Korean Job Discussion Forums

[StAxX SOuL]

Well, just got offered a contract for a school in Bangbae... the chain which the school comes from seems a reputable name given the searching on here that I've done, altho I have requested that a current foreign teachers details are sent on to me so that I can speak with him / her briefly before signing anything...

Anyway, I'd appreciate feedback on the terms of the contract which I'll enclose in a reply to this thread... a couple of things I noted on the Word document I received were a couple of alterations, but hey, at least they're being honest about it... all in all, the terms seem quite comprehensive, even if some aren't massively favourable...

ALSO, when reviewing the terms please bear in mind that this is my first time out in ESL, and I do not have any further TEFL qualification beyond my University degree... thus I'm unlikely to get as cushy a job as some of the TEFL veterans who would never think about working 150 lessons a month...

Main addition to the contract I noted was:


1. In 'Salary & Overtime', the standard 100 hours / 150 lessons are listed below but the contract was edited to be 110 hours and 165 lessons per month with a comment box on the Word document... any reason?


Thanks...

[StAxX SOuL]

II. Conditions of Employment

1. Employee��s Duties:

During the term of this Agreement the Employee will perform the following duties:
1.1. Instruction in any phase of the Institute's program.
1.2. Curriculum design and implementation.
1.3. Development of educational programs and materials.
1.4. Extracurricular activities for/with students when needed.
1.5. Grading, evaluating and counseling of students.
1.6. Attendance at teachers' meetings and workshops.
1.7. Class preparation
1.8. Cooperation with the Principal/ Vice-Principal/ Academic Director in all aspects of employment.
1.9. Participation in other related activities.

2. Working hours

2.1. Classes will be held from Monday to Friday or Saturday during regular sessions and two intensive sessions during summer (July-August) and winter (December-January). It may vary from branch to branch upon needs of the Institute.
2.2. The Employee will be required to work at the times the Employer shall direct.
2.3. Working hours is from 3pm to 9pm for regular sessions. For two intensive sessions, from 9am to 6pm (it may change on the needs of the the Institute). However total teaching hours will not exceed 30 hours per week. The Employee is required to arrive at school at least 40 minutes before the first class.
2.4. Working hours may be modified from time to time at the sole discretion of the Employer depending upon a session and needs of the Institute.

3. Salary and Overtime

3.1. The Employee will be guaranteed ( 2,000,000 ) Won per month (before taxes for teaching 100 hours or 150 classes per month (1 class is 40 min.). This is to be considered as the Employee��s contract hours.
3.2. Only the time worked in excess of contract hours will be considered as overtime. The Employee��s overtime pay will be ( 20,000 ) Won per (60) minutes. Attendance at scheduled teachers meetings, workshops and class preparation (which is mandatory) will not be considered as overtime.
3.3. The salary will be paid on the 15th day of each teaching month.
3.4. Computation of the initial (first month of employment) salary will commence from the 1st day of actual teaching at the Institute and, therefore, will not include the orientation period necessary for familiarization with the Institute��s curriculum and the Employee��s duties.

4. Severance Pay

Upon successful completion of a full contract period (12 months), the Employee will be given severance pay which is equivalent to his/her monthly salary of ( 2,000,000 ) Won. It will be paid in one month.

5. Benefits

5.1. Housing
(a) The Employer will select and provide free furnished living accommodation for the Employee usually located not far from the Institute (about 20-25 min. subway ride). (b) The accommodation may be a private apartment (bachelor/studio) or a two-three room apartment shared with other Employees with a private bedroom for each Employee and a shared kitchen and bathroom. (c) The Employer will also provide furnishings which will include: a single bed, table, two chairs, two-burner gas hot plate, refrigerator, wardrobe, washing machine, TV set, toaster and some bedding (pillow, comforter, sheets). (d) The costs of all utilities (gas, water, electricity, cable TV, and telephone charges) and a monthly maintenance fee will have to be paid by the Employee. In the case of shared accommodation, the costs will be divided between the housemates.

5.2. Vacation, Holidays and Emergency Leave
The Employee will have: (a) short-term breaks between sessions as determined by the Employer. If the Employee wishes to take additional (unpaid) vacation, he/she must give the Employer at least a two-month notice before taking a vacation; (b) paid statutory/ public holidays detailed in a yearly calendar; (c) up to 5 days of paid emergency leave in a year in the event of a death or serious illness of an immediate family member, such as grandparent, parent, spouse, children, brother or sister. The emergency leave will be granted and/or extended after a close consultation with the Principal. The Employee will bear the cost of transportation.

