Korean Job Discussion Forums

[cubanlord]

Question for the OP: Are these meetings, that are so far away, mandatory? Is it explicitly stated in the contract that you have to attend these meetings? I mean it sounds to me they are pretty far and if the Wanja isn't giving you the transportation money to go, why should you sport it on your own dime?

[Mr. Pink]

Are the guys cheap? For asking for money I'd say yes. For keeping the money I say no. The manager should never have offered it out of her own pocket. That makes her stupid. If the company doesn't value their time or transportation expenses, they could always NOT GO to the meetings.

[Homer]

So because the manager tried to be nice and help out it makes it ok to pocket the money?

[chicagorick]

I'm pretty sure she got reimbursed.

[Dodgy Al]

Is anoyone else amazed this has gone on for 3 pages? maybe with more irrelevant posts like mine it'll get to 4!

[Grotto]

Anytime an employee is told they must attend a meeting then the employer SHOULD pay for any and all costs (INCLUDING TIME) spent getting to and attending said meeting.

Who cares where the money comes from? Maybe the manager has pocketed all of the money the company gives her to get you to these meetings and she "tells you" that the money she gives you comes out of her own pocket. Builds goodwill for her at little or no expense(even if it does come out of her pocket she can get the company to re-imburse her)

In the ESL world there are way too many incidences where the FT is expected to give up their own time and money in order to attend these meetings! If you are given 20,000 to go to a meeting....then go and pocket as much or as little as you want. Dont feel guilty about being paid for doing extra work because thats exactly what it is!

[seoulsista]

Yes, the meetings are mandatory and explicitly outlined in the contract. The manager doesn't get reimbursed or expense this in any way. There are 16 branches of our school and none of the other branches' teachers recieve any sort of transportation money. However, about 6 of those branches (mine being one of them is more than an hour away, by train, from the main branch where the meetings are). Also, she didn't offer them the money they put up a rather big stink about it so she gave in.

And that's right - if the money was being offered to them from the company to pay for a taxi and then they used it for a taxi and didn't return the change - we wouldn't be talking about this. But that's not what happened. They insisted on recieving taxi money and then used it for personal expenses.

[Barking Mad Lord Snapcase]

[Barking Mad Lord Snapcase]

[Homer]

However, worrying about what expats are doing in their own time is a bit like worrying about what drivers are doing on the highway. Isn't it?

Quite true. However, I was not worrying...just stating my opinion on the matter at hand. The fact these teachers were cheap and a bit greedy has no impact or relevance on my life, just responding to the OP and to a few who seem to want to defend the actions of the teachers as no big deal.

[Dodgy Al]

So what's going to happen for the next meeting. Is the manager going to give all the teachers money again?

It seems like poor management on her part. It was her decision to give the teachers money. Instead of discussing it with the boss and coming to some arrangement, she took the easy (but expensive) route. Not really solving the problem is it? Kinda like putting a band-aid on a burst water-main.

[Homer]

It is true the school could pay for transportation costs to these meetings. However, do Korean staff get a stipend for transportation cost?

Also, how does this change the fact that the teachers were given transportation money and pocketed some of it for personal use?

[Grotto]

Again: who cares!?

When you give someone money it becomes theirs! Did they attend the meeting? Then STFU!

What they did with the money is irrelivant! They could have gone to 7/11 and bought 5 beers and drank them.....if they went to the meeting thats all that matters.

If someone told me I had to travel to a meeting an hour or more away I would say great!!!! thats 2-3 hours overtime you will have to pay me! At 25,000 won an hour you will owe me between 50,000 and 100,000 won BUT HEY, I'm reasonable....give me 20,000 won cash and I'll go to this meeting....but wait I spent it on a nice dinner instead of blowing it all on a cab ride. Was the meeting attended? Then Shaddup!

[Homer]

how elastic your moral fiber can be Grotto...it streches and bends to suit your argument.

Well done....

No one is saying this is a major outrage...it is just an example of someone being petty and cheap. Case closed.

[Grotto]