Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Felix the Cat]

I finished working in Korea a couple of months ago. Until departure time, my hagweon treated me rather well. However, when I left, my director ended up screwing me out of over 1.2 million won. I guess it's too early to say for certain that I've been screwed, since we are still 'negotiating' over what is owed me, but I have very few hopes that he will follow through on his promise to pay me. I am currently in Malaysia, after all.

I left after ten months, but did give nearly three months notice that I would be doing so. My director saved return fare and my 2.0 million bonus that would've been due had I stayed another two months. He promised me that I'd be paid on my last day of work, at which time he hemmed and hawed and finally told me he was withholding my salary because my girlfriend had done a midnight runner.

In the past, he reneged on contractually-guaranteed return airfare with another teacher, and withheld the bonuses of another two teachers unless they worked an extra three weeks - unpaid - until their replacements arrived.

My question is: do I have any recourse at all? ( I really doubt I do, but any suggestions would be great.) I'll be back in Korea briefly for my return to the States in a few months. The director is extremely non-confrontational, and prefers to do things behind people's backs. Would I be better off confronting him face-to-face in a few months? Finally, in light of his history with me and other teachers, should prospective teachers be warned?

[elmer]

Hi Felix. Funny you posted today. I was just wondering last night where you have been...

Anyway, I wouldn't want to work for that guy. I think blacklisting/warning is in order unless he comes through with all monies promised. Even if he does, I still wouldn't want to work there (mostly I wasn't impressed with the withholding of bonuses until replacement teachers arrive).

Hope you get what you are owed.

My only advice is to assure him that you will be back to get your money if he hasn't paid it to you by then. I would start the threats of blacklisting/lawyers/ whatever only when it's clear he has no intention of paying you.

have a good time in Malaysia in the meantime!

[The Lemon]

[Harvard Material]

Yes. You have three years to seek a settlement.

[The Great Wall of Whiner]

Felix the Cat wrote:

[Harvard Material]

Felix. Post the name of the school/director regardless of the outcome.

Get your money man. Don't take no, and don't lay off. DO NOT PROTECT THIS EMPLOYER! This happens on a regular basis because so many people don't care to push the issue, or make any attempt to get what they have worked for. $100.00 or so I wouldn't worry about. 1.2 million won?

You are to get paid all monies owed on your final day of work. It is pretty simple for a Korean businessman/woman to stall...especially if they know you aren't sticking around Korea for long. They play the waiting game to see if you will actually hold out or not.

If you die he/she can't keep your salary. It get's sent to your next of kin. Within 14 days!
If you don't/didn't have a proper visa and your employer has decided to keep any money owed to you you can still collect it. EVEN IF YOU WORKED ILLEGALLY! He/she/they can not keep your salary unless you refuse to collect it. Plain and simple.

Send me the business/owner name and phone/fax#/e-mail. You can appoint anyone you wish to act on your behalf. I'll get on his/her/their ass for you. By the time you come back it may already be in your account.

Of course he is extremely non-confrontational. Easier to have his way if he doesn't have to deal with you...or anybody else. Small wonder your girlfriend split.

[SaraDevil]

There are things in life the create parallels. The way one is treated and the way one treats others. A lot can be learned from the way one treats others.

Although I do not begrudge Felix his right to harm and damage the school in any way he sees fit, I feel I must say something. Although I'm sure I'm in for some character assassination for doing so, I don't care.

First, teachers are being referred to here without there permission or consent. The situation, which is being described by Felix, is quite different from that which is true. I know this because I spent the last three days emailing these teachers with things that have been said, and they are not happy. They agreed to stay on to help train the teachers not because they were forced to, they stayed because they wanted those of us coming in to have some kind of training before they left. I think that was admirable of them.

Reports of a teacher not being offered a plane ticket back are wholly fabricated by a person who was not aware of the details of that situation, and is again unfair.

The school and the director are not blameless who is, but I think that both are being wronged unfairly.

About the parallels: I suppose that a person who spent more time prepping for the privates would not have noticed that kind of tension that created in the school setting. The same person was often unable for evening outings, and unable to take many of the advantages extended to teachers because of his own private behind the back dealings. 1.2 million one seems almost silly when the person in question easily pocketed almost 5 million won in private money lessons above and beyond their school salary.

The person who spent more time online on message boards, how handy they are, then being concerned about work should be surprised when the employer feels a bit wronged.

