Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Agasaya]

So my school is shutting down on August 20 which is the last day of my contract. Due to some major financial burdens earlier in the year I am really tight for cash.

The school owes me about 3,350,000won plus my flight home.

Right now they say I am on a "waiting list" because the flights back to my city are too expensive.

I asked my manager today if my owner would come through with the money (I have worked there for 3 years and I have never had issues) and she said "probably" but she also admitted that she was worried about getting paid.

So I am at a total loss. My contract is up in two weeks. I don't have the money to be screwing around in Korea chasing my boss if he doesn't pay me. Hell I hardly have enough for a one way ticket home at this peak time.

Are there any precautions I can take before hand? Should I call the labor board? I don't know what they can do if he hasn't actually broken the contract yet. I am just afraid if I don't get paid he will go AWOL the second the school leaves and I would be stranded here.

Any advice is appreciated.
He also never paid into the pension at any point for any teacher. I don't want to use threats but that is some leverage if I were to report him I guess.

[northway]

I would ask to see the confirmation number for that plane ticket and call the airline directly. My school had my coworker on one of those waiting lists for a very cheap ticket and when he called up JAL to ask where on the list he was they told him he was somewhere in the seventies. Basically, he was on a waiting list but there was no way he was going to ever get on the plane. You want to make sure that the waiting list your on actually has some chance of getting you home.

[Troglodyte]

Ask to be paid a week or so before your contract ends. Since they are buying you a plane ticket, they know that you aren't going to leave early. Also, your 3 years loyalty should convince them. Tell them that you need to tie up matters (exchanging money, wiring part home, etc.) and you need the money a week in advance.

Just because your boss and manager say the school is going out of business (by coincidence on the same day that you're finishing your contract) doesn't necessarily mean it's true.

[Shapur]

Agasaya I'm really sorry to hear about your problems.
The above posters gave you good advice.
In my case I wish you had posted on here a month earlier.
The reason is that in my experience the best thing to do in your situation is to cut your losses by quitting without notice the first payday after you hear that staff are not being paid.
That way you will only lose a few day's pay, rather than a month or more.
I know that this leaves a bad taste in the mouth and is not the 'correct' thing to do, but you are in business for yourself and you need to be calm, logical and hardheaded.
Try not to let emotion cloud your thinking here.
Usually the situation will get worse rather than better because by the time a hagwon's finances are so bad that the staff aren't being paid, there really is no more money.
The only way your hagwon will get more money is by attracting new students, but you are closing on the 20th so no new students and no more money.
The longer you work, the more they will owe you and the more you will lose because there is no more money coming in.

A lot of hagwon veterans will agree with the above and others will vehemently disagree.

For what it's worth, here is what I would do if I was in your difficult situation (and I have been - 3 times. I did the following the last time this happened and it was the best thing to do under the circumstances).

1. Take some quiet time to calmly and logically examine your situation from a business standpoint.
2. Try not to let emotion cloud the issue. That includes negative and positive emotions such as panic, resentment, loyalty, guilt about leaving etc. etc.
3. Make a list that answers the following questions.
A. What is your priority?
Sounds like wages from your post and the same is true for most sane people. If there are other things write them down too.
B. What is the financial situation of your hagwon from the information you have?Debts, rent, estimated income etc.
C. If you want to get paid where is the money going to come from?
What is the state of the hagwon owner's finances? Does the hagwon owner have alternative income streams that you know of? Does he/she have assets to sell? Is he/she likely/inclined to sell them to pay wages? ARE THERE OTHER CREDITORS SUCH AS BANKS, LANDLORDS etc. etc.
4. If you know the answer to C. you might be ok and can decide to stay accordingly.
5. If you can't answer C. CUT YOUR LOSSES ASAP! Obviously if there is no more money and no reasonable chance of getting any you can not logically get paid. THE LONGER YOU KEEP WORKING UNDER THESE CIRCUMSTANCES THE MORE MONEY YOU LOSE!
6. DO NOT GIVE ADVANCED NOTICE UNLESS THEY HAVE BEEN 100% HONORABLE WITH OTHERS WHO HAVE QUIT. It only leaves you vulnerable to retaliation at immigration, messing with your hagwon housing/phone and gives them an excuse to withold your last pay. (The last is probably not applicable to you anyway, to get to this point you already know there won't be a 'last pay').
7. First and foremost, arrange an alternative place to stay outside of the hagwon-provided apartment.
8. Second, get your own telephone if you are using one provided by the hagwon.
9. Wait until you can see your latest pay in your account (Not applicable to you, but for future reference).
10. Move all of your property out of the hagwon owned apartment. Do your best to avoid letting your neighbors and landlord notice this so they don't ask your hagwon what is going on before you're ready.
11. Tell your hagwon you have quit. Work one more day as a courtesy so they can rearrange your schedule if you wish.
12. Go to immigration the morning after you quit and tell them what you have done. Do it immediately so your hagwon can't get in first and slander you at immigration before you get there.
13. EIther leave the country or follow the alternatives for getting a new job and a new visa that are listed all over this forum.

I hope the above advice helps.
Once again sorry to hear about your situation and hope it works out for you.
Good luck!

[Agasaya]

Thanks everyone for the responses.

I gave them a date of next Friday to provide me with the plane ticket confirmation. I won't settle for a waiting list past then.
Honestly my boss is a very good person but you never know how people really are when they are in the crap with money. I know the key money on my department could easily pay for what he owes.
I have decided not to pay my utilities until I get paid in full. I think I might tell my boss that I won't pay utilities until I get my severance pay or I will tell them to take the pay out of the deposit on the apartment.

To be honest, I cannot afford to just up and quit. I had a fairly major surgery a few months ago and that completely wiped me out along with paying a lot of income tax. So, I cannot afford to just up and leave. I have to take the risk and continue working with the chance that I might actually get this money.

I also asked to get my severance a day before it's due. I might actually change that date and get it a week in advance, but I am not sure if that's possible. I also know that my boss has "rented" the books for my school library that comes to 30million won.
So I don't know if this is all money on loan, but at least it's something.


Thanks again for the replies. I can update you on what happens.

[korea87]

was your surgery so expensive because you did not have any insurance? I'm just wondering....

[Troglodyte]

If you're hard up for money, why are you leaving Korea? Do you have a job set up back home when this one finishes? If not, why aren't you transferring to a new school when this contract finishes?

[wesharris]

[hari seldon]