Korean Job Discussion Forums

[TheUrbanMyth]

I am writing this on behalf of a friend (he doesn't post here nor does he have a username).

He's been working at this hakwon for about five months. Last week they abruptly fired him. The reason given was that he doesn't call the students enough. First off when he started working, they didn't tell him that phoning the students would be expected. That only occurred two months into the contract. But he figured oh well, it's only a few extra hours.
So twice a month he calls the students.

Month three they told him oh you must do report cards as well (130 students) every month. He figured oh well, it's only what teachers back home would do.

Month four, they told him, you must make a quiz for each of your classes (36 per week) 30 questions per quiz once a month. Again he figured that this is what teachers back home do, so he didn't complain.

Month five they told him well we are losing students so we can't pay you your airfare (they were reinbursing him in monthly installments). Now this guy has been teaching there for five months and if anything his classes are getting bigger (13 is average) not smaller. If they are losing students, it should be the other way around.
All these duties and stipulations by the way were added AFTER the contract was signed. None of them were written into the contract.

Anyway he decides enough is enough. He wants the airfare (which was agreed to be paid him when he signed). So the management and he go head to head for awhile and they finally agree to pay him. Lo and behold two days later he is told he is a bad teacher for not phoning the students enough and is fired. Notice that nobody said anything about not phoning the students enough in months 3 and 4. Only after the feud over airfare occured was this given as a reason.

Since then he's done some research. Seven foreign teachers have been employed at this hakwon over the past two years. Only one completed his contract (and he was part-time no bonus, airfare, or housing).

Sure he should have done research before..but he was a newbie. Anyway his story has a happy ending, he found a job in Seoul.

The moral of this story is be careful when you work for Little Campus in Yangsan.

[Kristsoy]

this kind of BS is happening more and more, Id like to say that he should have went to the labor board, but then again why would he want to still work there. Sounds like the owner is saving losts of $ by screwing green teachers

[TheUrbanMyth]

I advised him to visit the labour board but he just wanted to get the heck out of that place.

[Kristsoy]

i dont balme him same thing happend to me but i was at the school 3 months...not the one ur talking about...but i didnt pay my house bills so i got her back i hope he has better luck. I think schools are going to try and screw teachers more and more

[Real Reality]

Kristsoy wrote,
"I'd like to say that he should have went to the labor board, but then again why would he want to still work there....I think schools are going to try and screw teachers more and more"

Can a foreigner really get much assistance at the Labor Office?

EFL-Law-Guy wrote,
"Last Friday I visited the Labor Office at Yeonje Gu, by City Hall. This is the HQ. I simply wanted to collect some books they have printed in English for foreigners. Well much to my surprise, and despite a trip through many offices, and discussions with many LO staff, (in Korean) no one there speaks English.

This prompted the question, namely, can they help a foreign teacher with a Labor problem. The answer = you have to ring a number in Seoul that can help! Oh, and the book I knew they had but was told they didn't have and din't exist, I found there myself"

ThisEnglishTeacher wrote,
"This also seems to be the case in Daejeon where I had to bring a Korean friend to file a petition!"
http://www.koreabridge.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=4006

[Juggertha]

thnaks for the word big bird. Nice to know these things.

[TheUrbanMyth]

Update: Now they are threating him with lawsuits (via e-mail) if he talks about his time there. They'd have to be dumb to actually do that though. They didn't pay pension, medical insurance, among other violations of the labor code.

[paperbag princess]

i've been realising lately how much the western definition of honesty and how the korean definition are totally different. the thing is that dirty hagwon owners don't even think that they are doing anything wrong.

[TheUrbanMyth]

[Kristsoy]