Korean Job Discussion Forums

[zekem834]

Hello,

So I have had a pretty miserable experience at my hagwon. My contract ends at the end of February, so my boss is now looking at replacements. I have been contacted by a potential replacement, and I want to tell him the truth, but I have heard that it might be possible that my boss takes away my severance payment. Even if she doesn't do this, I also just want to leave on good terms and possibly get a letter of reference.

Does anyone have any experience in this situation, and what are the chances that she would actually find out that I badmouthed the school?

[pmwhittier]

Highlight the positives. Did the school pay on time? Did they give you an apartment (even if it was a roach infested death trap)? Most of the replacements I have had to speak with over the years don't even listen to my responses or just don't ask good questions. Many are so bewildered by the idea of moving to an exotic location (OOOH!! KOREA) that they just want to know about all the fun stuff their recruiter promised and have no desire to hear anything about the school itself.

So just stick with what's been good. Good students. Good weekends. Good location. Good restaurants & bars nearby. Skip the horrible boss, the horrible apartment, the horrible co-workers, skip the part about long hours, the lack of support, the total lack of training. Most newbs just don't want to hear it anyway, and will probably ignore anything negative.

[Aine1979]

Your boss can't legally withhold your severance, but they can sue you for defamation.

If it's a really bad working environment, and you don't want someone taking the job on your advice, arrange to skype so you don't commit to anything in writing.

It's also possible to highlight the negatives without being outright critical, for example "The working day is 9am to 9pm with a 15 minute lunch break, so if you're energetic and enjoy hard work, this would be a great job for you".

One of the best negatives dressed up as a positive I ever heard was something along the lines of "The bus journey to work takes about 45 minutes each way, it only costs ￦2,000 and is a great chance to prep or write reports that you can't get done during working hours". In other words, the apartment is too far away, and you have loads of extra work to do.

Don't use any words which could be considered slanderous, like liar, dishonest etc. But new teachers are reliant on the advice of the person they are replacing, so be as honest as possible without putting in a tricky situation.