Korean Job Discussion Forums

gwycliff · Joined: 15 Jun 2010

Hey, so I wanted to see what you guys know about hagwons letting you pick your vacation days.

I am trying to get to Korea in August for a 1 year contract with Chungdahm, but it is impossible to get it guaranteed that I can pick particular vacation days. I have to come home in April for my best friend's wedding... it's pretty much non-negotiable for me. My recruiter said that they can't guarantee those days off.

SO, what do you all know about this? Am I likely to be able to choose my vacation days?

Seoulio · Joined: 02 Jan 2010

joshhughes77 · Joined: 07 Sep 2009

Actually, Seoulio, CDI works a little differently. The OP CAN pick his vacation days, BUT there are a lot of conditions to it. First and foremost, it can't be in the first 6 months of his contract. Secondly, it can't be in either the first or last 3 weeks of a term (terms are 13 weeks). So, basically, the OP has like two 7-week windows to plan his vacation. However, vacation with CDI is unpaid if you are a typical hourly employee.

But being able to choose your vacation does not come close to out-weighing all the negatives of working for CDI.

nomad-ish · Posted: Mon Jun 28, 2010 3:56 pm Post subject:

how about you take the august job and then resign in time to go home for your friend's wedding?

you can always ask a week before you resign if you can get that time off, and if not, give notice. be aware you won't be getting severance and return airfare though, but you should still be getting pension (that is, if your hagwon does the legal thing).

if you want to come back to korea afterwards, you may have to wait for your visa to expire (august), however some people have reported success with cancelling their visas on their own.