Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Reason.]

I've received a job offer from a school in Incheon, and seeking some advice from those w/ more ESL experience regarding the contract they offered me. Now i'm not looking for the 10-week vacation, 2.4 million won contract, but this appears to be a somewhat decent contract compared to others that i've been offered, but am still curious what some of the veterans think about this one.

EMPLOYMENT CONTRACT
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The following contract is an employment agreement between______
to be referred to as the instructor and , __________________
to be referred to as the institute from this point forth.

1. Job position; English instructor
2. Period of Employment: The instructor will be employed by the Institute for
the following dates.
From: 2006.6. 1
To: 2007.5. 30
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3. Conditions
A. Salary: A monthly salary of 2.100.000 Won will be paid for 120 teaching
hours per month. An hourly wage of 20,000 Won will be paid for each additional
hour exceeding the contract hours. The monthly salary includes the basic salary,
bonuses, yearly retirement stipend.

B.Severance Pay: The amount of one month salary will be paid to the Instructor upon completion of the one year contract.

C. Pay Day: Compensation will be paid monthly (from the first, or starting
date, to last day of the month inclusively) along with other instructors on the
tenth day of the following month. Any errors in compensation shall be reported
to all parties affected within a week.
D.Insurance: A medical and accident insurance plan from an insurance company
will be offered to the instructor. The annual premium (current amount is 200.000
Won 200.000Won will be split between the Instructor and the Institute.

E. National Pension Plan: In accordance with Korean Law, all foreign workers
employed by Korean business shall pay into the Korean National Pension Plan at
rate of 2% plus an additional 4% (separation allowance reserve) deducted against
monthly earnings with the employer�s contribution of 3 %.

F.Tax; Korean income tax will be deducted from the salary according to Korean tax law(currently 4-6%).
G. Airfare: The round trip airfare is provided by the institute. The Institute will reimburse half of your airfare to the Instructor on his/her arrival and will reimburse the rest of money upon completion of the above contract period. But if the Instructor fails to complete the above contract period for any reason, the rest amount will not be given to the Instructor.
H. Accommodation: The Institute will provide a rent-free, private room or an apartment. The Instructor will pay the fair share of the utilities.
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4. INSTRUCTOR�S DUTIES
A: The Instructor will set a good positive example at all times.
B: The Instructor will follow set class schedule and will not dismiss class,
cancel classes, or start classes late without the approval of the director.
C: The Instructor should be in good health and will submit proof of his/her
health condition check up before or upon arrival.
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D: The Instructor will use textbooks provided by the Institute and is
encouraged to supplement these with other materials. All materials given to the
Instructor by the Institute will be returned after they are no longer needed.
E: The Instructor will not partake in the following activities since they may
damage the reputation of the Institute.

1. Conducting class while under the influence of alcohol, while smoking, or
white under the influence of illegal drugs.


2. Make sexual advances towards, or enter into relationships with students or employees or the Institute.

3. Conducting any private classes or accepting any funds without permission
from the director.

4. Borrowing or lending of funds to students or conducting any sales of items
to s students.
F: Any damages that are the direct result of negligence on the behalf
of the Instructor, either at the Institute or residence, will be paid for by the
Instructor.

G: If the Instructor seeks release from the contract for personal
reasons, the Instructor will report to the Institute and will receive 70% of the
monthly salary from that time until a replacement Instructor is placed (approx.
2months) and the Instructor agrees to work until the new Instructor arrives.

H: If the Instructor fails to conduct him/herself in a professional
manner, resulting in damage to the image of the Institute, or fails to follow
the director�s orders, the Institute has the right to terminate the contract
due to Internal problems, the Institute will provide two months notice. And, if
he Institute violates the contract, the Instructor also has the right to
terminate the contract, but two- month notice must be provided as well.

J: Holiday
The instructor will receive 10 days vacation including school breaks.

I: Both parties have read the above conditions and agree to the
terms in good faith and will agree to resolve any disputes in a reasonable
manner through the arbitrator.


DATE: __________________________ DATE: ________________________


DIRECTOR�S INSTRUCTOR�S
SIGNATURE :__________________________ SIGNATURE : _________________

[Grotto]

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3. Conditions
A. Salary: A monthly salary of 2.100.000 Won will be paid for 120 teaching
hours per month.

I just cant say it often enough here: "get a set schedule 2-9 or whatever....agree to teach 25 classes per week in that timeframe...anything else should be overtime! ANYTHING ELSE!

An hourly wage of 20,000 Won will be paid for each additional
hour exceeding the contract hours. The monthly salary includes the basic salary, bonuses, yearly retirement stipend.

Say what? Monthly basic salary is exactly that....your basic salary and should not include yearly retirement stipend or bonuses! Your salary is your basic minimum!

B.Severance Pay: The amount of one month salary will be paid to the Instructor upon completion of the one year contract.

C. Pay Day: Compensation will be paid monthly (from the first, or starting
date, to last day of the month inclusively) along with other instructors on the tenth day of the following month. Any errors in compensation shall be reported to all parties affected within a week.

From the first to the last day of the month! Payday should be no later than the 5'th!


D.Insurance: A medical and accident insurance plan from an insurance company will be offered to the instructor. The annual premium (current amount is 200.000 won 200.000Won will be split between the Instructor and the Institute.

