Korean Job Discussion Forums

nomad-ish · Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 7:28 pm Post subject: just a little panic here...

helpful insight much appreciated.

i told my school i was leaving earlier than i am (so i could get reimbursed for my airfare.. the whole 10 days deal), in the meanwhile i booked a trip to thailand to arrive back in korea after the date i was supposed to have left for home. i told the travel agency to mail the print ticket to my home address, tough time, it didn't work, so i had it mailed to my school. i just picked it up and i noticed that it had been opened at the top and resealed with clear tape. what's the deal? do you think maybe the mail office or the travel agency opened it (when it was returned to them)? also do the envelopes at xanadu have something along the lines of "air ticket" written on them?? my school seemed to know it was an air ticket...

advice? i've been waiting over 2 weeks to get reimbursed for my airfare home, and now i think i may be *beep* out of luck. is it legal for your employer to open your mail?

crescent · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Location: yes.

It could have been opened by the person who it was delivered to first. Or it could have been opened by the agency when they received it undelivered the first time.

Anyway, why would you not be reimbursed because of this?

poet13 · Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 7:37 pm Post subject:

They owe you airfare home. That's part of contract. I don't see how what you do with the rest of your life has anything to do with them.
Now, you lied.... That makes things difficult, but when it comes down to it, they owe you airfare. They might turn around and say, "We'll pay one way to Thailand." using the equal or lesser distance method. Don't know.

I don't think it's legal for them to open your mail. They did that with mine, and when I asked, they said, "Oh sorry, we didn't know it was for you." I called bullshit, cause there wasn't a bit of Korean on the envelope. I said, "Next time it happens, I will file a complaint with the post office." Big eyes. Promised it wouldn't happen again. Now of course, when I receive something, it's handed to me, and invariably someone stands there waiting and says, "Aren't you going to open it?" "Uh, no."

nomad-ish · Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 7:45 pm Post subject:

^ unfortunately my contract says basically, i must use the airfare home within 10 days of my last day of work. so yes, i lied. my school has not been good to me this year, and if i tried to make a deal with them about getting return airfare to thailand instead, i would've kissed that money goodbye... well, looks like i might be kissing that money goodbye anyhow. Crying or Very sad

i'll wait and see what happens, hopefully it was the mail office that opened it

poet13 · Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 8:38 pm Post subject:

I'm guessing here, but is airfare a government mandate? It could be to keep unemployed foreigners from piling up. If it is, then the contract language would be invalid. If it isn't, you may then be out of luck.

JongnoGuru · Joined: 25 May 2004 Location: peeing on your doorstep

poet13 · Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 9:27 pm Post subject:

Yeah, even with the most outrageous things, I find myself questioning the legality.

He's not THAT drunk, and maybe if he stays on the sidewalk, and doesn't get out of 2nd gear, it's ok...

Atavistic · Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 10:03 pm Post subject:

nomad-ish · Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 10:15 pm Post subject:

CentralCali · Joined: 17 May 2007

I use my public school address quite often for receiving mail. I've never had a problem with that. To the contrary, the nice cute school secretary brings my mail up to my office when it comes in.

But then, I've never attempted to defraud my public school either.

nomad-ish · Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 11:14 pm Post subject:

CentralCali · Joined: 17 May 2007

Public school? There's a chain of resolution for stuff like that. Start at the school and keep going up to the provincial/metropolitan city Office of Education.

billybrobby · Joined: 09 Dec 2004

nomad-ish · Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 11:46 pm Post subject:

^^ tried, they played a technicality on the extra classes (told me the real reason, then changed it when the girl at the board contacted them). as for the OT, the school said they didn't have money for it so that if i wanted it i'd have to collect directly from the english teachers that attended my teacher workshops... and of course, i wouldn't do that (make them pay out of pocket for a mandatory class)

anyways, thanks for the replies (i think there's a good chance that the mail office opened it when they couldn't find the address, and since i haven't heard anything all day from my co-teacher about it, i'm thinking it's ok)

poet13 · Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 11:54 pm Post subject:

"poet13 wrote:
I said, "Next time it happens, I will file a complaint with the post office." Big eyes.

pffft. possibly the gayest threat i've ever heard. what's gonna happen? the postmaster general is gonna send in some tanks?"

Would the US or Canada "send in tanks"? No, but they have their recourses. In this country, of any country, people hate it when other people tread on their turf. People screwing with the mail is considered pretty serious. At least according to a former student who was some kind of post office branch manager.