5.3. Health Insurance
The Employee will be provided with health insurance coverage from the designated public health insurance corporation with 50% of the premium paid by the Employer and 50% - by the Employee.

5.4. Transportation
The Employer will purchase for the Employee a one-way economy class air ticket to Korea from a main international airport in the country/city where the Employee resides and from which he/she was hired. After completing a one-year contract the Employee will be provided with a return economy class air ticket.

5.5. Visa Sponsorship
If the Employee does not obtain work visa in the country of his/her residence, the Employee will receive full visa sponsorship from the Employer upon arrival in Korea. This will include a paid round trip air ticket to Japan (to obtain work visa there) and money to cover travel expenses.


III. Taxes and Other Deductions

The following taxes and deductions will be withheld from the Employee��s monthly salary:
A. Income tax required by the Korean Tax Law (approximately 5%, which may be adjusted pursue on the changes of the Korean Tax Law);
B. National Pension Contribution according to regulation (approximately 5%, which may be adjusted pursue on the changes of the regulation).
NOTE: Upon completion of the contract (agreement), pension contributions will be fully reimbursed to the Employee from USA
& Canada by the Korean government;
C. Health Insurance (at present 1.7%);
D. 200,000 Won per month for the first three months as a security deposit for unpaid utilities and phone charges even if the Employee pays them each month. This deposit WILL BE refunded to the Employee one month after this contract is completed.

IV. Employee��s Conduct and Dress Code

1. During the term of this Agreement the Employee is expected to conduct himself/herself in a professional manner that would project a good image of the Institute. Therefore, the following forms of behavior will NOT be permitted:
A. Coming to the Institute and conducting class under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs and while smoking;
B. Making sexual advances towards or entering into relationships with the students or employees of the Institute;
C. Using bad language in class that would offend or discredit students, the staff and the Institute.
D. Not following scheduled class timetables, canceling, starting classes late without the prior approval of principal.

2. The Employee should present himself/herself to students as a professional. Casual attire, provided it is clean and neat, is acceptable. However, NO blue jeans, sneakers and T-shirts will be allowed (unless otherwise instructed).


V. Duty of Confidentiality

A. The Employee shall not disclose information relating to the contents of lectures, teaching material and business operation of the Institute to any third party.
B. The Employee shall not disclose information regarding his/her salary, overtime payment, and contract hours to any third party, including other Employees of the Institute.

VI. Outside Employment and Conflicts of Interest

A. According to Korean Immigration Law, foreign workers are allowed to work legally in Korea ONLY for the Employer/Institute for which they have received a work visa.
B. By signing this Agreement, the Employee agrees to devote his expertise, time and attention to discharge his duties to his legal Employer and not to engage in any other activity that would in any manner whatsoever compete with the Employer and pose any conflict between the interest of the Employer and the other party and/or interfere with the performance of the Employee��s duties.
C. If the Employee wishes to accept any other employment, such as private or part-time teaching, editing and so on, he/she must get the Principal��s approval before doing so. Failure to comply with this rule may result in immediate dismissal.


VII. Dismissal, Voluntary Resignation and Liquidating Damages

1. The Employer will have the right to dismiss the Employee if or when:
A. The Employee repeatedly fails to perform his/her duties stated under this Agreement including but not limited to frequent absences from the place of Employment/Institute without approval of the Principal/ Vice-Principal.
B. The Employee fails to conduct himself/herself in a professional manner (as described in Employee��s Conduct and Dress Code section of this Agreement) resulting in damaging the image of the Institute.
C. The Employee places any student or a staff person in jeopardy or causes significant material damage to the Employer as a result of his/her negligence or reckless behavior.
D. The Employee commits any criminal act inside or outside the place of employment/Institute. This will result in immediate dismissal with neither warning nor time for remedy being given to the Employee.
E. The Employee has already received three (3) reprimands (warnings) from the Employer of dissatisfaction with the Employee��s performance, and the Employee has not rectified the situation.
2. The Employee may not earlier terminate this Agreement without a good reason. If required, 45 days prior notice must be given to the Employer before termination of the contract.

