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Draven
Joined: 03 Feb 2003
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 Posted: Sat Feb 21, 2004 6:47 pm Post subject: Another Screwed by My School Thread - Please Help |
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I've been working at a hagwon now for 14 months. After my original contact expired, my wife and I re-upped for a couple of months because the hogwan claimed that they were having trouble getting new teachers to replace us. During those 14 months, they've continuously told us how wonderful we are, how much they want us to stay, and how much they appreciate us extending for them.
As our contracts have been winding down, we've been looking for work elsewhere. I got a line on a great public high-school job and applied. I interviewed, was hired, and signed the contract last week.
The next day (Friday), although we hadn't told the boss about my new gig, he somehow got wind of it. No biggie, we thought, we weren't trying to hide anything. We didn't get the opportunity to talk to him as he was absent that day. Turns out he was at my new school, having a meeting with the principal, telling them how I'm an awful teacher and not to be trusted.
We got a call on Saturday from the head of the English department at the new school telling us that our bosses had been there the previous day and had said "some very bad things" about me. He was on his way to a meeting with the administration to discuss my fate.
Turns out that they're still going to hire me. They like me and didn't trust what they were told by my bosses. However, they do want us to resolve the conflict with my current employers to prevent further trouble occuring at my new school.
Our first call yesterday was to a lawyer. He gave us some advice, but we need to have further consultations with him. Now, we have a week left on our contracts. Of course, if we had the choice, we wouldn't show up for work on Monday. However, we don't want to give them any ammunition to take to Immigration to cause further trouble, so the plan is to show up.
I'm wondering if anyone has any helpful advice on what to do. While we've had some minor difficulties at this school, it has generally been a positive experience. Frankly, I'm shocked and hurt by this current situation. It's beyond anything I thought they were capable of. |
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tokki
Joined: 26 Jul 2003
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| Posted: Sat Feb 21, 2004 6:51 pm Post subject: |
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| Ask the *beep* to his face why he did it. Dont let up. Make him squirm. |
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Mr. Pink
Joined: 21 Oct 2003
Location: China
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| Posted: Sat Feb 21, 2004 6:55 pm Post subject: |
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Yeah I would question him to his face.
Chances are I would be pretty angry...how much does it cost to hire a gangster to beat him within an inch of his life? |
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sadsac
Joined: 22 Dec 2003
Location: Gwangwang
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| Posted: Sat Feb 21, 2004 7:23 pm Post subject: |
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| Having a had a very similar experience after 3 years at the same hagwon. I would confront him in a very public manner and be very impolite and also advise him that you are in the processing of seeing a lawyer and will do all that you can to set the record straight regarding the lies that he has told. Then blacklist him. |
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Draven
Joined: 03 Feb 2003
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| Posted: Sat Feb 21, 2004 7:30 pm Post subject: |
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| tokki wrote: |
| Ask the *beep* to his face why he did it. Dont let up. Make him squirm. |
| Mr.Pink wrote: |
Yeah I would question him to his face.
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Yeah, at this stage, that's pretty much the plan. The only thing is, is that somehow we need to resolve this so that the boss doesn't become a regular at my new school.
Like I said, we've talked to a lawyer and it sounds like we would have a pretty good defamation case, although as the school is still going to hire me, the damage has been minimal (at least it seems so right now).
Basically we're torn whether to be aggressive when we talk to him or coolly explain how we feel and see how he responds. We don't want to force him into a corner, 'cuz desperate men do desperate things. We have personal relationships with many of the parents of the students at our school and certainly making this information public to them and the other teachers would hurt his business. However, mostly we just want him to desist with his slanderous comments. I guess the question is, how do we threaten him without making him feel threatened?
Last edited by Draven on Sat Feb 21, 2004 7:44 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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just because
Joined: 01 Aug 2003
Location: Changwon - 4964
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| Posted: Sat Feb 21, 2004 7:42 pm Post subject: |
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The problem is in this situation to think with the heart more than the head. Of course you want to get him back and make him pay but this will not help you at all. Just sit him down and have a firm chat with him about the implications of his actions and why he is doing what he is doing.
If this fails and he slanders you again just get the lawyer to ring him, keep it cool and go to court or arbitration. Losing your temper will not help you at all.
If it means anything, the reason why he did what he did was so he could keep you at the school so in a screwed up way you could take it as a compliment. |
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Skippy
Joined: 18 Jan 2003
Location: Daejeon
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| Posted: Sat Feb 21, 2004 8:55 pm Post subject: |
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Some questions to ask.
Did you resign another contract for a year ot six months?
Did you just extend you visa and contract?
Or are you working under the table.
If you boss if a real bastard he can prevent you from working at the High School legally.
Are you living in a city or a small city or town?
Did your boss continue to look for a teacher even when you extended?
Did you remind him that you where going?
Also did you hem and haw. Say "I want to stay but I also want to go". Or did you tell him outright. I will extended and stay a few more month BUT there is a good chance that I will be gone in a month or 5 months or ten months. You should have also told him outright when you got the offer. Your boss does need time to get a new teacher and that. Actually did you give notice -legally two weeks and schools ask upwards of a month to two months.
D
I agree you are getting shafted again and you did him a favour.
My advice talk to him. Your first mistake was to first call a lawyer. Your first call should have been to talk to him. Hopefully he is not to far gone into prickhood. And will listen to honest talk. And |
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Draven
Joined: 03 Feb 2003
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| Posted: Sat Feb 21, 2004 9:28 pm Post subject: |
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| Skippy wrote: |
Some questions to ask.
