Korean Job Discussion Forums

hiddenflask · Joined: 03 Dec 2009

so my coworker went into the boss's office last night to discuss renewing her contract but she had a list of demands. she wanted:
-100,000w raise
-compensation for when we stay after our working hours or work on saturdays
-no more morning shuttle unless paid (we actually have to go to work an hour early without compensation every 3 weeks to pick up the kids...we also have to ride with kids on afternoon shuttles a few days a week)
-pension. we have not been offered pension, it's been 10 months.

the verdict:
-50,000w raise
-no overtime compensation
-"we will probably have more shuttles next year and the parents like you to be there, so you will still have to do the shuttle."
-and the kicker, "THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS PENSION!" the flat out denied it existed.

obviously, no one wants to stay now...the pension system is screwed up beyond belief. it seems as though it's designed to protect its own...if you want pension, your boss has to sign you up, but if your boss didn't already do it, then they don't want to and so why would they now? am i wrong for thinking that no korean would be treated like this in america?

wesharris · Joined: 10 Oct 2008

Where do you work at ?

thegadfly · Joined: 01 Feb 2003

Yes you are wrong for thinking that "no Korean would be treated like this in America." AMERICANS are regularly treated that badly or worse by their employers. I was a US public school teacher, and my public high school did worse to folks than you described....

You are right, however, that this treatment is deplorable, and you should not put up with it. Just because it DOES happen in your home country does not make it right, and you shouldn't put up with it, regardless of where it happens. I hope you can change it, or get yourself out.

Good luck.

VanIslander · Posted: Mon Jan 11, 2010 5:09 pm Post subject:

I made getting my pension a necessary condition (simply and bluntly I said "I NEED it." even put that in writing) of re-signing and GOT IT for my second and third years at that job, cashing in and getting my pension refund of over 5 million won this last fall during a few months break between jobs.

The guy who took my job after I left wasn't offered pension. Laughing

I am not getting pension at my new job and I'm contemplating whether to make it a condition of renewal at year's end, and might not, given the relatively high pay and ideal location for me. Dunno.

One has to choose for oneself where and when to draw the line. And, of course, you gotta pick and choose your battles.

vaticanhotline · Posted: Mon Jan 11, 2010 9:16 pm Post subject:

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't paying into the pension a legal requirement?

hiddenflask · Joined: 03 Dec 2009

oh yeah, it's a legal requirement. it's just my shady hagwon trying to get away with stuff. if anyone can tell me about how to get my pension without going through my bosses to get it, i'd be much obliged. some people on here have tried to answer, but i'm not satisfied with the answers. why would i give my boss 1,000,000 won and then just hope that they were going to contact the pension office and be honest about it when they haven't been thus far?

hagwonnewbie · Joined: 09 Feb 2007 Location: Asia

just wait til your contracts over and contact the pension office. They'll confiscate his property and make him pay. Works like a charm, but it might take a year to get all of it. You'll probabaly have to stay in the country, too. Also, you'll need paystubs that are signed and stamped.

son of coco · Joined: 14 Mar 2008

son of coco · Joined: 14 Mar 2008

dirving · Joined: 19 Nov 2009 Location: South Korea

yingwenlaoshi · Joined: 12 Feb 2007 Location: ... location, location!

jiberish · Joined: 17 Jul 2006 Location: The Carribean Bay Wrestler

My co-teacher got a 50k per month pay rise. I think it is pretty normal.

ponyo · Joined: 27 Nov 2009

pension is required if the hagwon has 5 or more full-time employees, but not if less than 5.

btw, if your hagwon is taking taxes out of your pay, you also might want to check if they're actually paying them. if their taking them out and not paying them, they owe you some money and could be in for some legal problems if they don't.

hellofaniceguy · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Location: On your computer screen!

hiddenflask · Joined: 03 Dec 2009

i don't work on saturdays normally, but we have had to on a few occasions. we had to go to homeplus and advertise for the school one day. it was humiliating. we bumped into people we knew, etc.

50k is a pathetic raise, pretty much any other school would give you 100k extra for a year of experience. there's a point at which you sort of need a master's to get paid more, but 2.3 is reasonable to ask for at a hagwon with a year of experience.

the issue with taxes...the question is "how do i know if they're paying them or not?" is there a way to find out? i've found that it is intensely difficult to cut through the red tape. since the boss sets everything up, everything is in their name. i lost my debit card and when i tried to cancel it, i couldn't because it wasn't even my account to begin with, it was my boss's, the card just had my name on it. this makes me suspect way worse.

as far as pension goes, i'm going to talk to my bosses on the last day and just tell them i'm going to give them 2 choices: i can go file a complaint with the pension office and backpay my share or they can just give me 1.2 million (the equivalent of what they'd owe) and we can settle it under the table. we'll see how that goes, but it's worth a shot. i'm going to get my ticket booked a week or two after my contract is up so i can go take care of things like that.