Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Wurmwood]

Hi, all. I've got a difficult decision to make. I applied to EPIK and passed the interview and sent in my paperwork and my recruiter SWEARS I've got a position in Daejeon, but I've been waiting FOR-E-VER to see a contract in the mail. It's been SO long and I've gotten SO frustrated waiting that I finally thought, "Screw it; I'm looking for another job." I found what sounds like a good job on Jeju, which is where I really wanted to go in the first place. I taught on Jeju last year and would love to teach there again this year. I applied and just interviewed with the school a few minutes ago. They sounded interested. I'm excited about the idea of going back to Jeju, but what if EPIK surprises me and actually sends out a contract soon. I figure I can hold on to it for a while, but I'm sure they'll be expecting me to sign it and return it soon. I'm not sure how fast I'll be able to get the Jeju position off the ground if they say yes. I've got all the paperwork I need. I'm ready to go. What should I do? What would you do? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[vaticanhotline]

Lean on the recruiter for information.

[Wurmwood]

Last time I heard from him, the recruiter was asking me to confirm my address so they could send out the contract, but he said they weren't going to send it out right away. I'm slated for the March intake and they want to get all the February teachers set up first. He said they'd send my contract"soon", but it's been a week since he said that. I asked him to let me know as soon as they sent it out and I haven't heard from him yet. How long can I hold on to it before I have to sign it and send it back to them?

[JJJ]

"Send out the contract"..??..tell them to scan it, and send it by e-mail, you print it out, sign the correct sections, scan it back in and send it back. That's what my last school did. Done and done.

Good luck with whatever you choose.

[Wurmwood]

Let me be clear that I want to work for the school in Jeju, but I'm afraid EPIK is going to finally cough up a contract soon and I'll be expected to sign it and return it soon. I'm asking if I can stall EPIK for a while while I see if I can get the Jeju job off the ground.

[lifeinkorea]

If you haven't signed the contract, then immigration couldn't have processed a visa yet. I was in a worse situation, and I got a different school within 30 minutes.

[Wurmwood]

So I can still get a visa, right? I mean, I know I'm just being paranoid, but if I back out on EPIK at this point because I found another job, they're not gonna call the Embassy and say "Hey, this guy said he was gonna come work for us and then backed out at the last possible second 'cause he found another job. Don't give him a visa." I mean, I know you can get black-listed if you bail out in mid contract, but since I haven't signed a contract yet, I'm safe, right? I mean, they already have all my paperwork and everything. They just haven't sent me a contract. There're no laws against backing out before the contract is signed, are there?

[Leslie Cheswyck]

If you want to go to Jeju then go to Jeju.

It's an old Korean saying.

[wylies99]

Contact EPIK directly and bypass the recruiter. Find out the name of your school and contact info. IF EPIK can't help you then you know the recruiter is lying.

[Wurmwood]

I appreciate the suggestion, but I'm not trying to find out how fast the EPIK contract will get here. I'm trying to decide if I can stall EPIK while I see if I can make this Jeju job happen. Besides, my recruiter comes from a reputable agency and has been very helpful so far. In fact, I feel pretty bad backing out on him when we're so close, but I want Jeju, so if I can get it, I'm taking it.

[lifeinkorea]

Sometimes the contract they want you to sign doesn't reflect what you negotiated.

I am in that situation now, they are paying me more than what is on paper, but I guess if problems come up I am out of luck. So far, I am at my second school doing this, and I am getting paid. At 2 previous schools, one in Seoul and the other in Japan, I signed contracts which had the exact amount I was owed, but either they tried to get me to sign a new contract or they didn't pay what was coming to me.

Get your new documents now and send them off to Jeju. If you don't and work where you don't want to, then you have a much harder time trying to make changes.

[Wurmwood]

I believe I have all the documents I need, but the Jeju school hasn't offered me the job yet. I just interviewed with them. They sounded interested, though. The woman said-and I quote-"We were hoping you'd give us a call."

I don't wanna get side-tracked from the issue, here, though. The question is, can I stall EPIK for a while while I see if I can get the Jeju thing going? The way I see it, if they offer me the job-which I suspect they will soon-all I gotta do is send um my paperwork an' I'm in. It's safe to turn down EPIK once they offer me the job, right? I mean, I don't anticipate any problems with my paperwork. If EPIK didn't find anything wrong, I don't see why this school would.

[oskinny1]

I understand you. Don't want to give up the EPIK job then to find out you didn't get the Jeju job. If the EPIK contract comes before you hear from the other school, just give them a call and let them know what is going on. Tell them that you really want to work for them but need to know if they are going to hire you or not. If they say "no" then you still have the EPIK job to fall back on.

Good luck, hope they want you in Jeju!

[Wurmwood]

Thank you. That's pretty much what I was leaning toward anyway, but I wanted to see if anyone else had a better idea and get some opinions and advice on the matter. Unless someone's got a better idea or further input, I'm just gonna level with the Jeju school and see what they say. Again, they sounded interested in me. Guess I'll just hafts keep my fingers crossed.