Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Kimchifart]

Where do people get it in their heads that leaving a job without giving notice is in any way a criminal offence?

Midnight runs are often not even immoral or unethical given the restrictive context of our visas and the shocking behaviour of large numbers of hagwons. Sure if your hagwon is treating you well and you go and disappear, yes that's not morally right, but it's also not a massive deal as it is at the end of the day just a job, and you've always got the right to withdraw your labour if you do desire, morally right or not.

If you were at home working in an ice cream parlour and suddenly quit to move to Spain to work in a bar, would you be worrying about this? It's just a job, like cleaning toilets or flipping burgers. Don't sweat it, there are always other employees willing to take up the slack.

The employer has been benefiting from your labour and has been making more money than you have for your employment, that's his upside. His downside is that he's also got to sort things out if you quit suddenly. Your upside is you can quit, your downside is that you work in a hagwon for a mediocre wage with little holidays.

[jrwhite82]

Kimchifart, I think the worry comes from having a psycho boss who will levy baseless criminal charges against you before you are able to leave just out of spite. This probably happens to maybe like 1 or 2 out of the 22,000 some odd ESL teachers here every year (or it's just BS), but I think I remember reading a thread on here where someone said they were prevented from running because the hagwon owner called immigration and or the police to report the teacher for criminal activity. Probably just an old wives tale though.

[Kimchifart]

[pegasus64128]

Korean hagwon bosses often try to muscle your will with threats - it's just the culture here. It's all about power here and they often get it into their heads that it's all about power where we come from. Of course it's not. It's all about law, and trade unions etc. where we come from. My advice to the OP is forget about it. Have no regrets and just only cherish the good memories of your one year stint.

[luckylady]

funny, I always thought it reflected the way many western govts. treat immigrants, to throw them in jail at almost the slightest provocation. so we expect similar treatment when the situation is reversed.

[Adventurer]

[giwizzef]

I understand that you feel like you must exit the country quickly before the hagwon boss can attempt to have you stopped. I think others have already pretty much addressed that and the fact that your hagwon boss is pretty much powerless when it comes to having you detained unless he or she can effectively establish to law enforcement that you've committed some sort of crime. But I'm confused...

Are you wanting to go back to the hagwon because your original plan fell through and you fear you are stuck and want to bide your time there while you figure out another solution? If so, fear not. Take a deep breath. Call them and tell them you will be late. They may not like it. But as long as you haven't used all of the time off permitted to you, there's not a whole lot they can really do but maybe write you up or take some other silly and meaningless disciplinary measure.

A favorite tactic of my hagwon bosses, and many others from what I've heard and read, was to play on what they perceived as teachers' ignorance and the language barrier to bully them into submission based on fear. DON'T LET YOUR HAGWON DO THIS! Their hubris is that in their minds foreign ESL teachers are unskilled, disposable labor. They tend to forget that the people they hired are actually college educated individuals who are quite capable of turning the tables, not cattle. If you read through your contract, I bet you can find at least a condition or two that your hagwon broke first. I'm not sure my hagwon even knew exactly what was in my contract because if they had, they would have known that they (not me) broke about half the conditions of it on a regular basis. INSTANT AMMO! When you back to the school, point out to them that they broke the contract first and ask them point blank why they think you should be held to a broken contract. Be firm. Look them straight in the eyes. And show NO fear! If they threaten to call the police, call their bluff because that's EXACTLY what they are doing. Tell them that you are not afraid of the police being called because you are perfectly aware that because you can establish that they broke the contract first, they have no legal ground on which to stand and you have committed no crime.That will either silence them or they will tell you to leave, which is what you want anyway by the sounds of it. That pretty much leaves you with nothing to lose.

[luckylady]

[lithium]

[Died By Bear]

[luckylady]

[ttompatz]

[Weigookin74]

[ttompatz]

D10 is certainly an option but not always a given (each case is looked at on its own merits).

In any case, 14 days is the minimum before someone quitting MUST report the loss of employment to Kimmi. Before then it is a non-issue for Kimmi.
If you report the loss of employment then you can apply for the D10 (not always given) or get the 30 day (from last date of work) touristic stay,

Exit and return to start again or just change countries and start again.

.

[Weigookin74]

So, I guess the D10 is still a little hit and miss in that scenario. Other options, if no letter of release, is go to Japan and come back. How long do you have to leave before coming back as a tourist? Also, under this scenario I think I'd have to go back out again to get an E2 again?

Otherwise, if the contract ends, you can just apply for the D10 Visa and it's good for 6 months?