Korean Job Discussion Forums

[martinpil]

do they have to pay you 30 days and your return flight? just wondered really....i mean it must have happened to some peeps.

[bassexpander]

Usually they do this (rarely) if they think you look bad, or are too fat or the wrong color.

Sounds terrible, but it does happen.

That's why it's good to make sure they see a photo before you come (they might even ask for a full-body photo). No joke. Then they know what they're hiring and you probably won't have this happen.

Most schools could care less about weight. Color, however, has been a different story in the past. Yeah, it sucks.

[Ya-ta Boy]

Bosses can be weird about stuff like clothes. When I was just new at this present school, I was of course trying to make a good impression. One day the door opened while I was teaching and in walked not the Big Boss but the Really Big Boss whom I'd never met. He stood in the back for about 5 minutes, then left. He couldn't have come at a better time. Every student was not only awake but actively involved. It could not have been any better if I'd planned it.

Later that day, during break, I ran into Little Boss on the stairs. Thinking I'd be complimented on doing a good job, I walked up to him only to have him say, "He didn't like your pull-over. It's too casual. Don't wear it again." And walked off. Not one word about the actual teaching.

I've had very little respect for the powers that be at this school ever since. It took 2 years for one of them to say that I'm a good teacher and they want to keep me.

[martinpil]

yes but do they technically have to pay you 30 days? this is a labour bpard Q I guess lol.

[CentralCali]

Technically? Yes...kind of...sort of. In reality? No. You haven't been here long enough for the labor laws to "kick in" to protect you.

[martinpil]

[BS.Dos.]

Have you ever seen silver Korean suits?

Don't worry about your tie.

[FixedGearJerk]

If there was even the slightest chance that I would have to wear a tie, I would not be taking that job.

[Cerriowen]

I think the OP's real point is...

"What happens if I get there and they change their mind for some reason... do they have to give me 30 days pay and a flight home?"

I'm not sure about the letter of the law.

However... in practice... you'd be hard pressed to get it even if you are legally entitled to it. In order to fight them, you have to stay in Korea and go to court several times (because they just won't show up), and you're looking at 3 months living out of pocket.

If I were getting a job in korea for the first time, I would have duplicates of my documents with me (sealed transcritps and CRC) so a visa run through another hakwon would be possible in case that one crapped out on me.

[Big Mac]

What if they don't like the fact that you can't speak or write English properly? That's the one you should be worried about Martinpil.

[yingwenlaoshi]

Back home, we have something called "vacation pay" which is 4% where I come from. I think it takes a month (or maybe 3 months) before it kicks in and you start accumulating it. Whether that exists in Korea, I'm not sure. Possibly it does with government employees and such. I've met some that have told me that if they work a holiday that they get to take extra vaction days (government employees) and so if they opt out on the extra vacation, I'm not sure they get compensated a certain percentage if they are dismissed. But of course, it there are laws, they would be there for anyone working. Including us. Anyway, vacation pay goes up with years of service. For example, after 3 years of service you get more vaction, so the vaction pay goes up another 2%, etc. Of course vacation is usually a yearly thing with companies (that varies) and you're required, in many cases, to take your all of your vacation by the end of the year, meaning that you'd eat up all your vacation pay in days taken off. I think that at the company year-end, you may get compensated in pay for vacation not taken, etc.

The same goes for notice back home (I'll tell you now that I'm from NB, Canada). By law, you have to be employed for 6 months before your employer needs to give you 2 weeks notice. So you can be terminated anytime without notice before putting in that much time. How much notice the employer needs to give you goes up with years of service. So in cases where you have three years in, they need to give you 3 weeks notice, etc.

I'm just wondering about Korea and this new 30-day-notice thing that I've noticed lately. For some reason, 6 months seems to stick in my head. So maybe we're not fully informed. People have been "quoting" labor laws on this site lately. I've even said the same about the 30 days because it's what I've been reading. But maybe there is a code about how long you have to have been working for your employer.

Anyway, if you've signed a contract that gives you ten days vacation, I'm pretty sure you're entitled to it in payment if you haven't actually taken any or all of it. Let's take a hagwon worker. Let's say you've worked for 2 months where you signed a contract that gives you 10 working days (Mon to Fri), where Saturdays and Sundays are also automatically vacation days. In those cases, I think you're entitled to almost one day a month. So if you haven't take it and are dismissed after 2 months, you should get almost 2 extra days paid on your last pay. something like 0.83 days/month. That figure is not exact which makes me wonder if there are percentages for vacation days that exist in the labor code in Korea.

[CentralCali]

[michaelambling]