Korean Job Discussion Forums

[dinga271]

My contract ends in March 2010 and my boss is paranoid about finding the 'right foreigner' to teach at his school.

So, because this guy has treated me decently (much better than my previous manager) I offered to stay until June 2010 (not in a great hurry to go home but don't want to stay for 12 months) if his search for another foreigner turns out fruitless.

After thanking me for being 'so considerate of his needs and of the importance to have a foreigner at the school' he then asks would I be willing to leave if he finds a suitable foreigner who could start in January or February. He says he wouldn't pay the bonus because the contract is broken but of course the airfare home will be still provided. I get the impression that his question is another way of implying 'if i find another foreigner i am going to fire your arse, no big deal because you're leaving in March anyway.'

If he finds somebody how much notice legally do hagwons have to give before they decide to terminate contracts?

[iggyb]

30 days notice or 30 days pay upfront.

If your boss has been good so far - by which I mean not cheating you out of pay and major contract issues - why doubt him in such a big way now?

If he does, it could be that he wants to cut payroll by not simply hiring a good teacher but by hiring one cheaper in a tighter job market......but I wouldn't be panicy if he's been pretty good so far...

[PRagic]

___________________(insert nationality) are the nicest people in the world...until you work for them.

[Ilsanman]

So he wants you to agree to lose your severance just for his convenience? Sounds very illegal.

[cruisemonkey]

You're crazy if you agree.

Don't give him any reason to fire you... and if he does (in Jan. or Feb.) you can file with the Labor Relation Commission on grounds it's an '11th month firing' in order to avoid paying severance. They take a dim view of such actions.

I'd also think twice about extending my contract in order to help him out if he can't find someone by March.

[Mr. BlackCat]

So he wants you to stay on until he finds a replacement out of the goodness of your heart, but will fire your arse without a second thought if he finds one before your contract is up? Yeah, sounds like a stand up guy. I can see why you'd agree to help him out.

[le-paul]

a friend of mine got around this by re-hashing a contract to cover the extension period stating that the severence had to be paid, flight covered, notice given etc. and then boss signed.
if you start a new period, i 'think' your old agreement for severence etc is invalid.
Its probably best to make a 2-way agreement before you agree to anything.

that is, if you want to stay... sounds like he doesnt care to much what happens to you though. But at the end of the day, it is a buisness like all others.
My hogwan was in this situation once and it can be dragged on and on for a long time.

good luck

[TheUrbanMyth]

[cruisemonkey]

This has to be the worst case of 'give them an inch..." I've ever heard of.

The silence from all the apologists is deafening!

[oldfatfarang]

I just love reading daves. The naivety is breathtakingly amusing. Who would trust a Korean hagwon owner - let alone do them a 'favor'.

This is a common situation in Korea. You've told your employer your going to leave. That is, in your case, you don't want to work another full contract year. Telling a Korean employer you're going to leave is a huge mistake. Effectively, you've broken your relationship with him - and all he cares about now is replacing you.

I'd be very, very careful until the end of your current contract. You could have just set yourself up to be fired in the 11 month.

[TheUrbanMyth]

[TheMeerkatLover]

[benji]

[ThingsComeAround]

Don't trust the hagwon owner.

They are worse than recruiters

[iggyb]