Korean Job Discussion Forums

[zappadelta]

Were any of you at this camp in Yongin? There were about 40 foreign teachers there, so I'm sure some of you were there. My buddy was there for 4 long weeks, sleeping in dorms built in the 60's, eating terrible food. Working about 12 hour days. The contract was for 2 million. Payday comes, and the bastards take 27% tax out. So, everyone ends up with 1.45 or so. Everyone was pissed, most of the teachers had to catch planes or get out right away, so they couldn't do anything. My buddy and about 10 others stayed another night (they turned off all the water and heat in the dorms) to go to the tax office the next day. So, in addition to being scammed out of all this money, they wasted about 2 days to go to the tax office. Because, at the tax office, they basically said that nothing could be done, that this was a business tax. Good times.

[merrilee]

Forty foreign teachers agreed to teach a 4-week camp for only 2.0? Am I reading this correctly?

[zappadelta]

Yes, that is correct. Maybe not exactly 40, but approximately.

[jinju]

4 weeks for 2 million for a camp working 12 hours a day? Why would people agree to that?

[zappadelta]

Well, the work day lasted for 12 hours, but they didn't teach all those hours. Maybe 6-7 a day. A lot of people took the job because they paid for flights.

[UncleAlex]

One would have to be desperate to teach 6 classes a day and be on call
for 12 hours for just 2 million won for 4 weeks. The parents must have
paid hefty fees for their kids, enabling the employer to pay at least 3
million won if not 4. And what's this about a business tax being applied by
a university which isn't a business like a hagwon is, where one is taxed no
more than 5%. It could be another case where a Korean official sympathised
with his brethren

[zappadelta]

No, the camp was held at the university, using the university name and facilities, but it was run by a separate entity.

[jinju]

[BigBlackEquus]

Yeah, I never work a camp unless it is paid hourly. And I'm looking to get about 30,000 won per hour for that. I've worked the same camp twice. I made about 1 million won working 11 days -- 3 hours per day. It was at a public school.

This time, they are trying to tell me they need to take out about 70,000 won in tax. It ain't gonna happen. As I hear, we should only pay about 3.3%. If anyone knows different, please speak up.

[dbee]

In my opinion any teacher that agrees to work in a summer camp for 4 wks at 2.0mill should be publicly named and shamed on this board.

The camp situation is the korean esl industry at its worst. The camps can NEVER get their hands on enough teachers and yet the wages seem to spiral downwards every year.

The camp I worked at last summer made over $100,000 a week. And were arguing with me over 100,000won.

I won't work at a camp for less than 1mill a week. Considering that most camps have you on call at least 9hrs a day (teaching and non-teaching). I think that sum is fair.

If you agree to work at a summer camp for 2mill, I won't go as far as to say that you get what you deserve (by agreeing to work for such cheap ****). But suffice it to say that my sympathy reserves are fairly exhausted in regards to this issue.

Next time the camp season comes around, I'd be in favor of posting a thread entitled "THIS IS WHAT YOU SHOULD EARN FOR CAMP WORK". And then just bump the thread for 3wks or so.

[ben the saint]

As I agree with dbee. The other thing I can't understand is why people are accepting the tax deduction. On these side jobs NO Tax should be deducted! Why would you accept this??? And we wonder why this market is going down.

[chiaa]

When I taught, I ALWAYS had them put the tax rate into my contract and wrote anything above and beyond that due to the Korean government was to be paid by them.

[zappadelta]

Yea, a whole crew of teachers, including my friend, went to the tax office the next day and they said there was nothing they could do. They had C-4 visas and the 27% tax was a legal business tax rate.

[BigBlackEquus]

This needs to be put in a sticky somewhere, and reposted around camp time next summer!

[jacl]