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lisac1983
Joined: 14 Dec 2008
Location: sydney, australia
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 Posted: Wed Feb 04, 2009 1:53 am Post subject: Start-date deferred! Can not wait another couple of weeks.. |
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After four weeks of waiting for our Visa Issuance Numbers, we received them today. However, whereas we signed a contract to begin 1 February, we were told in the email that our apartments won't be ready until the 19th and so they will not book us a flight until around that day.
We have been unemployed for weeks now, we can not wait another couple of weeks to begin work, particularly because the contract was for 7 months given our need to leave on 1 September.
Is there anything we can do? I have told the recruiter that if the apartment is the sole reason our start date has been pushed back then surely we can come to some arrangement for us to stay in a motel until such time that the apartment is vacant. If he responds saying that this is impossible (which I fear he will), are we able to renege on the contract, - after all, they have broken it by changing the dates of employment - and find another position that begins asap??
Any advice would be much appreciated! |
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oskinny1
Joined: 10 Nov 2006
Location: Right behind you!
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| Posted: Wed Feb 04, 2009 1:58 am Post subject: Re: Start-date deferred! Can not wait another couple of week |
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I am guessing that the current teacher will still be there. They will not just cancel classes because an apartment isn't ready. They care more about the students than the teacher's comfort.
If it is only a couple of weeks I would try to suck it up. Trying to find a 7 month contract would be difficult to do, and since it is only 2 weeks away, it would be time consuming to get a new visa number... long enough to make that Feb 17 start date pass you by. |
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Bibbitybop
Joined: 22 Feb 2006
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Wed Feb 04, 2009 4:26 am Post subject: Re: Start-date deferred! Can not wait another couple of week |
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| oskinny1 wrote: |
They care more about the money than the teacher's comfort.
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Fixed it for you.
They are breaking the contract. Call immigration and see if you can find a new job. |
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valkerie
Joined: 02 Mar 2007
Location: Busan
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| Posted: Wed Feb 04, 2009 4:53 am Post subject: |
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Not 100% sure but isn't it the case that once the visa number is issued you can't have another for a certain amount of time? Or is it only if u 'activate' the visa by entering the country?
I would def go the motel route, if they turn that down then smell many rats.
In my last job a new teacher had the same thing. Weirdly he was ready to leave but they asked the existing teacher to stay a while longer. No real reason anyone cd fathom. (She didn't know at time that replacement was just killing time). |
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yingwenlaoshi
Joined: 12 Feb 2007
Location: ... location, location!
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| Posted: Wed Feb 04, 2009 5:50 am Post subject: |
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| It's crap like this that makes one wonder about the documents situation. If they break it, and you have to apply for another visa for opting out of this contract due to them breaking it, do you have to get all your docs again? I'm thinking that the criminal report does not become void. That's pure bullshit. At least it should be good 6 months after a visa is processed. Or longer? If you don't leave Korea... Anyway, if they don't fly you out until later, they still owe you from the start date on your contract. Make sure you bring extra sealed university transcripts with you if you need/want to change employers. |
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trish91198
Joined: 21 Dec 2008
Location: Jukjeon
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| Posted: Wed Feb 04, 2009 6:59 am Post subject: |
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I know exactly how ya feel OP. My start has been changed 5 times. This last time I was all ready to go in a week, and then I got my itinerary. Now I'm here for another 2 1/2 weeks. Quit my job already so I have no income...then my first check in Korea is gonna be much smaller.
I hope it all works out for ya! |
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PigeonFart
Joined: 27 Apr 2006
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| Posted: Wed Feb 04, 2009 12:43 pm Post subject: |
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Supposing that they really will book you to leave home on Feb 19th, then i'd recommend you wait. It's only 2 weeks. It'd be so much hassle trying to get back your documents, finding a new school etc. It must be very frustrating, but that's how business is (mis)managed in Korea.
You'd better get used to feeling frustrated if you're going to be in Korea for 7 months. You'll see many crap decisions being taken by your hogwon over the next 7 months, so you might as well lower your expectations when dealing with Korea.
If you had to wait 4 weeks for your visa issuance number, then i'd suspect it was because the school or recruiter deliberately delayed bringing your documents to the Immigration Dept. They had probably always intended on bringing you to Korea on Feb 19th, they just wanted to secure a teacher early....so they lied to you about the start date. Yes, lying....you'd better get used to being lied to.
