Korean Job Discussion Forums

[ThePoet]

First of all, I don't work there, but I know two teachers who do and both have talked to me independently of the problems they have faced at this school:

The were both recruited for this school by B.O.B. Recruiting and after facing the problems I am about to list, and going to their representative the recruiter said to them that the 'contract they want you to sign is between you and your school, we have no say in the matter'.

Here are the problems they have had to face:

1. After signing a contract through B.O.B. and coming over to Korea, the school made them sign a new contract that was different. One person did sign it, and the other person did not. Both have been hassled for it.

2. In the contract they signed, various features of living were guaranteed (air conditioning, VCR, etc) both people have had to wait 3 months, with arguments to their boss every few days to get these items. Each time it came down to a threat to quit. One person still does not have a VCR.

3. Although they have beeing paying for health insurance, when one of the employees tried to use it this weekend, they found out it had been cancelled approximately a month ago

4. They have been threatened to be fired if they do not sign yet another contract this week, each contract takes away more rights of the employees and gives no concessions such as:

a. Overtime has gone from being obligatory to mandatory.
b. health insurance will go from government to private but no mention of the private coverage has been stated.
c. The employees will be paid for their work 7 days after work has been completed.
d. Summer school has changed from obligatory to mandatory
e. a clause that enforces the employee to be at work 40 minutes before work starts. No compensation is given for this mandatory extra time

Just FYI in case anyone asks you to work there. The owner apparently owns 3 of the WIN school franchises in Daegu.

[Juggertha]

the VCR and the 40 min prep doesnt bother me, the rest is rubbish. I'd get out of there...IF this is what it seems.

honestly, some of the complaints just sound like whining.

[kprrok]

[Skippy]

Just give me a few more months and a I will spill the beans about WIN school!

[prosodic]

In my opinion, health insurance is the most significant concern of the ones mentioned. I have a hard time believing that there is any private commercial health insurance out there that is cheaper for the employer than the National Health Insurance Corporation. More than likely, the employer is trying to pull a fast one.

The math is fairly simple. NHIC charges 3.94% of the employee's salary. If your salary is 2 mil, then it comes to about 80,000 won per month. Let's say the employee pays 50% of that, the government actually subsidizes 20%, so the hagwon owner pays 30% and that comes to a cost of about 24,000 won/month for the hagwon. Most hagwon owners tell you that they pay 50% and simply don't mention the government subsidy. There's simply no way that the employer can find commercial health insurance where the employer's portion of the cost would be under 24,000 won/month.

My guess is that "private insurance" means that the hagwon owner is going to pray that the employees don't get sick and will then pay any minor medical bills out of his or her own pocket. But I'll bet that he's still planning to deduct 40,000 won/month out of their salaries. Obviously, this would be a bad plan as far as your friends are concerned.

[slap it]

hey poet...........i agree with prosadic, the only thing that seems really out of order about WIN is the health insurance. but it doesn't make sense either. do you really think its that the school is that bad? come'on reporting to work 40 minutes before class starts or not getting a vcr. threatening to quit to get those things seem pretty childish and i wouldn't really listen to people like that. i've been around in korea for awhile and i still put in about an hour of prep everyday for my students whether the school requires it or not. just my opinion.

[ThePoet]

I totally agree, one thing taken by itself is nothing to worry about, but it does set up a pattern of precidents and promises that have been broken.

Personally speaking, I wouldn't really care too much one way or the other about a missing VCR...I don't watch TV...and my expectations when I came here were MUCh lower than having all the conveniences I do have even though I don't have AC. I was truly expecting a 1950's TV, a refrigerator with a huge round impeller and so on....

However, all I am trying to point out is that these people are continually having to "bargain" for what is already in their contract and they continually do not get things they are expecting, or they are told to do something that they did not agree to. Each thing, taken by itself is nothing....whining is a good word for it. However, there is an old saying that once a camel gets its nose in the tent, it isn't long before the whole camel is in the tent, and you are out in the desert air.