Illegal! Medical is NHIC which is 2.24% per month

E. National Pension Plan: In accordance with Korean Law, all foreign workers
employed by Korean business shall pay into the Korean National Pension Plan at
rate of 2% plus an additional 4% (separation allowance reserve) deducted against
monthly earnings with the employer’s contribution of 3 %.

What a lie!!! its 4.5% each...not looking good when the thieves are out this early.

F.Tax; Korean income tax will be deducted from the salary according to Korean tax law(currently 4-6%).

its 1.7 give or take for a salary of 2.1! More theivery!

G. Airfare: The round trip airfare is provided by the institute. The Institute will reimburse half of your airfare to the Instructor on his/her arrival and will reimburse the rest of money upon completion of the above contract period. But if the Instructor fails to complete the above contract period for any reason, the rest amount will not be given to the Instructor.
H. Accommodation: The Institute will provide a rent-free, private room or an apartment. The Instructor will pay the fair share of the utilities.

Add in fully furnished with a list of what you want(demand aircon)

>
4. INSTRUCTOR’S DUTIES
A: The Instructor will set a good positive example at all times.
B: The Instructor will follow set class schedule and will not dismiss class,
cancel classes, or start classes late without the approval of the director.
C: The Instructor should be in good health and will submit proof of his/her
health condition check up before or upon arrival.
>
D: The Instructor will use textbooks provided by the Institute and is
encouraged to supplement these with other materials. All materials given to the
Instructor by the Institute will be returned after they are no longer needed.
E: The Instructor will not partake in the following activities since they may
damage the reputation of the Institute.

1. Conducting class while under the influence of alcohol, while smoking, or
white under the influence of illegal drugs.


2. Make sexual advances towards, or enter into relationships with students or employees or the Institute.

3. Conducting any private classes or accepting any funds without permission
from the director.

4. Borrowing or lending of funds to students or conducting any sales of items
to s students.
F: Any damages that are the direct result of negligence on the behalf
of the Instructor, either at the Institute or residence, will be paid for by the
Instructor.

G: If the Instructor seeks release from the contract for personal
reasons, the Instructor will report to the Institute and will receive 70% of the
monthly salary from that time until a replacement Instructor is placed (approx.
2months) and the Instructor agrees to work until the new Instructor arrives.

H: If the Instructor fails to conduct him/herself in a professional
manner, resulting in damage to the image of the Institute, or fails to follow
the director’s orders, the Institute has the right to terminate the contract
due to Internal problems, the Institute will provide two months notice. And, if
he Institute violates the contract, the Instructor also has the right to
terminate the contract, but two- month notice must be provided as well.

30 days notice is plenty!

J: Holiday
The instructor will receive 10 days vacation including school breaks.

What about all national holidays? When are these school breaks? List things clearly in a contract you gdamn hogwan monkeys!

I: Both parties have read the above conditions and agree to the
terms in good faith and will agree to resolve any disputes in a reasonable
manner through the arbitrator.


DATE: __________________________ DATE: ________________________


Crap! I hate contracts like this...lots of lies lies lies!~

[Reason.]

Grotto:

I've only been here for a few weeks, but you are by far one of my favorite posters on this board. Dahahahahaha...

Good lookin' out on the info. I'll see what I can pitch, to see if they'll move.

[ttompatz]

[NearlyKorean]

[Reason.]

Good lookin' out, ya'll.

I'll be talking to the director tomorrow, as well as a teacher at the school, and this is when i'll really get the chance to see what this place is about. I really appreciate the feedback that i've gotten thus far.

[tate]

This contract is nearly identical to mine. This is a chain school isnt it. You'll be working about 50 hours a week on that contract. If you miss a day due to illness or are late even one time your monthly salary will be severly slashed.

RUN! Listen to Grotto. Do not sign this crap.

Find a job at a public school. There are pleanty out there.

Also with all the illegal deductions and taxes they put in there this contract is really like working for 1.9 a month.

[Qinella]

Reason., others have given you good advice about that contract. However, I'm going to advise you in a way that a lot of people don't.

Let's say you get your basics squared away--salary, hours, home furnishings, etc. That's a given. But there's a whole lot more to a job than what will be stated on a copntract. There are some people here who make more money than I, but hate their jobs. Some questions to ask:

1. What exactly am I expected to do in class?
a. Will I be expected to prepare written lesson plans for each class?
b. Will I be giving tests, and marking them?
c. Will I be teaching all aspects (grammar, spelling, etc.) or will my concentration be on a specific niche, i.e. listening and speaking?

2. What is the min and max range of class size, and what is the average?

3. How respectful are the children, in general, toward the current foreign staff?
a. Will the director back me up in the instance of a problem?

4. Has the director even expelled a student for any reason?

5. Will I be expected to do phone teaching, student evaluations, or anything else aside from teaching?

6. Is there a no-Korean (speech) policy? If so, how strictly is it enforced?

7. Are students sorted by ability, or simply placed by age? Is there a formal placement test?

Regarding your apartment:

1. How far of a walk is it from work?

2. How far of a walk is it from the nearest subway station?

3. How many roaches, spiders, or other unpleasant critters has the current tenant seen, total?

4. Are there plenty of restaurants, stores, and other daily necessities within walking distance?



That's about all I can think of right now. These are, in my experience, factors that can make or break your stay. I can't stress enough that there's so much more to a hagwon job than logistics. You seem like the kind of guy who wants to do well and see measured success in his efforts. That's why it's important to end up in the right type of place, by asking the right type of questions.

Cheers,
Q.