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Vagabundo
Joined: 26 Aug 2010
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 Posted: Thu Dec 23, 2010 6:22 am Post subject: |
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| jrwhite82 wrote: |
| I should have mentioned a lot of schools were buying tickets or reimbursing for their NETs to go to Thailand on vacation or other countries to teach ESL after Korea. This will stop as well. |
from a purely monetary standpoint, why would this matter?
they have to pay for a trip home anyways. If the leaving teacher wants to go to Thailand or somewhere else and thereby reduce their monetary outlay, why should this matter? the govt saves money!
at current predatory airfares a flight back stateside is usually 2K plus (in USD), though if you're really lucky and offseason, you may get one for 1.5.
if a flight to Thailand costs them 700 dollars, if I'm the POE, I say here's your 700, thank you! |
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jrwhite82
Joined: 22 May 2010
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| Posted: Thu Dec 23, 2010 6:37 am Post subject: |
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| Or by not paying anything they save even more! |
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Vagabundo
Joined: 26 Aug 2010
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| Posted: Thu Dec 23, 2010 6:39 am Post subject: |
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| jrwhite82 wrote: |
| Or by not paying anything they save even more! |
yeah, except they ARE obligated to pay a return fare (or they obligate themselves to do so), so why does it matter WHERE the teacher "returns" to?? |
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jrwhite82
Joined: 22 May 2010
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| Posted: Thu Dec 23, 2010 4:46 pm Post subject: |
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| If they are not returning home they don't get a plane ticket. It's not their responsibility to pay for your vacation. With the hate we already receive from xenophobic Koreans can you imagine how they'd feel when they learn that their tax dollars are going towards paying for NETS to go on vacation? Especially in a country where their typical citizens get what? 5 dYs of vacation? |
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jrwhite82
Joined: 22 May 2010
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| Posted: Thu Dec 23, 2010 9:15 pm Post subject: |
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Vagabundo, I don't mean to be arguing with you over this. I'm just saying they are required to buy you a return ticket. I understand that what does it matter to them if you go home or not. But their policy is, if you are not returning they don't have to buy it.
It's like sick days. They are prepared to give you those days off if you need them, but you are not entitled to take them if you are not sick. |
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scrilly
Joined: 13 Jan 2010
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| Posted: Thu Dec 23, 2010 9:38 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks for all of your comments. I had another conversation with my boss about the airfare. She used some twisted logic to arrive at the following decision:
If she writes a release letter for me then she doesn't have to pay for my airfare.
I politely told her that I was confused and I asked her "what does my airfare have to do with my release letter?" She exploded into tears and repeatedly yelled, "I am not a thief." It took about 30 minutes to get her calm enough for her to believe that it was just a misunderstanding, and that it was nothing to get worked up about.... yep. Just another day at the hagwon.
So, I'm going to let the airfare slide... like I let my pension slide... like I let my extra hours slide... like I let all the inappropriate behavior slide. |
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lifeinkorea
Joined: 24 Jan 2009
Location: somewhere in China
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| Posted: Thu Dec 23, 2010 10:11 pm Post subject: |
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| If she writes a release letter for me then she doesn't have to pay for my airfare. |
Yea, the point is you aren't leaving the country if she writes the release letter. So, she feels she doesn't need to pay for airfare. Makes sense to me, especially since it is a release letter. If you work a full year, then you don't need a release letter. So, obviously in this case you haven't worked the full year or the release letter has a null effect. If so, then I misunderstood.
However, from what I see, I agree with her about the airfare situation and I side with her. It's not illogical. Pension is another thing.
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| like I let my pension slide |
The pension is yours, you are entitled to it. This she can't back out of, release letter or not. This has no bearing on other stuff. |
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nstick13
Joined: 02 Aug 2009
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| Posted: Thu Dec 23, 2010 11:25 pm Post subject: |
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Weird this came up--I was going to start a thread about this.
I'm at a PS and am switching provinces in March. I've been told that I don't get my exit allowance when I switch provinces, but I've only been TOLD that. The contract states, quite explicitly, that upon completion of the contract I am to receive a 1.3 million won exit allowance, within a month of contract completion. There are no loopholes or stipulations--so long as I complete the contract per its terms and conditions.
The ONLY thing I could see them saying is that I will leave the contract early by going to orientation for my job next year (starts the 22nd, I believe, contract up the 26th).
This does seem to be something that can be taken to the labor board. I don't know that it gets more clear than what it says there, and I know I've never signed anything stating the contrary.
FWIW, I'm with EPIK and will do SMOE next year.
Thoughts? |
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lifeinkorea
Joined: 24 Jan 2009
Location: somewhere in China
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| Posted: Fri Dec 24, 2010 1:29 am Post subject: |
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The purpose of the 1.3 is to pay for airfare costs. The intent does not include you pocketing the money and staying in the country. It is called "entry/exit allowance", common sense would tell you that if you aren't entering or exiting you 100% shouldn't be entitled to this. |
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isitts
Joined: 25 Dec 2008
Location: Korea
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| Posted: Fri Dec 24, 2010 2:31 am Post subject: Re: Another Airfare Question |
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| scrilly wrote: |
Today I had the pleasure of informing my hagwon director that I will not renew a contract with her. She asked about my plans for the next year and, after she learned that I might get a job at another school, she informed me that she will pay for my airfare ONLY IF I leave Korea. That is, she will not give me the cash equivalent of a ticket.
Does anyone have any experience with this? Is this the norm? My contract simply states that, after completing one year, I will be provided with a plane ticket to my home country.
