Korean Job Discussion Forums

starsmore · Joined: 20 Apr 2009

Hey guys please help!!!

Having sorted out all my paperwork i am due to leave for South Korea next thursday and my flight has been booked and paid for.

Heres the problem. My Phd that i was due to start in september 2010 has been moved forward a year due to university finance issues and i consequently i will now have to return mid/late august. I have spoken to them and this cant be changed.

This means i am going to have to break my contract and i am STRESSING out about it. Sad

Can somebody with experience please help me with this.

If i book a return flight is there ANY way that immigration or my boss in korea can stop me leaving?????

I am an honest person and ideally want to give notice but am concerned that if i land and within the first 2 months say i am going home i am going to be screwed over big time. And to some extent i can understand the school leader not being impressed.

However i really want to go to korea and also realise that if i dont fly out then the teacher is going to be without a teacher for a month which will equally be difficult to deal with.

Any help is really appreciated.

moosehead · Joined: 05 May 2007

whatever you do DON'T tell your employer anything.

just book you ticket but make arrangements to leave AFTER a payday. if you say anything at all - I PROMISE you, you will NOT get paid.

you will do what is called a midnight run - it's too bad to say all this but the situation here requires it - if you try to do the right thing and help find another teacher, whatever, give notice, etc., it will NOT be appreciated - in fact, no doubt others will start flaming because I've even suggested that you do the above. some will post about how dishonest you are to break a contract, etc.

don't worry about immi or being able to leave, etc. no one can stop you from leaving. it may be difficult to get another contract (at least right away) but sounds like that's not an issue for you to worry about - anyway there's always other countries.

to ease your conscience a bit you can always tell your employer (again - AFTER you are paid) you have to return home due to a family emergency and leave it at that. at the very least, they won't think you knew all along.

good luck, btw.

Straphanger · Joined: 09 Oct 2008 Location: Chilgok, Korea

bjonothan · Joined: 29 Apr 2003 Location: All over the place

sarbonn · Joined: 14 Oct 2008 Location: Michigan

Unfortunately, your best bet is going to be to do everything quietly, so no one knows what you're planning to do. These sorts of things rarely work in your favor if you come clean. Even if you have good relations with your employer, those good relations will be over the second that you indicate you're breaking the contract.

My personal advice would be to not even come because the dishonesty factor is bad karma in my book, but that's really your choice. You have to do what is best for you. But even if you find them another teacher, they're not going to see you in a good light, and what will happen is you will most likely have real problems getting your pay from them. So, you're going to have to do everything from secret, even in getting a return flight.

starsmore · Joined: 20 Apr 2009

Guys

Firstly cheers to you all for replying.

So is the consensus to just do a runner? I have had a look at other peoples stories and i think this is probably the safest bet. Can i be 100% sure that immigration wont do anything? If they see i have a visa for 12 months and am flying home? This is my biggest concern to be honest?

I think the "runner" option is the one i will take. That is unless my boss is a particularly nice guy in which case i will find it hard to screw him over...

Im going for the experience rather than the money so maybe if i leg it il just leave him a nice cheque to ease my concience and calm him down a bit.

I just dont want to do the "right thing" give him 2 months notice as in my contract and then end up never getting paid and living in extreme tension for the rest of my stay.

Once again thanks for your help. Any other comments would be appreciated!

bjonothan · Joined: 29 Apr 2003 Location: All over the place

The consensus so far seems to be that you should do a runner. You won't have any problems at the airport. Bosses used to tell workers that they will get caught at the airport, but it has never happened over doing a runner. If you are that worried, leave on a saturday or something so you will be back in your home country by the time they even know you are missing. My mate (among others) did a runner and he got out fine.

moosehead · Joined: 05 May 2007

madoka · Joined: 27 Mar 2008

madoka · Joined: 27 Mar 2008

starsmore · Joined: 20 Apr 2009

I appreciate your comment but i think if you read my posts properly you would realise that "getting mine" is not what this thread is about.

If there is a way you would do it without screwing anybody over then let me know, but by the sounds of it giving notice is going to give me massive problems, maybe prevent me leaving the country and not even be appreciated by my employer???

Theres no point this getting into an argument im stressed out enough about it as it is, i was fully expecting to be spending the next year of my life in korea.

Again thanks to everybody for their input

madoka · Joined: 27 Mar 2008

starsmore · Joined: 20 Apr 2009

Well "running away" now or in a few months time isnt going to make any difference is it? Hes still going to be left without a teacher at some point.

Its going to take just as long to get a replacement now as it will be in a few months time.

Atleast this way he gets a few months teaching without having to pay for any flights or end of year bonus. I dont really want to stray from the subject because although i know you disagree i am going to go.

My thoughts at this point are that if hes a nice guy then il give him the 2 months notice and risk him not being a nice guy to me anymore... If i think hes going to make things very difficult then il be getting a late night friday flight.

madoka · Joined: 27 Mar 2008

KuroBara · Posted: Sun May 10, 2009 12:41 pm Post subject:

I also say don't go right now, not just to be fair to the employer, but for your own convenince. If you come now, you will have to be in Korea for three months, give or take. Do you know how much stuff you will have to schlep over to here and then take back?

Plus, you have to get your ARC, which is a time consuming and given your short amount of time here, expensive. The ARC expires, so you can't use it later. Before you can get the ARC, you have to get the health exam, again, time consuming. You cannot be reimbursed for your airfare, from my experience, until you get a bank account, and you can't get that until you get an ARC.

Plus, there are just general living expenses while you are here: food, utilities, etc. Three months, at best, is not enough time to invest in Korea for all the hoops you have to jump through to get adjusted. I think if you add everything up, you will spend less just biting the airfare, I honestly do.