Korean Job Discussion Forums

[stalinsdad]

I recently gave in my 1 month notice. I have been offered a new job and I naturally thought my Director would be human about me leaving. I say human because he got me free, no air ticket, agency or visa, I paid for it myself. The difference in the last week has been extroidinary, Korean co-workers are nasty or just plain rude(even was told to my face that I was a Mother F****R last week.) Anyhow my Director has threatened to stop my re-entry into Korea!! If I leave before. I have a life here, a girlfriend that I wish to marry and I see my future in Korea. I was wondering, can he do this, he says he has contacts with immigration, and he can stop me from getting a Tourist Visa for up to 2 years. I will continue, but I'm not sure how much more abuse I can take? Why is the victim always blamed in this damn country?

[Guy Incognito]

He's full of it. Unless he's waiting for you at the airport he cant do anything.

Maybe.

It depends upon how much money he has. Korean civil service are notoriously bribe-able.

First: Are you a mother-f'er? I'm not trying to be an arse, but lets just make sure that you aint part of the problem. I'm going to assume that you arent a MF'er.

Second: It seems to me that you are long past the point of negotiation with these people. Leave Korea. Come back after a nice vacation to Japan and get yourself a new job. How's he going to find you?

[The Great Wall of Whiner]

Well, yo ucould explain to him that you gave him 30 days, unlike many who just "disappear".

I did the dissappearing trick once (after several breaches of contract I must point out), and I STILL get e-mails from them stating:

- The Korean Mafia will kill me
- I can never go to Korea again
- They will find me anywhere in the world
- I need to "quit" my life for them
- etc etc etc

They will hate you. They are spiteful people.

All you can do is say "Look. You got me free. You didn't pay for my airfare to come here. I gave you 30 days notice. If you treat me bad, don't expect me say shining things about your school on Dave's ESL"

[Eemus]

I can't help but think your boss is just fuming away. I recently got flicked by my work, and things turned a little messy - but managed to get 8.3m won outta them. I have met many hagwon directors, and there is just one that I like - a director of an art and reading hagown actually. Like you, I see my near future in Korea.

While you were seemingly free for your boss to take one - as you've described - he has also now a bit of financial burden to replace you. There's all the usual stuff to pay for, and perhaps even a recruiting fee. Because you gave a month's notice (the minimum by the Korean Labour Standards Act - well done!), he can't possibly sue you for short notice...as I did to my employer. So s/he also misses out on keeping one month's pay from you. This doesn't mean that I support how your boss is treating you - I also noticed that with all the legal things I went through, the situation got pathetic due to my boss' antics...namely, she phoned me and yelled at me to take her hagwon, as she had no more money...a 15 minute phonecall of abuse...nice.

What the earlier poster said about bribes is not uncommon, but it is fortunate that this is not so if you are in, say, Seoul, or your future job is in a different place - bribery of immigration officials tends to be localised like that.

Hope things go well for you - read up on the law, just in case. You should be sweet though, worst things have happened to employers...sometimes rightly so!

[Bulsajo]

[sadsac]

As with many, I can understand how you feel. You have done the best that you can and as per the requirement under law, you have given your notice. Tough it out, there is nothing he can do. I have just gone through a similiar period of vindictiveness and have walked away from it and in February will be starting again. He may have local influence, but with the accountability now being foisted on Korean officials, things have gotten a little better.

[hellofaniceguy]

First off, are you working legally? A visa? If so, 30 days notice is all you need to give him. Of course koreans are exempt from the 30 rule when the shoe is on the other foot. If you are not "legal," he still can't "bother" you. Don't sweat the small stuff. Just leave. Expect him to screw you out of your last paycheque. Maybe he will and maybe he won't. In order to get a new visa, you need a release letter or you need to hang out until your current one expires.

[mishlert]

The following is based on you being legal.

If you gave him your 30 days notice in writing, and made a copy of said notice signed by you and him then he can not say he never got it*.
No matter who he knows, or thinks he knows in immigration, he can't do anything unless you have broken the law.
If he gives you grief in the last week by doing things like refusing to give you the letter of release, acting like this is the first he knows about you leaving, etc. all you have to do is go to EFL Law; he'll get one letter from them and all will be good in the world.

*No written notice? Easy. Everyday remind him, your co-workers, students, and anyone else in the school that x date will be your last day of school. Extreme? Yes. But if he knows that the employees, students, and their parents know your last day of work he will have a very difficult time denying it.

No matter what happens, good luck and remember EFL Law.

[waterbaby]

Looking at the date of the OP - Jan 2003... now wondering how did Stalinsdad get on?

[humanuspneumos]