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Missihippi
Joined: 22 Oct 2007
Location: Gwangmyeong
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 Posted: Mon Jan 10, 2011 7:26 pm Post subject: Moving out - Contract issues (GEPIK) |
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Hello folks, need opinions or solutions to a problem:
I'm signing a 3rd GEPIK contract with a public elementary school and want to move out of my school-furnished apartment into my friend's massive 3 bedroom apartment.
Article 10, line 4:
"Employer may provide temporary housing until the appropriate housing for Employee becomes available. If Employer is not able to provide housing for Employee (or if Employee decides to find housing on their own), Employer shall provide Employee with 400,000 KRW per month, as a rent subsidy, in lieu of the housing set forth in the foregoing 1. "
As you can see, i'm contractually able to choose my housing. However, VP is adamently against it. Reasons given were: "previous bad experience with boyfriend and girlfriend native teacher" and "no space to store furniture if you move out".
I don't want to lose my job, but i definitely wouldn't mind getting out of my tiny apartment and into some real space and saving some money (friend (who is also a male) is only charging me 200,000 rent)
Ideas? Suggestions? Thanks |
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nathanrutledge
Joined: 01 May 2008
Location: Marakesh
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| Posted: Mon Jan 10, 2011 7:50 pm Post subject: |
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If you continue reading, the contract specifies that any cost of moving shall be borne by the employee - you.
You can move out, sure, but you'll pay ANY costs associated with the move.
There is another way to look at this though. This is a new contract, and you can find your own place. But the school may (and it seems, does) see it as you're in the house, you're staying in the house.
If you point out that its not a bf/gf situation, that should take care of issue one (unless you're a homosexual). Issue two is trickier (well, unless you ARE a homosexual, than issue one is tricky). IF you offer to take the furniture with you and continue to use it, that MAY solve the problem, BUT then who will pay to move it in and out? Does the school actually own the furniture or does it belong to the people who own the house?
Good luck. |
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Missihippi
Joined: 22 Oct 2007
Location: Gwangmyeong
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| Posted: Mon Jan 10, 2011 9:20 pm Post subject: |
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| nathanrutledge wrote: |
If you continue reading, the contract specifies that any cost of moving shall be borne by the employee - you.
You can move out, sure, but you'll pay ANY costs associated with the move.
There is another way to look at this though. This is a new contract, and you can find your own place. But the school may (and it seems, does) see it as you're in the house, you're staying in the house.
If you point out that its not a bf/gf situation, that should take care of issue one (unless you're a homosexual). Issue two is trickier (well, unless you ARE a homosexual, than issue one is tricky). IF you offer to take the furniture with you and continue to use it, that MAY solve the problem, BUT then who will pay to move it in and out? Does the school actually own the furniture or does it belong to the people who own the house?
Good luck. |
the cost of moving is nothing to me.. it doesn't say i have to pay the cost of storing nasty old furniture if i choose to find my own accomodation.
i've already pointed out that it's not a bf/gf move, and i'm not gay.. the VP is just putting me in the lying rapist drug addict foreigner column.
offer to keep the furniture? no, it's terrible and ugly
school owns furniture so they would need to do something with it (preferably burn it) |
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nathanrutledge
Joined: 01 May 2008
Location: Marakesh
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| Posted: Mon Jan 10, 2011 9:31 pm Post subject: |
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2. Employer shall decide on the type of housing and whether to provide Employee with housing or a rent subsidy. Once decided, Employer�s decision shall not be subsequently changed during the Term of Employment. Any and all costs incurred by the Employee as a result of changing housing during the Term of Employment shall be borne by the Employee.
