| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
polly15
Joined: 29 Sep 2010
|
 Posted: Tue Oct 05, 2010 5:22 am Post subject: Leaving My Hagwon without leaving Korea- help! |
 |
|
Hi!,
I'm new in Korea and could really use some advice. I started work at a Hagwon in Suwon a month ago. I really enjoy it but have heard some incredibly worrying things from the current and previous staff regarding pay. I'm due to get paid on the 10th so I am going to wait and see until then but I have been trying to plan what to do if I do not get paid. I've looked on these boards but I've really confused myself and had a few questions. Basically I love Korea so far and love teaching so I really don't want to go home or do anything that could risk me being deported or blacklisted, but then I don't want to be a mug and not get paid!!
1) If I am refused a letter of Release from my director (which seems likely), am I basically screwed? I've read some people saying that you can quit and hand your alien card in and come back in with a tourist visa and find another job. But then I've also read that you have to wait until your visa runs out before you can get a new job.
2) If I am fired, does that mean I am free to get a new job and visa, or could i still be kicked out of the country?
3) If the school closes down do I automatically receive a letter of release?
4) Does it make a difference if I work my 30 days notice? (which I'm happy to do)
5) Does it make a differecnce or look worse on me that I've only been there a month or two? Considering the flight etc.. (again, I would not have an issue with my flight being taken out of my wages, especially if those wages are non-existant!!)
6) I've read that the Labour Board is the way to go. But I've also read that they won't help you unless you've been here 6 months. Is that true?
7) I'm British. Does that make any difference in terms of my Visa? Also, I have a single entry visa, will that help or hinder me at all?
It would be great if anyone could help, thanks!
Susie |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
tanklor1
Joined: 13 Jun 2006
|
| Posted: Tue Oct 05, 2010 6:16 am Post subject: |
|
|
1) Yes, you're screwed; unless you have extra copies of your documents: CBC/Degree laying around.
2) There are ways around it. Your visa will be canceled but then you'd have a certain amount of time to leave the country.
3) No
4)Yup! Your employer will mostly likely screw your final pay check.
5) Yes.
6) Don't know.
7) Yes. Each country is different. But once your though with your job that visa will no longer be valid. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
polly15
Joined: 29 Sep 2010
|
| Posted: Tue Oct 05, 2010 6:44 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Thanks for replying. I actually do have a second complete set of documents. Does this mean I don't need a letter of relaease? Or is it just that I'd be able to get a second visa quicker if I had one? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Wishmaster
Joined: 06 Feb 2003
|
| Posted: Tue Oct 05, 2010 8:20 am Post subject: |
|
|
| The latter... |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
ttompatz
Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Location: Kwangju, South Korea
|
| Posted: Tue Oct 05, 2010 8:37 am Post subject: |
|
|
Bottom line = you cannot transfer your visa until:
a) you have been at your current job for more than 6 months
AND
b) you have a LOR or release by the labor office/immigration for breaches of labor law by your employer (as adjudicated by the labor board).
IF you have not met both A & B then you will need to leave the country to cancel your current visa.
AFTER you have canceled your visa you can obtain a new job and a new visa.
Since you haven't been there long enough to get paid yet, I think you are putting the cart before the horse.
Knowing that you are at a hagwan you must have been aware before you came that you would not receive medical or pension and you would be overtaxed (as a contractor rather than as an employee) so those issues shouldn't be your primary reason for leaving.
Changing jobs is NOT easy. It will take some running around and extra paperwork as well as extra costs (like leaving the country to cancel your visa unless your boss is willing to go with you to immigration to cancel it for you).
. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
polly15
Joined: 29 Sep 2010
|
| Posted: Tue Oct 05, 2010 9:56 am Post subject: |
|
|
Hey ttompatz, thanks for the reply.
I'd really rather not leave and I'm hoping that I am worrying for nothing but from what's going down with the other staff here, I really need a backup plan.
I'm aware and totally accept that a lot of hagwon's are dodgy (hence I stupidly stopped googling my schools while I was job hunting as the amount of negative stuff I read was depressing!- big mistake!)
But if I'm getting my full wages I'm happy but it looks like that's not going to happen. I'm only going to leave if the only other option is working for 1 million won a month when I was told it would be 2.3.
If it gets to that point, and I decide to leave the school what steps do I take? Assuming my director is going to make it as difficult as possible for me. If I leave the country and go to Japan or something and hand over my alien card, is there a chance i'll get refused entry back into Korea?
My other option is the Labour Board, do you know if they'll help someone whose only been here a month? I've been told once I file a complaint I'll be fired, would I still need to leave the country then?
Sorry for all the questions!! |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
ttompatz
Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Location: Kwangju, South Korea
|
| Posted: Tue Oct 05, 2010 12:06 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| polly15 wrote: |
Hey ttompatz, thanks for the reply.
I'd really rather not leave and I'm hoping that I am worrying for nothing but from what's going down with the other staff here, I really need a backup plan.
I'm aware and totally accept that a lot of hagwon's are dodgy (hence I stupidly stopped googling my schools while I was job hunting as the amount of negative stuff I read was depressing!- big mistake!)
But if I'm getting my full wages I'm happy but it looks like that's not going to happen. I'm only going to leave if the only other option is working for 1 million won a month when I was told it would be 2.3.
If it gets to that point, and I decide to leave the school what steps do I take? Assuming my director is going to make it as difficult as possible for me. If I leave the country and go to Japan or something and hand over my alien card, is there a chance i'll get refused entry back into Korea?
My other option is the Labour Board, do you know if they'll help someone whose only been here a month? I've been told once I file a complaint I'll be fired, would I still need to leave the country then?
