Korean Job Discussion Forums

[sarbonn]

I'm on my way out (leaving next week). I've been in a job that has been really bad about paying on time. Lately, they've been really bad at just paying period.

Anyway, they don't know I'm about to leave because I think they honestly believe that I have no options but to stay and work for free. I'm not kidding about that either. Basically, I was told today that the boss doesn't feel she has to pay me because she doesn't believe I have enough money to afford a plane ticket, so therefore, she shouldn't have to pay me what she owes me. The manager (her assistant) told her that if she doesn't pay me that there's a good chance I'm going to leave. And she just repeated that she didn't believe that was possible because she doesn't believe I have enough money to get a plane ticket, so I'm stuck working there anyway.

How's that for finding out where you stand in the grand scheme of things?

[some waygug-in]

After you do leave, please post more details so others may be forewarned about accepting employment with such a marvellous institution.

Sorry, about your situation. I've been there too, as have many on this forum.


Best of luck in the future.

[cruisemonkey]

In that case, I'd prove to her I have enough money to buy a plane ticket, get paid... then leave.

[sarbonn]

[Ice Tea]

Apparently the dumb bitch never heard of a credit card.

[ChopChaeJoe]

Some people are just rotten.

[Adventurer]

What you wrote doesn't really surprise or shock me. Too many folks will cut their nose to spite their face. You see, they are used to railroading many Koreans. And some think that's the way to get ahead. However, you have relatives at home who would be glad to send you money, so you can go home.

When people recommend a place in Korea, they often talk about how a place will pay you and on time. That's kind of funny and tragic at the same time.

A foreigner is an investment in a hagwon. If you leave, then the boss will lost students. However, that logic is not computing with her for some reason. I have known of so many cases where people did midnight runs in your place.

I am sorry this happened to you, because you were trying to make the best out of your stay in Korea. One of my friends still hasn't received half of her severance from a previous job.

The Labor Office should have a quick mechanism to force hagwons to pay if a foreigner complains, but they don't.

[Sector7G]

At my current hagwon everyone gets paid on the 5th for the previous month. In my first month I did not start work until the 23rd, but because I was a little cash strapped, I still wanted to get paid for that one week.

The owner did pay me, but she really did not want to. She said that they usually withhold a few weeks because, as she said, many western teachers are "untrustworthy". This was coming from the same person who had conned me into coming to work for her by painting a rosy picture and then announced that she had sold the business 4 days after I arrived. Something I found out later had been in the works for weeks, along with her new position at a local university. Sure enough, 3 months later, it looks like the schools days are numbered.

On top of that, I had gotten a "family break" on my airline ticket, making her out of pocket expenses for me less than $250. So one week of work would have more than covered it anyway.

In disbelief that she would say that to me, all I could muster to say was, "Well, hogwon owners don't have the best reputations either".

[Ukon]

The mindset is easy to understand...

We found someone stupid enough to actually fall for "We're out of cash this month, how about next time?"....Seriously....How the hell do you people go 2+ months without pay????

The only reason bosses don't do this back home is because nobody would fall for it...

Ripping off foreign teachers can be VERY profitable...If you dock their checks, don't pay return airfare, and steal a few months pay along with pension, you can easily pocket nearly 10 million won in savings...Do it 5 times and you can pay off your family's college education...If I ran a hagwon and had some Lazy D-bags, I'd screw over in the 11th hour too. WAYYY too much profit....

I bet you my always on time paycheck shady construction contractors try this crap on Illegal workers all the time in your home countries....it's hardly a korean thing

[Adventurer]

[Ukon]

I'm not calling the Op a lazy D-bag...I was saying employees like that are first to get screwed over.

Also, it's not so much you can't rely on the law on this country, It's more so the hagwon bosses don't expect a foreigner to be able to properly fight back....pretty much the same for foreign workers who don't speak the native language anywhere.

There are stories on people on dave's who've taken the case to the labor board and won....if every foreigner fought for the money and knew how to deal with the labor board, shifty hagwon bosses would likely change their tune unless they like being a regular at the police station.

[Adventurer]

[Rteacher]

The title would be more precisely true if it stated "The mindset of a particular boss who doesn't pay."

I've worked at a couple places where pay was sometimes late but mainly due to the fact that there wasn't enough income generated to pay all the bills and meet the payroll. I know for a fact that I was paid before the Korean teachers were.

[esetters21]

[ChinaBoy]