Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Coodge7]

So with about 7 weeks left in our extended 6 month contract (we already did a full year at the same hagwon), we approached our boss with exact dates of when we will be leaving and some print outs of different airfares for which we would like the equivalent cash since we will travel for 3 months.

Our boss responded by saying that in the past she has paid for her teachers to fly TO another country (say Japan, China or Malaysia) instead of paying for the ticket home. She said she was very upset that we would ask for such a thing from her and then left without saying anything else.

We stood there with our mouths agape! I've read a lot about bosses giving equivalents in cash or even just outright buying a ticket from Thailand to the USA with no issue. We've also known 6 people in our town that have done something similar as well.

My question is: where do I go from here in terms of re-approaching this? Our boss likes to think with her emotions instead of her head and she will freak out if we bring it up "wrong" but I don't know how to do this gently since I am furious that I have stayed this long, work a crappy schedule and still get things like this thrown back at me. (I know, I should know better by now!)

[RufusW]

Can they purchase you a refundable ticket from Korea to the USA, then you refund it for the cash?

[Coodge7]

Can you do that kind of thing anymore? I thought with airlines tightening their belts and whatnot you can't refund tickets for cash- only different flights.

And anyway, if she knew I was going to do that anyway (since she KNOWS we're not going back to the US from SK), wouldn't it just be easier on everyone if she hands over the money?!

[katsu]

so what exactly is she mad about? that you've shown her printouts with airfare to different countries or that you want cash instead of the ticket?
perhaps she got confused and thinks you want both? lol, i've had plenty of koreans misunderstand me and others on numerous occasions...
is there a co-teacher, supervisor you could approach that seems to speak more English than your boss?

goodluck to u guys

[ChilgokBlackHole]

[I-am-me]

It sounds right. She is only responsible for your flight to one destination: Your home country!

[Coodge7]

No- she's mad that we want money. She wants to pay for us to go to the NEXT country we are going to (being Japan) and NOT give us money to go home.

She said that in the past she has paid for people to go to their next destination- if that wasn't home, then she paid for them to go elsewhere and not home.

I gave her one print out: the price from Seoul to our home airport on the day we would have been flying out after our contract is finished. That's it.

She didn't misunderstand: she's just pissed....I don't know why!

[ChilgokBlackHole]

[mmstyle]

Chilgo is right, she doesn't want to pay more than she has to. FYI, refundable flights are still available, but cost more. If you find some that cost way more than usual, she will no doubt question why it is so high, but a bit of searching (a refundable fare on a really bad trip, ie, 3 stopovers) might yield a reasonable price.

People here may argue that she only owes you for the next step of your trip, but if you have a standard contract (a ticket home) she would be out whatever a reasonable cost for that is, so I don't think that what you are hoping to do is unreasonable. Since she knows what you were hoping to do, you may have to rethink how you approach her about it this time. Good luck.

[ChilgokBlackHole]

[Cerberus]

anyone know how this works for PUBLIC schools?

there's a chance I may land an expat gig elsewhere, and I probably won't want to fly home for such a short time before having to come back to Asia.

the buy refundable ticket thingie had already occurred to me (not sure if possible). Any other ideas.

I'm fairly sure under gepik they won't just give you cash in lieu of return airfare.

[louiloui]

GEPIK would not give me cash instead of a ticket last year. Technically it is against the rules, but it may be one of those things that changes from school to school. It doesn't hurt to ask.

[Justsurfin12]

Since you said if you bring things up the wrong way, your boss will become very upset:

slight suggestion when dealing with Koreans...

Remember that Korean culture still has a large degree of "face"-- as in, saving face even when one is wrong.

If you allow your boss to keep face, she will be much easier to work with. Go to her and apologize for upsetting her (even though you didn't do anything wrong). That should soften things significantly...

Then, tell her that you were just trying to make things easier for her... and since you had several friends who had done the same thing, you thought it was a common practice. (Which puts her in a place of having to explain why she was so upset-- without putting her on the spot).

Hopefully that helps a little...

[explorer25]

I had 3 other teachers at my previous school flying to China, and Thailand, and one of them flew to Canada from Thailand, the other came back to Korea, and flew back to Canada... I asked her to purchase my ticket two months later, cuz my husband and I were leaving Korea in Feb...(he's military, ) she forcefully bought a ticket for me and I had to fly back to Korea!?!?!? Isnt it possible for them to buy u ur ticket whenever you wish to go?? I had a SOFA visa and I could stay even after my E2 expired.. She said, they wouldnt buy the ticket two months later cuz I was not their teacher anymore?!?!!? dEuhhhhhh ! TICKET is a ticket, does it matter when you fly home???
that was my problem with them last year