Korean Job Discussion Forums

Ocean66 · Joined: 12 Feb 2010

I signed a contract with a hagwon. Sent over all the materials. Got issued a visa number. Had the consulate interview and got my visa sent back to me. Scheduled to fly over in a week.

At the same time I was doing all this, I was also interviewing for "real" jobs here at home (none of which I really expected to pan out). But just a few days ago, I got a job offer! Argh!

On the fence about going to Korea now. My question is: at this point since I've done everything aside from getting on the plane, what would happen if I back out at this point? Can the school do anything legally? Or other advice? Thanks.

stevieg4ever · Joined: 11 Feb 2006 Location: London, England

nothing whatsoever.

ChilgokBlackHole · Joined: 21 Nov 2009

ajuma · Joined: 18 Feb 2003 Location: Anywere but Seoul!!

So strange. I was in the same position umpteen years ago. I was called for a job that I really wanted. Went to uni and specifically studied for that job. The call came about 2 weeks before I was scheduled to leave for Korea.

I came to Korea and have never looked back. The person who DID get "my" job has a nice, comfortable American life. Not a bad thing.

I've got experience living in other countries, a job I love, a life-style I love...I'm glad I made the choice I did.

tmax500 · Joined: 12 Feb 2010

Will this go on your record if applying for a job there in the future? I was told the school can put an indefinite ban on you teaching in Korea

egrog1717 · Joined: 12 Mar 2008

frankly speaking · Joined: 23 Oct 2005

You will not get a new visa for Korea any time soon, but other than that as long as you didn't get the plane ticket you owe them nothing.

AS long as you paid for your visa and paperwork, you owe them nothing. If they did purchase the plane ticket, they will need to cancel it. I would pay if there are any penalties. They will have to get a new candidate and are up the creek and you will get bad Kharma points from them, but you are not required to work for someone if you don't want too. You just cannot work for anyone else in Korea for that year of your contract.

Call them immediately, and inform them that even though you were looking forward to working for them that due to unforseen circumstances, you cannot leave the country and go to Korea. That you have to stay in your country.

Troglodyte · Joined: 06 Dec 2009

Expect them and/or the recruiter to be really pissed off. They will write you a few emails saying how you are a really bad person. They may tell you that you need to pay them some kind of fee for the inconvenience or to pay back the recruiter (or to pay the recruiter for his lost business) but in reality, you don't have to pay them anything and there is nothing they can do about it. If they DID pay for your visa or plane ticket, then morally you should reimburse them for their expenses, BUT if you want to be a miser they can't force you to pay them back.

They can't blacklist you although some recruiters DO keep a list and may or may not illegally share those lists with other recruiters. But even so, you can find another job here with another recruiter should you wish to come here in the future. You WON'T be able to get another visa until your current one runs out. Some people have been able to get a new visa after 9 months of their current visa was up (some even at 6 months) but if you didn't come on the first visa, then that will put up a red flag for the recruiters/schools and they are unlikely to offer you a job for fear that you'll do the same thing again. (Running away from a bad school is one thing. Not showing up at all is something else completely.) After the 12 months though, you're in the clear.

Wishmaster · Joined: 06 Feb 2003

They can do nothing to you at all. Zero. Zilch. They have no jurisdiction over anything outside of their little peninsula. As far as the "indefinite" ban...that is bollocks. My previous school had a teacher that did a midnight run. The director and I went down to immigration and my owner reported him and "blacklisted" him. Then the immigration officer said to my director that if this guy ever wanted to come back to Korea and work for another company, he could. This despite the fact that the owner did everything in her power to make sure that this guy would never be able to return. So, if a school really wants you, even if you did a runner, you can get hired again. I was there and heard everything, so I would take the whole blacklist thing with a grain of salt.