Korean Job Discussion Forums

[panda_bear1982]

hi all!

I am new to teaching and really would like to go to South Korea in the next few months. I am from the U.K and a recruiter has lined me up with a job in Suwon City. I had a interview with the school supervisor and not the director, is this normal? i was offered the job so now deliberating! Been reading alot from this site and has been helpful.

The contract states 1.9million 4 120hours per month but i spoke to one of the foreign teachers and she has 5 kindy classes in the morning lasting 40mins and 4-6 elementary classes 40mins in evening. I guessed i would be working the same hours so is this the general practice of schools to exceed the stated hours?

i am not too interested in teaching kindy, please try to convince me its great!

[Paji eh Wong]

[bellum99]

not important post

[panda_bear1982]

Is ECC the same as ECY? I agree it is pretty long hours that the current teacher is doing. The school did not specify my exact teaching hours, should i find out?

hmm.. would it be a cheek to ask to only teach elementary classes or would they think i was crazy?


Here is my contract from the school. Could you guys have a look for me please? i would be very grateful for any suggestions. Thanks!!


for one year employment from March 2006 to February 2007.

Korean Labor Law : By law, all foreign Employees are subject to the same labor laws as Koreans; therefore, Employer and Employee agree to follow Korean Labor Laws governing the Korean Pension (social security) program and other regulations. Any event not described in this contract shall be resolved in accordance with Korean Labor Law Standards and related regulations, or by mutual consent of both parties.


1. Schedule/Teaching hours
The regular teaching time will be 120 hours a month (for example: 144classes of 45 minutes class or 160 classes of 40 minutes class), Monday through Friday. It includes regular 5 minutes short break time after class but doesn��t include times that are for class preparation, meal, staff meeting and seminar for training. Classes and teaching schedules will be organized by employer and will be flexible in accordance with the special needs and situations of the school and students. There can be different teaching method like phone teaching besides teaching in the class.

2. Pay/ Overtime
The Employer agrees to pay the Employee a basic salary 1.9 Million won per month. The salary will be regularly paid every month to the Employee.
The School will pay a monthly salary on the 15th of each month in Korean currency. The School counts from the first day of working and payment period is from first day of every month to end of every month then the pay day for this month working will be on the15th of next month.

As for the overtime teaching beyond 120 hours a month, the Employee will be paid 18,000 Korean won per hour (60 minutes). Overtime work except emergency should be informed to employee in advance and employee is to be positive to take it.
Although the Employee taught less than the regular 120 hours per month, the Employee will still be paid a base salary of 1.9 Million won per month.

3. Severance Payment
The Employee will be given a bonus of one month salary, 1.9 Million won as bonus (this means severance payment) for completing one year contract period. This amount will be paid at the time of, and is dependent on, the completion of the full contract term.

4. Air Ticket
Employer will provide for employee an economy class ticket for passage to Korea from an international airport which is mutually agreed to by employer and employee (henceforth referred to as point of departure). On completion of the full contract period, employer will provide for the employee an economy class ticket for passage from Korea to point of departure. The return air ticket will be provided at the time of termination of employment. In the event that the employee continues employment under subsequent employment agreement with employer; the return air ticket will be provided at the time of completion of the subsequent contract period(s). Air tickets provided cannot be exchanged for cash equivalents of transferred to persons other than the employee. Employer does not agree to, and is not liable for, compensation to employee, whether in cash or otherwise, for air tickets which are not used by employee.
When the Employee resigns within 6 months from his/her arrival in Korea because of the Employee��s faults, the Employee shall reimburse the Employer the airfare paid at the time of departure in Korea.

5. Housing

5.1 Housing : Employer will select and provide furnished single living accommodations for employee. Employee agrees to deposit 200,000woon per month for first two months of employment (total 400,000 won) as housing maintenance charge. This deposit will be refunded at the completion of contract if all outstanding monthly service, utility and telephone charges have been paid.
5.2 Furnishings : Furnishings provided by employer for common use by employees sharing accommodation include : A kitchen table and chairs, a two-burner gas hotplate, a refrigerator, a telephone, a television, a washing machine, a bed, a wardrobe, and a fan,
and a microwave.
5.3 Utilities: The cost of monthly service, utility, and telephone charge for accommodation provided by employer will be shared by both employees, during any period of sole occupancy employee will be responsible for all utility and telephone charges.
5.4 In the event that employee vacates employer-provided accommodation during the contract term, and the lease for the accommodation must be canceled, employee agrees to pay any cancellation charges or other expenses, if any, incurred by employer due to the cancellation of the lease of the accommodation employer originally found on employee.

6. Medical Insurance
The Employer agrees to join employee Korean national medical insurance scheme in compliance with Korean labor law. It doesn��t include dental insurance.

7. Accident Compensation
In the event that the Employee sustains injuries from an accident or mishap which occurs outside the course of normal work duties, the Employee understands and agrees that the Employer will have no responsibility for, nor obligation to pay, medical and hospital costs which are in excess of those covered by medical insurance.

8. Teaching Materials
The Employee will be given materials to teach to the class. And very little preparation time may be given. The Employee may be expected to work alone without a Korean English teacher��s assistance.

