Korean Job Discussion Forums

[ChuckECheese]

I came to Korea just last month as I was hired by a fairly new school. When I came to Korea, there were few minor issues such as work hours, and furniture and A/C in my apartment, etc. However, the director was very reasonable in providing fair solution to these issues.

Just last week, another teacher was hired. He�s was teaching in China before coming here and trouble began between the new teacher and the director when he submitted his travel expense report for reimbursement for his expenses getting to Korea from China. There wasn�t any shouting match between them, but the atmosphere in the school became so bad that I decided to intervene and help my new colleague with what ever problem(s) that he was having with the reimbursement issue with the director.

After talking to my new colleague and the director here�s what I�ve found.

The director: She will only reimburse for the reasonable fees and expenses incurred only for travel from China, Japan (visa run), and finally to Korea which include (reasonable transportation cost, i.e. airfare, taxi, bus, train/subway, and one night hotel cost in Japan. Any other costs involving excessive transportation fee, meals/drinks, dental work bill, personal expenses (development of film, personal postal expense, and massages) in Japan will not be reimbursed.

The new teacher: He insists that everything be reimbursed. I�m not sure but I believe that you can get E-2 Visa from China, but he insisted that he go to Japan to get his visa and got an approval from the recruiter to go to Japan first to get his E-2 visa. He stayed 2 nights and three days in Japan.

He incurred following expenses after reviewing his expense report (approximate):

1. Airfare: $400 Excess baggage weight fee: $250 Total: $650
Although the director feels that she shouldn�t be responsible for the excess baggage fee, she is willing to pay.
2. Subway/bus/taxi in Japan: $200
The director is not willing to pay for all of transportation fee because the cost of travel to and from hotel to embassy in Japan would not cost this much. I really couldn�t comment since I never had visa run to Japan. Is $200 reasonable?
3. Hotel expense in Japan: for two nights approximately or over $80
The director feels that two nights in Japan is unreasonable. At first, she was going to pay for only one night, but she decided to pay for both nights. Again, is two nights in Japan reasonable?
4. Food & drinks: $100
The director feels that she is not responsible for any food/drinks. Is it customary to pay for meals/drinks during visa run and travel to Korea?
5. Dental work expense in Japan: $60
The director absolutely will not pay for this which I agreed. I asked my new colleague why he decided to add this bill to his expense report and his response, I kid you not, but this is his exact words, �since the school is suppose to provide the medical insurance, I was just testing the school to see if they will also pay for dental work in Japan.� When I heard this from him, I lost my cool and blew up on him and said, �You must be f**king crazy!�
6. Medication in Japan: $20
The director absolutely will not pay for this since it appears relates to dental work. I also agreed.
7. Film development(for personal): $40
The director will absolutely will not pay for this since it�s personal expense.
8. DHL Postal Fee(for personal): $40
The director will absolutely will not pay for this since it�s personal expense.

It appears that my colleague decided to be slick and slipped some personal expenses into the expense report not by mistake, but to deceive the director thinking that she didn�t read Japanese since most of the receipts were printed in Japanese. But he thought wrong and got caught.

Now after learning this, I have no desire to help my colleague and don�t care what happens to him. From the start, he has lost his trust and confidence with the director. I had a private talk with my new colleague and told him what I thought about the whole situation and him. I also told him that if he wants to work here and have good relationship with the director, he should first apologize for his mistake and ask only for what the director is willing to reimburse. However, he insisted that he get full requested amount and said, �They should be glad that I even came and just pay me.� I blew-up again and told him that if I were the director, you would have been fired for cheating and sent you back to where you came from (China) and walked away from him.

Now, this issue between the new teacher and the director is not the money. It�s only several hundred dollars difference. The issue has become matter of principle for the director. I�m not going to make any personal judgment of others. I know where my personal value is. But is this reasonable?

[John Henry]

Gonna have to side with you and the director on this one.

New teacher is a tool. Sometimes I'm glad I'm not a wongjangnim.

[PRagic]

New teacher sounds like a schmuck on an ego trip. Have to side with the boss on this one. One night, air, and visa expenses should about cover it. Travel expenses? Funny stuff. Tell him/her to get over themselves.

[maddog]

I never thought I'd take sides with a director, but she is spot on. The new teacher is taking fcking liberties. Why should the director pay dental expenses in Japan. As for film and DHL expenses, this guy needs a good slap. Dickheads like this give ESL teachers a bad reputation.

MD

[ontheway]

This is just another crazy loser who doesn't belong in Korea. You should do yourself a favor. Suggest to your wonjangnim that she fire this loser immediately. Offer to help out as much as you can while she finds a new teacher. A loser like this will eventually hurt you too. You and the school need to get clear of this wacko ASAP.

