Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Lorilou]

First ever teaching job, so any feedback would be extremely helpful!

Employment Agreement For Instructor

This Employment Agreement has been made by and between Dalseo Herald School having its
location Daegusi Dalsugu (hereinafter called Employer)and Lauren Wheir a citizen of USA
whose passport number is (hereinafter called Employee).
The Employer wishes to engage service of the employee for him/her to work as an English teacher at
the Employer�s school and the employee agrees to work under the terms and conditions of this contract.

1. Schedule
The number of regular working hours will be 120 teaching hours per month, Monday through Friday
Class preparation time is not included in above 120 teaching hours. Classes and teaching schedules will be organized and will be flexible in accordance with the needs and situations of the school and children. No regular schedule of work hours can be guaranteed to the Employee.
It is mandatory for the teachers to attend regular workshops on Saturday, which are held by the head office. This is not included within the 120 hours or overtime.

2. Pay/Overtime
The Employer agrees to pay the Employee a basic salary _2,200,000___ Korean Won per month.
The salary will be paid to the Employee on the 10th of the next month regularly. As for the overtime teaching beyond 120 teaching hours per month, the Employee will be paid eighteen thousand Korean won (18,000) per hour.
Payment made for assigned teaching periods is inclusive of payment for preparation and administrative
duties connected with those assigned classes such as attending the staff meeting and training workshops,
evaluating children levels and other similar participation scheduled by the Employer to assist the Employee�s professional development.

3. Severance Payment
The Employee will be given a bonus of one month pay (This means severance payment) for completing their one year contract period. This amount will be paid at the time of, and is dependent on, the completion of the full contract term.

4. Air Ticket
The employer agrees to provide the Employee a round trip ticket to Korea. However, in the event the
The Employee fails to complete the full contract term, Employee agrees to reimburse Employer the cost
of the said airfare. When the contract is completed, the Employee has a right to ask for money to be paid for return portion of the ticket back home.
.

5. Housing
The Employer will provide a private furnished housing for the Employee with the rental at the Employer�s Cost. Providing bed, closet, table, refrigerator, kitchen tools, etc. .
The employee will pay the running cost of the accommodation (including electricity, gas, water bills, apartment management fee, telephone and other utility chares) other than the rental of the housing.

6. Medical Insurance
The Employer agrees to provide medical insurance for the Employee. The premium cost will be borne half by the employer and half by the employee. Dental Insurance is not included in the Contract. Pre-existing conditions occurring with the Employee before arrival in Korea are not valid.

7. Accident Compensation
In the event that the Employee sustains injuries from an accident or mishap which occurs outside the course of normal work duties, the Employee understands and agrees that the Employer will have no responsibility for, nor obligation to pay, medical and hospital costs which are in excess of those covered by medical insurance.

8. Teaching Materials
The Employee will be given materials to teach to the class. The Employee may be expected to work
alone without a Korean English teacher�s assistance.

9. Holidays/ Lateness / Absence
Holidays will include all Korean national holidays (13-15 days), and school holidays (five days). The employee will have 10 days vacation (two days during the summer vacation and three days during the winter vacation, and five extra days at the end of the contract). This will exclude Korean national holidays.
Lateness : If the employee is late to the class 10 minutes without notification, on hour rate of payment
may be deducted.
Absence: non approved absence will be a cause for early termination.

10. The Employee�s Obligation
1) The Employee shall observe the Employer�s work system and regulations concerning administration of foreign teachers and shall accept the Employer�s arrangement, direction, supervision and evaluation in regard to his/her work.
2) Without the Employer�s consent, the Employee shall not render service elsewhere or hold concurrently any post unrelated to the work agreed on with the Employer.
3) The Employee shall complete the tasks agreed on schedule and guarantee the quality of work.
4) Professional dress and grooming in the work are essential to maintain the desired reputation to the school. The Employer shall establish general guidelines for this.
5) The Employee shall be expected to prepare daily topics for the class beforehand. In addition,
He/she shall make lesson plan ( daily / monthly ) before the start of the classes at every month.
6) The Employee can be required to attend all the staff meetings and workshops. If the Employee must be absent, he/she will inform the Employer prior to the meeting.
7) The Employee must behave in a professional manner during class or when socializing with students after class.
The Employee can be required to interview new students and evaluate their placement level.
9) The Employee shall not be absent without the Employer�s permission 2 days in advance notice.
10) The Employee shall respect the Korean people�s moral standards and customs.
11) The Employee shall not sexually harass students in his/her charge.
12) Any form of physical punishment will not be tolerated from the Employee.
13) At all times during the terms of this agreement, the Employee will directly adhere to and obey
All the rules and regulations that have been or may hereafter be established, by the Employer for
the contract of the Employee or generally for the conduct of instructors at the place of employment.
14) If the Employee cannot complete the full of contract term, he/she must refund airfare fee.
15) Saturday lesson will be no more than 2 days a year.

