Korean Job Discussion Forums

temporos · Joined: 03 Apr 2005 Location: Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA

My hakwon has some serious issues. All but three members of the Korean staff has quit in the past two months, and half of the foreign teachers have quit or been fired in the past month. The hakwon has been sold since I've been here, and has come under new management twice.

I read over my contract last night (again), only this time I started going at it with a highlighter. The hakwon has breached my contract in eleven different places. The director is getting more vindictive and apparently xenophobic every day, and he raises his voice (understatement) to everyone almost constantly.

For the past couple months, he has imposed strange, blatently inconvenient, and seemingly pointless rules on the foreign and Korean teaching staff, giving little or no explanation why.

I visited the embassy this morning, and they informed me that they are legally prohibited from getting involved in contract disputes between employers and expats, but I have a feeling the city labour department will really not care in the slightest if I informed them of the situation.

Also, one of my foreign co-workers quit recently, and the hakwon refused to release his visa until he agreed to pay them nearly $1000 for the "expenses of finding a replacement teacher."

The embassy assures me none of this is legal, but what am I to do? I would like to just quit this job and move on to graduate school in Korea somewhere. Any advice?

JacktheCat · Joined: 08 May 2004

Sounds like time to visit your local Labour Board. (or at least threaten to)

temporos · Joined: 03 Apr 2005 Location: Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA

I was just given word that no one in the hakwon will be paid this payday (today) because of "financial problems." They said we would "probably be paid later this week instead." Is this legal?

Ya-ta Boy · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: Established in 1994

Hmmmm....financial problems. This could explain why the boss is raising his voice every day.

Yu_Bum_suk · Joined: 25 Dec 2004

I'd be checking out jobs in other countries if I were you.

temporos · Joined: 03 Apr 2005 Location: Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA

Just a quick update. I was called into the director's office after class today along with my immediate supervisor and the hakwon's accountant ( Question

). In that thirty-minute meeting, the director proceeded to literally call me insulting names in front of my supervisors, and informed me that he was aware my contract had been breached by the hakwon. He also told me that he doesn't care, and I'm a foreigner living in Korea with "no rights." He told me that he would "make a decision this week," but he wouldn't tell me what "the decision" would be about.

Just because I haven't gotten any replies on this certain question yet, what about the payday today that never happened? Do you think the hakwon will pay us later this week like they said they would? The thought of having worked the month of March for free seriously scares me. Confused

Also, if he does fire me (which I think he's considering), does that ruin any chances I have of obtaining a student visa? Can he simply fire me and leave me stranded in Korea, or is he legally abliged to pay for my airfare home? I do not have the money to pay for it myself... Crying or Very sad

Real Reality · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Location: Seoul

temporos,

Here is some information (and links) from EFL-Law.com.
You may find your employer does not pay you your monthly salary or final severance pay. Your employer has not paid you on the specified contractual date. The employer has breached a substantial condition of your contract. You have asked for payment but received none nor received any information that satisfies you as to when and why the payment is not forthcoming. At this stage you may wish to consider tendering the required days notice of contract termination, unless you are satisfied as to why the payment has been delayed.
http://www.efl-law.com/faqans_lab-off.html

My employer has unilaterally changed the contract. What can I do?
http://www.efl-law.com/faqans3-4.html

Summary Dismissal & What Are My Rights?
http://www.efl-law.com/faqans_19.html

Contracts - made & broken
http://www.efl-law.org/forums/viewforum.php?f=2&sid=4fe8bf84ccc8c07fd537bf3e38388a66

Did you see this article?
English teachers in Korea face wrath of an angry nation
http://www.asianpacificpost.com/news/article/353.html

Post your comments here.
http://www.asianpacificpost.com/apnews/news/comment;jsessionid=A457970DB4771DEB9086629F0C0B97DD?action=viewInfo&id=353

You might just leave this comment.
I was called into the director's office after class today along with my immediate supervisor and the hakwon's accountant. In that thirty-minute meeting, the director proceeded to literally call me insulting names in front of my supervisors, and informed me that he was aware my contract had been breached by the hakwon. He also told me that he doesn't care, and I'm a foreigner living in Korea with "no rights." He told me that he would "make a decision this week," but he wouldn't tell me what "the decision" would be about.

