Korean Job Discussion Forums

[pungnapdonger]

I'm leaving Korea on Sunday, and of course am having issues getting a respectable amount of money for my flight home.

I am traveling for four months before returning home, and on the way there I am making a few stops. So I ended up buying my own flight without going through the company, since I found a super good deal ($1100) from Beijing to Seoul to San Fran to Chicago.

What our contracts say is: "The Company shall
also purchase the cost for a return airplane ticket within 15 days after the completion of one year provided that
the instructor leave the country to return home or to go on a vacation before starting work at a new company.
In the event that the instructor fails to complete the duration of the one-year contract, any and all portions of the
reimbursed airplane ticket fee will be withheld from the Instructor�s last wage payment. The maximum amount of
the airfare for a one way ticket shall not exceed One Million (1,000,000) Korean Won."

The past two co-workers to leave were also traveling and their cost home was over 1 million, so they got the maximum amount. One of them in particular also flies home to Chicago, but was going home from Vietnam, so I had no doubt I would be getting the maximum amount too.

SO of course, shit has hit the fan. They are saying they can only cover a ticket from Seoul to Chicago, so they found one for 680,000 won, and I saw it, but it sounds absolutely ridiculous a flight that cheap would exist, but they are insisting they will only pay me that amount.

The thing is, my contract says the company will purchase the COST of a flight--it does not say the company must choose the flight or that it must be the cheapest--so I printed off a $1000 flight from Seoul to Chicago and requested they use that instead, since it is well over 1 mil.

Anyway, they are being dicks and I plan on calling the labor board tomorrow since I only have three days to sort this out. Do I have a case?! Am I right??? The contract is so vague I feel like my interpretation is totally legit. HALP PLZ.

[interestedinhanguk]

You have no case. As long as that flight really does exist (yes there are fares for that price, it's one-way) you don't have a case. They're willing to give you that money. It's not your position to put off your travel home for a few months and expect them to pay that amount. You could just as well find a ticket that costs 3 million, but it doesn't matter. They're giving you the money for the cost of a flight home and that's that.

Edit: Your contract says "the country." One can rightfully assume that refers to Korea.

[ontheway]

[lifeinkorea]

[pungnapdonger]

Okay I see your points.

My initial issue was that my co-worker, who was in essentially the same situation (not actually flying home from Seoul and lives in Chicago) got the full amount. I don't think I was being unreasonable to expect that as well.

And they have done plenty of shady things all year, (eg, they just had a dispute at the labor board a month ago with another co-worker and they lost), so I have learned to take anything they say with a grain of salt.

[pungnapdonger]

[ontheway]

[lifeinkorea]

[interestedinhanguk]

[lifeinkorea]

[ontheway]

It is quite unlikely that the labor office will care whether the flight is Saturday or Sunday. One day is a non issue under the contract as posted. As long as it's a real flight where actual seats were available at the stated price at the time this option was found, then it fulfills the contract.

[pungnapdonger]

Yeah, I could not care less about which day it was on. That wasn't the point of this post at all.

I'm going to check to make sure it is, in fact, a real flight that is available for purchase, and also make sure it is the price after taxes. 680,000 for a flight home only a few days away sounds really unbelievable.

[lifeinkorea]

[ontheway]

[lifeinkorea]