Korean Job Discussion Forums

[chaz47]

The pay seems a bit low. They only offer me 2.1 plus a 400,000 housing allowance.

I am leaving a public school positions that pays 2.85 including housing.

How do I go about negotiating for more pay?

I currently work for two public schools, 3 days at one and 2 at the other. The second school is great, very comfortable... the first one is a pain in my ass and is getting worse on a weekly basis. I would stay at the second school if it could be arranged but so far have gotten no answers on this.

Anyway, the pay in Busan is supposed to be a slight bit lower, but 2.1... come on... I made that much last year. (I forgot to mention I have one year of experience).

They want me to tell them if I want the position by the end of the week... I just got the contract an hour ago... this is Thursday night. Hahaha...

Is it safe to post the contract?

[alabamaman]

Yes, it's a good idea to post your contract for evaluation. Leave the name of the school, and names of other people out of the contract.

[chaz47]

Here it is. I have some concern with the pay and the vacation days, but nothing to serious.

Something about a minimum of 8 days of vacation seems a bit vague.

I have my own housing, it is 450,000 per month before utilities, so I want to hold out for at least another 50,000 won in housing allowance. With one and half years experience when I begin the job, is this asking to much?

Terms and Conditions:
Job Description:
The �employee� will work for the �employer� as an English Instructor. The duties of the �employee� will be as follows:
a. Implementing curriculum given by the school
b. Finding and using materials and resources to better teach the curriculum
c. Grading and evaluation of students
d. Attendance at teacher�s meetings and workshops
e. Reporting to work 2 hours before the first class
f. Other activities directly related to teaching
g. Monthly student management meetings with academic counselors
h. Participating in maximum of 4 school events

*****

Regular Hours of Employment and Salary:
As a full time instructor, the �employee� will teach Monday to Friday (excluding Saturday and Sunday) for a total of 30 or less hours a week. All classes exceeding 30 hours per week will be considered OVERTIME, and will be paid with the properly issued overtime salary of 20,000won/hour.
School events aforementioned in section 1 are not considered overtime pay.
The base salary paid for regular hours of employment will be 2,100,000 won per month. The salary will be paid to the �employee� once per month without delay on the tenth of each month. The payment will include services rendered from the first day to the last day of the previous month.
The �employee� may be required to teach overtime (15 hours per week for eight weeks during one contract year).
The �employee� may be required to work on a Saturday twice a year. In such an event, the �employee� will be provided with a weekday off in the same month.

****


There may be a maximum of 4 days of orientation/training before the �employee� begins the first teaching month and a maximum of 12 hours of training workshops outside of working hours throughout the contract. The following may constitute orientation/training:

i. School policies and curriculum orientation
j. Observation of classes
k. Group workshops on curriculum/school development

There will be a small compensation for these activities: W4,000 per hour.


****

Housing
A single studio apartment is offered to the �employee.� The �employer� will be responsible for the key money and rent and will provide the following furnishings for the apartment: a bed and comforter, a gas hotplate, a kitchen table and chairs, a refrigerator, an air conditioner and television for the living room, kitchen utensils, a washing machine and a clothes rack. The �employee� is expected to acquire all other essentials related to the apartment. The �employee� is expected to pay for maintenance, utilities, and telephone expenses (including the deposit) from the date the �employee� enters the apartment to the date the �employee� vacates.

If the �employee� chooses to find housing on his/her own, a minimum of three months notice is required. A housing allowance of W400,000/month which is taxed will then be added to the salary.

The furniture provided to the �employee� is clean and nice, and must be returned in the same condition on the last day of this contract. Maintenance of and repairs to the apartment, appliances within and heating system due to normal wear and tear will be the responsibility of the �EMPLOYER.� In return the �employee� agrees to respect and care for the apartment.


Airfare
The �employee� will be provided with a FREE economy class round-trip ticket to Fukuoka, Japan for a visa run, and a spending allowance of 200,000 won. If the �employee� decides to resign or the contract is terminated for whatsoever reason and did not finish at least six months of the agreed one-year contract, then the �employee� must reimburse the �employer� for the cost of the plane fare. At the end of the contract, the �employee� will be provided with a one-way return ticket home or a 500,000 won relocation bonus or a 500,000 won resigning bonus.


Severance Pay
Upon completion of this contract, the �employee� will receive one month�s salary as severance pay in accordance with Korean Labor Laws. Under no circumstances will this severance pay be withheld from the �employee� upon completion of the contract.


Vacation
The �employee� will be paid for all statutory national holidays and is not expected to work during these days.
The �employee� will also receive a minimum of eight paid working days vacation during one contract year. The exact dates will be determined at the �employer�s� convenience. No deduction will be made to the regular monthly salary during the vacation periods.

