Korean Job Discussion Forums

[NMonk]

I am in a situation where i can't decide whether to complete my contract or not as i believe there is a good chance I will not receive my severance come the end of my contract.

I know for a fact that of the 3 teachers who finished their contracts before I arrived only one of them ever received their severance, and that is because she remained in Korea, went to the Labour Board twice and his office almost everyday until she got it, and even then it took over 3 months. I will be travelling come the end of my contract so won't have this option

Also in 4 months here i've not yet been paid on time, the Koreans teachers were at one point nearly 3 months behind with their pay, and only eventually got paid when they all went into the directors office and demanded it.

The top floor of the school currently looks like a demolition site as it was meant to be renovated but he didn't pay them so they stopped working.

I've also recently found out from one of the Korean teachers there is something very dodgy going on with the finances in that none of them are in the directors name, apparently they are in some random peoples names.

Oh and I have not once been paid on time!!

I love living in Korea, I love teaching and I want to complete the 12 months I agreed to do but I dont see why I should waste my time working for this kind of person, I was thinking I could give him 2 months notice so he can find a replacement, go travelling for a few months and do some more voluntary work and gain my CELTA qualification and then come back and work in public elementary school that would provide more stability. However, there are a few things that worry me:

1) Is he likely to blacklist me, and if so would I be able to work in Korea again?

2) Even if he doesn't blacklist me if a potential employer finds out I only completed 6 months of a contract will they be likely to employ me?

3) I'm willing to accept the loss of my severance and air fare home, but can he force me to return the money he paid for my air fare here?

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

[jhuntingtonus]

Force you to return money he's already paid, under those circumstances? I would hope even a Korean judge would laugh at him...

[Senior]

You don't owe anything to this guy. Do what ever is best for you, and what you think is right.

1)Have you seen any black lists. He might be able to black list you from the chain you work for, but there is literally no way of permanently preventing someone from working in Korea.

2)Just don't include this job in your CV.

3)Of course not. You seem kind of naive.

[Goon-Yang]

I read the title of your thread and thought. Don't finish. It just get's to the point where you hear so much bad crap about scummy hakwon owners that I tend to agree with the waegook. When in doubt...quit. If you boss won't hold up to his part of the contract, why should you?

[NMonk]

the reason i put the thing about the air fare is that it states in my contract if i dont complete the whole 12 months i must return the entire air fare, i figured if i give 2 months notice he could just go and deduct it from my final months wages and there would be nothing I could do about it?

[NMonk]

also doesn't he own my visa? and so could he stop me being able to work anywhere else for the next 8 months?

[Troglodyte]

DON'T give him notice. If you do then you are basically kissing your last month's salary good-bye. This type employer is very common here. Not all are like that. But unfortunately they aren't rare either.

If you know when you'll get paid (based on when you've been paid in previous months) then schedule your flight out for a few days afterwards (to be sure you get that last paycheck and have time to close up your bank account and such). Then just leave. If you tell him you're leaving, then he'll use it to his advantage. You will not see a single dime after that and he'll probably scream and jump up and down and threaten you with various punishments (none of which he can actually enforce).

If you really do want to stick around and be assured that you'll get paid, then just hire some big intimidating guy to come with you when you tell your boss that you want to be paid on time and in full. Do that a week or so before you are supposed to be paid. Let him know that your acquaintance will be returning with you next week to collect. Then the next week when it's pay day return with your "buddy" and one more of his associates. If he doesn't have the money, ask him to come with you to a bank machine to make a cash withdrawl. I've never done it but I've met more than a few NETS who have.

Personally, i'd recommend running.

You're right that he does control your visa until the 12 months is up. Some people have reported having got a new E2 visa after 9 months have expired, but you should probably count on the full 12. Go teach for a while somewhere else in Asia before returning. After that, you are completely in the clear. Hogwan owners have no way to blacklist you, and most (especial the type you are describing) are doing so many illegal things themselves that they aren't even going to report you for fear that during an investigation the authorities might learn about something else that they owner himself did. When you apply here for another job, you can either leave that off your CV, lie and say that the school closed down (which by your description may actually be true 8 months from now), or just go with the truth and say that you and the other teachers weren't paid so you left.

[Nester Noodlemon]

[NMonk]

[Senior]

[Senior]