Korean Job Discussion Forums

[lewstherin]

Hello everyone.

My wife and I plan on teaching in Korea starting in January. We've started getting contracts, and I was wondering if I could avail myself of your wisdom and experience to help me better evaluate this contract.

I have my MA (in Public Policy) and some experience substitute teaching 7th graders in English, math, and general science. My wife has her BA (in Spanish) as well as 3 years' experience teaching ESL to adults and children.

The contract is with a Wonderland franchise. I know, I know. I've read all kinds of bad things about Wonderland on this site, but I thought we should give this thing a fair shot: if we don't take it, we don't take it. The recruiter who contacted me said that the school owner wants to hire us bascially sight unseen, though, which strikes me as a little weird (although I realize from reading posts here that it's not a terribly unusual practice in Korea). And the Wonderland moniker gives me pause given what I've read here, although a friend of ours currently teaching in Korea said Wonderland was great. All the more reason to get multiple opinions on the contract, I guess.

I've posted this contract in the Contracts forum as well, but a little birdie advised me to put it here as well to get more opinions. Any help you can give us would be great. Thanks a lot.



ZEE CONTRACT

WONDERLAND
EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT FOR TEACHER

FIRST YEAR CONTRACT



This EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT has been made this of _ _ , 2007 between WL being represented by established under the laws of South Korea at Republic of Korea (hereinafter referred to as the "Employer") and , a citizen of USA whose passport number is (hereinafter referred to as the "Teacher") under the terms and conditions set forth below.

Both parties agree on the following terms and conditions:



CLAUSE 1 (APPOINTMENT)

a. The employer agrees to employ the teacher during the period stipulated herein.
b. The teacher agrees to accept the employment and will work in his/her full capacity for the school.


CLAUSE 2 (PERIOD OF EMPLOYMENT)

a. The total Agreement term is approximately one year, commencing from the date of arrival in Korea and to the last teaching day of the teacher's twelfth full teaching session, according to the Wonderland session calendar*.
b. The teacher agrees to discontinue his/her residence in Korea under the visa status arranged and sponsored by the employer within three days after the completion of this contract. The teacher will be allowed to stay in the housing provided by Wonderland during this time. This condition will not apply if this contract is terminated for any reason before completion, and the employer has no obligation to maintain the visa status for any period of time beyond the termination date.


CLAUSE 3 ( THE EMPLOYER�S RESPONSIBILITIES)

a. The employer and teacher are equal individuals working together to provide quality English instruction under the terms stated in this contract.
b. The employer will honor the terms and conditions of employment for the teacher as stated within this contract.
c. The employer will guarantee the teacher a salary of _ 2.1Million _Won per teaching session* in consideration of the teacher�s teaching hours and proper preparation for the classes.

CLAUSE 4 ( THE TEACHER�S RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES )

a. During the terms of this Agreement, the teacher must cooperate and comply with the instructions and disciplines of the school. Assisting the Supervisor he/she must carry out assignments as directed by the employer. The Supervisor will be responsible for establishing and communicating the Standards of Performance as related to the duties stated in this contract.
b. The teacher must have adequately prepared for the classes in advance.
c. At all times during the term of this contract, teachers must maintain a clean and neat appearance. While suits and ties are not mandatory, a professional appearance is desirable.
d. The teacher�s work will include the following:

①. Teaching the English language (Target students� ages: 4 to 15)
②. Development of educational programs and materials
③. Curriculum design and implementation
④. Indoor and outdoor classroom activities for/with students
⑤. Grading, evaluation, and assessment of students
⑥. Providing students with individualized care
⑦. Attending teacher�s meetings and workshops


