Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Vox_Populi]

My doctor (at a local hospital's International Clinic) told me that he wants me to have my tonsils removed and that I'll probably be unable to work for a couple of weeks due to it. When I told my boss this, he said that he would let me go rather than have me out for so long.

So my question is: Is it legal for my boss to do this? If not, to whom can I turn for legal aid? (contact information appreciated)

[ThingsComeAround]

first,
how long have you been there?

second,
do you really want to remain under your boss like that?

[wishfullthinkng]

i'm getting my tonsils removed at the beginning of may. from everything i've read on the internet about the subject, getting back to working condition takes no more than a week. my hospital is going to keep me for 2-3 days to monitor my condition and then let me free to do as i please.

you're in quite a bind though, many of the schools here have no mercy when it comes to sympathy for the ailing teacher.

[Ramen]

surely not ps.

[sirius black]

I'm assuming you're at a hogwon. If so, they really don't expect you to miss ANY days. Missing a couple weeks will cost them money. Their fee to parents is based on little Sujin being in front of a NET and they pay more for that.
I'm not saying you should go just saying no hogwon boss will want to 'lose' that kind of money via a refund back to parents.
My guess is he won't let you go. Financially its even a bigger loss if he does. Unless he has someone already in the country who can come right in, it will more costly for him to let you go. Legally, he probably can't as well.
Typically hospitals pad the time for recovery a little but bottom line is bosses have little sympathy for missing even one day of work. If you've been in this country for even a short time it should be well understood.

[thegadfly]

Tonsils are removed when they are healthy, not when they are inflamed -- if you have tonsilitis, you have to wait for it to clear up, and then a little past that to have them removed...what that means is, it is not an emergency surgery (like an appendectomy), which means that it ought to be able to be scheduled...

If you can schedule it, you should be able to schedule it just before a holiday/long weekend to recover...so you would only need a day or two off of work, rather than two weeks. if you need to show movies or do other non-talking activities during your recovery, your boss would probably prefer that to having you absent outright....

[FDNY]

Check your contract. Everyone's is different. Mine says I get five days to recover from whatever ails me. Cancer, lupus, leprosy, severe car accident...doesn't matter. Five days.

[ESL Milk "Everyday]

It could be an empty threat to try to bully you into working.
If I were you, I'd tell him you're quitting and see what happens.

The worst thing that could happen is you lose what must be a horrible job.

[ssuprnova]

[J.D.]

[wishfullthinkng]

[DaHu]

You can be fired from any job for any reason.

[Troglodyte]

[shifty]

As Sirius Black says even one day out is too many.

If you abscond for a whole two weeks your hakwon will definitely lose a host of students. Your boss has a priority to ensure that his business survives; that must come first.

Just as you hold your own needs uppermost.

Imagine returning to duties and finding that legions of students had gone their way, as a direct result of your absence. How would you feel? You'll be plagued with guilt, or at least I would. Your continued tenure would become untenable.

My standpoint is that you have to feel empathy for your employer's problems and not only gazing strictly at what's legal.

One could say,'we don't intend to get sick, it hasn't been done on purpose'. My response is that your approach to the job should be about looking after yourself so that you can get it done.

This means limited exercise, ie, don't run a marathon on a Sunday, in case you fall prey to vicissitudes, however they occur. Don't binge drink, eat well, sleep well, keep your mental focus together.

It's like being a pilot; can only indulge in alcohol at certain times. In other words it comes with the territory.

An E2 is only for one puny year. Having native teachers is a considerable strain on a hakwon's resources. To be comtemplating a 2 week bite out of a year that is only narrowly amortised is asking too much.

I would delay the op indefinitely or resign and help get another teacher.

Actually, I can see from here, there's nowt wrong with those tonsils of yours, you know how doctors are such scaremongers and drama queens.

Now stop being such a malingerer and wanting a 2 week break.

[RMNC]