|
Korean Job Discussion Forums
"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Teachers from Around the World!"
|
| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
MitchMartin
Joined: 14 Jan 2010
Location: Seoul
|
 Posted: Fri Mar 19, 2010 8:56 pm Post subject: School Receipts vs. $300 SMOE Stipend |
 |
|
Hey guys,
My school took a different approach toward giving me a $300 settlement. SMOE said they would give me $300 to help me get settled, but it turns out the school I'm at needs receipts to justify the outflow of money.
They asked me to "give us a list of your needs". So I threw up a list of things I needed without first seeing the apartment. What I thought was a list of $200 worth came to almost $450. Without question the school bought me what I asked for but refused to pay for some things:
Internet
Toilet Paper
Bathroom Scale
That's fine. I made a second list after I saw the apartment and they honored it again.
Has anyone else had experience with a school that works this way? If yes, were you able to get a cell phone? How about a computer? How far has your school gone to accommodating you? Did you keep making requests throughout your contract, or only for the first few weeks?
I'm going to buy a computer anyway, but I'm wondering if they'll pay for it. No point using my after-tax money on something that could be paid for with pre-tax income.[/list] |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
pkang0202
Joined: 09 Mar 2007
|
| Posted: Fri Mar 19, 2010 9:35 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Umm...
The school is suppose to give you 300,000w and you spend it however you want. The only "outflow" your school needs to know is that they spent 300,000 contract settlement allowance as per your contract. They don't need to know anything beyond that, and they sure as hell don't need your receipts. The only justification your school needs is your contract that says you get 300,000w. Call the SMOE office and tell them that the school won't release the money without receipts for everything, and that is a violation of your privacy. You can spend that 300,000w on prostitutes and booze. It doesn't matter. Its YOUR money.
Your school isn't going to provide your internet because an internet service needs to go under someone's name. YOU call the internet company and YOU setup the service so the account is under YOUR name.
What your school CAN do is help you call the company and set everything up. Ultimately, it has to go under someone's name, and not your school. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
MitchMartin
Joined: 14 Jan 2010
Location: Seoul
|
| Posted: Fri Mar 19, 2010 9:42 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Well good to know about the internet, but I think you missed my point.
I actually don't want or need the 300,000w. I'm wondering how likely is my school to buy me a computer. Everything else they've bought me they did the buying accompanied by me.
And I might add that they've bought me lovely stuff; things I wouldn't normally buy.
Has anyone has their school buy them a computer? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Forever
Joined: 12 Nov 2009
|
| Posted: Fri Mar 19, 2010 10:23 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| MitchMartin wrote: |
Well good to know about the internet, but I think you missed my point.
I actually don't want or need the 300,000w. I'm wondering how likely is my school to buy me a computer. Everything else they've bought me they did the buying accompanied by me.
And I might add that they've bought me lovely stuff; things I wouldn't normally buy.
Has anyone has their school buy them a computer? |
Pkang0202 didn't miss the point.
READ article 12 (Housing) 3 of your contract.
It states
Employer may provide appliances and furniture such as a bed, table and chairs, a closet, a gas range, a refrigerator, a washing machine, a microwave, and a TV set.
Employee shall not request or demand any other appliances or furniture than those provided by Employer.
So, basically your school HAS to give you 300,000won (settlement allowance)
and
your school has to give you an apartment that may have a bed, table and chairs, a closet, a gas range, a refrigerator, a washing machine, a microwave, and a TV set.
BUT that is all they have to give you.
They DO NOT have to and probably WILL NOT give you a computer.
You will be given approx 3 million won+ next week on the 24th (Salary1st March~24th March + 300,000won settlement allowance + 1.6 million (joining SMOE/airline ticket/medical certificate) so go buy yourself a computer.
You have only just started (2 weeks) at your new school, and if you want to have a good year there, the last thing you want to do, is bother them by begging for things that they do NOT have to give you.
Although your school seems strange for asking you for receipts - you don't have to give them receipts - they HAVE to give you 300,000 settlement allowance. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
MitchMartin
Joined: 14 Jan 2010
Location: Seoul
|
| Posted: Fri Mar 19, 2010 10:30 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Forever wrote: |
Employee shall not request or demand any other appliances or furniture than those provided by Employer.
|
And you've never heard of Koreans breaking contract? You can be sure that 90% of what's written in your contract isn't worth squat as far as your school is concerned.
Your contract was a tool to get you into the country with a visa. Now that you're in you can do what you want with the rest. My school saw my contract for the first time yesterday. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
oskinny1
Joined: 10 Nov 2006
Location: Right behind you!
|
| Posted: Fri Mar 19, 2010 10:49 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Obviously Mitch won't be happy until he hears what he wants to hear.