Awwww, the frustration of working in Korea. You might be dectecting some negative feelings from me! Overall though, i'm having a great time cos there are many positive points about living here. So i sincerely wish you all the very best. |
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lisac1983
Joined: 14 Dec 2008
Location: sydney, australia
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| Posted: Wed Feb 04, 2009 3:39 pm Post subject: |
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| yingwenlaoshi wrote: |
| It's crap like this that makes one wonder about the documents situation. If they break it, and you have to apply for another visa for opting out of this contract due to them breaking it, do you have to get all your docs again? I'm thinking that the criminal report does not become void. That's pure bullshit. At least it should be good 6 months after a visa is processed. Or longer? If you don't leave Korea... Anyway, if they don't fly you out until later, they still owe you from the start date on your contract. Make sure you bring extra sealed university transcripts with you if you need/want to change employers. |
The documents thing is pain in the arse. I don't understand why we can't just show them to the Korean consulate here. Now, if we choose to renege on the contract, we've just wasted a lot of time and money preparing the docs and there is no guarantee that the school will send us back our degrees.
And I know it's only an extra couple of weeks of waiting, but given this week has already passed by, three weeks is a pretty significant chunk out of 7-months. It's what, like 10% of our income. And if the school had lied from the outset about the start date, then there is no assurance they won't screw us around again, and the fact is we aren't there for a long time so there's no point in weathering out the storms - we don't get the severance or return-flight home at the end. I think we ought to just renege on the contract and count our losses, try and find some dull shitty long-term temp job here in Sydney..... unless they will honour our wages from the 1st February. Do you think they will?
This is such a shame  I loved Korea so much when I studied here a few years ago and I was really looking forward to returning with my sister and to save some decent money whilst getting my fix of Asia. This sucks. I now sympathise with y'all rather than think you are a bunch of whingers  |
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jdog2050
Joined: 17 Dec 2006
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| Posted: Wed Feb 04, 2009 4:53 pm Post subject: |
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| yingwenlaoshi wrote: |
| It's crap like this that makes one wonder about the documents situation. If they break it, and you have to apply for another visa for opting out of this contract due to them breaking it, do you have to get all your docs again? I'm thinking that the criminal report does not become void. That's pure bullshit. At least it should be good 6 months after a visa is processed. Or longer? If you don't leave Korea... Anyway, if they don't fly you out until later, they still owe you from the start date on your contract. Make sure you bring extra sealed university transcripts with you if you need/want to change employers. |
Well, if you listened to midnight runner's podcast about the teacher who took his boss to the labor board...that was me.
This was my exact situation. All my docs were in Korea, and it'd already taken 1.5 months to get the apostille, blah blah blah, only to have the boss communicate sporadically after that. She wasted like another 2 weeks just because she would barely answer my phone calls.
Balls in a vice. |
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lisac1983
Joined: 14 Dec 2008
Location: sydney, australia
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| Posted: Wed Feb 04, 2009 5:02 pm Post subject: |
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| jdog2050 wrote: |
Well, if you listened to midnight runner's podcast about the teacher who took his boss to the labor board...that was me.
This was my exact situation. All my docs were in Korea, and it'd already taken 1.5 months to get the apostille, blah blah blah, only to have the boss communicate sporadically after that. She wasted like another 2 weeks just because she would barely answer my phone calls.
Balls in a vice. |
So what was the outcome? |
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jdog2050
Joined: 17 Dec 2006
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| Posted: Wed Feb 04, 2009 5:57 pm Post subject: |
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| lisac1983 wrote: |
| jdog2050 wrote: |
Well, if you listened to midnight runner's podcast about the teacher who took his boss to the labor board...that was me.
This was my exact situation. All my docs were in Korea, and it'd already taken 1.5 months to get the apostille, blah blah blah, only to have the boss communicate sporadically after that. She wasted like another 2 weeks just because she would barely answer my phone calls.