A person who constantly badmouths his or her employer to anyone willing to listen can only feel vindicated if anything happens. A person whose girlfriend was pregnant, and the reason for that persons quitting his job, might feel a bit chastised when an employer was upset after seeing said girlfriend walking around un-pregnant a week before the person was said to leave. This being the primary reason that said employer decided to seek remuneration.

Oddly enough, this entire thing is about revenge. This is about the revenge of one person who was lied to and cheated when he thought that a person was going to be honest and above board. A person who felt severely wronged when there was a realization that suddenly the terms had changed that at the last minute one was left feeling entirely powerless about the situation and any ability to change it. A person who dwells on that sense of powerlessness and then decides to seek control in the only way they can. Through the pocket, throught the money, the only thing they have power to control.

I am sure that is how your employer felt when seeing your girlfriend walk down the streets of Daegu. I know this because I could see how green that employer was the next day, and I could see how sick he was about the situation.

Imagine the parallel between him and yourself. I'm sure you are capable of empathy, so I would advise you to take a second to think about how your employer felt. I entirely expect you to peruse this anyway.

Again, I don't feel that much of this will matter, however, I will stand up for the school, not because I dislike you or what you feel you are owed. You have a right to what is yours, everyone does. You have a right to hate a job, an employer, employees, coworkers, and the planet in general.

I have a right to say something about that as well. I actually understand your leaving, although I can't imagine you could comprehend how. I can even sympathize with how screwed over you must have felt. But I also understand how your employer felt, and that is why I need to speak.

[Canuck]

[Felix the Cat]

Well, I guess said employer can feel vindicated in that he managed to have a teacher on board without having to pay his salary (not unlike slavery).

Regarding the very personal issues you bring up, they have no bearing on the agreement we made - I gave more than ample notice because I did indeed care about the school, and especially my students. Things that are none of SaraDevil's nor my boss' business do not negate the fact that I was the only one who honored the verbal agreement we had (and to which SD was not privy). Don't worry - no character assassination here.

Regarding the other teachers: I never mentioned them by name, and I have every right to talk about past deceptions and broken promises if they illustrate a pattern of dishonest behavior by the director.

I have two regrets about my employment at St. Paul Academy (which in all honesty, seemed to be going well until I was nearly on a plane at Incheon). One is that I tried to do the right thing by giving ample notice. In retrospect, I would've been much better served by leaving quietly the night after I was paid - someone was going to screw the other in this situation, and I would've rather it been me. The other is that I assumed the director and I could come to a win-win agreement. I now know that this concept is nearly unknown in Korea, and he was conjuring up a reason to screw me the entire time.

[Felix the Cat]

Forgot to add: the director may feel vindicated about having employed a teacher for free, but he still gets to see me again (I'm sure he never expected that) in a few weeks.

[Homer]

Felix,

I think SaraD was just trying to show that there are two sides to the situation.
She did a good job of it so did you. It does seem like both sides have their share of responsibility here Felix.
She made some interesting points about the way thinsg seemed to be at your school. What she said about the lesson prep and the pvts is nothing new. We had a teacher at my school who was doing so many pvts that he slacked on his teachign responsibilities at the school. This created problems for everyone at the school. Not saying this is your case but it can happen.
If your ex-eomployer owes you money then by all means go and ask for it if he really owes your this money of course.
If its a legitimate claim he will have to pay you even if he might end up choosing not too....

[TheUrbanMyth]

[Felix the Cat]

I still want to pound that fucker's face into the pavement until he shits teeth.

[Juggertha]

I too think theres two sides to every story... IMO your owed your money that you worked for and we agreed with...

however, this is still one side of it. I tink its interesting to get a slight glimpse into the other side by SD.

Personal issus aside.. you didn't finish your contract, makes things tougher IMO.

[Felix the Cat]

[q]Personal issus aside.. you didn't finish your contract, makes things tougher IMO.[/q]

No, but I discussed this with my director, giving more than two months' notice. We came to an agreement - I promised to recruit a new teacher (on my own time), forego return airfare and my bonus; my director promised to pay me for time worked, and I was the only one who honored the agreement. Do you understand why I feel cheated? I was the only teacher to leave early and in good faith (there have been midnight runners), and I was the only one who got screwed.

Can you grasp this, or are you another of those "teachers" that lacks rudimentary English skills? Judging by your poor syntax and reading comprehension, I suspect the latter.