Korean Job Discussion Forums

SAbabe · Joined: 05 Jul 2008 Location: South Africa

Can anyone give me some more info on the allowances on the epik contracts of 2009? I know about the severance pay and the settlement allowance, but what are all these other allowances? Are they only limited to certain provinces. ( I am not talking about the provincial allowance )

ADD ON PAY & PERKS for Epik
- 1,300,000KRW Signing Up Bonus (Entry Allowance)
- 1,300,000KRW Contract Completion Bonus
- 300,000KRW Settlement Allowance
- 2,000,000KRW Re-signing Bonus (Pursuant to Contractual Agreement)
- 1.9 M � 2.6M Severance Pay (Contingent to EPIK GET Level)
- 100,000KRW Mo. Provincial Allowance
- 100,000KRW Mo. County Allowance
- 100,000 -150,000KRW Mo. Multiple School Allowance
- 20,000KRW Overtime Pay

withnail · Joined: 13 Oct 2008 Location: Seoul, South Korea.

phwooarrr! what am I doing in my job???

Otherside · Joined: 06 Sep 2007

Josquin · Joined: 10 Oct 2008

Josquin · Joined: 10 Oct 2008

I've edited my post above after noticing that there is no longer airfare reimbursed. It took me a second to notice that they're now terming it "Entrance/Exit Allowance".

Not so exciting anymore.

Josquin

SAbabe · Joined: 05 Jul 2008 Location: South Africa

Yes, you are correct. I had a look at the Epik website and the only thing that was added as an extra is the re-signing bonus of 2000000 won. I wonder if you receive this at all the schools?

Moonera · Joined: 23 Jun 2008

There's no mention of a roundtrip ticket home between contracts if you renew so I assume that the 2,000,000 KRW "Renewal Allowance" replaces the ticket. I think that most people could find a RT ticket home for well under 2,000,000 KRW and pocket the rest. Also, people willing to tough it out for two years without visiting home could pocket all of it.

antoniothegreat · Joined: 28 Aug 2005 Location: Yangpyeong

i read the contract, and i have a question
if you renew your contract, do you get the 1,300,000 exit allowance AND the 2,000,000 renewal bonus? then the new contract you get the 1,300,000 entrance allowance?

so example, start contract 1, get 1.3 mil
finish contract 1, get 1.3 mil
renew contract get 2 mil
start contract 2, get 1.3 mil
finish contract 2, get 1.3 mil.

i guess do you get the entrance and exit allowances EVERY contract?

marlow · Joined: 06 Feb 2005

So they re-named entry and exit airfare and renewal airfare, kept salaries the same, and lowered the standard for entrance to the program? Good job. I'm planning my departure because this is pathetic.

sojourner1 · Posted: Mon Oct 20, 2008 8:12 pm Post subject:

ADD ON PAY & PERKS for Epik
- 1,300,000KRW Signing Up Bonus (Entry Allowance)

No, never heard of this.

- 1,300,000KRW Contract Completion Bonus

We don't have that. (yet) My contract states that if I complete this contract and then sign on for a 2 year contract and complete it, I get a 1,000,000 won completion bonus. That would take 3 years!

- 300,000KRW Settlement Allowance

Yes, we have that.

- 2,000,000KRW Re-signing Bonus (Pursuant to Contractual Agreement)

No, don't have that stated.

- 1.9 M � 2.6M Severance Pay (Contingent to EPIK GET Level)

Yes, that is standard.

- 100,000KRW Mo. Provincial Allowance

Yes.
- 100,000KRW Mo. County Allowance

No.

- 100,000 -150,000KRW Mo. Multiple School Allowance

Yes, 100,000

- 20,000KRW Overtime Pay

Yes, but it's 30,000 instead.

New contract looks much better.

mogbert · Joined: 10 May 2004

Actually, the old contract already had the provincial and rural allowance. It's just that the provincial allowance was already built into the pay scale. Anyone that got put in a -gun(rural town) or a part of a -si (city)that is considered "rural" also received this. I believe some -si also qualified for the rural allowance.

Anther new thing in the contract is the vacation! Increased to 21 days (even though most of you already get more than that). At least 21 of the days are put in writing now.

Rusty Shackleford · Joined: 08 May 2008

Edit: Whoops, wrong thread. Embarassed

marlow · Joined: 06 Feb 2005

Horangi Munshin · Joined: 06 Apr 2003 Location: Busan

So is the housing allowance 400000won/mth now? I'll have to remember that next renewal.

edit

Looked at the link.

schwa · Joined: 18 Jan 2003 Location: Yap

Re: flight reimbursement. I can see where this is coming from.

An open-ended contractual promise of free flights has to be a budgeting nightmare for organizations bringing in hundreds of teachers annually.

Especially when bookings are left up to individual teachers who see it as the boss's dime & dont care that a late purchase or direct flight might cost an extra $500 or $1000 more than they'd ever consider paying from their own pocket.

For a mom & pop hagwon, probably not a biggie, but multiply that by a factor of hundreds & they're bleeding real money. Some kind of cap or new calculation was necessary.

This looks like the beginning of the end of "free flights" per se -- watch for "relocation allowance" or some such instead to start creeping into job ads.

EPIK's "allowance" seems reasonable enough. 1.3 mil to fly here, 2 mil between contracts if you renew, & 1.3 again when you finish with them. Some will win, some will lose. Take it or leave it.

The Korean economy in light of recent global events might well hamper Korea's drive to afford all the teachers it would like. Attrition & declining perks might be part of a realistic readjustment.