Korean Job Discussion Forums

RachaelRoo · Joined: 15 Jul 2005 Location: Anywhere but Ulsan!

Right on Politricks, get the f outta there and find something better. Webcams in the classroom! That's just not fair. Best of luck and I hope your next experience in Korea is better.

donno · Joined: 20 Mar 2005

I think in all cases, you should get released from your school and try to get a new job first.

So just do your time and get a clean break from them.

If you feel you are owed more money or something else, you can always go to the Labor Board later.

However, in your case, it's not a bad deal. You'll get a little money to live off of until you get a new job.

Just beware that many schools will only want to offer you a Japan Visa Run + return airfare when they hire someone in Korea. BUT, since you are in Korea, you'll have a much easier chance of getting hired, so really force the issue, If they like you, many of the schools will pay you some cash for the airfare + give you the Japan Visa Run + return ticket home.

pest2 · Joined: 01 Jun 2005 Location: Vancouver, Canada

matthews_world · Joined: 15 Feb 2003

There are better schools. Just be honest with the new employer. Make sure you get your release letter, passport, degree etc. when u leave ur current school. Most employers give advances to help you if you need extra cash.

politricks · Joined: 24 Jul 2005 Location: Busan

So, I had my last day at LCI yesterday and my director hit me with a bunch of other charges on my severence check. The other charges included a gas bill, an electric bill, internet, and a water bill. All together the bills totaled 95,000. I also paid taxes and pension for 70,000. I also had to pay a 702,000 plane ticket, and a 400,000 settlement allowance back. There was also a 30,000 cleaning fee. They also reduced my hours over the last week and paid me for 81hrs instead of 120hrs. This is because they put me on half days in stead of full days for the last week . I made out with 199,000W for my four weeks of misery here at LCI.

On a positive note my director gave me a present of 200,000W. Right before I left work on Friday he gave me an envelope with cash in it and said he gave me a good refrence for my new job down in Ulsan.

tzechuk · Joined: 20 Dec 2004

matthews_world · Joined: 15 Feb 2003

I'm interested in knowing where you were teaching. You might want to provide this information after you have successfully changed your ARC to your new employer. Wink

jajdude · Joined: 18 Jan 2003

I got fired recently too. A not so good hagwon in Incheon called CNN. I didn't like showing up at 1 and staying till 9, and refused to do an open class or teach the owner's wife privately to get nearer to 30 hours per week. I found it a stressful place to work and live, though they did pay, and one person re-signed. They seemed to have a bit of teacher turnover though. One thing was the first pay came after 45 days, and guess who benefitted from that? Also boss and wife near zero English but would speak and complain to you the foreigner in Korean. Gotta love that about Korea.

So I'm looking for a new job ASAP if any one has any leads....

Canucksaram · Joined: 29 Apr 2003

Politricks,

Yeah, some Korean employers are outright thieves. In fact, the whole country suffers from a corruption/incompetence syndrome that seems to be an everlasting loop.

More often than not, Korean employers cheat their non-Korean employees.

Good luck to you, and keep on forging ahead.

But...in the world of EFL, it would be fair for an employer to assume and/or trust that the teacher that's just been hired can spell.

I sure as FARK hope that your spelling and English usage improve for your next job in Ulsan.

Dalton · Joined: 26 Mar 2003

I knew this guy that the school owners took an immediate dislike to him upon seeing him at the airport. They fired him and jerked him around for money too, like it was his fault for wasting their time. But first they tried to finesse him by having cops come in and threaten to deport him if he didn't leave in three days because he didn't have a visa. Of course the school didn't do that for him. They were just waiting for confirmation that his replacement was on the plane. I suggested he call his embassy. They told him the cops couldn't deport him. So they paid him a small sum of money and gave him a week or two. In the end he called a recruiter and got a new job. Then he went to China for a time. He's home now but thinking of going back to Korea.

People can get screwed around in Korea. It can all work out in the end. I sit here and I agree with people who say stand up for your rights but I also see the merit in 'live to fight another day'. In the OP's case working the extra time and getting some money may well have been the best thing to do this time. No matter how distasteful for those of us who want to beat on the OP's director and speak to the OP's coworkers about cowardice and the rewards of courage. But some would say we don't know the whole story.

If/when the OP gets another job then we can say that this story has a good ending.

ulsanchris · Joined: 19 Jun 2003 Location: take a wild guess

you got screwed over so many times. Why would you pay for the settlement fee? They paid for your airplane ticket thats your settlement fee. Also the 30,000 won for cleaning is a joke. Was the place clean when you got there? Also in your contract were there any clauses about getting paid less money for doing less work? Probably not. it probably says that you will get X amount of money for the month and that you will workup to a maximum of X amount of hours per month. Anything over the X amount of hours will be over time. nothing about getting paid less for working less hours. Even though you weren't teaching as much you should have got the same amount of money.

TheUrbanMyth · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Location: Retired

Dalton · Joined: 26 Mar 2003

YoungLi · Joined: 06 Sep 2005

An update from politricks would be nice. How did the new job work out in Ulsan?