Take it for what its worth. and perhaps I worded the topic too harshly when I said watch out in the subject -- my apologies.

Poet

[Gwangjuboy]

The school's actions have been deplorable. They are forcing the employees to sign contracts which erode their benefits and the health insurance deductions appear to have gone into the director's pockets. Noone should let any other point that the OP made overshadow the seriousness of this. I can't believe that some would label this as whining.

[chronicpride]

If that's the extend of it, then pat your friends on the back. They found a good one, as far as Korean hogwans go. Anyone that has been here any stretch of time knows that it could a helluva lot worse.

Save your time about spreading bad press for stuff that is bad. Not this petty stuff about, 'well, if they are dicking around about this small stuff, then MAYBE they might dick around with more serious stuff later, so I might as well post a warning about them in advance.'

I can't believe what makes the blacklists anymore.

[Gwangjuboy]

[phaedrus]

[schwa]

[chronicpride]

[oneiros]

[Skippy]

Me I work for WIN School in Daegu. I will spill a little now. There are two more schools owned by WIN. One in Siji Dong and another in Bomo-Dong. The other SueSeong is way on the other side of the city. I have never met
any of teachers from SueSeong Branch.

I think I now where Poet is coming from. You are promised a TV. So they say ok. You wait a few days and nothing happens. You ask again they say we are working on it . You wait and ask and wait. Eventually you get the TV and odds are it is a piece of SHASH.

Me with WIN school. My fridge gave up the cool. I had wait about three weeks for a new one. During that time all my food was getting spoiled. I never did got a new one. The school eventually played musical fridges (mine gets tossed, a small bar fridge goes to another teacher, an I get their old fridge).

On teacher who worked for WIN school for one year and Resigned with them on the stipulation that they move here to a closer apartment. It took them about 5 months to eventually move her.

Two teachers also recently got in the face about air conditioning - promised by contract. They asked and waited it took about a month for the school to eventually cave. Me I asked for now all I wanted is a fan. Took a day.

As to the wait seven days pay period. Not horrible but annoying. Simply put you start on the 1st you get paid on the 7th or 8th the next month.

The 40 minutes before class - phhhh. Easy. Most good schools will ask at least one hour before class.

As to the overtime being obligatory. One of the teachers is being fired because he will not do overtime. (he is working till they replace him).

Summer and Winter Camps have never really been our choice. I have done two and giving them a third. The major problem with the camps. Is people used to make money - now the school really nickle and dimes you. Where you once may have gotten about a million won extra you are lucky if you can pull out 500,000 after they diddle around with overtime.

As to insurance - wait on that I am being surprised by it this week. The whole time I worked for them there was no insurance. I had the "nudge nudge wink wink" system. Do not complain or raise the issue and if you have some minor health bills they would pay half. Been to the doctor myself a few times - paid them myself and never thought to ask the school for half of the bill - minor in the end. I did ponder once in a while what would happen if I got in a serious accident.

Actually the school got screwed by not having the insurance. A previous teacher (older) was having some stomach problems went to the doctor AND...

She had to have emergency gall bladder surgery. Now the school had no insurance with this woman. I think what happened was the school ended up paying about a mill won and the woman covered the rest. School tried to not pay. But it was there bleeding fault for not having insurance. And the womens a little to for not pushing the point of insurance before hand.

Well more in the future about the health insurance after my surprise pans it self out.

The school has it's good points and its bad points. I still like it in some ways because I work only about six hours per day have no split shifts or kindergarden. You start work around 3:10 or later other times - End around 9:05 or 10:00. You have thegood chunk of the day for yourself. The 40 minutues prep time is annoying but livable ( compared to some people talking about two three hours prep time and other non paid duty time). I have my own apartment not shared. (First was a shoe box my second two rooms and loving it). The schools pretty much keeps out of my hair ( not complaining every day about something or asking me why I do this and I do that). They leave me be at home. They have never come to my house unannouced or been in my house with out permission.

More Bad point in the Future. To anybody wanting to work at WIN. Just make sure you weigh all the options.

Skippy the Evil Twin