Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Guardian]

Ok so I'm leaving my hagwon at the end of August and my employers gave my email address to my prospective replacement to answer any questions they have. Working here is a nightmare and I would like to give fair warning to others (as I wish the teacher I replaced had given to me). They gave the person my personal email address. What is the risk of me airing out their dirty laundry in these emails? I would feel guilty telling someone it's good here when it isn't because of how seriously slander and defamation are taken here.

Can I tell them all the dirty details without fear or could this come back to me and get me in trouble?

[ttompatz]

[artyom]

http://klawguru.com/2015/01/07/yes-you-can-end-up-in-jail-for-defamation-in-korea/

[Guardian]

Wow... No wonder people end up in bad hagwons when the current teachers are too sh*t scared to tell the truth!
The article posted above seems to say even telling the truth could get me job trouble... So does that mean if I say no, you don't get breaks and yes you have to work Saturdays (despite what the contract may or may not say) then I could get in trouble for defamation?? This country sometimes!!

As for the flowery language, even then the line is really blurry for me. For example, can I say something like "the staff are really caring, when you get sick, like with food poisoning they make you come into work so they can keep and eye on you, which is great because then you can continue to teach throughout your illness.

I just wish I could tell them everything so they wouldn't end up here but it's starting to look like I'll have to lie and say it's a good place to work
It sucks so much and I'd feel so guilty, but is it worth all the danger?

[artyom]

If it were me, I'd just say something along the lines of "unfortunately I'm unable to comment." Up to the teacher to then read between the lines.

[ttompatz]

Truth but not opinion... You are not defaming the school...

"No breaks, you work 6 hours straight|" is not defamation but a simple statement of fact.

Telling parents that the school admin are liars, thieves and cheats is defamation and will get you in hot water.

Describing the apartment as being 150 sq.ft. with a bar sized fridge and 2 burner stove-top with no hot shower is a simple description of an apartment.

Suggesting that the school requires you to live in a rat trap rather than an apartment is defaming the school.

.

[Aine1979]

You can be completely factual without putting yourself at risk. For example, you can state your working day is (I'm just making this up as an example) 9am-7pm, teaching 9 one hour classes with a one hour break for lunch and lesson prep, that you will be required to work on average one Saturday per month which isn't paid as overtime, and that the pay date is 5th of the month and you are usually paid within 5 days of that date. That won't get you into trouble, and anyone with any sense of intelligence will read between the lines.

If you say things like they break labor laws, force you to work unpaid overtime, make you lesson prep through your breaktime, don't pay on time, lie about deductions etc, if it gets back to the school, you could be at risk of defamation.

Don't risk yourself, but at the same time don't let your potential replacement go into a bad situation unwarned.

[wanthony]

Do what I did.
Go above and beyond to sell the position to get them there as soon as possible, then slip away with a cool 2 mil.