Of course they will buy you a computer! Top o'the line! They will also pay for weekly trips to the local anma for a rub-n-tug. If you give em a big ol' Canada "Eh!" every so often they may even toss in "special service-uh"! |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
DeLaRed
Joined: 16 Oct 2008
|
| Posted: Fri Mar 19, 2010 10:50 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| MitchMartin wrote: |
I actually don't want or need the 300,000w. I'm wondering how likely is my school to buy me a computer. |
BAHAHAHA  |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
crossmr
Joined: 22 Nov 2008
Location: Hwayangdong, Seoul
|
| Posted: Fri Mar 19, 2010 11:05 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| The next person that whines about some kind of discrimination in Korea I'm pointing them to this thread to see that Korea has no problem hiring "special" teachers. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Seoulio
Joined: 02 Jan 2010
|
| Posted: Fri Mar 19, 2010 11:24 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| MitchMartin wrote: |
| Forever wrote: |
Employee shall not request or demand any other appliances or furniture than those provided by Employer.
|
And you've never heard of Koreans breaking contract? You can be sure that 90% of what's written in your contract isn't worth squat as far as your school is concerned.
Your contract was a tool to get you into the country with a visa. Now that you're in you can do what you want with the rest. My school saw my contract for the first time yesterday. |
Says the guy who clearly doens't have a clue what he is talking about when SMOE is concerned.
before you tell us who it is perhaps you should be aware that your school is lying to you, and is basically pocketing your cash.
SMOE pays your school the 300, 000 won settelement allowance, it goes directly from their payroll to your school and your school is required to pay it to you
Your school is given a budget for certain things for you specifically and for your classroom. This money MUST get spent and it MUST get spent by a certain date or the money goes bye bye.
By getting these reciepts they can write them off submit the reciepts and that money is spent, then they can stick your 300 into their own pockets if they want to if you are too naive to ask for what is contractually promised to you.
As other posters have said, you DO NOT have to produce reciepts for anything, and your school has no business asking you for them. There is NO school that is going to buy you a computer, one for yor class maybe, but not for you. There are also very few schools Seoul wide that do not honor the contract as written.
Its a government contract, and if they don't honor it is a little different than a mom and pop hagwon screwing you. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
prideofidaho
Joined: 19 Mar 2008
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
MitchMartin
Joined: 14 Jan 2010
Location: Seoul
|
| Posted: Sat Mar 20, 2010 1:49 am Post subject: |
|
|
| oskinny1 wrote: |
Obviously Mitch won't be happy until he hears what he wants to hear.
Of course they will buy you a computer! Top o'the line! They will also pay for weekly trips to the local anma for a rub-n-tug. If you give em a big ol' Canada "Eh!" every so often they may even toss in "special service-uh"! |
I'm sorry but that answer does not qualify nor can it be deemed of the nature I was looking for. I'm looking for people who have had similar experiences. In your case you're just making up a reply that you think will appease me. What you don't know however is that my school has already told me they expected me to ask me for a computer and were surprised that I didn't. I had already made up my mind as to whether I would ask for one or not; I only posted here to see what other teachers typically do.
Here I am talking to someone who thinks its ok to make fun of Mexicans.
| crossmr wrote: |
| The next person that whines about some kind of discrimination in Korea I'm pointing them to this thread to see that Korea has no problem hiring "special" teachers. |
That statement is completely irrelevant to the subject of this topic.
| Seoulio wrote: |
SMOE pays your school the 300, 000 won settlement allowance, it goes directly from their payroll to your school and your school is required to pay it to you
Your school is given a budget for certain things for you specifically and for your classroom. This money MUST get spent and it MUST get spent by a certain date or the money goes bye bye.
By getting these receipts they can write them off submit the receipts and that money is spent, then they can stick your 300 into their own pockets if they want to if you are too naive to ask for what is contractually promised to you. |
This statement makes complete sense from a business standpoint except for one thing.
A 300,000 won settlement is worth far less than an 89,000 won lamp, 50,000 won dry rack, 2-pot set for 50,000 won, 120,000 won bed set, 10,000 won garbage, 20,000 won chop-stick set, 90,000 won rice cooker, 120,000 won dish set (plates, bowls, mugs), 60,000 electric kettle, 10,000 won frying pan and 20,000 won knife. The sum of those numbers is 639,000 won, which means while the school might have gotten 300,000 from SMOE they also spent 639,000 won.
Regardless of whether they pocket the 300,000 won or not, they're out of 339,000 won. Did I mention than the apartment was also furnished with everything the contract stated it should be in addition to an iron, fan, tv glasses and garbage bags.
