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MacLean
Joined: 14 Feb 2011
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 Posted: Mon Feb 21, 2011 7:28 pm Post subject: Switching jobs after contract. Do we still get airfare? |
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I will be switching jobs at the end of my contract. If I were simply to return to my home country, I'd get my airfare paid. But, as stated, I plan to move to another job in Korea. Can I expect to get the airfare in cashee? Or do I simply lose out?
MacLean |
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ttompatz
Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Location: Kwangju, South Korea
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| Posted: Mon Feb 21, 2011 7:54 pm Post subject: Re: Switching jobs after contract. Do we still get airfare? |
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| MacLean wrote: |
I will be switching jobs at the end of my contract. If I were simply to return to my home country, I'd get my airfare paid. But, as stated, I plan to move to another job in Korea. Can I expect to get the airfare in cashee? Or do I simply lose out?
MacLean |
Depends on what your contract says.
Airfare is strictly a contractual matter.
Some EPIK and GEPIK contracts used to have a clause that required you to depart Korea within 10 days of the termination of your contract to be eligible for return airfare. Some of the newer ones just give an exit allowance and don't care if you stay or go.
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sallymonster
Joined: 06 Feb 2010
Location: Seattle area
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| Posted: Tue Feb 22, 2011 4:30 am Post subject: |
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| What about when you're getting a new job in Korea, but you want to visit your home country for a couple weeks between contracts? My current school still has to pay my airfare home, right? My school will know I'm getting another job in Korea because I'll need references. I have a GEPIK contract, btw. |
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lifeinkorea
Joined: 24 Jan 2009
Location: somewhere in China
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| Posted: Tue Feb 22, 2011 5:05 am Post subject: |
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If you get a new job and stay in Korea, I think morally you shouldn't ask for airfare because you aren't using that money for a flight.
However, if you get a new job and leave the country before coming back then I don't see anything legally or morally preventing you from expecting airfare.
I'll comment more on this with something else you mentioned.
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| My school will know I'm getting another job in Korea because I'll need references. |
If anyone leaves Korea and turns in their ARC card before leaving, they have to go through all the steps to get new documents for a new visa. That means the first school has no control over you. You can sign a new contract, get a new visa, and never talk with the first school again.
I know this isn't exactly your situation, but I feel you need to take on a more business like approach to this. You probably enjoyed your time, and that is why you are signing on for another year within GEPIK. Don't let that get in the way of "moving on". Inform them of the date you want to fly home. |
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ontheway
Joined: 24 Aug 2005
Location: Somewhere under the rainbow...
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| Posted: Tue Feb 22, 2011 8:40 am Post subject: |
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| lifeinkorea wrote: |
If you get a new job and stay in Korea, I think morally you shouldn't ask for airfare because you aren't using that money for a flight.
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Interesting that you feel that way.
Airfare is part of the teacher's pay package and the school expects to incur that cost with each teacher. Of course, it is a contractual issue whether or not the school actually has to pay and what amount.
But it seems to me that morally the airfare was earned by the teacher and the teacher should get the cash equivalent of the cheapest available return ticket price to use for anything he or she wants.
When signing a contract, teachers should look for a cash option for return airfare. |
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lifeinkorea
Joined: 24 Jan 2009
Location: somewhere in China
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| Posted: Tue Feb 22, 2011 9:09 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| Airfare is part of the teacher's pay package |
It's also possible that a job could have medical benefits for the employee if they need them in this package. Does that mean they should receive money for that as well (when they never needed it) instead of the hospital which would normally get that money just like an airline company would get the airfare? |
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northway
Joined: 05 Jul 2010
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| Posted: Tue Feb 22, 2011 9:11 am Post subject: |
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| lifeinkorea wrote: |
| If you get a new job and stay in Korea, I think morally you shouldn't ask for airfare because you aren't using that money for a flight. |
From what I've read around here, we're being taxed on our airfare now, which if true means we really ought to get paid every time we re-sign, regardless of whether we're even leaving the school or not. |
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ontheway
Joined: 24 Aug 2005
Location: Somewhere under the rainbow...
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| Posted: Tue Feb 22, 2011 9:26 am Post subject: |
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| lifeinkorea wrote: |
| Quote: |
| Airfare is part of the teacher's pay package |
It's also possible that a job could have medical benefits for the employee if they need them in this package. Does that mean they should receive money for that as well (when they never needed it) instead of the hospital which would normally get that money just like an airline company would get the airfare? |
The "medical benefits" are part of the pay package. However, they are actually paid out - to the medical insurance provider, which in Korea should be the National Health Insurance plan. If it were legal, then perhaps a cash option, chosen in advance, would be appropriate. The teacher could choose to go uninsured. This has nothing to do with the hospital which is paid by the Insurance provider.