CLAUSE 5 (WORKING HOURS)

a. During the term of this Agreement, the teacher should work in cooperation with the Supervisor from Monday through Friday.
b. Teachers will be required to attend some special events throughout the year (Workshops, kindergarten festival, field lesson, picnics, big event , etc.) which may fall on a Saturday. Teachers will not receive additional compensation for these days.
The teacher agrees to teach 94 teaching hours a session and to adequately prepare for classes. The said workload is equal to 140 forty minute classes per session. .
One 60 minutes kindergarten class is counted as 1.5 regular 40 minutes classes.
The teacher is expected to eat lunch which is provided by school with the students


c. The employer cannot guarantee the teacher�s requested teaching schedule


CLAUSE 6 (SALARY AND OVERTIME RATE)

a. The employer agrees to pay the teacher salary of _2.1Million _ won for 94 teaching hours per session and preparation for classes.
b. The payment of the salary is to be made on of the following month.
c. Each forty minute class exceeding the 140 classes/session will be considered as overtime. The payment for the overtime will be _23,000 (weekdays) �26,000 (weekend)_ won per an hour. Attendance at scheduled staff meetings and workshops, along with preparation for classes is mandatory and not considered as overtime.


CLAUSE 7 (TAX)

Income tax and retirement taxes will be withheld from the salary in accordance with the Korean tax law.


CLAUSE 8 (TRANSPORTATION)

a. Round trip economy airfare is provided with the one-year contract from the teacher�s nearest airport to the international airport in Korea and transportation from the airport to the teacher�s residence in Korea. Upon completion of this contract, the teacher will be provided with a return ticket.
b. If the teacher leaves the school before his/her contract period ends, the school will not pay for his/her return ticket.
c. If the teacher leaves the school prior to completing six (6) months period of this contract for any reason, the teacher must reimburse the school the cost of the ticket paid by the school or the school may deduct the equivalent amount from the teacher�s last month�s pay.


CLAUSE 9 (ORIENTATION PERIOD)

a. Upon arrival in Korea, the teacher will be guaranteed two days for an orientation period, before being expected to begin his/her regular teaching work.
b. The teacher will be on the payroll from the day after his/her arrival in Korea, except for weekends and national holidays.
c. During the orientation period the teacher is required to be at the school making lesson plans and learning about the school system. The rate of payment for the orientation period will be 50,000 won per day for the first two days and 40,000 per day thereafter. Payment for the first two days of the orientation period will be paid upon the teacher�s arrival in Korea and payment for the remaining days (if any) of the orientation period will be paid on the last day of the orientation period.
d. The payment rate for the orientation period shall not exceed 5 working days. In the event that the employer cannot offer the teacher a regular teaching schedule after having worked at the school for more than 5 working days, payment for the work days exceeding the 5 day maximum orientation period will be prorated as follows: teacher�s salary divided by the number of teaching days in that session, multiplied by the number of days worked.


CLAUSE 10 (MEDICAL INSURANCE)

a. The teacher will be covered by medical insurance under a private health organization. ( like AIG insurance company)
b. Half of the insurance premium will be paid by the Employer and the other half by the teacher. (For reference, the current insurance premium rate is 1.5 % of the monthly salary) Teachers should be aware that medical coverage does not become effective until you have an E-2 working visa and have been issued an alien registration card from immigration in Korea.


CLAUSE 11 (VACATION & HOLIDAYS)

The teacher will be allowed for national holidays and vacation that are indicated in the Wonderland session calendar.*


CLAUSE 12 (EMERGENCY LEAVE)


a. The employer agrees that the employee is entitled to 5 days (included weekend or holidays ) of emergency leave, in the event of death in the employee�s immediate family. The immediate family shall include parents and siblings of the employee. For this emergency leave, no deduction of salary will be taken place.
b. The employer cannot provide the teacher with any additional compensation for airfare in the case of an emergency.
c. The employer has the right to request (upon return to Korea) reasonable proof for having granted emergency leave.
d. In the event that a period longer than 5 working days is required for emergency leave, it is up to the employer�s discretion to permit such a period.


