Korean Job Discussion Forums

[heeheehee]

So I've been getting a lot of offers and sometimes I find myself thinking that maybe I'm just being too greedy. I mean, I don't have any experience teaching, after all.

The one person I spoke with at Footprints mentioned that the housing deposit (I think that's what it's called...the 100,000W they take for three months) isn't actually illegal, just standard. The way she put it, it sounded reasonable but I don't want to part with my money if I don't have to, especially if it's illegal for them to be asking me for it in the first place!

A lot of contracts mention "seminars" and "workshops" during the year for which I will not be paid and are mandatory. I keep responding that I don't want to work on a Saturday or any other day if I'm not going to get paid. Am I being too pushy?

Some mention a training session before actually beginning to teach...I want to be paid for that as well. Again, is that too much to ask for?

I want it all but is there truly a perfect contract out there? Or should newbies just tough it out the first year and then demand the world the next time around?

[jmbran11]

My company takes the "housing deposit" from our last pay check to cover any bills we leave behind. The remainder is allegedly refunded to our account overseas. I think this is reasonable, try negotiating that into your contract. I can't speak as to the legality, but the truth is a significant number of teachers do run and do leave substantial bills behind, so it may not be total bs.

You should be paid for pre-working training if it starts after your contract begins.

As for "workshops", etc. I would be flexible. If it's one or two annually, suck it up and develop yourself a bit. If it's really just weekend work in disguise, run the other way. We look at it like an opportunity that our employer is willing to pay for.

[TheUrbanMyth]

It's illegal if you don't agree to it. But if you sign a contract knowing full well that that clause is in there, it's a different story.

[ttompatz]

[wylies99]

It sounds like a bad recruiter. Stay away, OP.

[babtangee]

Yeah, I wouldn't count on Footprints to 'look after you'. They're just recruiters.

I wouldn't pay a deposit either. Though I realise teachers do often leave without paying their bills (former teacher at my hagwon did it), I would never pay a deposit for the simple reason that hagwons just as often rob their teachers blind. If they want you they better take the risk of losing a couple hundred thousand in bills... you're already taking enough risk hoping to get your severance and final pay.

P.S. Don't run out on ya bills ya pack of bums.

[polonius]

My school does ask for a deposit. And we also pay the bonus the day before the teachers finish their contract. The reason we ask for the deposit is because the housing/maintenance bills come at the end of the month for the month prior, as do some of the phone bills and cable bills.

Furthermore, I have had teachers leave their apartments in complete disarray. Cleaning the crap they leave behind sometimes cost us up to 100,000 won if not more. (I had a cleaning ajuma go in to an apartment and she refused to clean it for less than 100,000 won. I normally paid her 30,000 won to clean my place.)

I understand that it is possible to get the bills updated to the point of departure for the teachers, but when we have 24 foreign teachers on staff, I would need to hire one Korean staffer just to deal with my teachers bills.

After all the bills have been paid out, we ALWAYS transfer the remainder back to the teachers, at our expense. But I do understand that there are less reputable hagwons out there that try to nickle and dime teachers for all they have. I cannot risk doing this, as I have 24 foreign teachers on staff, and bad press could be damaging.

Talk to current, or past teachers at the school to see if they have heard of teachers receiving their money back.

As for asking recruiters for help, don't do it. Once they get their money, their goal is to move on and get more money. You are off their scope, and are no longer a concern of theirs.

[Captain Corea]

[Homer]

[mumblebee]

Our school also requires a deposit. It has always been faithfully returned minus any outstanding expenses (which are fully documented for the teacher.)

I think the difficulty comes in because the deposit is typically mentioned in the main body of the contract...actually it should be a separate issue, which is a security deposit for company-supplied housing. If you think that all teachers are angels who would never screw their boss (in our case a really good guy) over, think again.

Security deposits for housing are standard just about everywhere, so I don't know what the problem is in principle. Back home, can you rent accommodations without paying some kind of security deposit? In practice, I agree it is a risk, maybe your prospective boss is not going to return it...do your research...get the names of former teachers. This risk really falls into the same catargory of "am I going to get paid on time etc, etc". A good school will understand your concerns, and they will have no problems giving you the info you need. A good idea is to request a formal check-in/check out proceedure, so that the before and after conditions of the accommodations are documented and agreed upon.

Since teachers are rarely in a position to shell out a housing deposit when they arrive, our school takes it off of the first 3 months pay, as a courtesy to the teacher so they are not overburdened with the cost. Possibly if the deposit was not done as a payroll deduction in this way, the issue would be clearer.

[Thunndarr]