If the insurance coverage is purchased, then at the end of the year, the money is already spent. There is no cash left to give to the teacher.
(Insurance, properly constituted, is a kind of reverse gamble whereby the purchaser pools his risk with individuals having a similar risk profile. This allows the insured to reduce his exposure to catastrophic costs by locking in a smaller fixed payment. This has nothing in common with airfare reimbursement. Of course, national health insurance has nothing in common with insurance. It is a socialist welfare scheme.)
Last edited by ontheway on Tue Feb 22, 2011 9:30 am; edited 1 time in total |
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lifeinkorea
Joined: 24 Jan 2009
Location: somewhere in China
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| Posted: Tue Feb 22, 2011 9:28 am Post subject: |
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| northway wrote: |
| lifeinkorea wrote: |
| If you get a new job and stay in Korea, I think morally you shouldn't ask for airfare because you aren't using that money for a flight. |
From what I've read around here, we're being taxed on our airfare now, which if true means we really ought to get paid every time we re-sign, regardless of whether we're even leaving the school or not. |
That has no bearing on this particular issue. If you aren't taking the money, then you don't have anything to be taxed on. If the school decides to pay you for a flight when you don't need one, then you still come out ahead (some imaginary flight which you won't take minus some applied tax amount). You are either at ZERO or you get money. |
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ontheway
Joined: 24 Aug 2005
Location: Somewhere under the rainbow...
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| Posted: Tue Feb 22, 2011 9:34 am Post subject: |
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| lifeinkorea wrote: |
| northway wrote: |
| lifeinkorea wrote: |
| If you get a new job and stay in Korea, I think morally you shouldn't ask for airfare because you aren't using that money for a flight. |
From what I've read around here, we're being taxed on our airfare now, which if true means we really ought to get paid every time we re-sign, regardless of whether we're even leaving the school or not. |
That has no bearing on this particular issue. If you aren't taking the money, then you don't have anything to be taxed on. If the school decides to pay you for a flight when you don't need one, then you still come out ahead (some imaginary flight which you won't take minus some applied tax amount). You are either at ZERO or you get money. |
It is possible to be "paid" money or receive benefits that are treated as non-taxable. Airfare and provided housing and the employer's share of the health insurance are non-taxable.
It is possible to be taxed on items that were not actually paid to you as well - certain income items can be reported and taxed without actually being received. |
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lifeinkorea
Joined: 24 Jan 2009
Location: somewhere in China
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| Posted: Tue Feb 22, 2011 9:35 am Post subject: |
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| ontheway wrote: |
| lifeinkorea wrote: |
| Quote: |
| Airfare is part of the teacher's pay package |
It's also possible that a job could have medical benefits for the employee if they need them in this package. Does that mean they should receive money for that as well (when they never needed it) instead of the hospital which would normally get that money just like an airline company would get the airfare? |
The "medical benefits" are part of the pay package. However, they are actually paid out - to the medical insurance provider, which in Korea should be the National Health Insurance plan. If it were legal, then perhaps a cash option, chosen in advance, would be appropriate. This has nothing to do with the hospital which is paid by the Insurance provider.
(Insurance, properly constituted, is a kind of reverse gamble whereby the purchaser pools his risk with individuals having a similar risk profile. This allows the insured to reduce his exposure to catastrophic costs by locking in a smaller fixed payment. This has nothing in common with airfare reimbursement. Of course, national health insurance has nothing in common with insurance. It is a socialist welfare scheme.) |
So, if something isn't paid out, then what? If dental care isn't in the package, then who pays for it? |
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lifeinkorea
Joined: 24 Jan 2009
Location: somewhere in China
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| Posted: Tue Feb 22, 2011 9:38 am Post subject: |
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| It is possible to be taxed on items that were not actually paid to you as well - certain income items can be reported and taxed without actually being received. |
And this is the norm, or are you just bringing extreme cases into the discussion? The normal E2 visa holder as I understand it wouldn't be in this situation. |
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ontheway
Joined: 24 Aug 2005
Location: Somewhere under the rainbow...