11. Taxes
Taxes and deductions in compliance with Korean Law shall be withheld automatically from the Employee�s monthly salary. The deductions will include income tax, residence tax, and medical insurance and so forth if any, from monthly and severance payment.
The total of the income and residence tax will be 4 to 6% depending on their business skill.

12. Relocation and Orientation Time
The Employee will be allowed several days from the date of arrival in Korea for adjustment and school
orientation before regular teaching duties.
Computation of initial pay period of the Employee will commence from the first teaching day. The orientation days will spent in the school institute preparing for classes and learning instructional system.


13. Renewal of Agreement
Upon completion of one year teaching period, both parties can renew the agreement under mutual consent. The Employee agrees to give written notification 60 days in advance of intention of renewing the contract.

14. Termination
The Employer reserves the right to terminate this contract with the written notice to the Employee under the following conditions.
1) The Employee does not fulfill the contract obligations according to the terms stipulated, and fails to amend after the Employer has pointed it out.
2) According to the doctor�s diagnosis, the Employee can not continue normal work.
3) Blatant misconduct by the Employee either professionally or otherwise.
4) The Employee or dependents violate Korean Law.
5) The students in the Employee�s classes complain about the Employee and/or the Employee�s teaching method.
The Employer and the Employee may terminate the contract by giving 60 days advance notice in writing with proper reasons accepted by both parties. Proper reasons and adequate grounds must be provided in order for the contract to be dissolved. If the Employee wants to terminate the contract before the contracted date without acceptable cause, the Employee will pay back the Employer all the relevant expenses such as recruiting fee, airfare, E-2 visa run, and other costs spent by the Employer according to the contract as stipulated herein.

Both parties have executed this agreement on the date indicated below to be effective right away. Intending to be legally bound to, and in witness of, the Employer and the Employee have appended their signatures. This agreement will automatically expire when the contract ends if not renewed otherwise.

This contract is signed in duplicate on the __2nd of September, 2009__ in English for each party�s perusal and keeping.
The total Agreement term is (12) calendar months, from October 26th, 2009 to October 25th, 2010.
This contract is binding on both parties and supercedes any other agreements made between the Employer and Employee unless they have written and signed a formal amendment on the same.

The Employer�s name ____Lee in Hae_______________
Signature ____________________________

The Employee�s name ____________________________
Signature ____________________________

[dragon777]

Don't know about the Junior Herald School but I worked for the Herald School for a while near Seoul. Typical hagwon setup with the English factory production mindset.

Always paid on time. However, check to see if they have phone teaching which was not mentioned in my contract. For me, phone teaching after teaching for 6-8 hours is s(e)oul destroying, boring and tedious to say the least. They hit me with that little activity after being there for about ten days. They did offer extra money...but still......too little and...urhhh

[Lorilou]

Thanks for the heads up about phone teaching! I was a little confused by the "junior" as well, and am not sure if this is a red flag or not. The school is apparently connected with the Herald School franchise where you worked, but the website they (eventually) gave me for the school doesn't have "junior" anywhere in the title. It's called the Herald school of Daegu.

[Some of the Mothers Said]

Ok. Let's have a look.

1. Schedule
Class preparation time is not included in above 120 teaching hours.
You will have to come to the school an hour or half an hour before your first class. You will not be paid for this. You will be paid for 120 hours of teaching a month. It's pretty standard, and after a few months the prep time will decrease.
Classes and teaching schedules will be organized and will be flexible in accordance with the needs and situations of the school and children.
Your schedule depends on who's writing it. Hopefully they like you!

No regular schedule of work hours can be guaranteed to the Employee.
First red flag: Try to find out if the school will reduce your pay if a class is canceled.
It is mandatory for the teachers to attend regular workshops on Saturday, which are held by the head office. This is not included within the 120 hours or overtime.
Second red flag. At this point I stop reading the contract and throw it into the trash. Mandatory is the key word here. See also Employees Conditions: 15) Saturday lesson will be no more than 2 days a year.

2. Pay/Overtime
The Employer agrees to pay the Employee a basic salary _2,200,000___ Korean Won per month.
That's standard. 1.9-1.8 after tax. Find out if you have to pay a housing deposit. It can be as high s 900,000W. That would be a 300,000W month deduction for three months, of which you should get back at the end of the contract. However....