3. In any case of dismissal or voluntary resignation, the Employer will not provide a return ticket and will not give the severance pay. In addition, if the Employee voluntarily terminates this contract before six (6) months of employment, he/she will have to reimburse to the Employer the initial airfare and other expenses that the Employer has incurred in the process of hiring of the Employee, such as recruiter��s fee, housing utilities deposit and other expenses (if applicable).

[Homer]

Ok..I rarely do this but...here goes!

1-

[Son Deureo!]

I see five areas in this contract that at the very least, require some clarification:

1) Saturday classes. This is the biggest problem right here. However, it says that this depends on the branch, so you may be able to convince them to take it out. If they won't, I'd say don't sign unless you enjoy working 6 days a week.

2) Shared housing. Clarify whether you're getting single or shared housing and get it in writing. To me, shared housing is a deal breaker.

3) Housing deposit. These are illegal, and a sign that your boss does not trust foreign teachers. This isn't a deal breaker to me, but I'd still try to get them to reduce or get rid of this.

4) Vacation.

[Grotto]

1. Employee��s Duties:

During the term of this Agreement the Employee will perform the following duties:
1.1. Instruction in any phase of the Institute's program.
1.2. Curriculum design and implementation.
1.3. Development of educational programs and materials.
1.4. Extracurricular activities for/with students when needed. 1.5. Grading, evaluating and counseling of students.
1.6. Attendance at teachers' meetings and workshops.
1.7. Class preparation
1.8. Cooperation with the Principal/ Vice-Principal/ Academic Director in all aspects of employment.
1.9. Participation in other related activities.

Seems like there may be significant duties assigned that will be unpaid!

2. Working hours

2.1. Classes will be held from Monday to Friday or Saturday during regular sessions and two intensive sessions during summer (July-August) and winter (December-January). It may vary from branch to branch upon needs of the Institute.

Saturday classes ...walk away!

2.2. The Employee will be required to work at the times the Employer shall direct.

Hmmm....raises the possibility of split shifts

2.3. Working hours is from 3pm to 9pm for regular sessions. For two intensive sessions, from 9am to 6pm (it may change on the needs of the the Institute). However total teaching hours will not exceed 30 hours per week. The Employee is required to arrive at school at least 40 minutes before the first class.

You get to go from 6 hour days to 9 hour days? Whee Not without extra pay! 40 minutes? 30 minutes is plenty!

2.4. Working hours may be modified from time to time at the sole discretion of the Employer depending upon a session and needs of the Institute.

Again....no set shift....I would never agree to this!

3. Salary and Overtime

3.1. The Employee will be guaranteed ( 2,000,000 ) Won per month (before taxes for teaching 100 hours or 150 classes per month (1 class is 40 min.). This is to be considered as the Employee��s contract hours.

Not great....a little over 7 classes a day(based on a 5 day workweek).

3.2. Only the time worked in excess of contract hours will be considered as overtime. The Employee��s overtime pay will be ( 20,000 ) Won per (60) minutes. Attendance at scheduled teachers meetings, workshops and class preparation (which is mandatory) will not be considered as overtime.

No thanks. Overtime should be at least worth your while. Considering that your pay per class is only 13,333 won....overtime should be at least 25-30K per class....not per 60 minutes!

3.3. The salary will be paid on the 15th day of each teaching month.
3.4. Computation of the initial (first month of employment) salary will commence from the 1st day of actual teaching at the Institute and, therefore, will not include the orientation period necessary for familiarization with the Institute��s curriculum and the Employee��s duties.

How long is this orientation period? What compensation do you get for this period?

4. Severance Pay

Upon successful completion of a full contract period (12 months), the Employee will be given severance pay which is equivalent to his/her monthly salary of ( 2,000,000 ) Won. It will be paid in one month.

No it will be paid upon completion of contract...not in one month!

5. Benefits

5.1. Housing
(a) The Employer will select and provide free furnished living accommodation for the Employee usually located not far from the Institute (about 20-25 min. subway ride).

Thats a fair distance away from the school!

(b) The accommodation may be a private apartment (bachelor/studio) or a two-three room apartment shared with other Employees with a private bedroom for each Employee and a shared kitchen and bathroom.

Just say no to shared accomodations!

(c) The Employer will also provide furnishings which will include: a single bed, table, two chairs, two-burner gas hot plate, refrigerator, wardrobe, washing machine, TV set, toaster and some bedding (pillow, comforter, sheets). (d) The costs of all utilities (gas, water, electricity, cable TV, and telephone charges) and a monthly maintenance fee will have to be paid by the Employee. In the case of shared accommodation, the costs will be divided between the housemates.

