Korean Job Discussion Forums

RobotTeacher · Joined: 16 Mar 2005 Location: I'm a Seoul Man

Come on, all you people with great contracts!

What goes in an excellent contract? Stipulations, clauses....

I have to go down to negotiate my contract this weekend, and I'd like to take a few ideas with me, so I don't get as boned as I'm likely to get otherwise.

(I'm fate's b*tch. Used to it.)

So? What's in your contract that you like? What's in there that you hate?

Dan The Chainsawman · Joined: 05 May 2005

Well I am partial to half off at Hooters.

Might wanna make sure you get an actual apartment rather than a leaky card board box in an alley.

Skinemax is nice if they can hook you up with that so you don't get to lonely late at night.

Also if the bossman has a jar of ky jelly in his hand at the negotiations you may want to run away crying before hand rather than run away sobbing in agony afterwards. Saves you alot of pain.

peppermint · Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2006 5:07 am Post subject:

depends on what kind of gig you're working. being paid biweekly is nice, but so are things like being able to choose your vacation time, pay raises, better schedules etc.

Dan The Chainsawman · Joined: 05 May 2005

Also if the boss is male and holding a whip like Peppermint with the same smile.............

RUN AWAY!

VanIslander

UncleAlex · Joined: 04 Apr 2003

I'm sorry to say that after being in Korea for eleven years I still haven't
encountered a great contract. There might be such a specimen in Utopia. Cool

scarus · Joined: 15 Mar 2005

8 weeks holiday a year plus 14 public holidays.

good housing.

teacher development courses paid for

return flight paid.

��1200 shipping allowance.

uk pension contributions.

promotion chances.

able to save ��700 a year and still go back to the uk 3 times, to thailand once, to nepal and also srilanka etc and still eat drink and be merry.

english speaking boss

i couldn't/didn't get this in korea so i left. good luck.... try the esllaw website (i think it is called something like that) they have contracts in korean and english to be signed by both.. good luck. hope u like korea.

Grotto · Joined: 21 Mar 2004

Basics for a decent contract in Korea for an ESL teacher.

Roundtrip airfare.
Minimum 2 mil for a 5 hour a day contract. 3-8 for example.
Health, pension, taxes in accordance to the NTS website.
No weekends.
Year end bonus.
Overtime rate 25,000 won an hour.
5 sick days a year

Minimum 14 days vacation + all national holidays.
Pick the age of students you wish to teach. Kindergarten, elementary, Jr high(middle school) High school, adult.(not necessarily a choice in the contract but it should be stated clearly which age group you will teach)
Staff meetings no more than once a month.

No handwritten evaluations(no reason you cant use a computer). No phone teaching.

Set curriculum with some freedom to improve on it.

Set payday...the 10'th for example.

No deposit.

Termination 30 days notice by either party.

Respect for each others culture.

Maybe not perfect but it has the basis for a decent contract....feel free to add on.

some waygug-in · Joined: 25 Jan 2003

The best contracts I ever had were the ones where I was finished my last day and was on the plane outta here!

And I'm not kidding.

Good contracts don't really exist, at least in my experience. You have to try and get some things before you sign, but no matter what the contract says, you will probably find that the boss feels free to change things at his/her whim.

Grotto's ideas are what should be, but I've never seen an actual contract with all those things in it. Some sure, but not all.

Yu_Bum_suk · Joined: 25 Dec 2004

A good contract does not = a good job and vice versa. My school administration had obviously not even read mine when I started working. Thankfully they have taken care of me very well, and after we cleared up why I wouldn't be working Saturdays everything has been fine.

Homer · Guest

Loaded question... Laughing

A good contract is a contract that meets your expectations (of course these have to be reasonable and on level with your qualifications) and that is acceptable to you and your employer (yes he has a say in the contract).

Grotto made a fine list and it is a decent reference point.

However, negociations vary from person to person and from employer to employer. It is up to you to identify what is key to you and what is icing on the cake. Fight for the key points and don't start a war over the icing points.

Grotto · Joined: 21 Mar 2004

But Homer....the icing is the best part Crying or Very sad

StAxX SOuL · Joined: 04 Jan 2006 Location: London

Grotto · Joined: 21 Mar 2004

6 hours blocked is good as well.

The only thing is to ask yourself is just when are you going to have dinner?

working 3-9 is a long time with only 5 minute breaks in between classes. Thats why I say a shift of 3-9 should be 3-6 teaching 6-7 dinner 7-9 teaching.

Unfortuneately the ideal is definately not the norm!

Son Deureo! · Joined: 30 Apr 2003

Here is a bare minimum of what you should insist on as a fresh-off-the-plane teacher, with no qualifications beyond a bachelor's degree in a kiddie hogwon:

2.0 million for 120 teaching hours/mo
free non-shared apartment
roundtrip airfare from and to the nearest international airport to your home
block shift (no more than 8 hours between your daily start and finish time, get that in writing)
health insurance, 50% of premium paid by you, 50% by employer
Monday-Friday schedule, NO SATURDAYS
2 weeks vacation
all national holidays off (no need to make them up)
any overtime is optional, paid at the rate of 120% of your standard hourly pay