Payment made for assigned teaching periods is inclusive of payment for preparation and administrative
duties connected with those assigned classes such as attending the staff meeting and training workshops,
evaluating children levels and other similar participation scheduled by the Employer to assist the Employee�s professional development.
Everything else you do is for free.



4. Air Ticket
The employer agrees to provide the Employee a round trip ticket to Korea. However, in the event the
The Employee fails to complete the full contract term, Employee agrees to reimburse Employer the cost
of the said airfare. When the contract is completed, the Employee has a right to ask for money to be paid for return portion of the ticket back home.
Two red flags. First. Most contracts will include a proviso which states that after you have completed the first six months of your contract, the air fare does not have to be paid back to the school. Some school's will say if you leave after six months you need to give them half the fare. You can be eleven months into this contract, and something happens, you will have to pay back the airfare See: "Employees Obligations" 14 If the Employee cannot complete the full of contract term, he/she must refund airfare fee.
Second: There is no date concerning the school's obligation to pay you the airfare. You have a "right to ask" for it means zip. Get a date for reimbursement. You start work on September 9th 2009, you will be reimbursed on September 10th 2010, or a few days later.

9. Holidays/ Lateness / Absence
The employee will have 10 days vacation (two days during the summer vacation and three days during the winter vacation, and five extra days at the end of the contract).
The "five extra days at the end of the contract" are not holidays. You will not be paid for them, you will have finished your contract, and even if you re-sign for the same school, they will probably not pay for those days off.

Absence: non approved absence will be a cause for early termination.
That's a bit tough, but not often enforced.

11. Taxes
Taxes and deductions in compliance with Korean Law shall be withheld automatically from the Employee�s monthly salary. The deductions will include income tax, residence tax, and medical insurance and so forth if any, from monthly and severance payment.
The total of the income and residence tax will be 4 to 6% depending on their business skill.
Red Flag: WTF "The deductions will include income tax, residence tax, and medical insurance and so forth if any, from monthly and severance payment." They can deduct anything they like, and "so forth!"
"The total of the income and residence tax will be 4 to 6% depending on their business skill."
I have no idea what this means. whose "business skill?"

12. Relocation and Orientation Time
The Employee will be allowed several days from the date of arrival in Korea for adjustment and school
orientation before regular teaching duties.
Computation of initial pay period of the Employee will commence from the first teaching day. The orientation days will spent in the school institute preparing for classes and learning instructional system.
That's pretty good. Usually they just throw a book at you and send you into battle.


14. Termination
5) The students in the Employee�s classes complain about the Employee and/or the Employee�s teaching method.
Hmmm. Red Flag. This excuse can be used to dismiss you at any time.

If the Employee wants to terminate the contract before the contracted date without acceptable cause, the Employee will pay back the Employer all the relevant expenses such as recruiting fee, airfare, E-2 visa run, and other costs spent by the Employer according to the contract as stipulated herein.
Another red flag: What they will normally do is not pay you, or hold back your pay until the situation is resolved. I think in this case, you wouldn't want to discuss anything with the employer because you would be on a flight out of there!

The stuff I've left out is pretty standard. Overall, it's a below par contract. I would wait but, it really depends on the school and people you work for. If they are really nice, then everything will work out.
Check out the phone teaching thing that dragon777 mentioned. Happy hunting!

[Lorilou]

[Some of the Mothers Said]

You're welcome. I have been working in Korea for ten years on and off, so I understand that contracts can be a headache. When I came, a good friend from Canada helped me a lot, so I'm just passing it on. You probably won't get photographs of your accommodation, and talking to teachers who are working at that school can be unreliable at best. They may be pressured to give a glowing review, although most would drop hints.
I would be most concerned with the air ticket problem, and the tax. I don't like the the nature in which it is written. All a bit too vague and unusual. "You have the right to ask for a return flight ticket" may also mean they have the right to say no.
Anyhow, I think your first instincts are right in finding this contract a little below standard. Your instincts will serve you well in this industry. PM me if you have any other questions.
Good luck!

[Cohiba]

I think I would...

CUT MY NUTS OFF

rather than sign a contract like this.

This contract is way to vague and basically puts you at the
whim of the school. What if they want you to do one of these
idiotic workshops every week? There goes your Saturday.
And unpaid prep??? ONLY IN KOREA. You think an ad exec
only gets paid when they land a contract? No, they get paid
for the creative work to. You think a cop only gets paid when
he wastes some homeless person? No they get paid for
EVERYTHING.

SO SHOULD YOU