Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Eglayzer]

I am 3 months into my third contract in Korea. I finished out my first two and had no major problems. This new school I am at has screwed me a lot since day one. I was told I would be living in a very nice part of Seoul but was instead placed in the backwoods (think nearly 30 minutes to walk to a subway station). I was also told I would be 20-30 minutes from my school by bus, but am actually more like 1 hour. I have very little free time to myself because of the long commutes. There is absolutely nothing near my house other than a GS25 so grocery shopping and other simple errands take forever, not to mention trying to have a social life. I have explained all of this to my boss and without going into too much detail they subtly told me to shove it and "accept it."

I don't have any ethical or moral qualms about screwing them over because I myself was lied to about what my living situation would be. However, I do want to return to Korea at some later date for either work or possible professional research in a different field (not teaching English). I don't want to cause any legals problems that would harm my chances of obtaining a visa for work or tourism in the future. I have read some places that if you pull a runner (don't tell your boss ahead of time) then you won't be able to get a contract again until after your original counteracts expiration date. Is this right? Is that the only thing I have to worry about because I am fine not coming back for 9 months. I just don't want permanent problems.

Please advise!

[ttompatz]

[koreatimes]

Your worries were true before, but now it's different. Get your last pay and leave at your convenience.

The only real downside to leaving is that you have to get all new documents again if you want to teach. In your case, it won't matter.

Personally, I wouldn't put up with the scenario you described. On one side, not having a store nearby is not a big deal. You just go on weekends and get what you want. However, if they don't put me directly near the school (like 5-10 minute walking distance) I will leave too.

My current school in China changed school locations. I bitched and complained that this was not what I agreed to, and they have changed the schedule so I get either 4 day work weeks or some half days in exchange for commuting.

I feel real sorry for the students because at lunch time, they all have to take buses or ride their bicycles home and come back (about 1500 at the school). I wonder how they will react during the coldest times in winter.

[Eglayzer]

I agree with you in principle but I would have never considered taking this job (long hours, less pay than my last job, the school is not located near a subway station) if it were not for the excellent location that was described to me about where I would be living. A long commute I can deal with if I have something good to come home to. I don't because I was lied to. I also do not enjoy the style of teaching (baby sitting) that my school preaches. At least at my old schools I actually got to teach English and feel proud of my work at the end of the day. Not here.

[ontheway]

[Eglayzer]

My contract does not say anything about air fair reimbursement. There is a line that says the employer may withhold 100,000 won for three months for a total of 300,000 won to pay for air fair, visa fee, ect... They never withheld that amount. so...

[Juregen]

[Eglayzer]

I cant get a new contract because I wont have time to finish it. My current contrac runs until August of 2012 at which time I will be starting my PhD back in the USA. If I were to get a new contract then I would not be able to finish it. I dislike my living and working situation enough to just go back to the US for 9 months and find whatever job I can get to pay the bills until August when school starts for me. I just dont want this decision to effect my ability to return to Korea for any reason.

[cincynate]

As long as you don't commit any crimes, you are always welcome back in Korea as far as immigration is concerned. Just make sure you hand in your ARC card when you go through immigration. You can actually leave and come back the next day on a tourist visa if you want.

[duke of new york]

To be honest, it doesn't really sound like you have the right to skip out on your contract, from what you described. It would be one thing if you weren't being paid or the hagwon was not fulfilling their end of the contract in some way (are they?), but if the only big issue is that you don't like your apartment or neighborhood, the hagwon is not really "screwing" you.

What did they tell you about your living arrangements when you took the job? Did they just say "a nice area," and you took that to mean what you wanted? Or did they tell you the area you would live in, and send pictures or at least describe the apartment? Unless they told you exactly what you would get, and then gave you something less, they didn't break their contract. You should have been more clear about what you wanted and had it put in writing (unless you did, in which case you're in the right, but you didn't mention this).

If you're not happy, give notice and quit like a responsible adult. Cutting and running should only be used against employers who are treating you in an illegal or seriously unfair way.

[Eglayzer]

This thread is really just about the long term legal ramifications of pulling a runner rather than the exact circumstances of why I am thinking of doing it. I am relucant to provide too many details should someone at work recognise the post. In the interest of full disclosure though I guess I will take that risk.

