Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Grotto]

Everyone hears the horror stories but I have noticed that alot of the stories are just bad.

On a recent outing with some friends(New Dehli restaurant in Itaewon...highly recommend the buffet) we were talking...most of us are either in public or uni jobs but there was one guy who was working at a hogwan in between uni jobs.

I asked him how was the hogwan job.
"Good" he says
"Thats good to hear: says I."you hear so many horror stories its nice to hear that there are some good hogwans out there"
"Well I wouldnt call it a 'good' hogwan" he says.
"Really? Whys that?"

The boss gives him soju in between classes, there is no discipline, the students run rampant over the school(climbing on desks, TV's, jumpind and screaming often for the entire class and the curriculum is a joke.

"I thought you said this is a good hogwan" says I.
"They pay on time" says he.

In the small town I live in there are two hogwans.

Hogwan #1 is run by an insane psycho Korean woman(who is married to an equally insane Korean high school English teacher). They are on their third teacher in two months and this guy is planning on leaving(midnight run) after his next paycheck. Whe yells at the FT's in front of the students, calls them bad teachers and threatens them with firing anytime her authority is questioned(or anytime she is asked a question). Doesnt pay pension or health care and deducts more tax than she should(triple the amount). Absolute horror story of a place to work....illegal deductions(900,000 won deposit), demands that the FT work extra at a local high school for no extra money(and no permission from immi).

Hogwan #2 is better. Pays well and on time 2.1 a month + 700,000 won overtime. You teach 120 45 minute classes a month+overtime classes. Pays bonuses and whatnot. (doesnt pay pension though). A new teacher just arrived on Saturday and I ran into him. I mentioned that I would be going into Suwon on Monday and he would be welcome to come along(maybe do a side trip to Songtan) he told me he had to work I said that Mondays a holiday...he told me that his boss had told him they had taken the holiday on Friday so Monday would be a regular day. Why did she feel the need to 'steal' a day away from the teacher right away? His contract clearly states that he gets all Korean holidays off...wasnt Monday a holiday? Its just sad that crap like this happens.

[Ya-ta Boy]

[Grotto]

While the gentleman in question is not adverse to partaking of a libation he does find the 10 AM start time to be somewhat unusual

[periwinkle]

Why don't some hakwons pay pension? I recently went to the pension office to get a statement of contributions, and my first year in Korea, there was a contribution of 400,000 won. However, it showed that I alone contributed- the hagwon didn't match it. I thought they had to match it... This was a Kid's Club with 13 teachers, and the owner was rolling in cash, btw.

[Grotto]

Thats why he was rolling in cash....he didnt pay his share of the pension 13 teachers making 2 mil each thats 90,000 won a month per.

13X90,000X12=14,040,000 a year in his pocket over and above.

[Ya-ta Boy]

No disrespect to 'the gentleman in question', but 10 AM is too late for an eye-opener. Maybe if he thought of it as brunch time? But then maybe he is from one of the less civilized parts of the English-speaking world.

[Grotto]

he is Australian

[pet lover]

periwinkle, don't feel bad. I've taught here for over five years. Until now, I've never paid pension or had a school pay into pension. I have basically nothing in there.

[pet lover]

periwinkle, don't feel bad. I've taught here for over five years. Until now, I've never paid pension or had a school pay into pension. I have basically nothing in there.

[Grotto]

Why not?
To me it doesnt make sense to NOT pay into the pension scheme(unless you dont get it back)

An extra grand or two every year...one of them yours the other one theirs.

[Pyongshin Sangja]

You can't work in Korea without paying into pension. You've been ripped off by your boss.

[Grotto]

Correction! You CAN work in Korea without paying into pension.....IF you are being ripped off by your boss

[just because]

The pension is useless to me...I'm australian and my government has no reciprical agreement with the Korean government so it is like me flushing money down the toilet...i don't get it back...

So in all my contracts i always state that i don't want the pension taken out of my salary...

[crazylemongirl]

[Hobophobic]

Actually Australia pays back the pension Koreans living there pay into, but the Korean Gov't is not honoring their side of the deal...that honks because a married couple from Aus lost out on their contributions...they called everyone they could think of home and here...but alas...