Korean Job Discussion Forums

[beckymb]

I am an F-4 visa holder that just got hired recently by a hakwon that I honestly think is a trustworthy hakwon. She recently sent me an email telling me that she is worried about me showing up in Korea using her plane ticket and then never showing up at her school to work. She said that it has been suggested that she come to the airport and take my passport but she does not want to do that. So she asked me if there was a way I could show my commitment and other formal documents.

I have nothing to show her. I sent her my signed contract already, but my college diploma has not been mailed to me yet [graduated recently] and my background check is in the apostling process. What do I do? I have nothing to give her to reassure her...

[I will NOT give her my passport]

[wylies99]

Don't trust her, either. Oh, and welcome to hagwon life.

[conrad2]

Buy your own ticket to Korea, and let her reimburse you when you start working.

[Rory_Calhoun27]

I made the mistake of giving my passport away after my roommate pulled the midnight run.... but got it back after a problem with a few hours of overtime, and got the recruiter involved, where I told them I'd forget about if if I got the passport back..... and it somehow appeared...

You havent sent any your materials over then if you dont have your diploma..... all you can do is stick to your commitment (if you still have it) and keep repeating it....

one thing I learned in an education course was the "broken record" technique, where you just keep repeating in a calm manner what you want done. It's for children of course, but it also works in a vast array of other situations as well, especially in another country...

[CentralCali]

[Ramen]

Tell her nicely that you'll work somewhere else since she doesn't trust you.

[frankly speaking]

Give her the address of your family in Korea. I also think that paying the ticket yourself is probably the best and have her reimburse you after a week.

Tell her that she has all of your information and that she could just have you arrested if you did something like that.

I think that it is natural for some bosses to have fears, but just try to convince her that you are not of that sort.

Never give your passport to anyone.

[ChilgokBlackHole]

[broken76]

Since you're on an F4 Visa this is somewhat understandable because there really is nothing tying you down to the position like an E2 Visa would. You shouldn't give her your passport since that is just a general nono and you'll need your passport to get your ARC if you haven't gotten on already.
It's actually surprising that your school flew you out as most schools do not provide airfare up from for F4 Visa holders. The main reason is that there have been cases where the teachers pretty much used the opportunity for free flight. I wouldn't be personally offended as it has been used in the past by others. It's the equivalent of not trusting a Nigerian telling you that they if you can pay the banking fees they'll be able to send you millions of dollars.

[beckymb]

Thanks for the suggestions!

At first it kind of pissed me off because I know I'm not trying to steal her plane ticket and whatnot, but I realize how hard it is to trust someone you don't know.

[mike123_ca]

Maybe your boss would feel more comfortable if you came here on an E2 visa.

[balzor]

[blackjack]

[PaperTiger]

[ChilgokBlackHole]