9. Holidays and Vacation
Employee will be entitled to observe public holidays and receive vacation days during the contract term according to a yearly schedule provided by employer before the commencement of the year to which the schedule refers. There are at least ten(10) Vacation days in each calendar year (January – December)


10. The Employee��s Obligation
1) The Employee shall observe the Employer��s work system and regulations concerning administration of foreign experts and shall accept the Employer��s arrangement, direction, supervision and evaluation in regard to his/ her work.

2) Without the Employer��s consent, the Employee shall not render service elsewhere or hold concurrently any post unrelated to the work agreed on with the Employer.

3) The Employee shall complete the tasks agreed on schedule and guarantee the quality of work.

4) Professional dress and grooming in the work are essential to maintain the desired reputation to the school. The Employer shall establish general guidelines for this.

5) The Employee shall be expected to prepare daily topics for the class beforehand.

6) The Employee can be required to attend all the staffs�� meeting. If the Employee must be absent, he/she informs the Employer prior to the meeting.

7) The Employee must behave in professional manner during class or when socializing with students after class.

The Employee can be required to interview new students and evaluate their placement level.

9) The Employee shall respect the Korean people��s moral standards and customs.

10) The Employee shall not sexually harass students in his/ her charge.

11) Any form of physical punishment to students cannot be tolerated.

12) At all times during the term of this agreement, the Employee will directly adhere to and obey all the rules and regulations that have been or may hereafter be established, by the Employer for the conduct of the Employee or generally for the conduct of instructors at the place of employment.

11. Taxes
Taxes and deductions in compliance with Korean Law shall be withheld automatically from the Employee��s monthly salary. The deductions will be income tax, residence tax, and medical insurance (50%) and so forth if any, from monthly and severance payment.

12. Relocation and Orientation Time
The Employee will be allowed several days from the date of arrival in Korea for adjustment and school orientation before beginning regular teaching duties. Computation of initial pay period of the Employee will commence from the first teaching day.

13. Termination
The Employer and the Employee may terminate the contract with the written notice 40 days in advance. The proper reasons and adequate grounds must be provided in order for the contract to be dissolved. In the event that this contract is canceled the employer must issue a letter of release, without delay or any undue fee being charged to the employee or potential employers.

[Caledonian Craig]

Hello PandaBear,

I worked in Suwon for 2.5 years, and I think I know the school you're on about (is it near sungkyunkwan station??) Well, anyway, in terms of advice, I would say that the contract looks pretty much like most contracts.....120 hours per month......etc, etc. But I must say, the vacation time is 10 days- I would ask the director whether or not he is including Saturdays in those '10 days vacation', because sometimes they do. Also, it says something about 'meals' in your contract- do the school expect you to have lunch with the kindergarten? Some do, some don't- find out, because, I can tell you, it really helps having a lunch break free from the school.

The golden rule in this situation is (A) Don't trust the recruiter- they are going to make money from you (B) Don't trust the director, he wants a native teacher at his school (no native teacher- no school). So the people to trust are...the other native teachers at the school already, because they will tell it like it is. They will be honest about pay, conditions, adherance of director to the teacher's contract, workload, overall proffessionalism of the school; and they will also be able to tell you what state the teachers flat is in. So please don't sign anything untill you have preferably spoken to them on the phone, or emailed them.

I hope this helps, and I have to say Suwon is a good place to live in. If you need any more info then let me know!

Craig

[Pak Yu Man]

[BadEgg]

It looks like a fairly standard hogwon contract to me. They are almost all bad.

I would be concerned about the hours though personally. 160 40 minute classes a month is a hell of a lot. I wouldn't even consider doing that many classes. Certainly not for 1.9M a month. 2.5 - 3.0M would be more like a decent pay for that amount of work.

I worked for a hogwon in Suwon a few years back who worked the pay out by the minute like that. I was physically and mentally exhausted after about 3 months. I ended up quitting at the 9 month stage. Just couldn't take any more. Bear in mind they will most likely expect you to do prep and other things like writing report cards on top of those hours (and without extra pay).

Look for a job where 1 class is counted as 1 hour for pay purposes. i.e. - 1 45 min class = 1 hours pay. There are plenty jobs like that out there and you'll end up with a much lighter load. That's what I did in my second year and the difference was amazing. I went from teaching 9 classes a day to 5 or 6 a day, for more money. I am looking for a new job in Korea myself at the moment, but I have to say I would not sign that contract. No way.

[Paddycakes]

[Grotto]

1. Schedule/Teaching hours
The regular teaching time will be 120 hours a month (for example: 144classes of 45 minutes class or 160 classes of 40 minutes class), Monday through Friday. It includes regular 5 minutes short break time after class but doesn��t include times that are for class preparation, meal, staff meeting and seminar for training. Classes and teaching schedules will be organized by employer and will be flexible in accordance with the special needs and situations of the school and students. There can be different teaching method like phone teaching besides teaching in the class.

Never ever sign a contract like this! No set schedule can mean split shifts. If you like working from 9-9 you will love it Get a set schedule...4-9 or whatever. Phone teaching is a waste of your time...never agree to phone teaching!
Any teaching of more than 120 classes a month is crap. 6 per day is plenty any more and its a recipe for burnout.