Did you resign another contract for a year ot six months?
Did you just extend you visa and contract?
Or are you working under the table.
Are you living in a city or a small city or town?
Did your boss continue to look for a teacher even when you extended?
Did you remind him that you where going?
Also did you hem and haw. Say "I want to stay but I also want to go". Or did you tell him outright. I will extended and stay a few more month BUT there is a good chance that I will be gone in a month or 5 months or ten months. You should have also told him outright when you got the offer. |
We re-signed a two-month extension contract. My first contract expired at the end of December and we told them we would extend for two months to give them time to find someone. This was in in mid-November. We're all above board with regards to Immigration and visas. We visited Immigration and received the proper authorization for the extension. The extension contract expires in 6 days now, as does my E-2. Additionally, I have already acquired my E-2 for my new job.
There was no hemming and hawing. They've known for three months that we would be leaving at the end of February.
We live in a smallish town with a close foreigner community. That's how I got the line on the new job in the first place. Certainly they kept looking for someone to replace me, although perhaps not as actively had they been in a crunch. We didn't remind him of our upcoming departure because it was clear he had remembered. For over a month I've had students coming to me asking me if I'm leaving because the boss had told them. Regardless, my replacement has been signed, visa has been issued, and she arrives this Wednesday. So it's not that they are going to be screwed covering my classes. We have not left them in the lurch. My wife's replacement also arrives this week, although I'm not sure what day.
On Wednesday this week, the boss told my wife that he would appreciate it if we didn't continue to live in our city once our contract had expired. He didn't articulate much beyond "it would be bad for our business." I assume this means that if the parents saw we were still here but not working at this wonderful place (little hint there  ), they would think it was a bad place to work. This theory is purely conjecture, however.
Anyways, I think we are well within our rights. Perhaps we should've told the boss that I was in the running for this job, but we didn't for cause. We wanted to wait until the visa was arranged because we've seen him kill a couple of job offers for former teachers with bad references.
Lastly, we've been trying to contact the boss today, but with no results. We've left messages both at his home and on his cell phone with no callbacks.
It looks like your trying to get me to accept my share of the responsibility in this fiasco. However, my wife and I have been over this a thousand time in the last day and a half. Our consciences are clear. We've done nothing wrong. |
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shawner88
Joined: 01 Feb 2003
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| Posted: Sat Feb 21, 2004 10:02 pm Post subject: |
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Did you get your severance pay at the end of the orginal 12 months?
If so, and as long as you get your pay this month (cross your fingers) then I'd say sounds like nothing too bad happened...since you got the new E-2 already. |
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Draven
Joined: 03 Feb 2003
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| Posted: Sat Feb 21, 2004 10:04 pm Post subject: |
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| shawner88 wrote: |
Did you get your severance pay at the end of the orginal 12 months?
If so, and as long as you get your pay this month (cross your fingers) then I'd say sounds like nothing too bad happened...since you got the new E-2 already. |
Yup, we received our severance on completing our first contract. I do worry about receiving this month's pay, however. |
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Draven
Joined: 03 Feb 2003
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| Posted: Sat Feb 21, 2004 10:06 pm Post subject: |
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| Skippy wrote: |
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If you boss if a real *beep* he can prevent you from working at the High School legally.
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How? Please tell me more. |
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Son Deureo!
Joined: 30 Apr 2003
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| Posted: Sat Feb 21, 2004 11:36 pm Post subject: |
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| Draven wrote: |
| I do worry about receiving this month's pay, however. |
I wouldn't worry too much about that one. It's already settled that you're not only going to be in Korea for another year, but in the same town.
One way or another, you'll get paid. |
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Draven
Joined: 03 Feb 2003
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| Posted: Sun Feb 22, 2004 12:08 am Post subject: |
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| Son Deureo! wrote: |
| Draven wrote: |
| I do worry about receiving this month's pay, however. |
I wouldn't worry too much about that one. |
It's on the list of worries, but it's miles from the top |
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waterbaby
Joined: 01 Feb 2003
Location: Baking Gord a Cheescake pie
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| Posted: Sun Feb 22, 2004 12:14 am Post subject: |
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Sounds like your boss is trying to "save face" within the community, hence all the drama and his request that you no longer live in the same city.
I once had a very long argument with my ex-boss over a taxation matter and if I'd known all along that he was just trying to save face with the other hagwon directors in the area because he didn't want them to know that he agreed to tax us according to tax law, I would've handled the situation much different... ie not screaming and yelling & chucking a tantrum at him when he wouldn't listen & see reason.
You're lucky that your new job, E2 etc has been sorted & so he can't ruin your future there.
I guess confront him, ask him why he did it, tell him you don't understand his behaviour... good luck! |
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Draven
Joined: 03 Feb 2003
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| Posted: Sun Feb 22, 2004 12:32 am Post subject: |
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| waterbaby wrote: |
Sounds like your boss is trying to "save face" within the community, hence all the drama and his request that you no longer live in the same city.
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This has been a major consideration on our part. We've been trying to figure out a way to allow him to uninvolve himself from this mess while saving face. That's why I don't want to go to work guns a blazing tomorrow. I know it will accomplish little.
| waterbaby wrote: |
You're lucky that your new job, E2 etc has been sorted & so he can't ruin your future there.
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Although it sure seems like that's exactly what he's going to try to do. Hopefully he won't have much success.
| waterbaby wrote: |
| good luck! |
Thank you very much indeed |
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