Korean Job Discussion Forums

[supernaut]

I've heard rumours of a situation concerning taxes for teachers working with GEPIK (might affect all public school teachers)

Not sure what exactly the situation.... but it seems like they will be taxing the airfare, housing and allowance when teachers leave the country.

I've heard that some schools are going after teachers that left the country, not paying summer camps, misquoting airfare and not mentioning the taxes pair prior to leaving the country and asking for $ from the teachers after they left the country. As much as 500 000 won.

Has anyone heard of this situation?

[ccikulin]

Yes this is true. I work for GEPIK and my co-teacher was talking to me about this last week. As far as I understand, they're having budget troubles and are looking for ways to get some money back. I can give you the details as I heard them from my co-teacher.

First of all, they're not trying to get income tax, but instead they're trying to charge us medical insurance for our housing, severance pay, overtime, and airfares. This really burned me up because I've been here for a little over two years, and for the first two years, I was exempted from Korean income tax because I'm a US citizen and I figured this wouldn't affect me because of that. It's pretty obvious though that this is really a dirty trick on their part and they're charging us for medical insurance to sidestep the tax exemption many of us have for our first few years here. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe we pay 3% of our total income towards medical insurance, so if you want to figure out how much they're going to try to charge you, add up the rent your school pays for your apartment for every month you've been here, your airfare, your completion bonuses, and your overtime and multiply it by .03. Theoretically, that's what they're going to try to get from you. As for the people who already left the country, if they don't have any money in a Korean bank (and why would they unless they were planning to come back), I don't see how GEPIK or EPIK will go about trying to get money from them. I sure as hell wouldn't give them a damn cent if I was already gone.

I made a rough calculation based on my rent, severance, and airfare payments since I came here and it came out to about 860,000won.

[sojusucks]

How are they doing this? Waiting until the end of the contract and claiming you owe them money or else they won't pay the severance and flight ticket? Or is it something else?

[ccikulin]

That's a good question. I asked my co-teacher how they plan to get that money from us and he didn't know. Maybe they'll try to take it out of our paychecks or take it off the top of our severance. I guess we'll find out soon enough.

[supernaut]

welll, they were taking the contracts seriously and following them by the book with this such as desk warming, airfare at the end of the contracts and so on..... but i guess when they want to give it to us up the annus they can change the contract how the want.

I guess we can't take the government to the labour board...jeeze this is horseshiiite

[Steelrails]

As an apologist I have to say if they pull this...It's time to get uppity and strike or something. Get some media attention.

That is utter garbage. If they want to change the rules in the future, fine. But to retroactively do something like that...

This is the kind of situation you save the ammunition for. THIS is something we need the Ben Wagners and Andrea Vandoms for.

[sojusucks]

[mmstyle]

I'm part of the SMOE (that's now EPIK, right?) program. I'm in my second year. As teachers started leaving over the summer, those that were receiving a housing allowance were suddenly changed on their final paychecks. Thus far, it hasn't effected me, but I get housing, not the allowance. I have also heard from some teachers who are getting taxed on the renewal airfare (and, I believe, but can't confirm, the exit allowance) bonus.

So yes, we are now being taxed on amounts that we previously were not taxed on. And, of course, there has been no bump in the amounts to reflect this sudden change of events. The renewal airfare bonus is no longer sufficient for me to buy a ticket to my own country during the high travel periods, thanks to the lousy exchange and taxes.

Any and all benefits, with the exception of guaranteed pay, that used to be associated with working at public school have now being shrunk or removed entirely!

[Steelrails]

Does anyone know if the Korean midterm elections had anything to do with this? I've heard that certain provinces/counties get more or less funding based on what party is in charge. Might this be the case?

[TheUrbanMyth]

Haven't heard anything of the sort.

But I will be finishing my contract soon and will give an update for what (EPIK teachers anyway) can expect if this is correct.

[sojusucks]

But, so far, it's being done by surprise, at the end of the contracts?

[sojusucks]

[Steelrails]

[supernaut]

Well, I know for a fact, that some teachers that had already left the country were not paid for a English camp and textbook they did, because there school was asking for more money in taxes from them.... There school was also misquoting their airfare and not mentioning taxes the teacher had previously paid.


The schools are REALLY tightening up on foreign teachers, but I have a feeling that foreign teachers in public schools are soon going to be a thing of the past. I've been at my school since May 2009 and have seen things spiraling down since I've been here.

When re-negotiating or asking simple favors, the Korean handlers (teachers) were sticking to the contract like their lives depended on it and at the GEPIK Orientation the Coordinators spent countless hours on the contract.... saying how each things are getting worse for the teachers, but rest assured contracts will be followed, but this stuff is happening it's going to cost us close to 1 000 000 won at the end of our contracts.... I might actually spit in my principals face if this were to happen....

Like most people I can deal with the drug test, I think going back to your country for an interview is pointless, but breaking my contract and taking my money.... I'm not going to let this happen

[Fox]