Using your superior judgment your business would be hosed, if you had one. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Seoulio
Joined: 02 Jan 2010
|
| Posted: Sat Mar 20, 2010 2:30 am Post subject: |
|
|
| MitchMartin wrote: |
| oskinny1 wrote: |
Obviously Mitch won't be happy until he hears what he wants to hear.
Of course they will buy you a computer! Top o'the line! They will also pay for weekly trips to the local anma for a rub-n-tug. If you give em a big ol' Canada "Eh!" every so often they may even toss in "special service-uh"! |
I'm sorry but that answer does not qualify nor can it be deemed of the nature I was looking for. I'm looking for people who have had similar experiences. In your case you're just making up a reply that you think will appease me. What you don't know however is that my school has already told me they expected me to ask me for a computer and were surprised that I didn't. I had already made up my mind as to whether I would ask for one or not; I only posted here to see what other teachers typically do.
Here I am talking to someone who thinks its ok to make fun of Mexicans.
| crossmr wrote: |
| The next person that whines about some kind of discrimination in Korea I'm pointing them to this thread to see that Korea has no problem hiring "special" teachers. |
That statement is completely irrelevant to the subject of this topic.
| Seoulio wrote: |
SMOE pays your school the 300, 000 won settlement allowance, it goes directly from their payroll to your school and your school is required to pay it to you
Your school is given a budget for certain things for you specifically and for your classroom. This money MUST get spent and it MUST get spent by a certain date or the money goes bye bye.
By getting these receipts they can write them off submit the receipts and that money is spent, then they can stick your 300 into their own pockets if they want to if you are too naive to ask for what is contractually promised to you. |
This statement makes complete sense from a business standpoint except for one thing.
A 300,000 won settlement is worth far less than an 89,000 won lamp, 50,000 won dry rack, 2-pot set for 50,000 won, 120,000 won bed set, 10,000 won garbage, 20,000 won chop-stick set, 90,000 won rice cooker, 120,000 won dish set (plates, bowls, mugs), 60,000 electric kettle, 10,000 won frying pan and 20,000 won knife. The sum of those numbers is 639,000 won, which means while the school might have gotten 300,000 from SMOE they also spent 639,000 won.
Regardless of whether they pocket the 300,000 won or not, they're out of 339,000 won. Did I mention than the apartment was also furnished with everything the contract stated it should be in addition to an iron, fan, tv glasses and garbage bags.
Using your superior judgment your business would be hosed, if you had one. |
You are TOTALLY ignorant of how the school economics works, So if you would listen and stop reacting like a douche you'd understand.
I will give you my wifes situation as an example. Her school had a 1.5 million won budget that HAD TO be spend within a month and HAD to be spent on school related items and HAD to be accompanied by reciepts.
So let me spell that out for you, they had money that the district said HAD to be spent a certain way as long as there were reciepts. It didn't cost the school a dime.
If they didnt buy this stuff the money just dried up and went back into the slush fund for the district. The school didnt gain a dime by not spending it.
Your school is buying stuff out of a budget they MUST spent as it has been earmarked by the district for the English teacher ( could be spent on school supplies, etc)
So what we have is a case of your school using the money that the district is giving them to get you EXTRA stuff ( for your house or your classroom) on top of the 300 000 you are supposed to get.
Yet you are eroneously thinking that they are being "generous" and that you should just fork over your money to them.
Hey if you want to take that route that is fine, as you say you are making out a bit better than you would, but make no mistake about it, your school could buy you ten million won worth of stuff, pimp out your pad, and STILL owe you the 300, 000
So if you are going to criticise my "business sense" you should not say "the 300 000 doesnt matter" as you are an idiot if you will turn down free money that LEGALLY you are supposed to get.
So if you'd stop being a newbie elitist $^%$%$ youd hear what people are trying to tell you.
If they want to buy you a new computer hey go ahead and take it, but if you honestly think that this is standard for ANY teacher with SMOE, and that you think that the school is doing that out of generosity, then I am wondering just how much glue you sniffed in elementary, and how you got the necessary qualifications to be hired for them in the first place. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
MitchMartin
Joined: 14 Jan 2010
Location: Seoul
|
| Posted: Sat Mar 20, 2010 2:52 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Seoulio wrote: |
You are TOTALLY ignorant of how the school economics works, So if you would listen and stop reacting like a douche you'd understand.
I will give you my wifes situation as an example. Her school had a 1.5 million won budget that HAD TO be spend within a month and HAD to be spent on school related items and HAD to be accompanied by reciepts.
So let me spell that out for you, they had money that the district said HAD to be spent a certain way as long as there were reciepts. It didn't cost the school a dime.
