Korean Job Discussion Forums

[John_ESL_White]

After being paid late once (and having the Korean teachers tell me they have been paid late for months in a row), I've approached the director and demanded a weekly pay schedule.

She's not too happy. But, I think it'll happen because the moms have just started paying for January. No weekly pay, no FT and she'd have to refund all that money to the moms and explain why there is no FT anymore.

My argument:

The parents pay in advance for their childrens' classes.

As such, the moms have paid for my classes one month before the wonjangnim pays me.

Therefore, I should NEVER be paid late- PerioD.

But, I've been paid late one time too many (once).

Her argument:
More and more parents are paying with credit cards.
She does not get the money from the CC companies for up to two weeks.

She is having a cash flow problem.
---my response to this was, how is that my problem? I come to work each and every day and am never late.... I come to work for money, not because I like her, my co-workers, or the kids.....


Anyway, I explained to her that the "small" apartment hagwons I work at pay me each and every day that I walk through their doors and that being paid weekly by a larger hagwon is pretty fair and not an unreasonable request.

Why? Well, wonjangnim, first, if you decide you can not afford me anymore, right before my monthly pay date, I'm out a LOT of cash. Whereas if you decide you can not afford me anymore and I'm paid weekly, I'm only losing 1/4 of my wages.

Seem fair?
-------------

we'll see.

[mountainous]

[ChinaBoy]

I'd just quit now and avoid the hassle.

[Jeff's Cigarettes]

Late pay is unacceptable. You're to be paid on the date specified in ur contract. If u aren't...contact labor and ask them to sort it, that's their job.

[maingman]

http://www.efl-law.com/korean-labor-law.php

[howie2424]

[oldfatfarang]

Here's my experience, for what it's worth.
In my old hagwon days, I made the mistake of re-signing for a second year at the same school. Although I'd doubled the student intake (and income, presumably), my conditions didn't get better - they got progressively worse. For the final 6 months, I literally had to take my boss to the bank on payday (as he kept 'forgotting' to pay me).

"You teach now."
"Sorry, no pay, no teach."
"You teach now."
"No, you tell students coming in 10 mins there's no teacher because you didn't pay him for last month."
"OK. We go bank now."

His other scam was not to pay me before my vacations out of Korea (hoping I wouldn't return and so he could pocket my salary).

Be firm, and polite. Late pay = no work till paid. Them's the rules - everywhere.

[moosehead]

[plynx]