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Adventurer
Joined: 28 Jan 2006
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 Posted: Thu Aug 10, 2006 4:01 am Post subject: Breaking contract question... |
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Let me preface this post by saying that I like my student immensely, and generally get along with my boss, but I am miffed to no end about certain things. My contract says I am supposed to pay Korean taxes. I haven't paid it yet, and I have been here for four months now. I have asked about it more four times. I asked for health insurance which is specified in my contract, and I didn't get that either nor did I get the pension. I was told I don't have to get the health insurance or pension, because I am working at a franchise of the corporation, it is not a corporate hagwon. I did not see anywhere on the Korean government websites anything to stating that she is in the right on this. I am calling the Ministry of Labour tomorrow. I have been patient enough. There are other issues like style of management, which even the Korean teachers didn't agree with. I don't want to go into details. But what rights do I have to go to another hagwon, if I feel my contract wasn't really honoured in the first place?
Thanks... |
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laogaiguk
Joined: 06 Dec 2005
Location: somewhere in Korea
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| Posted: Thu Aug 10, 2006 4:03 am Post subject: Re: Breaking contract question... |
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| Adventurer wrote: |
Let me preface this post by saying that I like my student immensely, and generally get along with my boss, but I am miffed to no end about certain things. My contract says I am supposed to pay Korean taxes. I haven't paid it yet, and I have been here for four months now. I have asked about it more four times. I asked for health insurance which is specified in my contract, and I didn't get that either nor did I get the pension. I was told I don't have to get the health insurance or pension, because I am working at a franchise of the corporation, it is not a corporate hagwon. I did not see anywhere on the Korean government websites anything to stating that she is in the right on this. I am calling the Ministry of Labour tomorrow. I have been patient enough. There are other issues like style of management, which even the Korean teachers didn't agree with. I don't want to go into details. But what rights do I have to go to another hagwon, if I feel my contract wasn't really honoured in the first place?
Thanks... |
Very bad, DEMAND these things or leave and report them. This could really be bad later. |
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kermo
Joined: 01 Sep 2004
Location: Eating eggs, with a comb, out of a shoe.
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| Posted: Thu Aug 10, 2006 4:19 am Post subject: Re: Breaking contract question... |
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| laogaiguk wrote: |
| Adventurer wrote: |
Let me preface this post by saying that I like my student immensely, and generally get along with my boss, but I am miffed to no end about certain things. My contract says I am supposed to pay Korean taxes. I haven't paid it yet, and I have been here for four months now. I have asked about it more four times. I asked for health insurance which is specified in my contract, and I didn't get that either nor did I get the pension. I was told I don't have to get the health insurance or pension, because I am working at a franchise of the corporation, it is not a corporate hagwon. I did not see anywhere on the Korean government websites anything to stating that she is in the right on this. I am calling the Ministry of Labour tomorrow. I have been patient enough. There are other issues like style of management, which even the Korean teachers didn't agree with. I don't want to go into details. But what rights do I have to go to another hagwon, if I feel my contract wasn't really honoured in the first place?
Thanks... |
Very bad, DEMAND these things or leave and report them. This could really be bad later. |
My hagwon did the same thing. They didn't want to pay their side of the pension or health insurance, so they
a) offered us an alternate health insurance that covered very little but cost us a lot (so most of us turned it down.)
b) claimed that everyone was a "part time" employee so they weren't entitled to pension or health care
c) when pressed, they tried to get us to sign an agreement that effectively lowered our salary, so we would end up paying for most of their contribution.
Shady shady shady. Don't even get me started on what they did to my co-worker after the housing they provided spontaneously combusted and melted all her earthly possessions (hint: it wasn't good.)
I called the Labour Board, and they said they would look into it. I didn't hear any more about it, so I don't know if the hagwon was contacted, but nothing changed.
In my case, I said "I don't want to work here anymore. You guys are unscrupulous jerks, and I'm tired of watching you screw people around." They gave me a letter of release, so I didn't have to break the contract.
I hope that everything works out for you, and you're able to get the coverage you're entitled to, or you can find an agreeable way out. Good luck! |
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kermo
Joined: 01 Sep 2004
Location: Eating eggs, with a comb, out of a shoe.
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| Posted: Thu Aug 10, 2006 4:21 am Post subject: Re: Breaking contract question... |
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| kermo wrote: |
My hagwon did the same thing. They didn't want to pay their side of the pension or health insurance, so they
a) offered us an alternate health insurance that covered very little but cost us a lot (so most of us turned it down.)
b) claimed that everyone was a "part time" employee so they weren't entitled to pension or health care
c) when pressed, they tried to get us to sign an agreement that effectively lowered our salary, so we would end up paying for most of their contribution.
