pension and the Ace of Health Insurance mean that if you file a complaint with pension (and vice-versa) for non-payment, it's automatically forwarded to the Health Insurance office. The employer is then faced with backpaying all premiums plus any fines.

The third and best ace is...

the Ace of Taxes... Koreans are deathly afraid of the tax man and will do near anything to stay off his radar.

Without bluffing, you can flash your hand to your opponent and let him see your trips. It gives him a a chance to fold his hand before he bluffs too high and becomes pot-commited.

I think the pot-odds are pretty high. I've used it once, and my hyper aggressive bluff and challenge opponent instantly changed to call and fold.

Good luck, let us know what happens.

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