Korean Job Discussion Forums

[OMGtrev]

So I thought I submitted this already, but it turns out I just previewed it, so I'll have to type it up all over again.... and I had it perfect too! Agh! Anyway, here goes...

My situation is a little complicated, so I will try to be as detailed as possible.

I've been working at a hagwon since April, 2010. When I signed on, I already had a visa current from the hagwon I had to bail from the previous year. I got my former boss to release and transfer the visa to my new boss, who, in turn, got it renewed. I have been looking for jobs and have had some interesting prospects that are set for April, pretty much right when I finish at my current school. I was planning on just having my new employer pick up and renew my visa.

It seems all of that work I've been doing chasing down jobs for the past month and a half has been for naught because my boss just told me today that she wants/needs me to stay on for at least an additional month. The problem is that, even though I told her 4 months ago that I wouldn't be staying at the end of my contract, she screwed around and didn't prepare a suitable replacement. Now, with about 4 weeks left on my contract, she's tells me that she needs me to stay and, with a coy smile on her face, reminds me that I need her to give me a good recommendation and to release my visa if I want to get another job. She repeats that, smile and all, a few times, after I explain that if one of my job prospects comes through that I will be going after it as planned, and that I'd really have to think about her offer. She offered me a whopping 100,000 won raise and said she'd renew my contract so that it would be easier to get a job.

So now it looks like my options are take the offer and hope that there are decent job offers in May (I'm looking for a public school position in or around Seoul), take the offer and bargain for higher compensation and again hope for jobs in May, say "F*** you" and force her to buy my plane ticket home and try to get a job from there, or say "F*** you" and try to go with my original plan and take one of the jobs in April. Do I even need her to release/transfer my visa if the contract is finished?

I certainly would appreciate some advice on this one. Thanks!

[Oreovictim]

Has she been paying in to pension? Did she have you do your taxes? If she hasn't, give her a smile back and let her know that you can make a couple of simple calls and have her pay a nice little fine.

[OculisOrbis]

Agreed. Call the tax, pension and health insurance offfices and make sure that she was paying your premiums at the correct rate. Even if hagwons collect these at the proper level, it is not uncommon for them to lie about your salary (saying it is much lower than it is) to reduce their payments (but not yours, the difference goes in their pocket).

Also, you no longer need a letter of release for an end of contract transfer. You can wait for ttompatz to confirm this, but you can also call 1345 (immi info line) to sort out the finer details about when you should go to the immi office to complete an end of contract transfer and what documents you need.

As for her blackmailing you to stay, go have another conversation with with her and record it. Play that for potential new employer and let them listen to your old boss say that you did a good job, but if you dont stay an extra month she'll lie about your performance. It's really not a big deal what she says since you are completing a one year contract. If you did that, then there wasnt really a problem or she would have fired you long before that. You can also have the satisfaction of watching the smug smile fall off her face when you tell her you dont need her permission to transfer at the end of your contract.

Just make sure that you worked for her for a COMPLETE year or you will likely be forfeiting your airfare and severance money.

[OMGtrev]

I don't know if she has been paying into the pension because she wouldn't give us pay stubs. One teacher brought it up early on and she gave us pay stubs once or twice, but stopped after that.

As for her threatening not to give me a good recommendation, I don't even think I need to record her. I work for a big chain, but she is the owner of a franchise. I applied and was accepted by the big chain, who is offering me a job. I think I can just tell the person who is offering me the job that I won't be able to take it because my boss is blackmailing me into staying. She is already in deep shit because she's just barely staying above water with this school, and she has built quite a bad reputation among Korean teachers, which I believe the main office is aware of. Perhaps a call to the main office's HR department would be the best solution.

I will definitely be completing the full year of the contract. She won't be giving me the airfare since I will be staying in Korea, however.