Korean Job Discussion Forums

FredDaSked · Joined: 17 Jun 2009 Location: Within You, Without You

When I was hired by my public school in the Yongin area, it was through a coordinator, a liaison who works with more than one school and doesn't get around to mine nor me very often. Anyway, through her, the school didn't send me out of Korea to get a new visa and rework my ARC. Instead, they simply had my visa 'transferred' to the PS from my old hagwon. When my visa and ARC were sent back to me in an envelope from immigration after about three weeks' absence, the card was not changed one bit. It still reads the name and address of the old hagwon, and I still have only six months left on it. As a result, the coordinator let me know that the school could only contract me through the expiration date on the ARC, and made me sign a new contract reflecting the end date on the ARC, presumably because of what they were told to do by immigration. Now I have a six-month contract and the assurance that I can recontract for six months or a whole year in February 2010, when my card expires.

I say that all this should have been known by the school and coordinator and that I am legally required to have a new visa and ARC when I start a new job. I also say that I know this now, and am trying to find out what I can do to get the situation remedied--if I even need to worry about it.

Do I, and who can tell me what to do about it? My next step is to call immigration, if I need to.

E_athlete · Joined: 09 Jun 2009 Location: Korea sparkling

im no expert in these matters but if your visa expires you get kicked from korea with no severence, flight ticket or anything.

In Korea (and also the rest of the world), never take assurances or promises on faith. People will always take these opportunities to screw you big time.

call immigration immediately. Don't wait on this. If necessary tell your employers you arent okay with this.

Carla · Joined: 21 Nov 2008

If your card does not have your current working location, it's not valid. Because if it was a simple case of "immigration forgot to mark your card" then you wouldn't have to change to a six month contract. What probably happened is you can't transfer your contract unless you have worked there 9 months, so they just decided to let you work illegally for the remaining time. If immigration shows up at that school and looks at your ARC card, you will be arrested and deported. Don't let them lie to you.

cruisemonkey · Posted: Sun Aug 30, 2009 3:29 pm Post subject:

Let me guess -

You were 'transferred' (illegally) to a public, 'after school' program with which your hogwan boss/owner is affiliated?... and will get screwed out of Severance Pay because you signed a six-month contract.

lifeinkorea · Joined: 24 Jan 2009 Location: somewhere in China

If I were in your shoes, I would transfer most of my money back home. Keep enough for a plane ticket and 2 months to live on.

Then go to immigration and ask them about it. Either they will send you back home, making you pay for it, or they will realize you came to them after finding out the facts and just fine you. I would be betting on the latter.

Then, you might be able to get your contract nullified and sign a normal 12 month one which will allow you to get severance and a flight home. If you wait it out, not only will you be gambling, but I think you will lose more than what you would be fined.

It's just my opinion, I am not saying others would agree to it.

FredDaSked · Joined: 17 Jun 2009 Location: Within You, Without You

Two things my husband forgot to mention:
one, there is a note in the passport itself regarding a transfer (though I can't recall offhand what is on it) and two, my daughter and I are here with him, we're also on visas that are dependent on his so this is greatly concerning me.

He was set up at this school by a recruiter who told him that this school was DESPERATE for a teacher because they had to let go of the last one for yelling and other issues. He signed on because he had less than 30 days to find another job when the director of the hagwon he had been working at finally found a replacement. The director couldn't be bothered to give him the 30 days notice.

To be honest, I'm about ready to pull out my hair with all of this. This is my husband's THIRD job, the last two were a fiasco because the directors have not liked how he dealt with kindergarten students. This time, while the job seems better, the school has been anything but helpful since he started. When we first came to this apartment, there was NOTHING except for a bed and some furniture. We had to go out and get everything for the apartment and the money was reimbursed. At least we came here with money but it has really cut down on what we've been able to send home, especially with three of us here.

I'm really at a lost to all of this, why are the schools like this? My husband was already here, they didn't have to pay for a plane ticket. Why couldn't they have sent him to Japan to get this done correctly? It's just really boggling my mind and I'm becoming very frustrated with the whole deal and this whole country.

cruisemonkey · Posted: Mon Aug 31, 2009 11:03 am Post subject:

K-land will eat the naive and belch unapologetically.

Carla · Joined: 21 Nov 2008

FredDaSked · Joined: 17 Jun 2009 Location: Within You, Without You

He hasn't been at ANY job for nine months. He came here in the beginning of November, that school decided in January to let him go and their reason was that the parents didn't like him. He found the second school and that director sent him to Japan to get what he needed and he started at the new place in March. Then for some reason this one decided that he wanted someone who would fit better with the kindergarten students, told my husband in April but didn't find a replacement to come until July but my husband was not informed until the end of June which only gave him 24 days. He was working with a recruiter and found this current job and he ended at the one job and started at the second one the next day. At that point, he had been in the country just under nine months between the two jobs. My daughter and I have only been here since mid-March. He's trying to reach immigration but at this point, I'm beginning to wonder if we should just cut our losses and take our chances back at home. We have a three year old and I'm not going to subject her to anymore crazy moves. We've already moved from Ilsan to Yongin and I'm just tired of the whole deal. They could have easily have waited a week and sent my husband to Japan during the vacation and I just don't understand why they couldn't have done that because if there ends up being a problem, we could end up having to leave right away which leaves them without a teacher.

FredDaSked · Joined: 17 Jun 2009 Location: Within You, Without You

oldfatfarang · Joined: 19 May 2005 Location: On the road to somewhere.

samcheokguy · Joined: 02 Nov 2008 Location: Samcheok G-do

Patong Dong · Joined: 06 May 2003 Location: On Nut

I was at a hagwon for four months and when it went belly up, I was told that as I had been there for less than 9 months a new hakwon would have to send me to Japan and do the whole visa process again. A PS did not have to; the visa could just be transferred. So I went with the PS and indeed the visa was just transferred. I did not get a new ARC but on the back of my previous one there is a new address and a new date (one year from the start at my new school) in the first box on the bottom. Is your card missing that alteration? That would be cause for some concern.

lifeinkorea · Joined: 24 Jan 2009 Location: somewhere in China

Patong, which year did you do this? I doubt you can do that now.

Patong Dong · Joined: 06 May 2003 Location: On Nut

I did this July 1st of this year, from Suwon Immi. area to Incheon's. And the guy at Incheon was an unpleasant, lazy, largely unpleasant person and he still managed to do my visa transfer without incident. Never had to leave the ecountry or re-submit any documents other than a new application form. Didn't even require a LOR.