Holyjoe · Joined: 03 Mar 2003 Location: Away for a cuppa

temporos · Joined: 03 Apr 2005 Location: Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA

Squid · Joined: 25 Jul 2003 Location: Sunny Anyang

From your info. you're broke. That's a problem because the labor office takes time...precious time... in my case almost 12 weeks from go to stop.

Mostly though someone there will speak enough English to get you through the initial procedure, which is very easy- you just fill a simple form with your name and address, his name and address (school if you don't know or can't get his home address) and the amount you say he owes you. They then approach him for you. In the meantime, when he hears from them he'll probably fire your ass, so best to do this after you get some money.

If you need details on the procedure, PM me.

My sympathies, and get another job in the meantime.

temporos · Joined: 03 Apr 2005 Location: Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA

Well, it all hit the fan today. My director called my cell phone around 10:00 AM, because he wanted to talk to me in his office, "now." I arrived at the school about 30 minutes later (standard commute time from my apartment), and went to see what he wanted this time.

What apparently happened is that he got a call from the labour dept. this morning. I had started an incident report yesterday with them, and he wasn't particularly happy this morning when they called him. They apparently told him to cut out his shinanigans with the foreign teachers' pay, and that he had a certain amount of time to pay up. Well, the foreign teachers got paid today, and I got fired for blowing the whistle.

Everyone got paid today... except me... I still have not received even 1 won for my work in March. The director told me I have two days to pack up and get out of my apartment, and three days to get out of Korea. He is apparently buddy-buddy with someone in immigration, because he presented me with a letter saying I had to leave by Sunday or risk being detained and then deported.

Well, since I still haven't gotten paid (and by now, I doubt I ever will), I don't have the money to fight it. So I just went on the internet this afternoon and put a plane ticket home onto my Visa card. Sad

That'll teach me never to work outside of Canada or the States ever again...

I want to thank everyone who posted here for all your help. Your advice may not have saved my job or future in Korea, but it did teach me a whole lot about the Korean legal and business systems.

margaret · Joined: 14 Oct 2003

Sorry for your bad luck, temporos. Hopefully you can have some satisfaction that you helped some people get paid and didn't let your ex-boss get away with everything. There are worse things in life than being fired from a bad job. Hope the rest of your life goes better.
Margaret

Daechidong Waygookin · Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2005 8:17 pm Post subject:

The thing to do is screw him over. Post the school name here and on as many sites as you can. That would be step 1. Call a number at home in canada or the states, hopefully something that is automated and would not hang up, and let the phone bill run up. Maybe some 1-900 number? 3 bucks a minute plus long distance? Im sure you can think of things to do to him. Maybe call the Korean CIA and report a North Korean spy Laughing

Captain Corea · Joined: 28 Feb 2005 Location: Seoul

I believe you can get a "stay" on your exit order by filing a greivance with the labour board. They will recomend to the immigration department that your visa be extended so as to help you sort out your pay problems.

in the mean time, try to find another job (if you're up to it) and keep pluggin' away at em

Derrek · Joined: 15 Jan 2003

A "Friend" at immigration, my ass... he's full of it. I've heard that line so many times! At best, he paid someone off... but still, the law is on YOUR side.

You should have asked the Labor Board what to do before buying the ticket out. You can stay here longer and try to search for a new job. I heard that you can get a "stay" here while the labor board works on your case.

Your director is full of crap.

To get that "letter," he had to FIRE you! That's what happend! That's how he got the "exit" letter. He told immigration you are fired. So you've been fired without pay... and after you reported him to the Labor board. Talk to the Labor Board again. Get a visa stay from immigration (he doesn't "know" anyone... that's CRAP). Get more work somehow, crash in a Goshi-won, and STAY HERE forcing him to go to trial and PAY. It will be WELL worth your effort to fry that bastard!

He WANTS you to leave so he doesn't have to pay you, and can continue to screw everyone else.