Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Real Reality]

[denverdeath]

You received your pay, at least the base, for February, right? Make sure you put enough aside for your airfare if you need it in an emergency.

What kind of deductions have you had from your pay? Do you have medical insurance? Was it at least offered? This is an additional 2.24% deduction from your base salary. Your employer is supposed to match it, and you should have a health card.

http://www.nhic.or.kr/wbe/nation/nation033.html

How much are you currently being taxed? Do you receive any kind of pay stub? Do you at least have a bank account(with bank book which you can update), so you can verify to agencies how much your net salary is? Monthly tax depends on how much you make.

http://www.nts.go.kr/eng/default.html <---click on "Check My Monthly Withholding Tax"

Do you even have an alien registration card? Do you know if you are registered for the National Pension Plan? That's an additional deduction of 4.5% from your base, which your employer is legally supposed to match.

http://www.nps4u.or.kr/eng/g-index.html

Labour:

http://english.molab.go.kr/



All the stuff before now, or whenever your visa became active, is somewhat irrelevant. Yes, you could've been fined and deported for working illegally in the month of December. And, yes, your employer could've been fined. How will you prove your case to immigration? If you do prove your case, you will also be admitting to your own guilt...you shouldn't have been working whether you knew it was illegal or not.

You have to look at your contract and see if your boss is doing sth that is illegal now. Sth that you might be able to fight with at the labour board. Think about what you want to do first. Make a plan. Check on those few things I mentioned first, and then go to the labour board if you think you have a legit grievance. Call 1350 and explain your situation to them.

Your boss doesn't have to give you a letter of release if he doesn't want to. He legally doesn't have to, and that is one of the biggest problems with the E-2 visas in Korea. If you do a run, you will not be able to get another job until your current visa expires(I think ten months from now based upon the info you have given), and you could even get a five-year no-entry judgement against you depending on how your boss plays the game. But, if running is a better option, do it soon. The longer you stay with this guy, the angrier you will get. You can refuse to work, but the success of that will depend on how your boss responds to it. If you see no other way of getting out of the mess you're in(through discussion with your boss), getting fired is one other option you have. Never tell your boss that you quit; get fired. Your boss should then drag you down to the immigration department and have your visa cancelled. You'll get a 14-day exit order. Then, you could come back to work somewhere else legally and chalk up those three months to bad luck. Having said that, you might be surprised at how much crap the Korean employer will put up regarding his employee's behaviour. In other words, there are many possible outcomes and many things for you to think about. Even though your situation is pretty sh1tty, you are in no way owned by your boss or a prisoner of this country. Always remember that.

[bellum99]

I have long said that people are full of crap. I agree with you..he can't do the things he is doing but he will. People will say all kinds of stupid advice that won't help. The point is that you are in a tough place..he can give you the hours he wants and you must do them even if the contract doesn't say that because you didn't get the hours of working time put in the contract.

The best thing to do is to try and get fired...but that is hard and he won't give you a letter of release....YOU HAVE THREE OPTIONS ONLY:

1: Get fired or quit and come back to Korea after your contract is over.
This is now.

2: Wait as long as possible and then quit or get fired.

3: Shut up and try to survive until the contract is over. Just take that crap and next time be more careful with the contract and school.


---The truth is he very likely won't pay the severance anyway...so I wouldn't stay and hope for that. I would stay and save some money and then go home and come back (or go to Thailand for a few months and come back after the contract is over).


---This is my last post on this thread. Read the advice everyone gave and make a choice.

[ontheway]

fleart1,

You are in a bad spot. You hate your job and your boss. It would probably be best for you to get out. The tone of all your postings tells me that you should do it quickly. The only question would seem to be how.

Issues:

The visa run to Japan is not an issue. Few get paid for that time as working time. We often get our visas on our own time and dime before we come.

He lied to you about working illegally in December. You did it. You didn't know. It's over now. Forget it.

He overcharged your tax in December. Is he overcharging now? Yes, he probably kept the money too. He's dishonest. This issue could be worked out, maybe. It's also a reason to leave. How can you trust him now? But it's a small thing.

Your schedule. This is the big thing. Yes, working those 20 min. classes with unpaid 40 min. breaks (or whatever) is a MAJOR ISSUE. If you can't work this out, then you have to leave.

The question is, should you try to work out the schedule problem first, or just get out. Should you try to work up to the six month mark or go now? Do you want to leave so bad that you'll run and leave Korea or work something out so you can get a new job?

Remember this. You're already screwed. You will never get what you expected to get, you'll never get what you should have gotten from this job. You need to make the best moves you can now to get to a better place, as quickly as possible, but without making more trouble for yourself.

And thank you for posting the dirt bag's business name. Oh, the tragedy. Dishonest Abe.

[Grotto]

[denverdeath]

[fleart1]

Well I can expect the works from immigration because he drove 35 miles to an out of town immigration ofice in Ujambo or something like that because his friend worked there (gulp) I think he will do the worst..
Also, just kiss that 2 weeks salary he is holding good bye?

[denverdeath]