Korean Job Discussion Forums

[TBirdMG]

All this crap because I refused to sign a PS contract without a definite start and end date. Recruiter says, 'Oh, that is normal. The school and I will decide the best start date sometime in April, and then we will tell you when to come. "

I reply, 'No. I have a job and an apartment. We decide the start date together. We write it on the contract. We honor the date. Then I get visa. Then I get ticket and arrive 3-4 days before start date. OK?"

So recruiter agrees to discuss with PS. Recruiter responds April 1st is now the preferred date. I agree and begin to take necessary actions for the move. Three days later, recruiter calls me. Now the school wants me April 6th.

I feel the Sparkling Frustration begin to rage within me. OK, I will print out another contract and send you my visa documents at the end of the week.

A day later, recruiter calls and says the school wants me April 20th, because that's when school starts. I say nothing. (Since when does ANY PS begin THAT LATE??)

I tell recruiter to wait and I will respond in a day or 2....
What do you think? Is this just standard balli-balli, or are they are toying with me.....?

[Elvisfan78]

I have yet to get over there myself....but from what I've read on other posts that sounds about right. Recruiters and Koreans alike seem to be pretty unreliable and a little wishy washy. So I think it's standard.

In 2002 I was supposed to work for a school called Seattle Solomon School in Seoul. THREE DAYS before my flight they EMAILED me and said that the school went out of business and so now I had no job. Mind you, by this point I had of course quit my job in the U.S, moved out of my apartament, bought a years worth of deoderant....the whole sha-bang. I was so pissed off.

Here I am again 7 years later trying to make it over. This time, I actually got a job offer from a director and then w/in one day of them making the offer.....it was retracted. My recruiter emailed me and said they've decided to renew a current teachers contract. (Not sure if thats true or not, but either way....) Ugh! So annoying.

So I guess in your case....at least you still HAVE a start date BUT yeah....thats pretty crappy. You want to be able to quit your job and probably give them the courteous two weeks notice. You also need turn in your 'notice' to your apartament by a certain date, to avoid having to pay for a whole other month that you wouldn't actually be living there.

I still have yet to get over there myself, so perhaps my advice is wrong.....but perhaps you could tell your recruiter you have a job and apartament that you're responsible for. So this is the last time that you'll sign the contract etc....You want a firm date - set in stone- right now and if they change the date again...you'll be looking for a new recruiter and school. I would imagine they wouldn't want to lose money. Maybe that'll work.

Good luck!

[Zulethe]

Aint wishy washy it's the lack of quality in the prospective englishee teacheree. You are at the bottom of the barrel and their desperately trying to find a better fishee.

If you aren't wanted in Korea...you aren't wanted anywhere. Just a fact Jack? No I don't know you but my best guess is your name is Jack.

Let me guess....your ugly...overweight...have a lot of debt...got your degree online or from some other nefarious "institution"

Oh..and your new start day is 20 April 2025.

we willa be waitinga for uah...because with out you the whole englishee thinga would stopa..

see ya wouldn't wanna be ya

[littlelisa]

Hahaha, sounds familiar.

My last school did this, and it was annoying cause I kept saying goodbye to people and then still being around. When I got there, they still hadn't done the visa stuff even though I sent them my documents and then they had to pay for me to do a visa run to Japan on top of the airfare that they'd already paid to Korea. For a month I wasn't doing any work in Korea either, even once I got here cause they hadn't gotten my visa yet. I told them I'd work when I had my visa.

Your school might just be very disorganized. I know mine was. Once I had done my visa run to Japan and had my visa, THEN I started working. But they continued to be disorganized in general for the whole rest of the contract.

This time around my school (a different one!) started looking in September for a position that started in March, and I had my visa by early December.

[cruisemonkey]

It's just the opposite to the "standard balli-balli" - they're delaying for an unfathomable reason. Something's amiss... and you're right... no PS starts on April 20. The PS 'year' starts next Monday - March 2.

I'd be very leery of your recruiter. Have you had any direct contact with the school?

[Ramen]

Screw'em get another recruiter.

[Elvisfan78]