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Lemonade
Joined: 04 Jan 2006
Location: South Korea
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 Posted: Fri Jan 13, 2006 10:31 pm Post subject: |
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| joe_doufu wrote: |
| Lemonade wrote: |
| Mastering those skills from that book would have prevented you from ending up in your situation in the first place. |
Hmm... some of you have not been reading very carefully. I'm not in any "situation" except: I've been paid everything I'm owed, I've got a great new job for next month, and I've neutralized the power of my employer to harm me; I'm leaving on my terms. Those of you who say "go to the labor board!" and "scream at the boss!" are missing the point. |
I never said, "go to the labor board!" and "scream at the boss!"
You must admit that you are in a situation where you are concerned about your pay or you wouldn't have started this thread in the first place.
I would be extremely hesitant to say "great new job" in ANY case. I use to say things like that only to regret it later on. Everyone thinks they have a "great new job" before they start work.
Aren't you still working for your current employer? Did you get your release letter in your hands yet? If not, you might not get that "great new job." Also, they could refuse to pay you this month, right? Let's talk next month and see how it all pans out for you.
Honey, I'm considerably older than you so please don't think that every single person on here is "genuinely a few tools short of a shed." |
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Grotto
Joined: 21 Mar 2004
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| Posted: Fri Jan 13, 2006 10:38 pm Post subject: |
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Gotta go with Joe here Lemonade.
Release letter is immaterial...Joe is off to China....which you might have noticed if you had read the thread(hey that rhymes  )
Joe said he isnt worried too much about getting paid for the last month....he has an apartment to live in and cash in his pocket. About all he needs until he leaves the country.
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| I would be extremely hesitant to say "great new job |
Gotta be better than the one he has now(bird flu notwithstanding)
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| Honey, I'm considerably older than you |
shhhh I thought you women kept that kind of information secret  |
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Lemonade
Joined: 04 Jan 2006
Location: South Korea
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| Posted: Fri Jan 13, 2006 11:01 pm Post subject: |
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| Grotto wrote: |
Gotta go with Joe here Lemonade.
That's fine
Release letter is immaterial...Joe is off to China....which you might have noticed if you had read the thread(hey that rhymes )
Oh that's cute. So he doesn't plan to come back to Korea? Since when did China ever offer a "great new job " Hey I've had rent payments back in the states that cost a lot more than their salaries. Keep China. I'd never go there even if the pay was good anyway.
Joe said he isnt worried too much about getting paid for the last month....he has an apartment to live in and cash in his pocket. About all he needs until he leaves the country.
He isn't worried about getting paid?!! 
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| I would be extremely hesitant to say "great new job |
Gotta be better than the one he has now(bird flu notwithstanding)
Almost any job is better than the one he has now, don't you think? BUT China of all places!!! I guess if you like to be guaranteed about a mear $500 per month as compared to about $2,000 in S. Korea or Japan or Taiwan. Must be nice not having student loans to worry about. 
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| Honey, I'm considerably older than you |
shhhh I thought you women kept that kind of information secret |
It's STILL a secret |
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bellum99
Joined: 23 Jan 2003
Location: don't need to know
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| Posted: Fri Jan 13, 2006 11:34 pm Post subject: |
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| Lets all stop coming back to this thread and let it die. It really needs to just go away. Please let this be the last post in a thread that has no purpose. |
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Hollywoodaction
Joined: 02 Jul 2004
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| Posted: Fri Jan 13, 2006 11:42 pm Post subject: |
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| Lemonade wrote: |
| Hollywoodaction wrote: |
| joe_doufu wrote: |
| Dan The Chainsawman wrote: |
| Joe I think you need to put a spin on this for yourself. Remember what Crazy Jose would have done? |
Speaking of Crazy Jose, what's up with you all not inviting me to role-play again? I know I hadn't played an RPG for 15 years before that time we met, but I thought I played that redneck character very well... I'm half redneck myself, in fact.
For the update:
I got paid in full. The boss seems angry but hasn't really showed it.
At the end of the day she gave me a "notice" listing the complaints she's had, such as the complaints from parents about my disciplining their children, and a paragraph reminding me that I could be dismissed if I exhibit persistent and gross misconduct, etc. We both signed it. This is so if they fire me later and I contest it, they can prove that I had been warned of the reasons in advance. It's a fine olive branch to hold out to them. (Or is it palm branches that you hold out? I can't remember. It's a peace offering.) They'll never get to use it.
As mindmetoo said, I think I've gotten all the money I'm going to get from them, but at least I may get another month's lodging, internet service, and heat, so I'm going to hang around until I go to China. Tomorrow I'll give notice - I've been waiting for "proof" from the Chinese school like a plane ticket or their signature on the contract, but I'll take my chances because I want to give a full month's notice. |
See this as a blessing in disguise. You have a masters degree. Go to the Korean Jobs section and apply for a job at as many universities as you can. Don't wait too long. They will be hiring soon. |
When did he say he had a masters degree? Why would someone with a masters degree put himself in such a situation working for a poor employer who is unreliable with pay? Doesn't sound very smart to me.  |
In some other thread, of course. I know lots of people who have come to Korea with MA and PhD's who worked at hagwons. They saw it as an adventure, a break from the rat race, or experience that they'll put to use to get a job at a university.