Balls in a vice. |
So what was the outcome? |
Not much you can do. I had to wait it out and just come over here. Like, it's literally a matter of waiting to get your docs, then applying again. Best to come to Korea, get a paycheck or two under your belt, and if they're shady, move on once you've got your ARC card (which you should do immediately). |
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yingwenlaoshi
Joined: 12 Feb 2007
Location: ... location, location!
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| Posted: Wed Feb 04, 2009 7:04 pm Post subject: |
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| jdog2050 wrote: |
| lisac1983 wrote: |
| jdog2050 wrote: |
Well, if you listened to midnight runner's podcast about the teacher who took his boss to the labor board...that was me.
This was my exact situation. All my docs were in Korea, and it'd already taken 1.5 months to get the apostille, blah blah blah, only to have the boss communicate sporadically after that. She wasted like another 2 weeks just because she would barely answer my phone calls.
Balls in a vice. |
So what was the outcome? |
Not much you can do. I had to wait it out and just come over here. Like, it's literally a matter of waiting to get your docs, then applying again. Best to come to Korea, get a paycheck or two under your belt, and if they're shady, move on once you've got your ARC card (which you should do immediately). |
Do you need an alien card to get an exit order? If you're withing the inital three months after entering on an E2 and haven't gone for your medical to get it, would immigration insist on you getting your medical and coming back for your alien card only to cancel it? I know that you need to hand in your alien card to get an exit order if you already have it. With my last job, I had lost me alien card. I was fired and went in with a representative of the hagwon to get it cancelled. They made me pay 10,000 Won to get a replacement card on the spot, cancelled on the spot, and gave me an exit order. Never saw the card.
Also, it's not necessarily true that you don't need a release letter. They insisted I get one from my last job in order to allow me to apply for a visa for my current one. Depends on who you get, maybe. |
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lisac1983
Joined: 14 Dec 2008
Location: sydney, australia
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| Posted: Wed Feb 04, 2009 7:55 pm Post subject: |
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I received an email from the school saying that they aren't willing to put us up in a motel until the 19th, so I mentioned the fact that, given the contract begins on the 1st, he is entitled to pay us from that date. He said he would once we are at his school.
Am I right to be highly skeptical? Should I propose that the contract be revised to include the clause that he must pay us from the 1st February and if he fails to do this we will readily take him to the Labour Board? |
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jdog2050
Joined: 17 Dec 2006
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| Posted: Wed Feb 04, 2009 8:40 pm Post subject: |
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| yingwenlaoshi wrote: |
| jdog2050 wrote: |
| lisac1983 wrote: |
| jdog2050 wrote: |
Well, if you listened to midnight runner's podcast about the teacher who took his boss to the labor board...that was me.
This was my exact situation. All my docs were in Korea, and it'd already taken 1.5 months to get the apostille, blah blah blah, only to have the boss communicate sporadically after that. She wasted like another 2 weeks just because she would barely answer my phone calls.
Balls in a vice. |
So what was the outcome? |
Not much you can do. I had to wait it out and just come over here. Like, it's literally a matter of waiting to get your docs, then applying again. Best to come to Korea, get a paycheck or two under your belt, and if they're shady, move on once you've got your ARC card (which you should do immediately). |
Do you need an alien card to get an exit order? If you're withing the inital three months after entering on an E2 and haven't gone for your medical to get it, would immigration insist on you getting your medical and coming back for your alien card only to cancel it? I know that you need to hand in your alien card to get an exit order if you already have it. With my last job, I had lost me alien card. I was fired and went in with a representative of the hagwon to get it cancelled. They made me pay 10,000 Won to get a replacement card on the spot, cancelled on the spot, and gave me an exit order. Never saw the card.
Also, it's not necessarily true that you don't need a release letter. They insisted I get one from my last job in order to allow me to apply for a visa for my current one. Depends on who you get, maybe. |
1. You do indeed need your ARC to transfer VISA status. You're kind of in no man's land for that week or two when you don't have it yet. Having or not having an ARC doesn't affect getting an exit order.
2. You absolutely do NOT need a release letter. That's only true in the case where you're trying to transfer visa status. |
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RuffledFeathers
Joined: 16 Oct 2008
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| Posted: Wed Feb 04, 2009 9:39 pm Post subject: |
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| Make sure your contract is for ONE YEAR. Or they will screw you out of your severance pay...I just got F'd out of mine.... |
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