Apologies if this has been covered before. |
My contract specifies that if I don't return home, then they will give me the equivalent in cash (...though, this is for reimburstment for a visit home after renewing a contract). Either way, though, if it wasn't explicitly stated in the contract and I wasn't going home, then I wouldn't expect them to give me money. It seems like a conditional arrangement. |
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isitts
Joined: 25 Dec 2008
Location: Korea
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| Posted: Fri Dec 24, 2010 2:45 am Post subject: |
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| scrilly wrote: |
Thanks for all of your comments. I had another conversation with my boss about the airfare. She used some twisted logic to arrive at the following decision:
If she writes a release letter for me then she doesn't have to pay for my airfare.
I politely told her that I was confused and I asked her "what does my airfare have to do with my release letter?" She exploded into tears and repeatedly yelled, "I am not a thief." It took about 30 minutes to get her calm enough for her to believe that it was just a misunderstanding, and that it was nothing to get worked up about.... yep. Just another day at the hagwon.
So, I'm going to let the airfare slide... like I let my pension slide... like I let my extra hours slide... like I let all the inappropriate behavior slide. |
It's my understanding that a letter of release allows you to change employers within Korea and maintain your visa status. So the letter implies that you aren't going home. Why are you even contending this? |
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nstick13
Joined: 02 Aug 2009
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| Posted: Fri Dec 24, 2010 6:09 am Post subject: |
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| lifeinkorea wrote: |
The purpose of the 1.3 is to pay for airfare costs. The intent does not include you pocketing the money and staying in the country. It is called "entry/exit allowance", common sense would tell you that if you aren't entering or exiting you 100% shouldn't be entitled to this. |
But you also get no "renewal" bonus, and are essentially the only EPIK person who receives no money for sticking with the program. Why wouldn't you be entitled to a trip home just like the person who is staying in the same province? Not to mention covering moving expenses.
And, we can make assumptions about the contract all we want, but our assumptions are invalid when they're sticking it to us. |
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lifeinkorea
Joined: 24 Jan 2009
Location: somewhere in China
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| Posted: Fri Dec 24, 2010 7:04 am Post subject: |
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| But you also get no "renewal" bonus |
Let's use the best case scenario, 2 million won. That is if you work 2 years. If you quit after 3 months, 6 months, 11 months, do you keep this 2 million?
It averages out to be 83,333 won more per month. However, the OP didn't say they were staying at the same school. They are going to another school and they DIDN'T FINISH 1 YEAR!!! They want 1.3 million (54,166 won per month)?
A simple raise in salary of 100,000 more per month trumps both scenarios. I would rather fight to get that 100,000 and go to another school within the same organization than stay 2 years at the same school. This is why the school is willing to give the bonus, because it is cheaper than flying a new teacher in.
Not only does it trump either scenario, but you don't have to pay back money if it is part of the salary. So, if you quit after 3 or 4 months, you still keep the 100,000 per month. You don't have to pay back the school anything. In contrast, if you don't stay with the school, they will take your bonus money.
You would get severance from school 1, and then you get your raise of 100,000 (1.2 million after a second year), and then you get a second severance from school 2. You would really have to like school 1 to stick it out. Personally, I can't do that. I just moved a 6th time last week since September 2009. Granted, my 6th move was a result of my current school changing locations but I didn't need to do it. I just can't see myself staying at a school just to get $80 more per month.
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| Why wouldn't you be entitled to a trip home just like the person who is staying in the same province? |
I never stated people weren't entitled to a trip home. What I said was people shouldn't expect to pocket that money and not go home. Apparently, you missed this.
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| Not to mention covering moving expenses. |
If they get the 2 million, they aren't moving. There are no expenses. If they go to a second school, you expect the first school to pay for this? Bizarre.
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| assumptions are invalid when they're sticking it to us. |
When you make ridiculous claims like this, yes they are quite invalid.
Last edited by lifeinkorea on Fri Dec 24, 2010 7:14 am; edited 1 time in total |
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scrilly
Joined: 13 Jan 2010
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| Posted: Fri Dec 24, 2010 7:08 am Post subject: |
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| Lifeinkorea, I have worked a full year. My boss believes that it is impossible for me to get a job without the release letter. So, she is trying to blackmail me with it... She told me that she wants me to write a letter that states that I will not request the airfare in exchange for a release letter and her honest recommendation. She implied that she will bad mouth me to potential employers and, in the same breath, acknowledged that I have been an excellent employee. Money does funny things to people. |
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lifeinkorea
Joined: 24 Jan 2009
Location: somewhere in China
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| Posted: Fri Dec 24, 2010 7:26 am Post subject: |
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| scrilly wrote: |
| Lifeinkorea, I have worked a full year. My boss believes that it is impossible for me to get a job without the release letter. So, she is trying to blackmail me with it... She told me that she wants me to write a letter that states that I will not request the airfare in exchange for a release letter and her honest recommendation. She implied that she will bad mouth me to potential employers and, in the same breath, acknowledged that I have been an excellent employee. Money does funny things to people. |
I can't buy that. First, I agree with her about the airfare situation. Second, how would she know about your second school if you didn't tell her in the first place? If you don't need her recommendation, then you don't need to tell her anything.
If you need her recommendation to get a higher salary with the second school, then not only is she right in the airfare situation, but she is helping you get a higher salary with the second school. If this is true, you don't see the kindness in some people.
As for the pension, I still feel you are entitled to this. Why have money change your morals? If you can't get all, you are willing to be seen as a jerk teacher?
Just get the pension money, if you get a recommendation also, then that should be good enough. |
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