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verok
Joined: 11 Aug 2014
Location: United States
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 Posted: Tue Sep 16, 2014 9:40 am Post subject: |
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| Died By Bear wrote: |
I did a mental research tantratic shaker on this school, and I have to tell you that I'm getting a lot of bad ju-ju from what you're describing. I saw them in my dream Verok. They were like:
Co-teacher: I'm so sorry Verok, but director Ha say payday come late this month.
Verok: But I'm broke, how will I survive?
Co-teacher: I'm so sorry please understand Korean culture.
Verok: Dear Dave's....
Director Ha: What you do?? YOU write something about school on internet??? Fire!
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I hope you don't call all your students Ching Chong. 
| wooden nickels wrote: |
The boss wants to save $37 instead of cutting your flight time in half. He's just priming the pump. Be prepared for more of the same. |
No, the school hopes to save $400. Apparently the standard price for a one-way ticket is under $800, but from what I've seen it's only that price if you take the ridiculous long route. I thought they were supposed to get me the most direct flight.
My recruiter told me she's trying to get them to raise the price of airfare, but I'm not sure if that's going to happen. I'll go regardless, but if this is telling of how they treat their employees, I may not make it through the year (but you bet your ass I'll do the six months, because I wouldn't pay the $700 back). |
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northway
Joined: 05 Jul 2010
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| Posted: Tue Sep 16, 2014 10:56 am Post subject: |
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| verok wrote: |
| Died By Bear wrote: |
I did a mental research tantratic shaker on this school, and I have to tell you that I'm getting a lot of bad ju-ju from what you're describing. I saw them in my dream Verok. They were like:
Co-teacher: I'm so sorry Verok, but director Ha say payday come late this month.
Verok: But I'm broke, how will I survive?
Co-teacher: I'm so sorry please understand Korean culture.
Verok: Dear Dave's....
Director Ha: What you do?? YOU write something about school on internet??? Fire!
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I hope you don't call all your students Ching Chong.
| wooden nickels wrote: |
The boss wants to save $37 instead of cutting your flight time in half. He's just priming the pump. Be prepared for more of the same. |
No, the school hopes to save $400. Apparently the standard price for a one-way ticket is under $800, but from what I've seen it's only that price if you take the ridiculous long route. I thought they were supposed to get me the most direct flight.
My recruiter told me she's trying to get them to raise the price of airfare, but I'm not sure if that's going to happen. I'll go regardless, but if this is telling of how they treat their employees, I may not make it through the year (but you bet your ass I'll do the six months, because I wouldn't pay the $700 back). |
If you're offended by Died By Bear, you're going to have a tough go of it.
As for the latter points, your recruiter owes you nothing and owes the school everything. the likelihood that she's actually trying to get them to spend more on airfare is minimal. More likely she's stalling until it's too late for you to turn back so that she can tell you she tried. Worst comes to worst if you get pissed off maybe you write an angry post about her on Dave's ESL Cafe. Worst comes to worst if the school gets pissed off they don't use her anymore and she loses out on thousands in potential future earnings.
As for the school being "supposed to" get you the most direct route, there is no supposed to. There isn't any requirement that a school even pay your airfare, so while this may be a red flag, it's also a situation where they're "supposed to" do whatever they feel like doing.
The repayment clause is unenforceable if you're leaving the country, so I wouldn't worry too much about that. Plenty of people have pulled midnight runners without repaying their airfare. |
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wooden nickels
Joined: 23 May 2010
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| Posted: Tue Sep 16, 2014 10:58 am Post subject: |
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| verok wrote: |
| Died By Bear wrote: |
I did a mental research tantratic shaker on this school, and I have to tell you that I'm getting a lot of bad ju-ju from what you're describing. I saw them in my dream Verok. They were like:
Co-teacher: I'm so sorry Verok, but director Ha say payday come late this month.
Verok: But I'm broke, how will I survive?
Co-teacher: I'm so sorry please understand Korean culture.
Verok: Dear Dave's....
Director Ha: What you do?? YOU write something about school on internet??? Fire!
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I hope you don't call all your students Ching Chong.
| wooden nickels wrote: |
The boss wants to save $37 instead of cutting your flight time in half. He's just priming the pump. Be prepared for more of the same. |
No, the school hopes to save $400. Apparently the standard price for a one-way ticket is under $800, but from what I've seen it's only that price if you take the ridiculous long route. I thought they were supposed to get me the most direct flight.
My recruiter told me she's trying to get them to raise the price of airfare, but I'm not sure if that's going to happen. I'll go regardless, but if this is telling of how they treat their employees, I may not make it through the year (but you bet your ass I'll do the six months, because I wouldn't pay the $700 back). |
It reads like you have the right attitude about the situation. Research, research, research, helps but sometimes you have to take the plunge and tough things out. That's basically what I did when I first came here. My first job here wasn't the best nor the worst. But I kept telling myself that I was going to hang around until the 6 month mark. When the 6 month came up I decide I would tough it out and get the severance. At the end of the year I had a nice stash of money put back and moved on to something better. I kept my eye on the prize and didn't let my emotions get the best of me. I'm totally against taking crap but being persistent and willing to roll with the punches can often get you in position for something better. Nothing wrong with getting a little dirt on the feet in the beginning. Just keep your chin up and positive, and keep moving forward. You may end up working in a smooth job. Stay professional from day one, don't rock the boat, and smile a lot. Too, don't put too much pressure on yourself. Smile, be positive, get along quietly with your coworkers and the staff.
I believe you have a good shot at this. Attitude is about 90% of the game. |
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verok
Joined: 11 Aug 2014
Location: United States
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| Posted: Tue Sep 16, 2014 11:44 am Post subject: |
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| northway wrote: |
If you're offended by Died By Bear, you're going to have a tough go of it.
As for the latter points, your recruiter owes you nothing and owes the school everything. the likelihood that she's actually trying to get them to spend more on airfare is minimal. More likely she's stalling until it's too late for you to turn back so that she can tell you she tried. Worst comes to worst if you get pissed off maybe you write an angry post about her on Dave's ESL Cafe. Worst comes to worst if the school gets pissed off they don't use her anymore and she loses out on thousands in potential future earnings.
As for the school being "supposed to" get you the most direct route, there is no supposed to. There isn't any requirement that a school even pay your airfare, so while this may be a red flag, it's also a situation where they're "supposed to" do whatever they feel like doing.
The repayment clause is unenforceable if you're leaving the country, so I wouldn't worry too much about that. Plenty of people have pulled midnight runners without repaying their airfare. |
I wasn't offended by his comment as much as I was trying to be dismissive. I realize racism abounds in SK, but I expect more from Westerners. I'm not going to really listen to an asshole on the Internet that uses humorless racism to try and get a point across. But thanks for the quick judge of character.
I beg to differ on what the school is supposed to do for me -although I'm aware that they could easily wipe their ass with that- but I won't get into that since I know all I'll get is plenty of "well, that's not how it's going to be, sugar honey dandelion." I don't expect a red carpet upon my arrival, but minimal well-treatment is an expectation. If that's not the case, like I said, I'd rough it until need be. If you were right about how the school isn't supposed to give me anything, then no one would ever quit shit schools nor write about it here.
All that being said, I found your last comment helpful. Thanks. |
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verok
Joined: 11 Aug 2014
Location: United States
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| Posted: Tue Sep 16, 2014 11:48 am Post subject: |
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| wooden nickels wrote: |
It reads like you have the right attitude about the situation. Research, research, research, helps but sometimes you have to take the plunge and tough things out. That's basically what I did when I first came here. My first job here wasn't the best nor the worst. But I kept telling myself that I was going to hang around until the 6 month mark. When the 6 month came up I decide I would tough it out and get the severance. At the end of the year I had a nice stash of money put back and moved on to something better. I kept my eye on the prize and didn't let my emotions get the best of me. I'm totally against taking crap but being persistent and willing to roll with the punches can often get you in position for something better. Nothing wrong with getting a little dirt on the feet in the beginning. Just keep your chin up and positive, and keep moving forward. You may end up working in a smooth job. Stay professional from day one, don't rock the boat, and smile a lot. Too, don't put too much pressure on yourself. Smile, be positive, get along quietly with your coworkers and the staff.
I believe you have a good shot at this. Attitude is about 90% of the game. |
Thank you, and I agree with what you've said. As much as I may want answers from users here to help me out, I really just need to get there and hope for the best in the meantime.
Thanks for the encouragement. |
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northway
Joined: 05 Jul 2010
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| Posted: Tue Sep 16, 2014 12:11 pm Post subject: |
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| verok wrote: |
| I wasn't offended by his comment as much as I was trying to be dismissive. I realize racism abounds in SK, but I expect more from Westerners. I'm not going to really listen to an asshole on the Internet that uses humorless racism to try and get a point across. But thanks for the quick judge of character. |
How is that racist? You think your director is going to be speaking perfect English?
| Quote: |
| I beg to differ on what the school is supposed to do for me -although I'm aware that they could easily wipe their ass with that- but I won't get into that since I know all I'll get is plenty of "well, that's not how it's going to be, sugar honey dandelion." I don't expect a red carpet upon my arrival, but minimal well-treatment is an expectation. If that's not the case, like I said, I'd rough it until need be. If you were right about how the school isn't supposed to give me anything, then no one would ever quit shit schools nor write about it here. |
Again, there's no "supposed to". Yours is an agreement between an employer and an employee. You can choose to bail prior to leaving or after arriving, but there's a real distinction between things that they're supposed to do and things that they should do. They're supposed to pay for your health insurance, pay for overtime, honor your working hours, pay into pension, provide you accommodation (presumably), and pay your severance when you finish your contract. They should try to get you a flight that's not totally absurd, provide you with an apartment that isn't an unheated mold farm, offer some manner of support in the classroom, let you take a sick day if you need one, and give you at least a few days of training before throwing you into the fire. If they don't do the things they're supposed to do, then you have a legal basis for breaking your contract. If they don't do the things that they should do, then they're not good employers and you definitely shouldn't stay longer than a year, even if you do choose to finish your contract. More often people pull runners because schools fail to do what they're supposed to do, but sometimes they're bad enough about doing what they should do that you need to get out of Dodge. |
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verok
Joined: 11 Aug 2014
Location: United States
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| Posted: Tue Sep 16, 2014 12:29 pm Post subject: |
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| northway wrote: |
| verok wrote: |
| I wasn't offended by his comment as much as I was trying to be dismissive. I realize racism abounds in SK, but I expect more from Westerners. I'm not going to really listen to an asshole on the Internet that uses humorless racism to try and get a point across. But thanks for the quick judge of character. |
How is that racist? You think your director is going to be speaking perfect English?
| Quote: |
| I beg to differ on what the school is supposed to do for me -although I'm aware that they could easily wipe their ass with that- but I won't get into that since I know all I'll get is plenty of "well, that's not how it's going to be, sugar honey dandelion." I don't expect a red carpet upon my arrival, but minimal well-treatment is an expectation. If that's not the case, like I said, I'd rough it until need be. If you were right about how the school isn't supposed to give me anything, then no one would ever quit shit schools nor write about it here. |
Again, there's no "supposed to". Yours is an agreement between an employer and an employee. You can choose to bail prior to leaving or after arriving, but there's a real distinction between things that they're supposed to do and things that they should do. They're supposed to pay for your health insurance, pay for overtime, honor your working hours, pay into pension, provide you accommodation (presumably), and pay your severance when you finish your contract. They should try to get you a flight that's not totally absurd, provide you with an apartment that isn't an unheated mold farm, offer some manner of support in the classroom, let you take a sick day if you need one, and give you at least a few days of training before throwing you into the fire. If they don't do the things they're supposed to do, then you have a legal basis for breaking your contract. If they don't do the things that they should do, then they're not good employers and you definitely shouldn't stay longer than a year, even if you do choose to finish your contract. More often people pull runners because schools fail to do what they're supposed to do, but sometimes they're bad enough about doing what they should do that you need to get out of Dodge. |
I wonder, what are you trying to get out of posting this? It's not helpful, it's not going to change my mind, and it certainly isn't educational. You went from there's no "supposed to," to some things you think are on the company's "supposed to's." Not to mention that the "most direct flight" remark I made earlier was taken straight out of the contract.
