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I've been offered a choice - Pension or No Pension???
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mai



Joined: 12 Jun 2009

PostPosted: Mon Jul 20, 2009 8:56 am    Post subject: I've been offered a choice - Pension or No Pension??? Reply with quote

Hi everyone!

I've been offered a choice - Choose the pension plan (I'll pay $100/mo. and they'll match it) but have to pay $50/$55/mo. for the National Insurance health plan. My salary would be 2.1 million won here.

OR

Choose not to have a pension plan, but pay only $10/mo. to their private insurance and recieve a salary of 2.2 million won?


For what it's worth this my recruiter asked me this question, representing a Hagwon in Seoul. He told me it might be a tough decision and to do my research. He also emailed me a link to the IRS on how to order a transcript.

Thanks in Advance!
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Ruraljuror



Joined: 08 Dec 2007

PostPosted: Mon Jul 20, 2009 9:11 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Option B seems to offer you slightly more money,

BUT

Their "private insurance" sounds to me alot like "no insurance" and they will just pay out of pocket for whatever minor ailments you contract while in their employment. They will pay for your meds when you catch a cold in cold season, but I highly doubt you could count on their "private insurance" if you were to be hit by a bus or came down with a serious illness. I'd go with Option A, if I had to, but I would also continue to keep looking for a job where they weren't trying to skimp on giving you what you are legally entitled to. They are basically telling you: "We like to cut costs by shorting our foreign teachers"...which to me kinda suggests that they may not be 100% trustworthy.
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ChinaBoy



Joined: 17 Feb 2007

PostPosted: Mon Jul 20, 2009 1:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Get a new recruiter who won't try to scam you.
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afsjesse



Joined: 23 Sep 2007
Location: Kickin' it in 'Kato town.

PostPosted: Mon Jul 20, 2009 1:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Get a new job and a new recruiter. Pension and Healthcare are not optional, it is law! Any employer who even offers you a choice between the two is not a good cookie.

I would not be surprised if they started paying you late and scamming you on work hours and overtime. Take it from us who have been in these situations, like me....
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Totti



Joined: 24 Nov 2007

PostPosted: Mon Jul 20, 2009 1:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Where are you from? If you're from the UK, you can't collect your pension anyway...
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afsjesse



Joined: 23 Sep 2007
Location: Kickin' it in 'Kato town.

PostPosted: Mon Jul 20, 2009 1:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Totti wrote:
Where are you from? If you're from the UK, you can't collect your pension anyway...


This is true, however you do want to have the national health insurance. If you stay in Korea for more than a year and if you switch employers, you will be forced to back pay for all of your healthcare that you didn't have. So you're looking at a cool 1.2 million won out of your pocket.
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bobbybigfoot



Joined: 05 May 2007
Location: Seoul

PostPosted: Mon Jul 20, 2009 3:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Do you really want to work for someone who is telling you right off the bat that he doesn't follow the law?

Dump the recruiter (tell him why) and move on.
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blackjack



Joined: 04 Jan 2006
Location: anyang

PostPosted: Mon Jul 20, 2009 3:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

afsjesse wrote:
Totti wrote:
Where are you from? If you're from the UK, you can't collect your pension anyway...


This is true, however you do want to have the national health insurance. If you stay in Korea for more than a year and if you switch employers, you will be forced to back pay for all of your healthcare that you didn't have. So you're looking at a cool 1.2 million won out of your pocket.


Is this true? Shocked Three years and I have always taken the no pension route as I am a kiwi and have no option of getting my pension back
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okayden223



Joined: 05 Jun 2009
Location: Incheon

PostPosted: Mon Jul 20, 2009 3:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Mai is this for one of the three jobs you were asking about in another post? Which recruiter are you using?
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mai



Joined: 12 Jun 2009

PostPosted: Mon Jul 20, 2009 6:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

afsjesse wrote:
Get a new job and a new recruiter. Pension and Healthcare are not optional, it is law! Any employer who even offers you a choice between the two is not a good cookie.

I would not be surprised if they started paying you late and scamming you on work hours and overtime. Take it from us who have been in these situations, like me....


Healthcare wouldn't be optional; rather, I'd have a choice between national and private. But if I chose the 2.2 million won route (which is only through private insurance) I'd have no pension (I'm American btw). Is this illegal/a red flag?


okayden223 wrote:
Mai is this for one of the three jobs you were asking about in another post? Which recruiter are you using?


Yes (Yeoungdeungpo-gu, off the Han river). Nothing's official yet though.
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OculisOrbis



Joined: 17 Jul 2006

PostPosted: Mon Jul 20, 2009 6:38 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

the national health and pension plans are not optional. if you are an employee - they are both required. feel free to supplement either or both with additional, but they are the minimum, and primary, to be enrolled in. you do not have an 'option' to choose private instead as an e-2 holder - you are an employee.
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Dodgy Al



Joined: 15 May 2004
Location: Seoul

PostPosted: Mon Jul 20, 2009 7:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Do NOT take that job.
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mai



Joined: 12 Jun 2009

PostPosted: Mon Jul 20, 2009 7:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

OculisOrbis wrote:
the national health and pension plans are not optional. if you are an employee - they are both required. feel free to supplement either or both with additional, but they are the minimum, and primary, to be enrolled in. you do not have an 'option' to choose private instead as an e-2 holder - you are an employee.


So as an E-2 Visa holder I MUST be enrolled in the national health insurance plan? Or else I'm working illegally or something?

And thanks for the replies everyone! It seems most of you are weary of this deal.

P.S. fwiw, the recruiter is from Esl Agent.
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Straphanger



Joined: 09 Oct 2008
Location: Chilgok, Korea

PostPosted: Mon Jul 20, 2009 8:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

So many, many of you laughed when I said "If you can't sniff out a lie in this place, contract work might not be for you."

This is such a complete, obvious scam that I'm astounded the question was even asked.
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mai



Joined: 12 Jun 2009

PostPosted: Mon Jul 20, 2009 8:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

mai wrote:
So as an E-2 Visa holder I MUST be enrolled in the national health insurance plan?


Also, is it illegal for an employer to NOT pay pension? Even if the employee declined pension for a higher salary?

Thanks in advance!
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