****

Sick Days
In accordance with standard sick leave policies in Korea, the �employee� may miss up to three workdays with pay during the contracted year as a result of sickness. The �employee� must notify the school in a timely fashion and provide a doctor�s note stating the nature and severity of the illness. In the event the �employee� is unable to come to work for more than three days as a result of sickness, the �employee� would lose the workday�s pay (calculated by dividing the salary by the number of workdays in the month) or dealt with on a case-by-case basis. Long term or severe illnesses will also be dealt with on a case-by-case basis and may end as a cancellation of the contract in which the �employee� and �employer� agrees together. If an �employee� fails to come to work without proper medical documentation, it will be considered a breach of contract/unexcused absence and W30,000 will be deducted from the �employee�s� pay for each hour not worked.
In the case where the �employee� does not use any of his/her three sick days, the �employee� will receive a bonus of W400,000 upon completion of the contract period or W200,000 for two out of three unused sick days.


Rights and Responsibilities
Both the �employer� and the �employee� are to be considered professionals and as such will treat each other with mutual respect and dignity. However, since the �employee� is working under the contract for the �employer,� the �employee� will make every effort to follow the direction, training and supervision of the �employer.� The �employee� will also carry out the teaching assignments given by the �employer� in a professional manner.


Dismissal
The �employer� may immediately dismiss the �employee� from employment under the following conditions:
l. Violation of the laws of the Republic of South Korea
m. Teaching classes while under the influence of drugs or alcohol
n. False information provided during the interview process
o. Being late for work or class on a repeated basis
p. Repeated failures to follow the teaching guidelines and school policies
q. Absence from work without valid reason

With the exception of Section 14a, 14b, and 14c, the �employer� will bring the problem of attention to the �employee� and make every attempt to resolve the situation. The �employee� will then follow the direction of the �employer� and make every attempt to correct the problem. However, circumstances beyond the control of the �employee� are exempt from Section 14.
Resignation can take place if the teacher perceives:
Continuous disrespect, or negligence of his/her human rights
Negligence of the points of this contract by the school
Death or severe sickness of an immediate family member or severe illness of the teacher.


Termination of Contract
With the exception of Section 14 of this contract, the �employer� or �employee� may cancel this contract with 30 days written notice. In the event that the �employee� seeks release from this contract, the �employer� will issue a letter of release to the �employee� upon request, without delay after 30 days.


Resolving Disputes
While both parties enter into this agreement with total honesty and integrity, disputes may sometimes occur. In such cases, both parties will be bound by all terms and conditions in this contract and will try to resolve the difference in a civil manner that is fair to both parties. In the event that no solution can be found for a problem and either party decides to terminate this contract, they must do so in accordance with Section 14 above. Upon such termination, both parties will agree to remain civil and to speak honestly and fairly about their experiences and not in a disrespectful manner.


Transfer of Contract
Under no circumstances can the �employer� exchange, give, sell, or transfer this contract or the service of the �employee� to another party or institute without the written consent of the �employee.�


Changes to Contract
There will be no changes or additions to this contract without the written consent and approval of both parties. Any changes made must be in writing and signed by both parties to be included in this contract. Any changes made to this contract, whether verbal or other, without the knowledge and written consent of both parties are to be considered invalid, and as such are not part of this contract.


Release from Contract
With the exception of Section 15, both the �employer� and the �employee� are released from this contract in the case of:
r. Death, war accident, or unforeseen events
s. Failure to obtain an E2 visa from the Korean Immigration
t. Failure to meet any or all of the terms and conditions of this contract


Language of Contract
The language of this contract is written in English. For the convenience of the �employer� this contract may be translated into Korean upon request and prior to the signing of this document. In the event of an internal dispute, the English version of this contract will prevail.
Both the �employer� and �employee� have read and understood all the terms and conditions of this contract and do hereby enter into this contract which will be binding upon all parties, their heirs and successors.

[soviet_man]

Just beware.

YES Youngdo has: cameras in each classroom, weekly meetings, weekly workshops, open classes for parents, daily essay marking and your classes will be regularly evaluated by the Korean staff.

You will also be there 2pm-10pm every day (40 hours a week / 120 a month) not including winter and summer intensives - which will be even more.

That is certainly a lot of pony-show crap for just 2.1 million.

Honestly - going from 2.85, to effectively 2.0 or below (after tax) would be a disaster.

[MikeNelson]

YES Youngdo has the following payscale that goes from 2.0 to 2.4
2.0 new teacher with no experience
2.1 atleast one full year ESL teaching
2.2 atleast one full year ESL teaching plus an education degree or ESL certificate of some kind.
ect....
I bet less than 3% of their teachers make 2.4 plus housing.

They have not changed their payscale in atleast 5 years that I am aware of. You can try to ask for more money but I am sure they will not give it. They would have to do the same for the other 200 plus teachers that work for them also.
In my opinion YES is a good starter school for newbies, they are honest about what they expect from you and you will be paid on time everytime. The work load is not worth the outdated low pay that they offer. You could most likely do much better somewhere else.

[MollyBloom]

My boyfriend and I got an offer from them for 2.4, but we ended up not taking it. The Daechi branch is supposedly good; I don't know about the other ones. Although, we tried negotiating with them, and they got pissed and said "Good luck finding a job that meets your expectations." Then a week later we got an awesome offer. I say try to find a better deal. They won't change much in the contract, from my experience.

[Horangi Munshin]

[chaz47]