Sorry for all the questions!! |
quick answers=
If your employer wants to make it difficult AND you have unpaid wages (more than 14 days late) then you can file a complaint with the labor board. IF they find in your favor they can have you released from your contract and you can transfer to a new job.
IF your employer makes it difficult AND you do not wish to go through the hassle of dealing with the labor office then you will have to leave Korea to get your visa canceled.
You may then re-enter Korea, go through the visa application process and then make a 2nd visa run to get your new visa for a new job.
There is NO option to do a simple transfer of a visa (quit, find a new job, transfer and continue) at under 6 months of employment.
. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
pangaea
Joined: 20 Dec 2007
|
| Posted: Tue Oct 05, 2010 5:45 pm Post subject: |
|
|
ttompatz wrote:
| Quote: |
Knowing that you are at a hagwan you must have been aware before you came that you would not receive medical or pension and you would be overtaxed (as a contractor rather than as an employee) so those issues shouldn't be your primary reason for leaving.
|
ttompatz, you usually seem to know a lot about working in Korea, but I am confused by this answer. I had medical and pension at my last hagwan job and I have medical at my current hagwan job. Haven't checked on pension but I suppose I will find that out when I try to apply for it. Maybe I got lucky, but medical and pension benefits were part of both contracts and both have been honored so far. (knock wood) |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
kiwipenny
Joined: 22 Mar 2010
Location: South Korea
|
| Posted: Tue Oct 05, 2010 6:49 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| ttompatz wrote: |
| polly15 wrote: |
Hey ttompatz, thanks for the reply.
I'd really rather not leave and I'm hoping that I am worrying for nothing but from what's going down with the other staff here, I really need a backup plan.
I'm aware and totally accept that a lot of hagwon's are dodgy (hence I stupidly stopped googling my schools while I was job hunting as the amount of negative stuff I read was depressing!- big mistake!)
But if I'm getting my full wages I'm happy but it looks like that's not going to happen. I'm only going to leave if the only other option is working for 1 million won a month when I was told it would be 2.3.
If it gets to that point, and I decide to leave the school what steps do I take? Assuming my director is going to make it as difficult as possible for me. If I leave the country and go to Japan or something and hand over my alien card, is there a chance i'll get refused entry back into Korea?
My other option is the Labour Board, do you know if they'll help someone
whose only been here a month? I've been told once I file a complaint I'll be fired, would I still need to leave the country then?
Sorry for all the questions!! |
quick answers=
If your employer wants to make it difficult AND you have unpaid wages (more than 14 days late) then you can file a complaint with the labor board. IF they find in your favor they can have you released from your contract and you can transfer to a new job.
IF your employer makes it difficult AND you do not wish to go through the hassle of dealing with the labor office then you will have to leave Korea to get your visa canceled.
You may then re-enter Korea, go through the visa application process and then make a 2nd visa run to get your new visa for a new job.
There is NO option to do a simple transfer of a visa (quit, find a new job, transfer and continue) at under 6 months of employment.
. |
I did a visa transfer from one public school to another .... I was only there 5 months... I don't know the if the rule for hagwon is different... it was a pretty easy transfer with letter of release and correct docs from new employer in hand.. went to immi myself and they said I didn't have to do it right away as I had 30 days( Seoul immi supervisor spoke English and was very helpful)... but I did it asap anyway.
ttompatz~ It is completely different for hagwons ?
EDIT: I did just see a comment on another post.. suppose mine could be a special case to transfer under six months... but seems others have been able to transfer under six months too...hagwon and public.. perhaps they had some extreme reason that allowed them to do so.. wouldn't hurt calling immi and asking them. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Sector7G
Joined: 24 May 2008
|
| Posted: Tue Oct 05, 2010 6:56 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| ttompatz wrote: |
There is NO option to do a simple transfer of a visa (quit, find a new job, transfer and continue) at under 6 months of employment.
. |
I did it twice in 2009, once at the 4 month mark, and once at the 6 month mark. Both totally by the book too! |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
polly15
Joined: 29 Sep 2010
|
| Posted: Thu Oct 07, 2010 8:58 am Post subject: |
|
|
How did you do that? I'm assuming you had a LOR?
If you get fired from your job do you still have to leave the country and come back or are you given a certain amount of time to find a new position? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Sector7G
Joined: 24 May 2008
|
| Posted: Thu Oct 07, 2010 10:16 am Post subject: |
|
|
| polly15 wrote: |
How did you do that? I'm assuming you had a LOR?
If you get fired from your job do you still have to leave the country and come back or are you given a certain amount of time to find a new position? |
If you are talking to me, then yes, I did have a letter of release in both cases. The first transfer was from private academy to private academy. The second transfer was from private academy to a university language center(some would call unigwon). I always wondered if the new employer in each case had some pull with immigration as I had always heard about the 9 month rule myself- if they did they did not tell me.
To answer your question about getting fired, I think it still depends on whether they give you a letter of release or not. If they don't give you a LOR, I think you have minimum 14 days before you have to leave. But don't quote me on that. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
asylum seeker
Joined: 22 Jul 2007
Location: On your computer screen.
|
| Posted: Thu Oct 07, 2010 10:53 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Is it an adult hagwon? Sounds like a place I used to work at... |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Tbizz
Joined: 15 Sep 2010
|
| Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2010 11:12 pm Post subject: |
|
|
KiwiPenny I'm so confused. From what I hear you cannot trasnfer your visa from one school to another if youve been working for under 6 months but you were able to??
Were you able to because you got the LOR? Was your case exceptional/you lucked out slash chances of this happening to me are slim?
Do NOT want to do a double visa run  |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
