Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Kiki81]

So I while ago I posted on a now locked topic .... I think it was called "working over 30 classes" or something like that. I just wanted to give an update on my situation and also give a warning about bad hagwons.

I was not fired. I just completed my year contact. I am waiting for my last paycheck and severance pay, which I should get next week. I asked my boss specifically which dates I would get these payments. We get paid on the 10th of the following month, so that is when I'll get my last paycheck. But she told me I have to wait 1 month for the severance pay. This is illegal actually, because according to the labor law, which you can read posted on this forum, an employer has to pay the severance pay within 2 weeks.

I asked her why it would take so long, and she said something about paying my fees for the apartment, like gas, electric, ect. That seems fair, but I still don't trust them because of their bad practices.

So, since I know the manager pretty well at the apartment, I had him make a receipt of everything I owed him. I paid everything outright. He signed it and told me I had settled everything. I paid this month's and last month's utilities, the room cleaning fee, and a fee to replace a glass I broke. So, everything is settled with the apartment, and now I'm just waiting for my last payments. Altogether with last payment and severance pay my hagwon owes me around maybe 3,500,000-3,700,000, depending on taxes. I worked 3 weeks out of 4 this month, so I wont get a full month's paycheck.

If they try to screw me in any way imaginable with my payments, I will def take it up with the Labor Board.

I just wanted to warn people about bad hagwons, like mine, and their bad practices. My hagwon is loosing money, and a way bad hagwons try to cut costs is to force employees to leave or get fired before their year contracts are over, so they cannot collect severance pay. This has happened many times before, just check some of the posts here, or other places. It is not uncommon. This is what they tried to do to me, but you know what, I fought back, and I put up a big stink and let them know. They really treated me awfully, but I'm scrappy and I fought back. I think in the end, they thought it was cheaper to keep me than to force me out, because they got wind of me going to immigration and that scared them a little so they backed off. I think that's why they allowed me to finish my contract. LOL I knew too much

Another sign of a bad hagwon, or any company, is high turn-over rate of staff, especially from the Korean staff. My hagwon was the same. In the year that I worked there I had 5 different managers, so the average length of time in management there was 2-3 months Also they fired, or forced resignations, of 75% of the Korean staff and brought in new teachers and staff, again before their year contracts were completed.

Another sign of a bad hagwon that's loosing money is blaming teachers, especially Korean teachers, when students leave. In fact, it got so bad they fired 75% of the Korean teachers, and then more students left because their homeroom teachers changed, or parents got suspicious of the reasons for their children's favorite teachers leaving. Then what did my bad hagwon do? Did they blame themselves for bad business practices and faulty management? Oh no, it's never their fault. They blamed the brand new Korean teachers for students leaving!

I'm so glad I'm done with that bad hagwon and I feel sorry for my former coworkers that still work there. And they started to do the same things they did to me with the teacher who started 6 months ago, picking on every little thing he does. Things that they never cared about when he first started are suddenly big things now. I warned him that they'd do the same things to him as they did to me, especially around his 8 month mark.

But now I'm so happy that I'm free of that place and I'm just waiting for my last payments. I guess I will keep updating whether or not they actually pay me. But if they don't, it's their heads on the chopping block.

[CentralCali]

As I mentioned in another thread, this response is not really for this thread's OP, but rather for other foreigners who may find themselves in a similar situation.

[Kiki81]

[CentralCali]

Your reading comprehension has not improved a whit. Nor have your manners.

[Kiki81]

Was that an attempt at a personal insult? Those aren't considered adequate rebuttals, you know?

[nicwr2002]

I think you are referring to the BC schools getting closed for teachers having the wrong visas. However, look who got the brunt of the trouble, the teachers. The hagwon goes on with a slap on the wrist compared to being deported and banned from entering Korea for 5 years. I admire your idealism, but things just don't work out like you hope they would here.

No I must admit, this current administration is doing some good though when it comes to education and inspecting business practices of companies, IMO.

[CentralCali]

Right. You did what you think was good, ignoring sound advice from experienced people, and it worked out so well that you are now not getting the money owed you. In the other thread, you insulted other posters and me when we pointed out facts to you. The one poster who fed your deluded view while also being rude and insulting got himself banned. Your comments about other posters and me were clearly deluded, to wit accusing us of being hagweon recruiters or hagweon management.

So, why did you bring up Immigration in this thread if that's not an issue? If your visa status was okay, but you believe the employer was concerned (look at your own post about the employer "getting wind of" you going to Immigration), that means you either knew or suspected other foreign workers there at the time were on the wrong visa. And where did I say the employer would not get in trouble? I said the consequences were negligible for the employer compared to the consequences for the foreigner on the wrong visa.

Going by your own description of the issue, you had no valid complaint while working at that school. Going by your own description, you now have a valid and actionable complaint that is not connected to your earlier misconceptions. Your complaint will have even more merit if your former employer does not pay you.

I have a decade of experience with Korea; ttompatz has more than that. Other posters in your other thread, posters with a lot of experience in Korea, also told you facts and we gave you legitimate advice.

That's what I mean when I say your reading comprehension has not improved since the other thread was closed. You continue to insult and that's evidence of your manners not improving either.

[PRagic]

Have to side with CentralCali on this one. The situation described here could have been posted verbatim in the early 90s when I first arrived.

Unfortunately, regarless of countless stickies and posts containing advice and warnings, people continue to sign contracts and to come over to work for less than scrupulous employers without doing sufficient due diligence.

Dave's should be mandatory reading, particularly the stickies, for anyone looking to come over and teach, no matter the venue.