Korean Job Discussion Forums

[chaz47]

I'm nearing the time when I've got to decide to stay with the same place or move on... likely leave Korea. I currently make 2.3 for 30 hours of splits. They let me take a month of unpaid holiday to visit family. I think it's a pretty standard adult hagwon gig. So far no drama or micro-management but my neighbors suck and that complicates the split-shift a lot. I also found out that the other branch of this academy only works 9am to 9pm while I start at 6:50am and finish at 9pm.

If I stay another year it'll be my ninth in country and I actually made more in my second year with all kinds of nonsense from managers and dodgy schools in between. I certainly can't say that Korea hasn't been interesting.

Ideally I'd like a better schedule, one that would allow me to move away from this university ghetto that I currently live in and still get enough sleep despite the commute. More money wouldn't hurt either although I felt pretty vindicated when I negotiated the 2.3 back when, since then though they haven't given me any overtime (good and bad that).

I've got loads of experience here, adults, TOEFL, university, etc. I've also improved the enrollment of the academy significantly over the previous teacher. I'm wondering how much I can ask for if I stay on with this place.

[NYC_Gal 2.0]

I'd ask for more money or a better schedule. Both is kind of pushing it.

Well, I mean you can ask for as much as you'd like, but it's a better idea to ask for one, as it's more likely you'll get it.

At my former hagwon, my coworker asked for more money, a better schedule, and a reduced workload. She wasn't renewed. The boss complained to me that she had been asking for too much, and I agreed. Had she focused on the most important thing, she'd have gotten it. The boss was (and is) awesome, and was very accommodating, so it was a shame for the coworker.

[Troglodyte]

If you're at an adult hogwon, then unless it's a big places with a few foreign teachers, you'll likely get stuck with a split shift. It's the nature of the business. I would probably focus on the money or a few less hours. You could probably ask for 2.4 million without much problem. If you've been here for 3 year (and at the same school none-the-less) you'll likely be able to find a slightly higher paying job. BUT.... as you probably know, the majority of jobs are for teaching kids. If you really prefer to teach adults then you might not find many jobs.

You might also ask for a better apartment. It's nothing extra in your pocket but it might make life more pleasant.

You could ask for a few more paid holidays per year. (Or optional unpaid holidays.)

The other thing that you could ask about is permission to take some part time work on the side. If your school isn't teaching kids, then your boss might not even care if you work at another place between shifts because most jobs are at kiddy hagwons which aren't really rivals for him. Or you could come to an agreement that you won't work at any places that are within a certain distance of your current school. The benefit with this is that it doesn't cost your boss anything.

Or ask about the possibility of teaching privates at your school during your off hours or on weekends (in which case you'd give a percentage of income to the owner). This is also good for your boss because, again, it costs him nothing (he actually makes a bit of cash from it) AND it gets him a bit of publicity. It's good for you because privates pay a lot better than overtime and having a school to hold them in is a lot better than you going to the student's place. Even giving your boss 20% of your fee, it will still pay you better than overtime. Similarly, you might hold some in-company classes where you go to a company and hold class there. Those pay very nicely. As long as it's done under the name of your current employer, it's legal.

I would suggest starting with asking for a pay raise. If he seems hesitant, then ask him about permission to do some part time work or to hold privates at the school. If he DOES agree to the pay raise, then mention the privates as an idea. Stress that you can both benefit from it.

[NYC_Gal 2.0]

Troglodyte has the right idea. When I got my friend a job with my former boss, I negotiated his contract and got his hours cut down a bit (and they were sweet to begin with) and written permission for him to work on the side. The boss was looking to pay less than she was paying me, so it was win win.

[Jodami]

OP:

Don't kid yourself. You're a piece of white meat with two eyes and a pulse. Your demands will be laughed out of the joint.

Please, please, report back when this happens, and when your inevitable groveling and begging to stay occurs. My bet is you'll eventually sign a new contract after accepting a pay cut.

[fustiancorduroy]

If they like you and you've done as good a job as you claim, then I don't see why your bosses would have any issue giving you a 100 or 200k a month pay raise. Maybe more. I also can't imagine that moving to another location would be much of an issue, either.

OP, you have to be willing to be assertive and get what you deserve. Worst case scenario, they don't want to give you anything extra and you decide to leave Korea sooner rather than later.

[BackRow]

9 yeas, making 2.3...

Time to bail

[Nester Noodlemon]

[Chaparrastique]

[chaz47]

I appreciate the dose of skepticism, but this place had a backpacker sandal wearer before me and they were losing students left and right. I brought professionalism and organization that they were definitely lacking. If I weren't the sole foreigner I would be the 'head teacher' of the waygookin. Not to toot my horn overtly, but the sales staff compliment me because my classes continue to bring them commissions.

Anyway, we'll see what happens. If I need to get out of the ROK I guess it's just gonna happen regardless. I could certainly use an extended rest after 2 years of split-shifts with noisy university students as neighbors.

[Chaparrastique]

[chaz47]

[Speck7]

[Speck7]

[matthews_world]

Do you have 5 years of documented experience plus reference letters? You might qualify for the F-299 (non points). You could find multiple jobs this way.