3. Housing selected by Employer may be, including but not limited to, a leased house, dormitory, or an apartment. A single teacher will be provided with a one-room apartment on or off campus, and a married teacher with dependents will be provided with a residence with two bedrooms. Any and all fees, charges, costs, taxes, expenses, etc. additional to monthly renting fees and/or key money incurred in using the housing shall be borne by Employee (e,g. maintenance fee, monthly electrical, water, and gas fees). In case of moving, any cost incurred shall be borne by Employee if the move is due to Employee�s personal matter (e.g. marriage). |
From the GEPIK contract that I have (bolding mine).
The questions that come to mind are what is the term of employment? If it's as long as you work at the school, then you've got nothing. If it's the term of the contract, then you have a bit more leeway BUT, it still specifies that the EMPLOYER will decide, not the employee.
Also, that phrase ANY COST is what's going to get you. It will cost the school to move the furniture out and store it, and if they don't want you to move, they'll stick you with it.
The thing that's working in your favor is that it's a new contract. I'd argue that it's a new contract, and as such, you're not changing housing, you're selecting the housing subsidy. Hopefully, they won't pick up on the fact that they get to decide and you might have a decent shot. Every place I've worked has had the same clause in it, but they've always asked me if I had my own place or wanted theirs. |
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jrwhite82
Joined: 22 May 2010
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| Posted: Tue Jan 11, 2011 12:58 am Post subject: |
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| nathanrutledge wrote: |
The questions that come to mind are what is the term of employment? If it's as long as you work at the school, then you've got nothing. If it's the term of the contract, then you have a bit more leeway BUT, it still specifies that the EMPLOYER will decide, not the employee.
Also, that phrase ANY COST is what's going to get you. It will cost the school to move the furniture out and store it, and if they don't want you to move, they'll stick you with it.
The thing that's working in your favor is that it's a new contract. I'd argue that it's a new contract, and as such, you're not changing housing, you're selecting the housing subsidy. Hopefully, they won't pick up on the fact that they get to decide and you might have a decent shot. Every place I've worked has had the same clause in it, but they've always asked me if I had my own place or wanted theirs. |
As stated in the GEPIK contract, the term of employment is one year (365 days). So at the end of the contract the teacher is no longer responsible for the furniture/apartment. Regardless if he renews or not. That is starting a new contract. If the OP signed his new contract already he is SOL. But if he did not, then this should be negotiable.
They hire us as CONTRACT employees for a reason. It gives them the freedom to cut us or hire new teachers every year. We do not get tenure. However, this freedom comes at the cost of having to renegotiate every year. Schools need to realize they don't get to choose to hire and fire us at will every year AND keep us locked into the same contract and living conditions against our will. Contractual employment doesn't work like that.
If a GEPIK school moves you to a new apartment because of their choice. The school is responsible for paying a mover of their choice to move all your stuff and their furniture. This was told to us at the last orientation. If your employer gets you a new apartment because yours has been deemed uninhabitable, they should pay for that move as well.
Anyway, OP you got a few choices to make. You know the situation better than I do. It might be worth it to split the cost of a Bongo Truck and Crew to move all this crap into an empty space in the school. I find it hard to believe there is no room in a storage closet somewhere in your school to throw a bedframe and a mattress. The shelves, dresser, tables, chairs, utensils I'm sure would be snatched up and used by teachers for their classrooms or teachers' rooms. So maybe you could offer that as a solution and meet him half way. He saves face and you get what you want (but maybe fork out 100,000W for a truck....not going to break the bank). Win win. |
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lifeinkorea
Joined: 24 Jan 2009
Location: somewhere in China
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| Posted: Tue Jan 11, 2011 1:27 am Post subject: |
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This is really a mutual arrangement. The school could choose not to hire someone. If they can post ads for teachers without living accommodations, then I don't see why they can't make offers requiring the teacher to accept the living arrangements or rent on their own at their own expense. This means no 400,000 housing allowance.
I would ask them when the lease is up and see if you can compromise. Stay until the end of the lease or move out now, don't collect the 400,000 and then after the lease get 400,000/month. Schools have storage, so I don't buy the excuse they don't know what to do with it. There is another reason. |
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