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| Posted: Tue Feb 22, 2011 9:46 am Post subject: |
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| lifeinkorea wrote: |
| ontheway wrote: |
| lifeinkorea wrote: |
| Quote: |
| Airfare is part of the teacher's pay package |
It's also possible that a job could have medical benefits for the employee if they need them in this package. Does that mean they should receive money for that as well (when they never needed it) instead of the hospital which would normally get that money just like an airline company would get the airfare? |
The "medical benefits" are part of the pay package. However, they are actually paid out - to the medical insurance provider, which in Korea should be the National Health Insurance plan. If it were legal, then perhaps a cash option, chosen in advance, would be appropriate. This has nothing to do with the hospital which is paid by the Insurance provider.
(Insurance, properly constituted, is a kind of reverse gamble whereby the purchaser pools his risk with individuals having a similar risk profile. This allows the insured to reduce his exposure to catastrophic costs by locking in a smaller fixed payment. This has nothing in common with airfare reimbursement. Of course, national health insurance has nothing in common with insurance. It is a socialist welfare scheme.) |
So, if something isn't paid out, then what? If dental care isn't in the package, then who pays for it? |
Some dental items are covered by the National Health insurance and would be paid as insurance.
Most Korean E2 teacher dental issues are not covered by insurance and are not included in any contract. These would be personal items like buying food, beer or going to a movie. |
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lifeinkorea
Joined: 24 Jan 2009
Location: somewhere in China
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| Posted: Tue Feb 22, 2011 10:06 am Post subject: |
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| ontheway wrote: |
| lifeinkorea wrote: |
| ontheway wrote: |
| lifeinkorea wrote: |
| Quote: |
| Airfare is part of the teacher's pay package |
It's also possible that a job could have medical benefits for the employee if they need them in this package. Does that mean they should receive money for that as well (when they never needed it) instead of the hospital which would normally get that money just like an airline company would get the airfare? |
The "medical benefits" are part of the pay package. However, they are actually paid out - to the medical insurance provider, which in Korea should be the National Health Insurance plan. If it were legal, then perhaps a cash option, chosen in advance, would be appropriate. This has nothing to do with the hospital which is paid by the Insurance provider.
(Insurance, properly constituted, is a kind of reverse gamble whereby the purchaser pools his risk with individuals having a similar risk profile. This allows the insured to reduce his exposure to catastrophic costs by locking in a smaller fixed payment. This has nothing in common with airfare reimbursement. Of course, national health insurance has nothing in common with insurance. It is a socialist welfare scheme.) |
So, if something isn't paid out, then what? If dental care isn't in the package, then who pays for it? |
Some dental items are covered by the National Health insurance and would be paid as insurance.
Most Korean E2 teacher dental issues are not covered by insurance and are not included in any contract. These would be personal items like buying food, beer or going to a movie. |
Alright, so, until the school adds these "personal items" to the contract, they are not obligated to pay for dental expenses, food, beer, or movie costs.
They did decide to add airfare to the contract. Who would receive this money, the airline company or the teacher? If the school pays for the flight, then the airline company gets it. If the teacher pays for it, then the school reimburses, bringing the teacher to ZERO.
In neither case does the teacher walk away with money unspent, just like the food, beer, and movies wouldn't be reimbursed if they weren't bought. More to the point, the school would want receipts and possibly not allow the teacher to buy the food, beer, and movies themselves. A school I worked at in Korea took orders from us and went out and bought stuff. They didn't allow us to spend. |
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ontheway
Joined: 24 Aug 2005
Location: Somewhere under the rainbow...
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| Posted: Tue Feb 22, 2011 10:21 am Post subject: |
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| lifeinkorea wrote: |
They did decide to add airfare to the contract. Who would receive this money, the airline company or the teacher? If the school pays for the flight, then the airline company gets it. If the teacher pays for it, then the school reimburses, bringing the teacher to ZERO.
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Of course if the school buys a ticket or if the teacher is reimbursed, the school pays the same either way and the teacher gets nothing in his pocket either way. He does get a flight home. And whatever happens, it will be a contractual issue.
But, since the school is out the money either way, and since, abstract and philosophical as it may be, it seems "fair" that teachers leaving or staying should be treated the same, and since this is an anticipated expense that really costs the school nothing more than what they expected and the teacher has earned it just as much as those teachers who are leaving, it seems to me, morally, that the school should pay cash to the teacher.
The best schools agree to a cash payment in lieu of airfare in the contract and don't try to lowball the teacher with tickets that are not likley available (as in the other thread).
But what the "best" schools do and what "morally" should be done and what is "fair" is just an opinion in the eye of the beholder.
It just seems best, moral and fair to me that teachers should get cash if they don't need a ticket and that it should be in the contract. |
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