I told my recruiter specifically that I was looking for something in central Seoul because I have a girl friend, and a social network there. It is also important for me to be near the bike path because I ride a lot. The recruiter told me that the school was not in central Seoul but it was near by. I could live in Sinchon and commute by bus to work which I was told would take about 20-25 minutes. Fine, I'll take a commute for the chance to live in Sinchon! It would have been great. However, I actually live in a tiny valley call Deashin-dong which is crammed up next to a huge, unpedestrian or bicycle friendly road. I am about a 25-30 minute walk to Sinchon station infact! There are a few bus stops near my place but the large one that actually goes places is near Yeonsi (20 minute walk). There are no grocery stores, no post office, no restaraunts, nothing, for at least a 20 minute walk in the one direction that I can go, out of the valley. I have to leave for work at 9:20 if I want to be at work on time by 10:20. Sometimes I make there a fair bit early, but a lot of the time I am cutting in close to an hour, depending on traffic and how long I have to wait for the unpredictable buse. The whole point of living in a mega city like Seoul is being close to things but I have to deal with big cities hassles without any of the rewards. Should I actually get home in a reasonable amount of time its still a 25-30 minute walk to a bar, restaraunt, or form of mass transit.

The way I see it, this is a violation of what I was promised. I even printed out the emails from the recruiter describing the commute times and distance to the sub way (she told me 10 minutes on foot). They said they didnt know it took that long. So, they didnt do any research at all on how I would actually get to work. They simply found the cheapest place possible somewhat near Sinchon and put down 10million won key money. They claim that its was the recruiter who is most responsible for the "misunderstanding" but I find that this is a common argument from Korean bosses when they are trying to get out of paying for something. They just say they misunderstood and that you need to deal with their failures.

The worst part of the situation is not the living situation though, its how I have been treated by my boss while trying to negotiate a move. This is already a very long explanation so its not worth getting into other than to say that no matter how pacient I was with them, they are unwilling to help me. It maybe that the problem does lie with the recruiter. However, that mistake is really more a problem for my employer because if I am not happy, there is no way I am going to live and work there for another 9 months of my life because of their, "misunderstanding." They just dont really give a crap so neither do I.

Add to that that I really dislike how they run their school and I see no reason to give them notice. After being treated so poorly I dont have that much reason to trust them to pay my final check should I give them 30 days notice.

[duke of new york]

[Eglayzer]

Thank you for you honesty and information.

I got a job in Korea, I didn't marry it. There is no way for either party to know exactly what they are getting into and while it makes me sad that you believe I am adversely effecting your future job prospects I am still not willing to deal with 9 months of a bad situation because someone else made a mistake (miscommunication between hogwon and recruiter). I didn't do anything wrong and so I won't voluntarily punish myself for it.

I would much rather that the schools require teacher to pay for all their own start up costs but then not have to sign any legally binding contract at all.

[duke of new york]

I understand where you're coming from, and I don't blame you for wanting to leave the job if you don't like it; I'm just saying you should put in your notice before you leave, especially since the problem may not really be your employer's fault at all, just miscommunication or negligence on the part of the recruiter (likely). What do you expect your boss to do? Rent you a second apartment? He probably has a 12-month lease on the one you're in; he can't just stop paying for it. There's nothing wrong with quitting, just do it the right way. Running should be an absolute last resort, when there is no reason to work a single additional day because you won't be paid for it, you are being treated too poorly to put up with, etc. I just don't consider an hour-long commute (not very unusual for a large city) and not having a convenience store within walking distance of your house to be so intolerable. You don't have to do it for nine more months, but surely you can deal with it for one more month, just for the sake of being an honest employee?

And I didn't mean to imply that you are personally affecting me, obviously your actions as an individual will have no significant effect on the job market. I was just explaining the principle behind why this kind of thing is bad for foreign teachers as a group.

[ontheway]

Seoul is a huge megacity, as you say, and you should have realized that it can take one or two hours to get from some parts of Seoul to other parts. You wanted to live there, and that's how it is.

There are many locations, other cities and provinces, that are better suited for teachers to live a comfortable life in Korea, and many parts of Seoul that can be reached quicker from outside of Seoul than by those on the far side inside of Seoul.

As to specific promises, yes, unfortunately, many recruiters will lie to teachers and schools, collect their money and leave both the teacher and the school to suffer and work out their problems.

By deceiving you, the recruiter has cheated both you and the school. If you run and fail to give notice, you will join the ranks of the dishonest recruiter.

You should give proper notice before you leave. You have been negotiating for costly changes not contracted for or expected by your school. You have the right to leave, but you should give them time to replace you. The school hasn't cheated you, and they have no obligation to change living arrangements that are normal for Seoul. You have no valid reason not to give proper notice.