Korean Job Discussion Forums

[minos]

A bit long.....but I need help

I speak ok korean at best and been here 2 years, but I need some serious Korean Nunchi Advice. It's beyond my Level.


So I recieved an offer, accepted, signed a contract with a hagwon that pays quite well (2.7 mil) and all the legal benefits. Owners are a couple new to hagwons and are very eager to keep me happy....

Enough so to offer me the biggest apartment I've ever seen a foreigner recieve. Enough to house 5+ people!

I specifically told them beforehand that I'd prefer to find my own place since I have key money. The boss was so proud and sure that this "gift" of an apartment was a jewel that she pretty much shoed away my concerns about doing an apartment hunt myself.....Still..I said I'd make a decision after seeing the place.

Only problem was it was out in the sticks(as well as the job). I have a fast motorcycle so I can reach Seoul within 20-30 minutes so I figured it was okay.

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2 days after I arrive the apartment is ready....I barely meet the actually boss/owner becuase she's "busy"....communications are sporadic and done through another new employee who knows nothing....not becuase she's avoiding me, but becuase she's busy signing the damn lease and preparing the apartment for me without my consent She felt embarrased that I came earlier than the apartment wasn't ready and I was staying in Saunas and motels so she started the process early....I wasn't informed at all.

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The 3rd day(we're not working yet) I meet the other teachers who just happen to have lived there for many years prior....they tell me this area sucks even more ass than I thought.
They're renting apartments much closer to Seoul(gimpo) and just commute....prices are suspringly cheap and the locations are 5-10 min drives from Hongdae.

I prefer this......quite frankly, the house is too damn big....god knows what the monthly utility and maintenance costs will be for a family sized apartment.....it might ironically cancel out my higher pay.

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I informed by boss tonight....she seemed moreso disapointed and inferred it might be possible to cancel the lease....We had a group dinner tonight so I assume we'll talk about it tomorrow.

Problem is, She's extremely proud to have supplied such a expensive gift to me and I think she feels I should be very happy to have it. She thinks it and the higher pay will keep me here "a long time".

I'm worried that by cancelling the lease, I basically offending her big time by spurning such a luxurious, expensive accomadations(which she prepared for 2 days straight) to rent a big, one room closer to Seoul. Nevermind, it will save her money if I do.


Anything I can do to ....ease this situation.....such as buying her a VERY expensive gift.....I don't want her to take it personally, which I think she might since she has to face the real estate agent to renege on the lease.

[sulperman]

Sounds like you've got your heart in the right place, though I would consider laying off the nunchi aspect and approaching it more as a matter of basic human decency.

And by that I mean you should have cleared up where you wanted to live before you got there.

You can change, and you should be willing to accept WHATEVER penalty they apply to it. You waited too long, and consequences will be what they are. Just be diplomatic. And you do sound like a nice guy, so you can probably pull it off. Just remember, you are the one causing the problem, not the boss in this situation.

[Poker]

She will take it personally. I think the only way for her to let this go is if she sees you really put in some hard work over the next few months and do extra favors outside of your contract. For a Korean it is really a big loss of "face" being rejected like that. Like you said, she was really eager to make you happy and felt proud of her offer, and you basically slapped her in the face. Not may hagwon owners put that much effort into welcoming a NET. Good luck though, work extra hard and over time she might forget about it.

[minos]

Yeah, I should have been more upfront about it...granted, I clearly stated I will visit the house before the lease is signed and even had the housing money allowance added to the contract.

They just sorta assumed I'd accept it 100%, even had furniture in place the first day I saw it!

The reasons why I didn't explicitly state this the day I arrived is that I expected to meet face to face when I arrived or soon after(I interviewed over the phone with her friend, was picked up by an employee, went to immi with the recruiter etc.) to discuss things about the job.

I didn't meet her until 4 days after and only for 5 minutes before she bailed for other buisness. When we finnally visited my apartment, she was there for about 10-15 minutes, then rushed off.

Quite frankly, I hadn't the sleightest idea who actually hired me for the first few days.

She wasn't avoiding me persay, but I kept expecting a decent sit down chat that never really came. Hell, it's been nearly a week, it still hasn't happened other than a dinner.

[Kimchi Cha Cha]

It's unfortunate because while yes, the boss put a lot of effort, attention and extra care into finding and securing this accommodation for you as she thought that you'd be flattered by the place, she never actually took in or accepted your position that you weren't guaranteed of moving into the accommodation she found. In this situation, in a Western country at least, the boss - whilst not doubt disappointed and feeling somewhat bitter and angry for having all that effort go to waste - should accept that she is just as much to blame for the situation if not more as she should have taken in that you were reviewing the place as common courtesy and was not destined to move there.

But, as we know, Korea's a different kettle of fish and no doubt your boss will be angry having lost some much face (and also perplexed as to why you wouldn't take up her offer). The only advice I can add is what the previous commenters have said, work your hardest, show that she made the right decision hiring you by being a diligent, enthusiastic and professional teacher. Hopefully she'll get over it in time and be pleased with the amount of attention and time you give to your work.

It's not entirely your fault by all means but unfortunately that largely doesn't matter given the social hierarchy and position of power your boss holds over you. So far your boss seems to really want you to be happy so hopefully she'll get over and there'll be no significant problems down the track after her initial disappointment.

[Young FRANKenstein]

Keep the apartment. If you want to live somewhere closer to Seoul, rent it out.

[Chris.Quigley]

Which Hagwon is it?

[redaxe]

Your hagwon boss isn't providing you that huge apartment out of the kindness of her heart.

My guess is that her friend or relative owns it, or maybe she even owns it herself, and she's diverting company money to house you there, effectively taking money from one pocket and placing it into the other. She's definitely getting some kind of a kickback or doing someone (besides you) a favor, at least.

If you want the job, just live there. Or do as Young Frankenstein said, accept it then turn around and sublet it to someone else and use the proceeds to rent an apartment for yourself closer to Seoul. If that's even legal.

If you try to force her to give you a housing allowance so you can live somewhere else, I don't think it's going to go well for you. Even though she said she might be able to cancel the lease, if you push the matter, it will probably end in a last-minute "sorry, not possible" and you will be forced to live there anyway.

[Troglodyte]

As you pointed out, the utilities bill is going to be huge. Use that to emphasise why you don't want it. And also just come right out and tell her that you never agreed to it. If she's upset, so be it.