If had you studied in graduate school, like I have, you'd know having a Masters degree isn't as much an indicator of one's intelligence as it is proof of one's endurance and determination. Simply put, grad school is intellectually challenging because it involves tedious work. |
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Pak Yu Man
Joined: 02 Jun 2005
Location: The Ida galaxy
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| Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2006 2:08 am Post subject: |
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| joe_doufu wrote: |
| I should mention that I'm glad I've saved up six months of living expenses while working here. I could have used all of my earnings here to pay down my credit card, but then I'd have to be charging now. Having a little cash "buffer" helps me keep cool and make better decisions in times like this -- exactly why I saved it. |
This is one of the smartest things I've heard on these boards. When I first came here I heard the horror stories. I always tried to keep a plane ticket home in my bank. Never touched that cash in case I had to flee.
I suggest all you newer people over here do that as well. Save a bit instead of drinking it all away when you first get here. Peace of mind and all that. |
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joe_doufu
Joined: 09 May 2005
Location: Elsewhere
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| Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2006 6:39 am Post subject: |
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I do have an MBA.
My story in brief: I finished MBA in 2004. I thought I could get a "business job" in Hong Kong so I went there. Burned up the last of my savings, got job offers but none with a work visa, and was too proud for english teaching. Came home to the US, applied for government and business jobs. Government was too slow, and I got in a rut doing technical support jobs (I'm a computer guy, too.) Finally developed the humility to start from the bottom and just move from job to job until I was where I wanted to be. Korea was offering a free plane ticket to Asia and a chance to save money so I could go to China later.
The job in China pays about US$1500/month. Free housing, prestige, etc. It's a top-ten university in Beijing. I might even have students who respect me (knock on wood.) |
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Dan The Chainsawman
Joined: 05 May 2005
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| Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2006 3:10 pm Post subject: |
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Does this China position have good fringe bennies?
All the rice you can eat?
Half off on buffalo wings at hooters?
That sort of thing? |
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joe_doufu
Joined: 09 May 2005
Location: Elsewhere
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| Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2006 6:07 pm Post subject: |
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| Dan The Chainsawman wrote: |
Does this China position have good fringe bennies?
All the rice you can eat?
Half off on buffalo wings at hooters?
That sort of thing? |
Yes, I insisted on a discount at Hooters. Unfortunately they wouldn't come down on the price of buffalo wings, but they did reserve one of the best tables in the house just for me. That's how the Chinese like to play it. |
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jacl
Joined: 31 Oct 2005
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| Posted: Sun Jan 15, 2006 3:19 am Post subject: |
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$1500? You can get higher paying in China. I've seen 20,000 RMB for a principal type job.
1500 sucks donkey. |
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TheUrbanMyth
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Location: Retired
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| Posted: Sun Jan 15, 2006 3:36 am Post subject: |
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| jacl wrote: |
$1500? You can get higher paying in China. I've seen 20,000 RMB for a principal type job.
1500 sucks donkey. |
1500 US Dollars is a very good salary for China. |
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voth
Joined: 05 Jan 2006
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| Posted: Sun Jan 15, 2006 4:03 am Post subject: |
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I would agree. Some of the recent job postings in China i've seen have been around 5000 - 6500 yuan per month, which in nothing short of a joke. That is unless i've been looking in the wrong place all this time.
By all means, tell me where I should be looking.  |
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joe_doufu
Joined: 09 May 2005
Location: Elsewhere
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| Posted: Sun Jan 15, 2006 6:15 am Post subject: |
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| voth wrote: |
I would agree. Some of the recent job postings in China i've seen have been around 5000 - 6500 yuan per month, which in nothing short of a joke. That is unless i've been looking in the wrong place all this time.
By all means, tell me where I should be looking. |
Write to universities directly. |
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mindmetoo
Joined: 02 Feb 2004
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| Posted: Sun Jan 15, 2006 4:51 pm Post subject: |
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| TheUrbanMyth wrote: |
| jacl wrote: |
$1500? You can get higher paying in China. I've seen 20,000 RMB for a principal type job.
1500 sucks donkey. |
1500 US Dollars is a very good salary for China. |
Indeed. My friend's father pays her a stipend of about 1500 a month in China. She has a woman clean her apartment for 65 cents an hour. And the cleaning woman only gets half of that. The other half goes to the agency.
So yeah. 1500 you could live like a potentate, I'd suppose. |
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Big Mac
Joined: 17 Sep 2005
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| Posted: Sun Jan 15, 2006 6:01 pm Post subject: |
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Joe, I am astonished by how nice you were through all that. I've been in much less serious situations than the one you were in and found it extremely difficult to keep my cool with my employer. I would have been to the labour board immediately. You have my full respect for being so nice.
I would never have signed that document they wanted you to sign with all of the complaints though. It seemed like it was in retaliation for your little strike.
Like I said you have my full respect for being so nice. But I have a feeling that Koreans like to take full advantage of nice guys. Actually, they eat them for breakfast.
When I figured out my boss was a little shady, my strategy was to let him know that I'm not a nice guy. That way he knew better than to screw me over. He still tried, but I think it limited his success somewhat. I think it served me well. I left with everything I was owed and even a good reference letter. I'm not saying I'm right and you're wrong...just a different strategy.
You had every right to be very forceful through all this. It would not have hurt your reputation one little bit. Good luck in your new job! |
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