Korean Job Discussion Forums

matthewschmidt · Joined: 18 Jun 2009

So...

I'm about to finish my first month of teaching at a hagwon. The school has been ok and the pay is decent but I'm working some obscene hours, 9:30-7:10 with some "breaks."

I know I'd enjoy my time in Korea more if I was able to get one of those popular 2-9 jobs I keep hearing about.

After doing some research I understand that getting a letter of release is not an option because I haven't been here 9 months.

Does anybody have information on the specific visa hoops I'd have to jump through in order to change jobs? Is it feasible to put in my notice and find a new job legally?

I know it'd be a headache and I'd feel bad about bailing on the school but I'd really like some more free time to explore Korea.

Thanks for the help,

All the best,

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

At best, I think you could give proper notice and then leave the country with an exit order. Then you would have to get all your paperwork ready again and possibly get another E-2 issued.

T-dot · Joined: 16 May 2004 Location: bundang

Did you sign a contract without knowing the hours? Im assuming you knew the hours because nobody signs a contract without knowing this vital piece of information beforehand.

You dont need a reason to quit. Many other teachers have quit for lesser reasons.

fitta · Joined: 31 Aug 2009 Location: ROK

You can quit. They may or may not give you a "Letter of Release" They don't have to. If they do, you are free to find another job. You will have to gather all the same documents once again and submit them to Immigration with your new sponsor. If they don't give you the "Letter of Release', your new school could ask Immi to give you an exit order.

DAC · Joined: 14 Aug 2009 Location: South Korea

You signed a contract. Honour it. I wouldn't hire someone who broke contract simply because they didn't like the hours, which in your case are totally acceptable. Incongruent with your plans maybe, but welcome to the working world. Most of us westerners would be rip-roaring mad if the school broke contract with us, don't do it to them.
Own up to the commitment you made.

iggyb · Joined: 29 Oct 2003

Ignore DAC. When it becomes almost unheard of for hakwons to break contracts in the industry, then listen to him.

I would suggest thinking about talking to your boss first. If the schedule is the problem, negotiate to get it changed. Start out small, but if you need to, let him know how much that full of a day is bothering you and that you're thinking of going home or looking for a different school. You'd probably have a better chance of him working on the schedule to help you out than getting his OK to look for other jobs.

But, if you really can't hack the schedule and can't work it out with him, make sure you read the Labor Standards Act a few times for yourself to know what is what, and then follow the procedures for giving notice.

You'd want to be scouting for other jobs at this time, but with the market the way it is, you might have some trouble finding a good school since you are leaving another one so early...

nobbyken · Joined: 07 Jun 2006 Location: Yongin ^^

Is there anybody at school you could talk too?
Perhaps discuss with someone some problems you have, and see if they can sort something out for you. Perhaps a slacker day here and there in the week or even a complete change.
Depends how much they want to hold on to you.

DAC · Joined: 14 Aug 2009 Location: South Korea

iggyb · Joined: 29 Oct 2003

Tigerstyleone · Joined: 01 Feb 2009

give notice, quit and find a new job. I think there are about 10,000 hiring.

broken76 · Joined: 27 Jan 2008

First of all I'd like to say a year is not that long of a time and quitting now will cost you. If you're willing to pay for it then go ahead. The first thing you have to realize is that you will have to go back home and start over from scratch since you haven't completed 9 months of your contract. This would mean that you'd need to pay for roundtrip airfare (incoming would need to be reimbursed and the return flight for your Visa would be on your dime). There is also the cost and time of getting your docs together and securing a job and finally the time involved in getting a Visa. So pretty much a minimum of a month of being unemployed. You would also have on your immigration record that you quit from your first job which would make getting a new position a bit more difficult as a new school applying for a Visa will be informed of this by immigration. It pretty much is the equivalent of a school that fires teachers over something arbitrary as their contract is about to end. In both cases you can argue each one is looking out for their best interests but would mark them as being untrustworty.
Overall though if you think the hagwon is OK then you should stay as you might end up with the hours you want later on but at a crappy school. Again one year is really not that long and you did sign a contract for the year.
Chances are the school won't be able to schedule the hours that you want. If they're running classes from the morning they are a kindergarten focused school and kindergarten kids aren't really available for classes at night. Remember it's just work and you still have a good chunk of the evening to enjoy your life.

iggyb · Joined: 29 Oct 2003

matthewschmidt · Joined: 18 Jun 2009

Thanks for the input everyone.

The contract I signed included several breaks. What I didn't know was that I am not allowed to leave the school during those breaks and that a lot of the break time is spent grading papers, setting up lessons etc. The contract is for "30 teaching hours" but I'm obviously at the school for much more than that.

Now that I have a better idea of what my options are and what the new visa process entails I'll probably end up biting the bullet and finishing the year.

This is my first teaching job and if I had to do it over I would have been more selective. Lesson learned. I'll do better next time.

JJJ · Joined: 27 Nov 2006 Location: Seoul

sluggle · Joined: 25 Jun 2009 Location: suwon

I saw a lot of jobs like this lately, where even in the interview they tell me it is ONLY 30 hours... but the hours are listed as 9-7. It's especially popular now with the oversupply of teachers due to the economy.

I would say you were deceived, so don't listen to people like DAC who is apparently morally impeccable. However, if you ask for a release I would expect that you likely will not receive one (and may be fired on the spot so don't ask until after payday) and also will have a hard time getting a new job when it appears you quit your previous one.