Korean Job Discussion Forums

[thoreau]

I had worked in the U.S. for 5 years prior to coming to Korea. I left my previous job specifically to come to Korea.

When I return to the U.S. will I be eligible for unemployment benefits?

[conrad2]

No. They will contact your previous employer who will say you left the job voluntarily. No government cheese for you.

[d-rail]

conrad is right.

[Kikomom]

Check with your state eligibility requirements. Every state is different and most of them have online info readily available on google.

[caylia]

Most likely you will not for two reasons. One, like the poster mentioned before about quitting voluntarily. Two, because almost all states use a "trailer" for calculating salary and net compensation to do the unemployment calculation.

For example, in California, if you got laid off on January 1,2010, they will use your earnings for all of 2009 to calculate your payment.

When you get to April 1,2010, they only use the prior 4 quarters. That means you will only have your April 1, 2009 - December 31, 2009 period as a base calculation. Every quarter, the oldest quarter worked drops off. If you have been laid off for a year, you don't qualify - UNLESS YOU WERE PART of the original bailout extension for unemployment. Some people are on their 5th extension.

However, you mention you were gone for a while. The answer is most likely no. You might be able to qualify for food stamps.

[teacherk]

I agree, probably not, but it is worth looking into these days because so much has changed. You should qualify for food stamps when you first get home and have no job.

[air76]

You are never eligible for unemployment when you leave your job voluntarily....or if you are fired and the company can prove you did something wrong worth firing you over. You are only eligible for unemployment if you lose your job and it wasn't your fault.

[WeakRider]

[AsiaESLbound]

To qualify, don't you have to have worked for a company that paid into the scheme? Korean schools and companies don't participate in the American unemployment scheme. We are on our own out here away from the wing of our country systems.

[digirl2956]

I am going home soon and will know the answer as I will file. I also saw this website. I think you can only file for foodstamps if you have a family but I will check on that also. If your school does not renew your contract then you did not leave your job voluntarily.

http://www.justlanded.com/english/South-Korea/South-Korea-Guide/Jobs/Labor-regulations-social-security

[.38 Special]