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The Kung Fu Hustle
Joined: 30 Jan 2005
Location: Incheon
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 Posted: Fri Dec 30, 2005 11:13 pm Post subject: Everything my boss can do to screw me and counter-measures |
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Similar thread to the "finishing a contract" one. I'm 10 and a half months into a contract and just reminded my boss that he should be thinking about getting me a plane ticket home. Some weird things have been happening at the hagwon though, and I want to prepare myself in case anything happens.
So then, what are the classic tricks that hagwon bosses pull at the end of a contract and how can I successfully handle them? I would love to hear from people with experience both in getting shafted and getting back alive. I think I have a strong support infrastructure if some worst case scenario happens but it's like Shaolin kung fu: I wanna prepare for war so that I never have to use it. |
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weatherman
Joined: 14 Jan 2003
Location: Korea
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| Posted: Sat Dec 31, 2005 12:20 am Post subject: Re: Everything my boss can do to screw me and counter-measur |
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| The Kung Fu Hustle wrote: |
| I wanna prepare for war so that I never have to use it. |
Then learn to let the worry about your plan ticket go. Being on the ball and planning isn't Korean management style. You are making them worry. Let them deal with the ticket at the last minute, it is there problem, not yours. Don't force their planning. Sounds odd, but in 99 out of a 100 cases it is what should be done. |
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bellum99
Joined: 23 Jan 2003
Location: don't need to know
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| Posted: Sat Dec 31, 2005 1:36 am Post subject: |
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Hmmm. So far you sound like you are making them nervous. Remember that in Korea the boss doesn't like it if you are excited about leaving the school. They can take things very personal and act very aggressive. Try not to dance and be too happy about leaving the school.
Try to lie a little to the Korean staff about how much you liked the school and are sorry that you need to leave after the contract. When the boss talks to you...lie and say how much you liked the working there and that you learned so much...hell, say thanks to the boss for the chance to work there.
This will give the boss the happy feeling that you would like the boss to have at the end of the contract (so he pays you everything with a smile, not a fight). Don't make them angry at the end of your contract...Don't Don't Don't. |
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Yu_Bum_suk
Joined: 25 Dec 2004
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| Posted: Sat Dec 31, 2005 2:19 am Post subject: |
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Yeah, the last-minute planning about things like this is just the Korean style.
If things reach the point where you do need to hold a gun to their head the thing to do is to get all the parents' telephone numbers and threaten to call them and give them your honest opinion of the place with a bi-lingual Korean friend. |
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The Kung Fu Hustle
Joined: 30 Jan 2005
Location: Incheon
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| Posted: Sun Jan 01, 2006 8:03 pm Post subject: |
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| Yu_Bum_suk wrote: |
| If things reach the point where you do need to hold a gun to their head the thing to do is to get all the parents' telephone numbers and threaten to call them and give them your honest opinion of the place with a bi-lingual Korean friend. |
Yeah this is what I need! I haven't been gloating about leaving, I "thought about renewing" for a week or so before giving my "final decision". I haven't really had to fake liking it here because I do enjoy things and the boss has been good to me, I've just seen his dark side towards some of the female staff recently and am preparing for the worst.
Phone list: check |
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manlyboy
Joined: 01 Aug 2004
Location: Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia
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| Posted: Sun Jan 01, 2006 8:22 pm Post subject: |
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Did you pay a security deposit? I've found that's usually the hardest thing to extract from them. They're well within their rights to withold that money until the final month's bills arrive, by which time you've usually left the country and have to rely on their "integrity" to forward it to you.
Even if you do get it, you may be hit with some unlawful deductions like "cleaning fees" which may never have been mentioned in the contract. |
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the eye
Joined: 29 Jan 2004
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| Posted: Sun Jan 01, 2006 9:25 pm Post subject: |
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there was a warning a while back on the EFL-Law site that stated a growing trend in hogwans keeping severance and airfare money. institute owners know that you must be in korea to claim owed money....and once your contract is up, you legally have to head out.
btw...schools with less than 5 full time empoyees are not legally required to pay severance or airfare. |
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Captain Corea
Joined: 28 Feb 2005
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Sun Jan 01, 2006 9:47 pm Post subject: |
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| the eye wrote: |
btw...schools with less than 5 full time empoyees are not legally required to pay severance or airfare. |
Please, please, please tell me where you got that bit of infomation. Source?? |
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bellum99
Joined: 23 Jan 2003
Location: don't need to know
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| Posted: Sun Jan 01, 2006 9:56 pm Post subject: |
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| Though...cleang in fees seem fair unless you moved into filth. If you moved in to the apartment and it was clean..then you should move out and have it clean. |
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manlyboy
Joined: 01 Aug 2004
Location: Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia
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| Posted: Sun Jan 01, 2006 10:38 pm Post subject: |
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| bellum99 wrote: |
| Though...cleang in fees seem fair unless you moved into filth. If you moved in to the apartment and it was clean..then you should move out and have it clean. |
Natch. Though I did get burned over this once. (Hi everyone at Topia!  )
I moved into a space the very moment the last occupant was moving out, and inherited her mess which took days to clean up. A year later, I spent the whole day before moving out cleaning every inch of the apartment, and was on hand when the new guy moved in. I even left a bunch of furnishings which I had purchased myself. In spite of the fact that no professional cleaners were used, I still copped a deduction for "cleaning fees". When I confronted them, (3 months later after they had "forgotten" to forward my deposit) they had the audacity to tell me that "it was dirty" when I left.