[tzechuk]

Your director sounds like a very decent woman for willing to pay for the extra night and the other expenses..

Personal expense should NOT be charged to school - afterall, what does personal mean?!

Your new colleague is out of his mind for wanting his *FULL* expenses paid for. I hope your director fires him on the spot for cheating.

[Grotto]

WOW

I'm speechless!

[Pak Yu Man]

Next thing you're going to say is your director won't pay for his Japanese whores.

If I was the director I'd pay the tool his ticket and his hotel for one night. I probably would have paid more (the flight from China to Korea is way cheaper than one from idiot boy's hometown to here), but then I'd have to say "screw him".

Is the VISA process finished? If not tell your director to let him go.

[HamuHamu]

Yep - I'm with the director on this one, and I think that if it is as how you have laid it out, the director is being overly reasonable in an effort to save some face and try to compromise.

The only specific comment about the expenses list I have, that hasn't already been made yet is about the $200 in transportation -- when there on a visa run, I have had my school pay the fee from the airport to the embassy but that's it. I think in Osaka it is somewhere around 1500 yen each way and in Fukuoka the subway trips come to a grand total of 1000 yen (airport to embassy, to hotel, back to embassy next day and back to airport). So, the guy should get $20 for his transportation. It's not the boss's responsibility to pay for him to cruise all around the city in taxis and going sightseeing (assuming those are how he managed to spend $200 on transportation!)

Anyway, the guy sounds like a total arse, and with that kind of an attitude, I suspect he won't last long.....the boss should cut her losses now rather than have someone with that kind of attitude around for the year. And good luck to you for having to work with him!

[poet13]

Director 1. New teacher 0.

For the visa run, two nights might be necessary, maybe. But meals, dental, personal, 200 for transport, meds, film, excess baggage, food and drink?

Tell him to take a flying leap.

You know how so many of us complain that our directors abuse us from the get go, how unfair and dishonest they are? And the overwhelming advice is to quit? Well, I think this is just a foreigner doing what they sometimes do to us.

Were I the director, I would ditch him as fast as possible.

[ChuckECheese]

Well...This morning, the new teacher didn't show up for work. And from what I've heard from the director, she's been trying to contact him over the weekend to let him know that she has decided to let him go. The director just went over to his apartment and found out that he had left (midnight run) without telling anyone. He's probably had some other job lined up for him.

However, the irony of the it is that, as reasonable woman as she is, she was going to give him the letter of release since the visa process had been finished already. The dumb-ass could have been free from the visa obligation, but he chose to run over the weekend. I just can't understand the guy. Moreover, since she has to maintain the apartment until arrival of the new replacement teacher (probably will take over a month) she was actually going to let him stay in the apartment (for free) until he is able to move or get another job. She was actually feeling sorry that she was going to let him go. She even said that she was going to let him work part-time if he was in need of some money.

It really really boils me over for what this stupid guy has done to this very reasonable and honorable woman. Just today, I can sense the huge disappointment in her face when he didn't show up for the class. I just felt so bad for her. I wanted to advise her to put a BIG black mark on his E-2 visa at the immigration so he can't work in Korea any more, but reasonable and sensible woman as she is, I didn't tell her that since I believe she wouldn't do anything like that anyway.

I also learned that on Friday, she had made and gave the new teacher a bank book with ATM card with reimbursement money nearly $1000 in it which was $200 less that original claim of $1200.

The only thing I can say about this unfortunate situation is that I am very lucky to be working at this school with my director. She is just beyond belief. I'm not just saying this to promote the goodness about my school. I'm saying it from the bottom of my heart.

Now, she has to take her losses (recruiter fee, apartment rent, bills, cancelling classes, etc.) and look for another teacher (hopefully someone with some personal values). It's just sad that there are such a irresponsible people out there make me and other good ESL teachers bad name. I just feel so guilty for no reason......

[Captain Corea]

[simpleminds]

Hey, Chuck.

I have a feeling this director is a friend of mine....It sounds just like her. Damm, I feel bad 'cos I just got back a week ago and wasn't here to back her up.

I'm glad she's got a teacher who has some personal values.

If she is my friend I'll advise her to black-list this sodass to Immigration.

[ChuckECheese]

The school is fairly new and I think she doesn't have lots of experience dealing with the foreign teachers. Unfortunately, it's just a bad learning curve for her that there are some bad idiotic people out there.

The days that he and I came to our school, she actually had every teachers at the school to actually greet and welcome us at the train station.

To answer your question, I think she just doesn't want us foreigners to feel alienated, shocked, and cheated in anyway shape or form by new culture and just feel welcomed.

[simpleminds]

That would be my friend. I've told her a lot of horror stories about bad hogwons, but I'd also told her there are plenty of schmucks out there. Too bad she got one!