Shady shady shady. Don't even get me started on what they did to my co-worker after the housing they provided spontaneously combusted and melted all her earthly possessions (hint: it wasn't good.)
I called the Labour Board, and they said they would look into it. I didn't hear any more about it, so I don't know if the hagwon was contacted, but nothing changed.
In my case, I said "I don't want to work here anymore. You guys are unscrupulous jerks, and I'm tired of watching you screw people around." They gave me a letter of release, so I didn't have to break the contract.
I hope that everything works out for you, and you're able to get the coverage you're entitled to, or you can find an agreeable way out. Good luck! |
By the way, this place was in Banpo-Dong, Seocho-Gu, (they have another location in Mokdong) and the name is KNC Hyunjae Language Institute. They are *always* hiring, but don't work there unless you have an extremely high BS threshhold.
I just punched the name into Google, and it showed up on a blacklist on the first page. I'll include that link too, just in case anyone is still unclear on why one should not work for this school. I've read the case against them, and none of it surprises me a bit. The new textbooks are outrageously bad (they got a deal from a publisher in the Philippines) and the management is shameless. You might have to scroll down to find it, or just use the "find" function.
http://seamonkey.ed.asu.edu/~jonb/blacklisted.html
Here's another satisfied customer:
http://www.eslpro.com/new_bbs/view.php3?id=427&code=ex_ot&cpage=1
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| Just wanted to give some advice, If you consider working in korea, choose your school carefully, do not, I repeat NOT work for KNC Hyunjae in Mokdong or Seocho. This school treats its foreign teachers terribly, its managers force illegal tax dodges, constant harrasment, abuse, video camera observation, cheap nasty housing, books with with more than 16 grammatical errors per page and a never ending increase in workload for no extra pay on its employee's every day. Just don't do it, your contract means nothing, they promise a lot, you will be lucky if you get the basics. They do pay on time however, i guess you have to be thankful for that. (correction, they pay on time until your final pay which will be held like ransom and eaten away by invented misc costs |
Sorry for getting off topic. I'm like some kind of zealous evangelical, preaching hagwon fire and academy brimstone.
Last edited by kermo on Thu Aug 10, 2006 4:32 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Adventurer
Joined: 28 Jan 2006
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| Posted: Thu Aug 10, 2006 4:29 am Post subject: Re: Breaking contract question... |
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| laogaiguk wrote: |
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Thanks... |
Very bad, DEMAND these things or leave and report them. This could really be bad later.[/quote]
I have asked for this several times. I am reporting it tomorrow. I am done asking. I am too old for B.S. As far as the leaving part, I don't want have to pack up and go home. What rights do I have to go to another place? And doesn't the government care about not receiving their taxes? |
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laogaiguk
Joined: 06 Dec 2005
Location: somewhere in Korea
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| Posted: Thu Aug 10, 2006 4:31 am Post subject: Re: Breaking contract question... |
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| Adventurer wrote: |
| laogaiguk wrote: |
[
Thanks... |
Very bad, DEMAND these things or leave and report them. This could really be bad later. |
I have asked for this several times. I am reporting it tomorrow. I am done asking. I am too old for B.S. As far as the leaving part, I don't want have to pack up and go home. What rights do I have to go to another place? And doesn't the government care about not receiving their taxes?[/quote]
First, ask for a letter of Release. If they don't give it, get it by bringing up taxes and immigration. This might do nothing as immigration would probably do nothing, but it might help. |
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stevenisi
Joined: 17 Jul 2006
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| Posted: Wed Nov 15, 2006 6:12 am Post subject: |
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One of my good friends works at Hyunjae in Mokdong. He hasn't had a problem at the school at all. They made him pay for the airfare upfront which I told him was a concern but he got it in full when he arrived. So it was all good.
And he hasn't had any complaints so far..
Ah the blacklists.......... |
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kermo
Joined: 01 Sep 2004
Location: Eating eggs, with a comb, out of a shoe.
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| Posted: Wed Nov 15, 2006 6:36 am Post subject: |
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| stevenisi wrote: |
One of my good friends works at Hyunjae in Mokdong. He hasn't had a problem at the school at all. They made him pay for the airfare upfront which I told him was a concern but he got it in full when he arrived. So it was all good.
And he hasn't had any complaints so far..
Ah the blacklists.......... |
Ask your friend what he plans to do if he's in need of any medical help-- I'd be very surprised indeed if he was being offered the mandatory government health care.
When I worked there, I lopped off the end of my finger and had to pay heaps for a simple emergency visit (the local docs couldn't get the bleeding to stop.) |
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