What was I going to do? Take legal action over 100K? |
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the eye
Joined: 29 Jan 2004
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| Posted: Sun Jan 01, 2006 10:38 pm Post subject: |
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| Captain Corea wrote: |
| the eye wrote: |
btw...schools with less than 5 full time empoyees are not legally required to pay severance or airfare. |
Please, please, please tell me where you got that bit of infomation. Source?? |
http://english.molab.go.kr/
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Wage and Severance Pay
In principle, workers shall be paid their full wages on a specific day each month. If a worker demands wages in an emergency situation, such as childbirth, sickness, accident, etc., the amounts of wages corresponding to the amount of work offered shall be paid even before payday.
If a worker has worked for more than one year in a workplace with 5 workers or more, the worker shall be given severance pay in the amount of at least 30-day average wages for each year of service. Severance pay, in principle, should be paid after retirement. However, should a worker request, he or she may receive, in advance, severance pay corresponding to their years of service to date.
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justagirl
Joined: 17 Jan 2003
Location: Cheonan/Portland
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| Posted: Sun Jan 01, 2006 11:43 pm Post subject: |
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But if severance and the return airfare are listed in the contract, it is required for them to pay it.
I've never heard of a hakwon not paying severance or return airfare--I suppose they could try, but who would sign a contract that didn't guarantee these? |
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Yu_Bum_suk
Joined: 25 Dec 2004
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| Posted: Sun Jan 01, 2006 11:54 pm Post subject: |
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| The Kung Fu Hustle wrote: |
| Yu_Bum_suk wrote: |
| If things reach the point where you do need to hold a gun to their head the thing to do is to get all the parents' telephone numbers and threaten to call them and give them your honest opinion of the place with a bi-lingual Korean friend. |
Yeah this is what I need! I haven't been gloating about leaving, I "thought about renewing" for a week or so before giving my "final decision". I haven't really had to fake liking it here because I do enjoy things and the boss has been good to me, I've just seen his dark side towards some of the female staff recently and am preparing for the worst.
Phone list: check |
It's interesting that one of the first things that made me start to hate my old boss was his treatment of female Korean staff. Middle aged Korean men really don't seem to understand what kind of impression that makes on younger western males.
At any rate, having shown wongjongnim-babo that I could be a much bigger asshole than him if I had to, I got my deposit back in full in the end. A former co-worker who went back to England will be expecting his soon, and if he doesn't get it I'm happy to pay the place a visit to help him out - not that my lazy ex-co-worker is highly deserving of his, but just for principle and because I hate my ex-boss (and hate him most for his treatment of female Korean staff). If you have a friend in the country who knows your workplace and can argue on your behalf you it might be nice to start sweet-talking to him. |
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the eye
Joined: 29 Jan 2004
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| Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2006 2:31 am Post subject: |
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| justagirl wrote: |
But if severance and the return airfare are listed in the contract, it is required for them to pay it.
I've never heard of a hakwon not paying severance or return airfare--I suppose they could try, but who would sign a contract that didn't guarantee these? |
it depends.
in most cases labor law OVERRIDES contract law. if that were not the case, one could write anything into a contract.
a lot depends on the particular labor board agent you visit regarding your dispute and his particular way of seeing things. even though a signed contract indicates severence, the labor board may not rule in the employee's favor as it violates labor law.
im sure we are all well aware that policy isn't very reliable here, and interpretations change depending on what branch of the ministry you talk to. |
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bourquetheman
Joined: 18 Aug 2003
Location: Suwon
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| Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2006 3:15 am Post subject: |
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What really surprised me is that I'm starting work for one of the big companies here in Korea. In the email that I got about the job benefits I didn't see severance pay listed so I asked them about it thinking it must have been an oversight. I explained how every place I've worked in the 8 years I've been here has given severance pay. The H.R. woman emailed me back and said they don't give severance but if I stay a second year that they will pay a one million one "signing bonus".
Now that I see the link above stating it's law, how do I go about politely telling them they are wrong in this practice? I don't want to make a huge fuss and then maybe they'll cancel the offer to hire me as they're sending out the contract this week. Should I sign and then wait towards the end and bring it up? Not sure what to do. |
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