2. Pay/ Overtime
The Employer agrees to pay the Employee a basic salary 1.9 Million won per month. The salary will be regularly paid every month to the Employee.
The School will pay a monthly salary on the 15th of each month in Korean currency. The School counts from the first day of working and payment period is from first day of every month to end of every month then the pay day for this month working will be on the15th of next month.

Low pay IMO

As for the overtime teaching beyond 120 hours a month, the Employee will be paid 18,000 Korean won per hour (60 minutes). Overtime work except emergency should be informed to employee in advance and employee is to be positive to take it.
Although the Employee taught less than the regular 120 hours per month, the Employee will still be paid a base salary of 1.9 Million won per month.

Bad English, low overtime pay. 20,000 won per hour(an hour defined as 45-50 teaching minutes) Anything less is a gift to them.

3. Severance Payment
The Employee will be given a bonus of one month salary, 1.9 Million won as bonus (this means severance payment) for completing one year contract period. This amount will be paid at the time of, and is dependent on, the completion of the full contract term.

4. Air Ticket
Employer will provide for employee an economy class ticket for passage to Korea from an international airport which is mutually agreed to by employer and employee (henceforth referred to as point of departure). On completion of the full contract period, employer will provide for the employee an economy class ticket for passage from Korea to point of departure. The return air ticket will be provided at the time of termination of employment. In the event that the employee continues employment under subsequent employment agreement with employer; the return air ticket will be provided at the time of completion of the subsequent contract period(s).


Air tickets provided cannot be exchanged for cash equivalents of transferred to persons other than the employee. Employer does not agree to, and is not liable for, compensation to employee, whether in cash or otherwise, for air tickets which are not used by employee.

I would never agree to this bullcrap! You are entitled to a return ticket at the end of your first contract...why throw away several hundred $'s? You should be able to negotiate a cash payment in lue of a ticket.

When the Employee resigns within 6 months from his/her arrival in Korea because of the Employee��s faults, the Employee shall reimburse the Employer the airfare paid at the time of departure in Korea.

5. Housing

5.1 Housing : Employer will select and provide furnished single living accommodations for employee. Employee agrees to deposit 200,000woon per month for first two months of employment (total 400,000 won) as housing maintenance charge. This deposit will be refunded at the completion of contract if all outstanding monthly service, utility and telephone charges have been paid.
5.2 Furnishings : Furnishings provided by employer for common use by employees sharing accommodation include : A kitchen table and chairs, a two-burner gas hotplate, a refrigerator, a telephone, a television, a washing machine, a bed, a wardrobe, and a fan,
and a microwave.

They need to clarify this

5.3 Utilities: The cost of monthly service, utility, and telephone charge for accommodation provided by employer will be shared by both employees, during any period of sole occupancy employee will be responsible for all utility and telephone charges.

If you are living in single accomodations why are they talking about shared?

5.4 In the event that employee vacates employer-provided accommodation during the contract term, and the lease for the accommodation must be canceled, employee agrees to pay any cancellation charges or other expenses, if any, incurred by employer due to the cancellation of the lease of the accommodation employer originally found on employee.

I wouldnt agree to this....they dont just go out and rent an apartment when you are coming...established schools rent the apartments year round.

6. Medical Insurance
The Employer agrees to join employee Korean national medical insurance scheme in compliance with Korean labor law. It doesn��t include dental insurance.

7. Accident Compensation
In the event that the Employee sustains injuries from an accident or mishap which occurs outside the course of normal work duties, the Employee understands and agrees that the Employer will have no responsibility for, nor obligation to pay, medical and hospital costs which are in excess of those covered by medical insurance.

8. Teaching Materials
The Employee will be given materials to teach to the class. And very little preparation time may be given. The Employee may be expected to work alone without a Korean English teacher��s assistance.

9. Holidays and Vacation
Employee will be entitled to observe public holidays and receive vacation days during the contract term according to a yearly schedule provided by employer before the commencement of the year to which the schedule refers. There are at least ten(10) Vacation days in each calendar year (January � December)


10. The Employee��s Obligation
1) The Employee shall observe the Employer��s work system and regulations concerning administration of foreign experts and shall accept the Employer��s arrangement, direction, supervision and evaluation in regard to his/ her work.

2) Without the Employer��s consent, the Employee shall not render service elsewhere or hold concurrently any post unrelated to the work agreed on with the Employer.

3) The Employee shall complete the tasks agreed on schedule and guarantee the quality of work.

4) Professional dress and grooming in the work are essential to maintain the desired reputation to the school. The Employer shall establish general guidelines for this.

5) The Employee shall be expected to prepare daily topics for the class beforehand.

6) The Employee can be required to attend all the staffs�� meeting. If the Employee must be absent, he/she informs the Employer prior to the meeting.

7) The Employee must behave in professional manner during class or when socializing with students after class.

The Employee can be required to interview new students and evaluate their placement level.

9) The Employee shall respect the Korean people��s moral standards and customs.

10) The Employee shall not sexually harass students in his/ her charge.

11) