Korean Job Discussion Forums

[awnine]

Hello, Im in Korea on my first job at a private Hagwon.

Ive only been there a month but im already considering leaving, as there is a lot of overtime, preperation, and general stress, partially because none of the management speak English, and partially because of all these additional things we're expected to do beyond teaching (making films of every student every month, designing the syllabus, spending our lunch hour feeding the children etc).

Now, Im not sure how typical this job is of hagwons but i cant imagine other jobs will be worse, I realise many of youmight roll your eyes and think im just complaining about a very normal situation but yknow i need some hope of something better.

So, my question is, if i wanted to leave the job in say 2 months, what would i have to do regarding visa, possible blacklisting etc? is it simply a case of providing notice, and getting a new visa on a new visa run? or are there other barriers?

thanks a lot, also does this sort of job sound typical? 50 hour weeks plus making worksheets at home every night? am i just too weak for korea?

[Guajiro]

[young_clinton]

[awnine]

but my visa expiration date is basically a year from now... So is it that its impossible to leave without a letter of release?

I was told that after 6 months they had to give you a letter of release if you asked for it, is this true?

[awnine]

also,slightly off topic, if you are fired from a job what happens then with regards to finding another? is it the same as if you had just ran away, ie that you cant find work until the visa is up?

[beentheredonethat777]

[awnine]

Ok, so to get things straight, korean law is that if you accept a job, dont like it or are not good enough at it, youre then banned from the country for the remainder of that year long visa period?

so there is absolutely no chance of changing a job, you are completely at the whim of your employer for that year? they effectively have the ability to throw you out the country with zero chance of finding work (if they fire you)?

Being fired in Korea means being kicked out the country?

[beentheredonethat777]

You got it! This is a different place. It's not even close to the western way of things.

For example, in America if you don't like a job, you can quit and go work somewhere else.

Or, if you get fired, you can also find a new job the next day and begin working.

In Korea, it is not that easy. Once hired, you must fulfill the contract.

You CAN quit, but you have to leave the country.

UNLESS, you have a full set of new documents, try to endure it.

If you get a RELEASE letter, you can change jobs, if not, you can't.

If you get FIRED,without obtaining a release letter, you must go home or

somewhere else.

[beentheredonethat777]

Are you really working 50 + hours, plus doing more work?

Gosh, that is wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy too much. Is there anything in

contract that sets the amount of hours? No, that is not typical.

[awnine]

the contract is 11-7, mon-friday, but generally the boss gives so much work that everyone is still there at least an hour later everyday. the lunch break consists of dishing out food to all the kids, and then looking after them for the remainder of the hour, so its not really a break... sometimes the lunchbreak will be 15 minutes eating,then driving to do flyering for the remainder of the hour outside a school.

the classes are just myself and the kids, and i dont speak korean, nor do the bosses speak english, and ive just been given all these books but without any real indication of how to teach them or how long theyre meant to take. plus there are all these monthly deadlines like an "interview" with the kids, every kid, every month, which has to be a very pretty 2min video of them demonstrating english (redone multiple times if necessary, if it doesnt look good enough)... all the work has to be uploaded to this korean website that i cant really navigate, and the boss is constantly in touch using this kakao talk group until midnight every day with everyone,so its hard to escape work when at home.
_________

thanks for the bad news anyway...

when you talk about a set of new documents, you mean apostilled degree, police background check etc right?

so is it possible to say, leave, theres no LOR, but you can leave the country and reapply as if you were never here (as in, go through the whole visa process again) and come back within the period of your original visa?

(apologies if im repeating myself here)

[Troglodyte]

The replies in this thread are so full of false information and outdated information.

If you quit or get fired, you can apply for a new visa (with new documents, of course) right away. You don't have to wait until the original visa would have expired. That was a very short lived policy years ago (and even when it was in play, it was not universally enforced).

You are NOT obligated to stay at this job. It's your right to quit at any time you want. Koreans do it all the time. The point of labor law is to protect the worker, not the employer. Even if you got a LOR (which the employer is not obligated to give you - neither now nor after 6 months) you might not be able to use it during your first 4 months. Definitely after 6 months (and almost surely after 4 months) immigration would accept it for a visa transfer.

When you came here, you should have come with a spare set of documents. If you didn't then apply for them now and bide your time while you wait for them to arrive. Once you have them in hand, then leave. Wait for payday and then just call up the school the next day and say hat you quit. No need for a midnight run. You can't be blacklisted at immigration for quitting. You'll have 14 days to leave the country or 30 if you ask for an extension.

There are a few ways that you can go about looking for a new job. Whatever way you choose, do NOT look for work in your current city (unless it's Seoul, in which case, look in a different area of town) and don't use the same recruiter. You don't want your current employer to find out until you actually leave. Otherwise he'll withhold part of your pay (or fire you on the spot). I recommend that you start your search two weeks before you quit. Tell recruiters and schools that your current employer is cheating you or such since it's a common enough situation and gives you a legitimate reason to withhold their contact details. Alternatively, you could look for a job after you quit but in that case, make sure you have enough money saved up for a few weeks at a youth hostel (or equivalent). Be sure to tell the new schools that you want to start work soon after you finish the current job so you want them to make the visa application ASAP. They can't do that until you finish the current job and cancel your current visa though.

Before you quit your current job, find a place to stay. If you have some Korean friends who have no connection at all to your school, ask them to find you a goshiwon. It's a small one room apartment that students or businessmen rent. They can be rented by the month and are cheaper than a hostel or hotel. Move all of your stuff out of your current apartment since you won't be able to stay there after you quit. In fact, as soon as you call up the school to say you've quit, the boss will be over to the apartment in a moment to look for you. I recommend that you block his number after that so that you don't have to bother with him anymore.

You will probably lose out on some money if you're not paid on the first of each month. Depending on whether you got a flight over or not, that money might be recoverable. If you got a flight over and it's probably about equal to what you've lose on the week or two of pay, then just write it off and be done with it. If you don't owe the school anything then take them to court by first reporting them to the labor board for unpaid wages. You are owed any money for time worked even if you quit without advanced notice. It's the law. Koreans do it all the time. Small companies try to cheap workers all the time. The LB is there to help. It might take a few months and a visit to court but if the school wants to avoid a record on file at the LB then they'll just pay up.

Here's how the new visa process will take place. You quit your current job. Eventually you leave the country. I would recommend that you book a flight or ferry to Japan (cheapest destination) AFTER you have received your pay. Spend a day or two in Japan (lots to see and do there, so consider it a mini-vacation) and be sure to tell the immigration guy that you're cancelling your visa when you leave. Don't tell him that you intend to return. They will take your ARC. If they don't take it then they likely didn't cancel your visa and it will still be active when you return. Make sure that they take it and keep it when you exit Korea. As soon as you leave, your new employer can submit an application for a new visa application number. This can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks (likely it will take a week). During that time you can either come back to Korea or hang out for an extended vacation while you wait for the visa issuance number. If you stay abroad then once you have the VIN, you go to the nearest Korean embassy or consulate and get a new visa. You return and start working like normal. If you come back before you get the VIN then normally the employer should pay for your visa run to Japan to pick up the new visa. If you started your job search after doing your visa cancellation run (i.e. you quit, left Korea, returned and THEN started your job hunt) then your new employer should pay for the visa run to Japan (flight and accommodation - if you're lucky you'll get a small per diem but don't count on it).


As for how common your situation is... It's not uncommon. The hagwon experience varies a lot. It can range from horrible (worse than your situation) to wonderful. Some places will put you in a huge apartment with nice facilities and have you working 25 hours a week. Others will have you in a moldy shoe box apartment teaching 40 hr (part of which is on the weekend). Since you're already in the country, you can go visit the schools in person to get an idea of what they're like. (In person interviews also increase your chance of getting the job.) Ask for photos of the apartment before signing. Verify the potential work schedule. Try to find a place that already has a syllabus and materials (if you don't like making your own).

[Coltronator]

[awnine]

Thanks a lot everyone for the replies, i should have really done this research beforehand but im not so good at the planning.

I actually found the job while in korea, and have a separate appartment unrelated to the hagwon, so it makes things a little easier.

I will try and continue with the job as best I can for now, my way of thinking is that if i actually work the hours on the contract then it wont be so bad but its all this overtime thats practically forced on us that makes it so intolerable, and is something ive never experience before (though i know its very common in asian work culture).

Troglodyte, thanks a lot for the detailed exit strategy ... its a huge weight off my mind know that there is something that can be done, rather than the feeling that im trapped for 11 months.

One final question, with blacklisting, does it happen, and if so what for? you mention that quitting is not grounds for blacklisting, in my contract it says i must give 2 months notice before quitting. Would being fired be grounds for blacklisting, or leaving without the 2 months notice?

[Troglodyte]

[ttompatz]