CLAUSE 13 (SICK LEAVE)

a. The teacher will be granted three sick days during the agreement of this teaching contract. It is the teacher�s responsibility to notify the supervisor or director directly as early as possible when a sick day must be taken, as a substitute teacher must be scheduled.
b. When a teacher uses one of the allotted two sick days, the number of classes the teacher is scheduled for on that day will be counted towards the total number of classes taught for that session. In the event the teacher must leave the school during the day due to an illness, it shall count as one of the two allotted sick days. Teachers may be asked to present a doctor�s note when two or more consecutive sick days are required.
c. Unused sick leave cannot be taken as vacation days, but will be paid at the rate of 30,000 Won per day. Unused sick leave is to be paid to the teacher upon completion of the full contract.
d. In the event that teachers who have used the allotted two sick days require further absences from classes for any reason 15,000 Won per forty minute class shall be deducted from their salary. Frequent absences from classes will result in a warning letter and/or dismissal.



CLAUSE 14 (ACCOMMODATIONS)

a. The school will provide the teacher with furnished accommodations, either a two or three bedroom apartment, which is to be shared by two or three teachers and with a shared kitchen and bathroom. In either case, the teacher is to be allocated with a single separate bedroom.
b. Furnishings being provided by the employer include: television, refrigerator, washing machine, bed, wardrobe, fan, kitchen table, basic utensils, chairs, two-burner gas hot plate, and telephone. The teacher will be expected to provide his/her own pillow, pillowcase, and sheets.
c. Selection of the apartment will be made by the employer.
d. The cost of monthly service, utilities, and telephone charges for the accommodations will be paid by the teacher. In the case of a shared apartment, the cost will be shared by the roommates.
e. For the first three months, the Employer will withhold a deposit of 200,000 won each month, in order for the employer to pay off utility and telephone charges, received by the employer during the two months after the termination of the contract.
f. Any balance due the teacher after all bills have been paid will be transferred to the teacher�s account back home two months after the termination of the contract.


CLAUSE 15 (SEVERANCE PAYMENT)

Upon completion of this one-year contract, the teacher will receive one additional basic salary of _ 2.1 million won as a severance payment in accordance with Korean Labor Laws. This payment will be made at the time of completion of the contract period and income tax will be withheld from this payment.


CLAUSE 16 (DISMISSAL OR VOLUNTARY RESIGNATION)

a. The employer reserves the right to dismiss the teacher from employment for the following causes:
①. Neglect or inability to perform his/her duties stipulated in this agreement
②. Frequent absences from work
③. Receiving two warning letters
④. Criminal behavior or misconduct
⑤. Teaching any private classes outside of the Wonderland school
b. The employer agrees to give the employee 20 working days notice in the event of dismissal. However, in the case of a teacher�s criminal behavior or misconduct, he/she will be dismissed from employment immediately with no warning or notice.
c. In the event the teacher resigns from employment, he/she can do so giving 20 working days notice to the employer.
d. In either case of dismissal or resignation before completing six (6) months period of the contract term, the teacher must reimburse the employer the cost of the ticket to Korea.
e. In either case of dismissal or resignation before completing the contract term, the teacher will NOT receive any severance payment in accordance with Korean Labor Laws.


CLAUSE 17 (GOVERNING LAW & JURISDICTION)

a. This Agreement is governed by the law of the Republic of Korea.
b. This Agreement is made final and firm unless any material modification or amendment to this Agreement is executed with the full knowledge and consent of the undersigned and incorporated into this Agreement.

* Teaching sessions and vacations and holidays (according to the Wonderland session calendar) can be viewed in the �Job Opportunity� section of our web site at: http://www.wonderland.or.kr


In witness thereof, we have affixed our signatures hereon.


___________________________ ____________________________
Employer Teacher


___________________________ ____________________________
Date Date

[laogaiguk]

All I read was MA (though not related to teaching English) and Wonderland. I'll be honest, I didn't read the rest, nor do I need to. You can find a better job.

[alinkorea]

Hours are long, pay is low and you're both well qualified. You can get a much better job. If I were you I'd sit tight until you are offered a nice looking contract.
The contract you posted is aimed for a kid straight out of College, with no experience.

[frankly speaking]

Actually the contract sounds better than the school probably is. I like the section about the Employers treating staff like equals. I wish every contract had that.

