Korean Job Discussion Forums

Patong Dong · Joined: 06 May 2003 Location: On Nut

I have heard conflicting things from other PS teachers and the contract is just vague enough to not help. My co-teacher informed me I would get some kind of compensation as I was already in the country when they hired me and they just transferred over my visa so no run to Osaka was required. However, the office at the school came back and said no I do not get any money in lieu of airfare as I was already here.

Anyone else have any concrete knowledge or similar experience? Also, anyone have the most recent contact info for someone at Gepik? My co-teacher wants to call and find out as she has had limited exposure to foreign teachers but is eager to get it right.

TheUrbanMyth · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Location: Retired

DeLaRed · Joined: 16 Oct 2008

just bumping this as I asked on here a few days the same question (on behalf of a friend of mine).

bassexpander · Joined: 13 Sep 2007 Location: Someplace you'd rather be.

TheUrbanMyth · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Location: Retired

Patong Dong · Joined: 06 May 2003 Location: On Nut

That's the thing, the contract doesn't specificaaly address someone who was in country and didn't need to do the visa run. It states that if I am hired I would be sent to Japan for the visa run at the school's expense, but since I didn't have to do that I would think I would at least be given the value of a visa run in cash.
I kind of let it go but was told by a # of Gepik teachers I recently met, that are much more in the know on Gepikness, that you are supposed to be paid for the value of a ticket. I guess if my school had signed me up for the recent orientation I might have been able to ask relevant management directly, but they didn't.

jhuntingtonus · Joined: 09 Dec 2008 Location: Jeonju

My public school system denied me the 1.3 million won, which is clearly on my contract, for the same reason yours did. I have had two posts on this forum within the past month and consulted a private attorney. All seven responders and the attorney agreed I was entitled to the money.

I am now following my contract's instructions, and have put in a request for arbitration with the Korean Commercial Arbitration Board. Unless contract law is very different from that in other developed countries, it should be routine for me to collect. In fact, given the clarity of the wording in the contract (it says I receive the 1.3 million, and gives no exceptions), I am surprised I was denied the money at all in the first place. All in all a sad situation, since all aspects of my job, apartment, and other pay have been more than adequate.

chris_J2 · Joined: 17 Apr 2006 Location: From Brisbane, Au.

I was with Epik late 2007, & did the interview in Seoul, so I missed out on the airfare to Korea, from Australia. OP, where did you do your interview from? If within, Korea you're s.o.l., but will be reimbursed for the outbound ticket, at the end of the contract.

jhuntingtonus · Joined: 09 Dec 2008 Location: Jeonju

chris_J2 · Joined: 17 Apr 2006 Location: From Brisbane, Au.

Epik Contract 2007:

jhuntingtonus · Joined: 09 Dec 2008 Location: Jeonju

chris_J2 · Joined: 17 Apr 2006 Location: From Brisbane, Au.

I'm with Gepik, this year, & my school insisted on boarding passes/ baggage receipts for all flight sectors, before reimbursing me the 1.3 m. I stopped overnight in Taipei in Taiwan, but had thrown away the BNE -> TPE boarding pass. Luckily, I checked by bags all the way through to Incheon, & had kept the ticket stubs.

romano812 · Joined: 09 Dec 2008

I don't want to get into the whole story again, but I worked for GEPIK. They were supposed to pay/reimburse for my airfare, but once I started working at the school they flat out said they would not pay for my flight. I had many problems with GEPIK breaking our contract right until the very end when I had enough and left.