If they didnt buy this stuff the money just dried up and went back into the slush fund for the district. The school didnt gain a dime by not spending it.
Your school is buying stuff out of a budget they MUST spent as it has been earmarked by the district for the English teacher ( could be spent on school supplies, etc)
So what we have is a case of your school using the money that the district is giving them to get you EXTRA stuff ( for your house or your classroom) on top of the 300 000 you are supposed to get.
Yet you are eroneously thinking that they are being "generous" and that you should just fork over your money to them.
Hey if you want to take that route that is fine, as you say you are making out a bit better than you would, but make no mistake about it, your school could buy you ten million won worth of stuff, pimp out your pad, and STILL owe you the 300, 000
So if you are going to criticise my "business sense" you should not say "the 300 000 doesnt matter" as you are an idiot if you will turn down free money that LEGALLY you are supposed to get.
So if you'd stop being a newbie elitist $^%$%$ youd hear what people are trying to tell you.
If they want to buy you a new computer hey go ahead and take it, but if you honestly think that this is standard for ANY teacher with SMOE, and that you think that the school is doing that out of generosity, then I am wondering just how much glue you sniffed in elementary, and how you got the necessary qualifications to be hired for them in the first place. |
I hadn't thought about it that way. This post is a lot clearer than the last one. That would explain them bringing up the computer first. It would also explain them wanting to pay as much as possible on what they bought me.
I'm not being elitist or newbist, I'm reacting to the previous posts that did not explain themselves clearly. Ignorant yes, but now I know. They do seem to live by the contract now that I think about it.
OK - I know what I have to do.
And for your explanation I thank you. I'd be a fool to turn down an extra $290.
By the way any idea when the cut off date is? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Seoulio
Joined: 02 Jan 2010
|
| Posted: Sat Mar 20, 2010 3:16 am Post subject: |
|
|
As in whats the cut off date for them paying you the 300 000?
I dont think there is one, but it traditionally comes just after you are hired, or on your first pay check.
Keep in mind you may be up for a little conflict with your bosses if you ask for it. From the sounds of it, they may think you a bit naive, or they may think that they are fulfilling their end of the bargain by getting you this stuff.
It does not change the fact that they do owe you the money, but you right off the bat may start with negative emotions towards you if you ask for stuff that they had already informed you would basically take the place of your 300 000.
I guess it depends on what they said to you before? Did the tell you this stuff was going to take the place of your 300? if so you are going to looklike an idiot and tick them off for asking. if they didnt you can just ask for it, and when they say "well that's why we bought you all that stuff" you can just say "oh I didnt know that, but I still need the 300 for other things.
They have no right to keep it from you unless you agreed to the swap out. And even then they still owe it to you if it was only a verbal agreement ( but you'll likely have a rough year if you insist on the 300 after you agreed to the purchases in lieu) |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
MitchMartin
Joined: 14 Jan 2010
Location: Seoul
|
| Posted: Sat Mar 20, 2010 3:29 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Seoulio wrote: |
As in whats the cut off date for them paying you the 300 000?
I dont think there is one, but it traditionally comes just after you are hired, or on your first pay check.
Keep in mind you may be up for a little conflict with your bosses if you ask for it. From the sounds of it, they may think you a bit naive, or they may think that they are fulfilling their end of the bargain by getting you this stuff.
It does not change the fact that they do owe you the money, but you right off the bat may start with negative emotions towards you if you ask for stuff that they had already informed you would basically take the place of your 300 000.
I guess it depends on what they said to you before? Did the tell you this stuff was going to take the place of your 300? if so you are going to looklike an idiot and tick them off for asking. if they didnt you can just ask for it, and when they say "well that's why we bought you all that stuff" you can just say "oh I didnt know that, but I still need the 300 for other things.
They have no right to keep it from you unless you agreed to the swap out. And even then they still owe it to you if it was only a verbal agreement ( but you'll likely have a rough year if you insist on the 300 after you agreed to the purchases in lieu) |
They actually said nothing. On my second day they asked me for a list of my "apartment needs". When I asked them about the 300,000 won settlement they said that the school needs receipts. They didn't say the furnishings replaced anything.
I'm currently on a very good standing with the VP of the school and almost all the teachers. They say that unlike past NTs I fit in very well. Probably because I have no objections to free dinners and pouring Koreans soju not to mention playing Badminton twice weekly. The school is divided into teachers and administration.
I could however bring up the simple fact that I was counting on the 300,000 won settlement and since I haven't gotten it am out of money. It's probably within their best of interest to keep the NT well fed. Sure payday is in 4 days, but that could be a long time on an empty stomach. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
|
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
