Korean Job Discussion Forums

[bbud656]

I finished my contract with my public school over a month ago. My severance pay was almost 3 weeks late and I had to call the POE office to get them to pay it. But, my school decided not to give me my exit allowance. My contract is from last year and states that as long as I dont get a job with a POE in Korea I get my exit allowance. They recently changed the new contracts to say you get refunded, but mine doesnt say anything like that. Ive had the Korean version checked as well. I got a job with a university and they dont provide any exit or entrance allowance so I want to collect what my contract says im owed. Problem is, the school doesnt think its 'right' because I didnt fly home. The POE coordinator doesnt want to help me anymore and just sent me an email saying, I have to deal with it. Is this a labor board issue?

[calendar]

Take it to them and see.

[koreatimes]

[bbud656]

Yeah it specifically says in English and Korean that i dont get the 1.3 million IF I sign with another POE school. Because it goes on to say that the next POE school shouldnt provide an entrance allowance as well. The new contract fixes this and refunds you after you buy your ticket home. Its just crazy that these people think they can interject their opinions on what they think is fair despite what the legal contract says.

[koreatimes]

Then that would be like getting 1.5 severance, if you want to fight for the .5, good luck. For me it is easier to just find a new job and put my energies in getting 2.5

[Deranged Ranger]

what exactly DOES your contract say?

if your contract says that you get an EXIT ALLOWANCE then you get that money no matter what, if the contract says "flight reimbursement" then you DON'T get it unless you can produce a flight out of Korea within a week of your contract end date.

Those are your rights.

[bbud656]

"If the employee successfully completes his/her duties set forth in this contract for the full term of employment specified herein, the employee shall be entitled to an Exit Allowance of 1,300,000 Korean Won within one month of successful completion of the Term of Employment. In the case of contract renewal, the contract renewal allowance shall be given after the commencement of the renewed term.

The Employee may reapply to another Provincial Office of Education upon completing the term of Employment with the current POE by obtaining a letter of release from the current employer which may be issued if the employee has satisfactorily completed the current contract. However the employe shall not receive an Entrance Allowance for the commencement of the new term of employment with the new POE. "

That's all the applicable text. So after reading this again, as long as I finished the contract there is no situation where I wouldn't get the exit allowance. Meanwhile, I have to sit here and watch the Won drop while these morons 'have meetings' about it. So fed up. Plus some Adjumma spit on me twice as I waited for the light to change today. Like full on turned in my direction and hawked a huge loogie right at me, yelling about foreigners. Korea is really turning on the charm for me lately.

[Deranged Ranger]

Yes they owe you that money, Have you contacted the POE, they would have paid the money to the school. If you werw ith SMOE get JOn pak involved in it, the school is trying to screw you.

[jamesd]

It's very interesting to hear that POE (gov't) schools are not paying on time.

When you file a complaint with labor board, do you need to bring someone who can speak Korean or do they have someone to translate?

[iRock]

you are supposed to get that money per your contract

don't let them rip you off!!!!

[koreatimes]

Interesting times in Korea

[bbud656]

The worst part is, due to them being almost 20 days late paying me, I lost 200 dollars in the exchange rate. This is a public school in a wealthy area. They have a budget for 5 native teachers! Its not like they are scraping by. Also, I put in a request for all this money through the chain of command about 3 weeks before my contract ended. They really have no excuse. My only official contact at the school is a women who isnt going to lift a finger to help me. Luckily I have friends there so I had them try to find out what the hold up is. Everyone is blaming someone else.

But this same school threatened to not pay me for using a sick day, so I wouldnt rule out them being malicious. I thought I did a rocking job at that school. Kids loved me, parents loved me, everything was grand except I had a problem with one unstable coteacher and the higher ups took her side against me even though they knew she was insane. I guess its just easier to treat the foreigner who is on the way out like crap than deal with the real issue. I have a ton of stories about stuff you wouldnt believe would go on at a public school. Really the most unprofessional environment I have ever worked in, and I have worked as a teamster with convicted felons. Just a warning to everyone trying to escape the Hagwon BS by going the public school route. There are no guarantees in Korea