Korean Job Discussion Forums

[aznpandaman1]

After roaming the boards for some time, I was wondering if anyone would be able to help me with some information specific to my situation. It would be very much appreciated!

My Korean director informed me that she had read complaints about me and my teaching online, and that such comments hurt the reputation of the school. She continued, saying that many of my students were not signing up for the elementary after-school program (I work at a Kindergarten level school, and I know many of my students are moving out of the area to attend their future elementary schools) and because of these issues I would be evaluated to determine if I would be let go or not. If I pass my 2-week evaluation period, I will be teaching the elementary program at a reduced salary below the base salary stated in my contract. When I asked her to be more specific about the complaints, she was very vague with her response and would not give me definite answers � if it was indeed a public forum that she found this information on, she should be able to reproduce it and show me.

Is this really a justifiable reason for firing me, despite having a good track record of continual improvement and rapport with students and their parents? I was told I would receive a letter stating the discussion we had, but have not yet received it. According to my contract, the evaluation period would come immediately after that type of document. Is it true that I require written notice (signed?) that I am being let go to be legally fired, and that I am to receive either 30 days notice or 30 days severance for working with them for over 6 months?

Thanks!

[cedarseoul]

If you have been with the company for 6 months+, you are entitled to written notice of termination and either 30 days' notice OR 30 days' pay.

Under NO circumstances should you agree to work for less than your contractual salary, regardless of the rumors your boss may or may not have read about you. We are not investors in these companies; we are employees, and we are entitled to the wage we agreed to when we signed on. Your boss is certainly entitled to terminate you if she feels you are not performing to company standards, but ONLY if she does so in accordance with Korean employment law.

It's probably to your advantage to start fresh at a new school. Your boss sounds like a conniving individual who is seeking to blame/penalize you for her program's underperformance. Bottom line: it's a competitive industry. It's not always the foreigner's fault.

[Julius]

[alongway]

This is a common problem for the last year of kindergarten A/S programs. Around this time of year they start moving or going to hagwons. A lot of principals at these schools act like it didn't happen the year before as well.

[12ax7]

The story seems all too convenient for your boss. Registration goes up and down in cycles at kindergartens or hagwons. It's been like that long before you've set foot in Korea.

I'm not even convinced that the comments exist. You have the right to demand reading them, don't you think? Tell her that you'll contact the website to have them removed and speak with a lawyer about suing the person who posted them for libel (it really wouldn't be all that hard to figure out who wrote the comments since real name registration is still required in South Korea). See how she reacts to that.

Internet complaints or not, is there a clause in your contract about an efficiency wage or such penalties? Either way, she might be breaking the labor standards act.

[aznpandaman1]

Thanks for your posts everyone.
After going through the forums and labor laws and with the advice you guys have given me, I feel a lot more at ease about my situation. It seems like she's trying to intimidate me (into a lower salary possibly) the more I think about it, and with the knowledge I've gotten I'll be able to counter her "reasoning" pretty well.

A new job is definitely something to take into consideration - after all, who really wants to work for a boss who tries to deceive and mislead their employees? Hostile work environment, arguably. How much time are we given to find a new employer and transfer an E-2 visa after terminating a contract early? 30 days or 14?

[ttompatz]

[YTMND]