Korean Job Discussion Forums

OMGtrev · Joined: 09 Mar 2010

My after school program supervisor just told me I "have to wait 3 months from the time I get into Korea to get health insurance". He is telling me this is the rule for national health care. The thing is, he is telling me I have to wait until 3 months after I started working, not 3 months after getting into Korea. Also, at my last school had the same type of health insurance and I was able to use it the week I got there. On top of all that, my supervisor has known that I am waiting to get surgery. So is this a legitimate thing now or are they screwing me over?

ajosshi · Joined: 17 Jan 2011 Location: ajosshi.com

Sounds shady.

ttompatz · Joined: 05 Sep 2005 Location: Kwangju, South Korea

Getting screwed.

NHIC is available from the day you get your ARC.

.

ontheway

OMGtrev · Joined: 09 Mar 2010

ontheway

Troglodyte · Joined: 06 Dec 2009

What does it say in your contract? Does it say they pay? Does it refer to you as an "employee"?

OMGtrev · Joined: 09 Mar 2010

Troglodyte · Joined: 06 Dec 2009

OMGtrev · Joined: 09 Mar 2010

Well, I was strongly considering quitting anyway for a number of reasons. The school I'm working at is incredibly stressful because it's in a really rich area, so there are a lot of brats, as my co-teacher is fully aware of, but there's nothing I'm allowed to do to address that problem. They also complain to their parents, exaggerating and out of context of course, and the parents complain to my company. Part of the problem, I'm sure, is the fact that I replaced a very lax teacher who let the students do whatever they want, and who was fired because of that. So I'm suspicious that they're withholding my insurance because they don't intend to keep me on for long since I'm getting complaints. I feel burnt out everyday teaching there, and the problems with insurance and pay just add to that. I don't even get a pension with this company, nor do I get plane ticket money. Also, I've been considering a career change, but can't make that happen with a full schedule of teaching. So, I'd sooner use this as an excuse to quit than use it to hold their feet to the fire.

I suppose the only question now is do I give them 30 days notice and risk them firing me and/or not paying me, or do I just wait until my next payday and tell them then?

Troglodyte · Joined: 06 Dec 2009

Do NOT quit! You're best course of action now is to report the employer. If you've only been there for 3 months then you'll normally have a hard time transferring your visa. BUT.... if you're employer is mistreating you, you can report them to the labor board and they'll help you out so that you CAN transfer your visa (to a D10 or to another school). If you can do a transfer, you can start a new job as soon as you find one. Now waiting around for a new visa issuance number or going to a Korean consulate and such. You just hand in the new paperwork at immigration and you're good to go. As soon as you start your new job, you should have health insurance within a few weeks (depending on how fast immi processes your paperwork). If you need to do that surgery soon, then this is probably a better option than quitting.

If you quit then you lose the option of transferring and will need to go through the whole visa application procedure that you went through the first time. If you report them and get the labor board to release you from your contract then you can still leave the company but with better options afterwards.

Check to see if they're also paying tax on you.

Report the school for:
-not signing you up for health insurance
-not paying into pension

If they fire you after you report them, then add "unjust firing" to the list of complaints. The labor board will know that being fired right after reporting them was motivated because you reported them. But the health insurance thing is probably enough to get a transfer on it's own.

OMGtrev · Joined: 09 Mar 2010

Thanks for the advice! I didn't know it would be a problem transferring to a D10 if I just quit like I was thinking. I guess I will be reporting them then. Any advice on how best to do that? If it helps, I have the whole conversation about having to wait for health insurance saved on kakaotalk.

As for the pension issue, they don't pay any of their employees a pension and they don't mention anything about a pension in the contract. Their argument is that they're not actually a school, just an agency, so they don't have to pay for things like pensions or plane tickets. I'm not sure how that's supposed to work or if it's even legal.

Troglodyte · Joined: 06 Dec 2009

OMGtrev · Joined: 09 Mar 2010

Yeah, I knew the plane ticket thing wouldn't be in the contract, but it wasn't a big deal since I was already in Korea when I took the job.

As for the pension, I guess they've been lying to me and all their other teachers about it. They told me and my two roommates, both of whom work for them as well, that they're not obligated to pay into our pensions because they're technically not a school. But we're all definitely listed as employees, and the term "independent contractor" or something similar never shows up in our contracts. Guess I'll have an even stronger case against them. Thanks for the help!

Troglodyte · Joined: 06 Dec 2009

It doesn't matter if it's a school or any other business. Employees get half of their pension and taxes paid by the employer and they get severance if they work more than 12 months. Teachers get these benefits. Construction workers get them. Security guards get them. Accountants get them. Even the guy who drives the garbage truck gets them. Everyone who is an employee gets them. It's not something limited to schools.

Does your contract say that you'll share accommodations with other workers?I haven't seen a contract in Korea with shared accommodation in years. You're getting ripped off.