Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Wrench]

Oh well so its that time for me and I have a slight problem. The contract that they are offering to me is actually worse then the one I am on. Please don't flame.

Basically its a standard gig, 30 hours teaching etc. 9 - 6pm, 10 days of vacation, 17w/h ot. 2 mil/month.

Currently we have an arrangment that if I have completed all my calls/work/prep I can leave before 6 pm. I usually leave about 5 or so. I get normal 17kwon/hour for ot. Standard 10 days off vacation.

They told me that they want to hire at begining of semester so they said that they would cut my contract down 1 month to 11 and still pay my severence and ticket home.. I don't really trust them on this so I want it in writing. This also leaves me 1 month to find a new job/place etc..

Now here is the new contract offer. Basically same contract but my vacation gets cut down because the school has a vacation which now is part of the 10 days. They have it twice a year 2 days each time, but thats not even concrete so It maybe 4 days in winter, 1day insummer. So I stand to loose up to 6 days of vacation days that I may want to take at another time. So now I have to take time off at only certain times, so I am being told when I can take my time off. I am also not allowed to take off time at the same time as my coworker, so that trashes the idea of traveling with a buddy. Being told when I can take a vacation really doesn't jive with me or my coworker.

Overtime is being changed, now they only want to pay me for part of the time I am doing a presentation and not the waiting time in between that I have to be there for. IE. They tell me to come in on saturday at 9 am to have a presentation (takes at most 20 minutes or so) then wait till 1 pm for another presentation (another 20 minutes), usually with delays so things get pushed an hour here and there so it ends up wasting more of my day, but they only want to pay me for two hours. No where in my contract does it state that I have to work split shifts. I got to now arrange my social life around half a saturday. So no more saturday trips or meeting friends at certain times. At 17kwon/hour is really not worth it in imho.

Also no more going home early, now I have to sit there untill 6pm daily. Its not a huge deal but not great thing either, although one of the other foreign teachers gets to go home at 5pm. (The other foreign teacher is another story)

All these changes for a whoping 100kwon extra a month. Not really worth it in my opinion.

Unlike the previous foreigners, I haven't come to work, drunk, hung over or late. I always have my classes preped and do everything I am told, never have any fights with Korean teachers or directors. It seems that they don't want us to work there any more.

As the contract stands now, I am not willing to re-sign for another year. It seems that the contract is actually worse then the current one I am on. Am I being unreasonable?

[Ya-ta Boy]

Are you being unreasonable? Not really.

a) You are losing the right to leave at about 5. Less free evening time.

b) 11 month vs 12 month contract = justifiable uncertainty about severance

c) Vacation days...yes and no. You are losing days. Bad. Bad. Bad. Being told when you can take them is normal in a company anywhere. You can't really expect a place with no support system in place for substitute workers to allow all their employees to take off any old time. That is simply silly thinking.

d) Your Saturday thing is not clear to me. I have no idea what a presentation is or why you are doing it on a Sat. No comment. Should you be forced to sit around for several hours on a day off? No. No. No. Should you be paid to sit on your butt? No, not really.

e)

[Wrench]

OT I can I guess let go but vacation is a problem.

[jacl]

They're leaving the option open for themselves to screw you over. Why change it to 11 months? What's one month? Hmm. Saturday? I think, from what I read (very quickly), that you get paid OT for this (100,000 Won/month). You have to be there for split-shift reason, I'm assuming. Not much you can do about that, I guess, except refuse to refuse to do it anymore and not complain. You do phone work? Ewww. That's gross.

I'd say you should just look for something else and get as much as you can out of them because the hours suck anyway. I'm also assuming they don't want you there. If they wanted you there then they wouldn't bother you with this crap.

[BigBlackEquus]

Why would you settle for this? You're kidding, right?

Why would you do something like this when there are several better jobs opening up in the next few months for public schools, etc.?

Just curious.

[Ya-ta Boy]

One of the hidden advantages that hakwon owners have is that they pay for the free place to live. You give up the job, then at midnight you are on the street with no E-2. It's a pretty powerful 'argument'. On top of that, the guy has 1 month to find a better deal. ONE month. Of course, the GREAT job shows up one month and two days later. What to do?

That's why having your own place paid for with your own money is an advantage. That's why owning our E-2's would be a MAJOR advantage.

[Wrench]

I just feel like we are being punished. Oh well I don't think I will sign, I will just ask for severence and my plane ticket if it comes down to that.

Its a shame because I really liked the job. Not many male foreigners like teaching Kindie.

[jacl]

[Wrench]

It was a typo ok.

Jerk.

[jacl]