Korean Job Discussion Forums

[scarus]

I have been working in a public school for 3-4 months.

I am thinking of leaving due to the following reasons:

Teaching classes of 40-50 kids is doing nothing for me. I want to have a tefl career, and have now realized that if i do this for a year, my c.v will be too young learner based. i want to work with adults after Korea.
I have been offered good tefl jobs in Europe at good schools

Plus....the kids are beaten with sticks.

Now in my contract it says i must repay the settling in money, plus the flight money. I figure that if i leave ina couple of months, i shall have worked 6 months, hence earnt my flight to Korea (they bought a single ticket for me) The settling in money I am also tempted not to pay back.

I fear that if i give notice (contract says 4 weeks) then pay will be withheld to pay for flight and settling in money. Also, in these 6 months, i have earnt my holiday pay, and i am sure i wont get that if i tell them i am leaving.

So... what should i do? How should I do it? I have read posts relating to breaking contracts, but they were all ralted to hagwons. I was wondering that since it isa government school, they might pursue the reapayment of monies more. Has anyone ever heard of a hagwon/public school phoning the escapees home (uk or usa etc) and demanding repayment or else? can they chase me? do they have the right to?

Sorry if these answers are elsewhere.. i am continuing to search for an answer...

[Koreabound2004]

After you work there for 6 months, they can't get you for airfare...so you can go then if you must.

Holiday pay=severance? You won't get this unless you complete the contract.

I would stick it out if you are interested in pursuing a long-term career in TEFL....doesn't look good on a resume that you bolted early(esp. from a job that is in your field of interest).

My advice, stick it out. Just a year, and then you can move on to whatever you want to do.

Do you also do teacher workshops? That can help with your goal to teach adults...or maybe you can suggest that they have you do them, if that's what you REALLY want!

[ajstew]

"I want to have a tefl career, and have now realized that if i do this for a year, my c.v will be too young learner based."

Are you kidding? You work at a elementary school for 10 years and someone 'might' think that. Working at a place for one year will show that you've grown up and are capable of working at a demanding job. As far as I'm concerned, if the number of students is your problem... which you would have known in the beginning, then you're not entitled to anything, except some cheese for that wine.

[steroidmaximus]

those are very weak excuses for leaving a job. Show your ability to work in different situations under different sets of expectations. . .this will only help your resume. Stick it out.

[crazylemongirl]

Sounds to me that you don't actually like it here and see greener pastures in europe.

If you want to leave, give your notice and leave. Many people here have been burnt by bad employers not honoring their contract so this prehaps isn't hte best place to go for advice on how you don't want to honor yours. Leaving without telling the school is a cowards way out and I doubt you'll get much sympathy here for doing so because your bad actions inevitably make it harder for us (there's a reason a lot of places ask for deposits these days).

[adventureman]

The regular school year only runs until mid-july followed four more months in the fall and then you're finished. Its already TESOL-related and quiting that soon will hinder you chances of finding a better job in the long-run.

Suck it up. Your not teaching in Aushwitz.

[pollyplummer]

[Gollum]

If you hate it here and never plan to come back, then get paid, then immediately give your notice. Make sure you have your money OUT of that account they pay you in. Then give notice... but I'd wait until a few weeks into the 6th month, for good measure.

[JacktheCat]

I'll leave the moral preaching to others and answer your questions.

If bail before 6 months, then you'll have to pay back the plane ticket to Korea. If you can stick it out to the 6 month, then you'll only owe the settlement bonus (yes, you have to give it back if you don't complete the contract) and you can't get unused vacation or sick days unless you complete the contract.

If you do do a midnight run and leave without paying monies owed, I doubt the school district would go to effort of tracking you down in your home country for the insignificat amount you owe them. But they would probably report you to immigration, making it difficult to come back to Korea.

I have a feeling that before the summer is out, you will have a lot of company. I wonder how many of the current crop of public school teachers are going to make it all the way through their contracted year.

[Gollum]

[Plume D'ella Plumeria]

Okay, so I'll be the moral police for a minute.

I can't say that I condone what you are comtemplating doing. I am also getting the merest whiff of rationalization, such as the bit about not liking the large classes (who does??), the CV being weighted toward young learners (come on!) and the aside about beating the poor poor darlings with sticks, thrown in for good measure.

I'm not opposed to your leaving if you're well and truly miserable. Korea is not for everyone. But, as another poster mentioned, it's nearly June and the kids are out for vacation (sort of) by mid-July. They don't start up again until September and they go until the end of December or the winter vacation. It's not THAT difficult, is it?

If you feel that you can't stick it out (and just how are you acing all these superjobs in Europe, anyway??), then at least, give the proper notice and don't try to sqirm out of paying any money you may owe them. You shouldn't have to pay the airfare if you stay the six months. That's fair enough. But if they want the settlement money back, you should pay it back and regard it as an early leaving penalty. You are, after all, causing them major inconvenience.

Lastly, I have heard of teachers being threatened with legal action once back in their home countries. Whether or not it ever amounted to anything, I don't know.

Bottom line: if you MUST leave early, do it with decency. Don't let them screw you out of money and (Golden Rule and all that) don't yourself try and screw them out of money either.

[JacktheCat]

[pollyplummer]

I'm not sure that I'll make it through my contract, to be quite honeset, and I happen to have an excellent job. It's less about the job itself and more about who I am. But sometimes you cannot discover those things without trying it out. There is nothing wrong with giving proper notice and then leaving. The school themselves provides for it in the contract, so don't let anyone make you feel guilty about that.

[Plume D'ella Plumeria]

About GEPIK...while it is true that there are some pretty unhappy campers out there, it is equally as true that there are also some pretty happy campers as well. As is always the case, they are the silent ones, passing their days in their silent contentment. It must be remembered that many of the GEPIKers came from hakwons; bad ones in the main, and next to those, GEPIK with all its faults, looks like paradise found.

There was a major GEPIK meeting here yesterday. From what I've been told, the GEPIK masterminds are aware of our discontent over the abbreviated vacations, among other things, and they apparently are hoping to mollify us enough that we will stay on and that others will be attracted to the program. Some of the Korean teachers who are involved, are pushing for them to give us longer vacations. All this is yet undecided, but at least, they know that a lot of us are unhappy and maybe something will get done and conditions will improve.

Or maybe not.

By the way, Jack, WHAT rumours about what GEPIK is planning for this summer? I haven't heard anything sinister along those lines...YET. Do you know something I don't know?? If so, do spill (you're scaring me...)

[Grotto]

The only bad change that I have heard about the GEPIK program so far is that they are planning on switching some of the schools who had teachers this year. In short if you worked in a small school for GEPIK chances are that you will be moved to another small school or a larger school.

Only a rumor so far but who knows.