Korean Job Discussion Forums

jurassic82 · Joined: 21 Jun 2006 Location: Somewhere!!!!

I was wondering if someone could help me understand the psychology of the hogwan industry. I've been in Korea for a little while now and am still suprised how one industry could be so corrupt. Most of us come to Korea signed to a contract with a school that has many provisions that both the school and the employee must abide by. What I don't understand is why these contracts are violated so much by Hogwan owners. For example many of us are promised Health Insurance in our contracts but most the people I know don't have it. Along with paying taxes and into the pension. These are all stated in the contract but seldom carried out by the employer. Do these employers not understand the contract in English or do they think they can get away with it. Is there something about Korean culture that I'm missing. Is being paid late common in Asia for other jobs besides teaching? Am I the only one that feels that they must beg to get their pay every month? Anyways I don't know if anyone will respond to my post but these were just a few questions that I was curious about. Mad

braunshade · Joined: 19 Apr 2006 Location: Somewhere better!

Its the way Koreans are. They will take advantage of you and screw you at the first opportunity and as often as possible.

They do it to each other too-not just foreigners.

However, the hogwan industry is even worse because the owners are usually the yellow trash of Korea.

flint · Joined: 11 Apr 2004

jajdude · Joined: 18 Jan 2003

Good post.

Some, I guess too many, of us just accept it as normal. I suppose a good few foreigners think, well, it could be worse, at least I'm getting paid on time every month. This is clearly ridiculous from a westerner's perspective.

"Oh, getting paid for doing your job, are ya? Well, you better hold on to that job."

Getting paid on time and in full is normal. It should be taken for granted.

It's really sinking too low, sinking to their level of corruption, to think otherwise.

All the other things should be taken for granted too. A lot of us let them slide to avoid rocking the boat or getting on shaky ground with a boss. If you deserve things because they are in the contract, you can demand them, but some bosses can make your life unhappy. So many crappy jobs exist that the employers want ignorant newcomers who accept whatever they get as normal.

jinju · Joined: 22 Jan 2006

Or, you can stop working for hagwons and get a better job. Coming up on my 3rd non-hagwon contract and it feels good.

ChuckECheese · Joined: 20 Jul 2006

oldfatfarang · Joined: 19 May 2005 Location: On the road to somewhere.

I agree, I think Western teachers are screwed over by Hagwon bosses because they can get away with it. Korean govt. departments can help Western teachers (KNTO, Labor Office etc). However, accessing these departments (in English) and obtaining fair treatment from a dishonest Korean Employer, is just plain difficult (impossible for many teachers without Korean support networks).
So the Hagwon owners can get away with most anything. I don't know why there isn't a 'collection agency' (read gang) that Western teachers could use to recover legal debts. We have these 'services' available in my country, and it is a very stupid person who screws around with a debt. Especially a salary debt.

wylies99 · Joined: 13 May 2006 Location: I'm one cool cat!

ChopChaeJoe · Joined: 05 Mar 2006 Location: Seoul

Supply and demand. As long as there are desperate foreigners supplying labor to schools that mistreat them, schools will continue to demand them. or something like that.

Why people put up with nonesens is beyond me. I'd just walk away. You're not a slave. If they broke the contract, you have no obligation to be their biotch.

markhan · Joined: 02 Aug 2006

Of course you do understand that it applies to all people, right?
Just few days ago in NY Times (Oct. 12) they reported that Chinese Govt is thinking about adopting new law to crackdown on sweatshop and stop abuse and give more rights to workers but some organization is dead against it. Who is that organization? You guessed it, American and foreign companies.

periwinkle · Joined: 08 Feb 2003

Good post, Flint! I really wonder about the moral code of some of the owners/managers at some of these hakwons. I really, really wonder how they can sleep at night. At my first hawon, there was even an image of Christ with some biblical phrase written across it in Hangul that was displayed in the teachers' room. I came to the conclusion that it was just a decoration, and that it was only meant to impress the mothers. I knew a woman that had a 2 year old back home, and she had serious money problems. Her hakwon screwed her out of a month's pay, and fired her 4 months into her contract because they were losing students and couldn't afford to keep her on. They also didn't provide her with return airfare, amongst other things.

flint · Joined: 11 Apr 2004

In some ways I am just as to blame as some of the past coworkers, I didn't go after the hagwon with the labour board. I couldn't afford to stay in Korea and fight them, and after the BS I went through I didn't think I would come back. (Plus little things like not having pay slips to back up claims.) So, I left instead of doing something.

Mind you I did make sure that everyone and their dog heard about what happened. But I definitely feel like I didn't do enough. 6 months after the BS, which is when I came back, was too late to do anything.