Article 10 (Airfare)
1. Employer shall provide the Employee a one-way economy-class airfare for the most direct route from the Employee’s city of origin and Seoul-Incheon or Gimpo International Airport. Employer agrees to purchase the one-way airfare for the Employee prior to Employee departing for Korea. |
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Died By Bear
Joined: 13 Jul 2010
Location: On the big lake they call Gitche Gumee
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| Posted: Tue Sep 16, 2014 3:28 pm Post subject: |
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| Looking forward to the "Korean employers and honoring rules/contracts" thread. |
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verok
Joined: 11 Aug 2014
Location: United States
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| Posted: Tue Sep 16, 2014 4:24 pm Post subject: |
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| Died By Bear wrote: |
| Looking forward to the "Korean employers and honoring rules/contracts" thread. |
Thanks for the good wishes, hun. |
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SeoulNate
Joined: 04 Jun 2010
Location: Hyehwa
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| Posted: Tue Sep 16, 2014 4:41 pm Post subject: |
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| verok wrote: |
| Died By Bear wrote: |
| Looking forward to the "Korean employers and honoring rules/contracts" thread. |
Thanks for the good wishes, hun. |
Unfortunately, he is probably correct.
No flight from the US is under 800$ one way unless you are flying directly out of CA. They are already trying to dick you around. More will follow, that I can guarantee. |
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northway
Joined: 05 Jul 2010
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| Posted: Tue Sep 16, 2014 4:51 pm Post subject: |
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| I bet the "most direct route" thing is there for employers to use for employees who ask to take an excursion on their way to Korea rather than for the teacher to be assured of a reasonable flight. I mean, are they guaranteeing one of those sweet non-stops from New York, ATL, or Boston? |
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Hokie21
Joined: 01 Mar 2011
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| Posted: Tue Sep 16, 2014 5:30 pm Post subject: |
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Under $800 one way from the US? Will you be in the belly of the plane with the rest of the luggage?
Sounds like your school is super cheap....that does not bode well for you. Good luck this year, you're going to need it. |
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Hokie21
Joined: 01 Mar 2011
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| Posted: Tue Sep 16, 2014 6:19 pm Post subject: |
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| They will probably say that your 11 hour layover in San Fran counts as one of your vacation days. |
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verok
Joined: 11 Aug 2014
Location: United States
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| Posted: Tue Sep 16, 2014 6:29 pm Post subject: |
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| SeoulNate wrote: |
| verok wrote: |
| Died By Bear wrote: |
| Looking forward to the "Korean employers and honoring rules/contracts" thread. |
Thanks for the good wishes, hun. |
Unfortunately, he is probably correct.
No flight from the US is under 800$ one way unless you are flying directly out of CA. They are already trying to dick you around. More will follow, that I can guarantee. |
I'm not, unfortunately. I'm flying from San Juan, which makes everything a bit more complicated, but I still think they're being unreasonable.
EDIT: So, my recruiter just told me they'd pay for the better flight... I told her about article 10, which I didn't really think would help, but at least they'd ditch me now before paying my flight, and she said they'd already agreed to pay for it. |
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northway
Joined: 05 Jul 2010
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| Posted: Tue Sep 16, 2014 6:47 pm Post subject: |
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| Hokie21 wrote: |
| They will probably say that your 11 hour layover in San Fran counts as one of your vacation days. |
My first job made me teach for two weeks illegally before going on my visa run because they didn't want me to miss classroom time, sent me during Chuseok, then told me I should feel lucky that I got to go to Guam for twelve hours on "vacation". |
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