5.2. Vacation, Holidays and Emergency Leave
The Employee will have: (a) short-term breaks between sessions as determined by the Employer. If the Employee wishes to take additional (unpaid) vacation, he/she must give the Employer at least a two-month notice before taking a vacation; (b) paid statutory/ public holidays detailed in a yearly calendar; (c) up to 5 days of paid emergency leave in a year in the event of a death or serious illness of an immediate family member, such as grandparent, parent, spouse, children, brother or sister. The emergency leave will be granted and/or extended after a close consultation with the Principal. The Employee will bear the cost of transportation.

Without more clarification about what these short term breaks entail I would say no....you should recieve at least 10 days vacation minimum!

5.3. Health Insurance
The Employee will be provided with health insurance coverage from the designated public health insurance corporation with 50% of the premium paid by the Employer and 50% - by the Employee.

5.4. Transportation
The Employer will purchase for the Employee a one-way economy class air ticket to Korea from a main international airport in the country/city where the Employee resides and from which he/she was hired. After completing a one-year contract the Employee will be provided with a return economy class air ticket.

5.5. Visa Sponsorship
If the Employee does not obtain work visa in the country of his/her residence, the Employee will receive full visa sponsorship from the Employer upon arrival in Korea. This will include a paid round trip air ticket to Japan (to obtain work visa there) and money to cover travel expenses.


III. Taxes and Other Deductions

The following taxes and deductions will be withheld from the Employee��s monthly salary:
A. Income tax required by the Korean Tax Law (approximately 5%, which may be adjusted pursue on the changes of the Korean Tax Law);

Its not 5%....never was! On 2 mil its about 1.6% go to the nts website for your monthly withholding tax!

B. National Pension Contribution according to regulation (approximately 5%, which may be adjusted pursue on the changes of the regulation).
NOTE: Upon completion of the contract (agreement), pension contributions will be fully reimbursed to the Employee from USA
& Canada by the Korean government;

Its 4.5% not 5%....and the employer has to contribute an equal amount!

C. Health Insurance (at present 1.7%);

Now its 2.2%

D. 200,000 Won per month for the first three months as a security deposit for unpaid utilities and phone charges even if the Employee pays them each month. This deposit WILL BE refunded to the Employee one month after this contract is completed.

Just say no to deposits! They are not allowed to deduct them from your pay if you dont agree to it!

IV. Employee��s Conduct and Dress Code

1. During the term of this Agreement the Employee is expected to conduct himself/herself in a professional manner that would project a good image of the Institute. Therefore, the following forms of behavior will NOT be permitted:
A. Coming to the Institute and conducting class under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs and while smoking;

Smoking isnt allowed thats a strange one!

B. Making sexual advances towards or entering into relationships with the students or employees of the Institute;
C. Using bad language in class that would offend or discredit students, the staff and the Institute.
D. Not following scheduled class timetables, canceling, starting classes late without the prior approval of principal.

2. The Employee should present himself/herself to students as a professional. Casual attire, provided it is clean and neat, is acceptable. However, NO blue jeans, sneakers and T-shirts will be allowed (unless otherwise instructed).


V. Duty of Confidentiality

A. The Employee shall not disclose information relating to the contents of lectures, teaching material and business operation of the Institute to any third party.
B. The Employee shall not disclose information regarding his/her salary, overtime payment, and contract hours to any third party, including other Employees of the Institute.

Oops too late now

VI. Outside Employment and Conflicts of Interest

A. According to Korean Immigration Law, foreign workers are allowed to work legally in Korea ONLY for the Employer/Institute for which they have received a work visa.

Not true! With permission from immigration it is perfectly legal to have two jobs!

B. By signing this Agreement, the Employee agrees to devote his expertise, time and attention to discharge his duties to his legal Employer and not to engage in any other activity that would in any manner whatsoever compete with the Employer and pose any conflict between the interest of the Employer and the other party and/or interfere with the performance of the Employee��s duties.
C. If the Employee wishes to accept any other employment, such as private or part-time teaching, editing and so on, he/she must get the Principal��s approval before doing so. Failure to comply with this rule may result in immediate dismissal.