It is better to go through a school directly. If the recruiter doesn't set up a phone interview with the school, walk away. You need to ask the school questions to find out if you will like it there. What kind of curriculum that they use, get numbers of the teachers especially the one that is leaving. Why is that person leaving, why didn't he/she re-sign a contract?

I disagree with some comments about finding a better job. You don't hve any international experience teaching EFL. 2.1-2.2 is a good starting salary. Your wife seems more qualified than you though. She might want to ask for a little higher salary.

Good luck on the job hunt. Be patient and find the best school with the best environment for you. Don't rush and take an offer that you will regret later.

[The Hierophant]

I agree with Frankly Speaking about 2.1 being a good salary. I've started my first job with no teaching experience and earn 1.9, which is OK. 2.1 is a nice salary for a first-timer, I'd be happy with it. Still, my workplace is comfortable and welcoming, so I can tolerate the lower salary.

[laogaiguk]

I think most people are talking more about Wonderland. The MA alone means he shouldn't be working there. A brain alone should mean no one is working there. I have yet to see even one, "it wasn't bad, but not good" comment yet about it anywhere on the Internet. Always, "hell hole".

[ilovebdt]

You guys sounds far too intelligent and experienced to work at a Wonderland school.
I think you would both become very quickly disillusioned should you accept a position there.

Keep trying. Have you thought about working at a public school?

ilovebdt

[ttompatz]

Great contract = NOT

You get to teach 140 classes for the same pay an the next hakwon monkey teaching 120. You will be teaching kindy to middle school and your work week will be close to 50 hours (10ish-8ish) even though you are contracted for 94 hours per month.

You are qualified for level 1 in the public system (2.3-2.4 mil starting).
There you would teach 88-92 classes. Your wife will get level 2 (2.0-2.2 starting). If you want extra pay you can do extra afternoon classes and make up to an extra 500k per month (each) as well. This is all within a 40 hour work week. You head home before 5pm.

Working at a Wonderland you have a 100% chance of being cheated out of your pension and medical (they do NOT offer national medical as required by law) and a 75% chance of being cheated out of your overtime and holidays.

Give your head a shake. Your brain is stuck.

.

[TheUrbanMyth]

That contract is GARBAGE.

Some points as to why.

First of all you have to work some Saturdays.

You have to teach 140 classes (burnout)

You must have lunch with students...unpaid lunch supervision.

The orientation period pay is nonsense. Always get paid in full.

Also you can NOT work legally without your E-2

And you are not paid for national holidays. This means they could deduct up to 100,000 won from your paycheck every month there is a national holiday. "Oh sorry you didn't work that day, so no money." That's B.S. You should always get paid in full REGARDLESS of the national holiday.


I would go on..but my eyes started bleeding after that

Don't sign...unless you want a year of misery. You can do MUCH better, especially with a M.A. It never pays to sell yourself short (literally)

[spliff]

[poet13]

Hey OP. I got as far as Wonderland. Toss it in the trash.

You have an MA... Universities will start hiring soon. So will public schools. 3months plus vacation instead of 10 days. 10-15 contact hours per week instead of 30. And so on.

If you haven't read about Wonderland yet, in a word they are all that is wrong with education, ethics, and equitable treatment of employees in Korea.

[hubba bubba]

Quite simply..... F**k that S**t.

Even a total greenhorn shouldn't sign that madness.

[frankly speaking]

Do you really think that a University will hire someone with an unrelated master's degree and no teaching EFL experience? I think that he would do a diservice to the students. Without any experience in the EFL trade, one should look for a descent academy with a good director and academic manager. That way he/she can learn about level placement, testing, and so many other things. In a public school environment, he/she are left out in the cold. Good luck wherever you decide. The best advice I can give you is to go to the library and get some books on teaching EFL. Second language aquisition. Learn a few things before you get overwhelmed in Korea. As we all know, Korea can be overwhelming for a new teacher with no background or experience in the field.

[lewstherin]

Looks like a big, fat "NO".

I really appreciate all your help here. We'll definitely use all the advice you've given us in our other contracts. Thanks, again.