VII. Dismissal, Voluntary Resignation and Liquidating Damages

1. The Employer will have the right to dismiss the Employee if or when:
A. The Employee repeatedly fails to perform his/her duties stated under this Agreement including but not limited to frequent absences from the place of Employment/Institute without approval of the Principal/ Vice-Principal.
B. The Employee fails to conduct himself/herself in a professional manner (as described in Employee��s Conduct and Dress Code section of this Agreement) resulting in damaging the image of the Institute.
C. The Employee places any student or a staff person in jeopardy or causes significant material damage to the Employer as a result of his/her negligence or reckless behavior.
D. The Employee commits any criminal act inside or outside the place of employment/Institute. This will result in immediate dismissal with neither warning nor time for remedy being given to the Employee.
E. The Employee has already received three (3) reprimands (warnings) from the Employer of dissatisfaction with the Employee��s performance, and the Employee has not rectified the situation.
2. The Employee may not earlier terminate this Agreement without a good reason. If required, 45 days prior notice must be given to the Employer before termination of the contract.

30 days notice is plenty and that cuts both ways!

3. In any case of dismissal or voluntary resignation, the Employer will not provide a return ticket and will not give the severance pay. In addition, if the Employee voluntarily terminates this contract before six (6) months of employment, he/she will have to reimburse to the Employer the initial airfare and other expenses that the Employer has incurred in the process of hiring of the Employee, such as recruiter��s fee, housing utilities deposit and other expenses (if applicable).

No way! Under no circumstances should you ever agree to pay back the recruiters fee or any housing deposit. You should also never agree to an ambiguous wording like 'and other expenses'

With the possibility of Saturday classes and the totally one sidedness of the contract I give it a resounding 2 thumbs down!

[Son Deureo!]

I just thought I'd take this opportunity to say this again

[StAxX SOuL]

Thanks for the help guys...

I noted the imprecision in some of the terms... I'm a law grad so I know just how to exploit and how to avoid being exploited! I am set to ask for more clarification on certain terms including the housing, ... its just one of those things which pops up when you issue a standard contract across a firm as opposed to tailoring it to each school...

[StAxX SOuL]

[Homer]

Quick question: You seem to be focused on working in or near Gangnam and Hongdae.

Now considering you have never been to Korea why make it a sticking point to work there?

There are many other good places to work in Seoul and in Korea....

Sorry if I misread you there!

As Son Deuro said in his quote...those should be the guidelines for a decent contract for a newbie.

[StAxX SOuL]

I know the type of person I am, and I know what type of environments I thrive in which is why I ended up with those 2 destinations...

I'm from the UK and I spend my time between the 2 major cities, London and Manchester... at this point I have no desire to adopt the slower pace of life, I'm quite hedonistic I guess in that I like to make the most out of everything and not waste time... it puzzles me how people just trundle through life with not much purpose... maybe that'll change with age but right now being dropped into that slower paced environment would drive me insane

Coming off that I love to have convenience at my door, not have to spend an age travelling, because its all time unnecessarily wasted... if I would have planned a little better I would have it on my doorstep, lol...

Good enough reason for my geographical preferences?

LOL... if you've got anywhere else you think my needs would be catered for then feel free to suggest... and if you wonder why I've not opted for Itaewon, it's because I'm trying to get a little Korean culture, not simply move country and live amongst the same people!

[Son Deureo!]

While Hongdae and Gangnam are great neighborhoods to hang out in, the public transportation system in Seoul is good enough that both are pretty easy to get to no matter where you live in Seoul. Saying that you will only live and work in one of two neighborhoods in Seoul seems very limiting, especially since you're looking from abroad. It's your life, but I would say you're pretty silly if you (for example) take a subpar job just to live in one of those neighborhoods while passing up a great job because it's a 20-30 minute subway ride away from them.

And I thought the reason you weren't looking for a job in Itaewon is because there aren't any hogwons there.

At any rate, I strongly recommend that you don't take this job if you will be working Saturdays or living in shared accommodation. The vacation time sounds better than average, though.

[Homer]

[pegpig]

I lived about a 10~15 walk to the nearest subway my first year. As cheap as taxis are in Seoul, you can live almost anywhere and not miss out on the action. My first year was easily the wildest time in Korea and I didn't have to miss out. When you go crawling home in the wee hours (if you go home) a taxi will almost fly you there lickity-split for cheap. Then there's also sharing the taxi. Worry more about the school than where in Seoul the school is (within reason).

[andrew]

.....

[jacl]

Why would you even bother messing around with this contract getting them to change this and that? Look for something else.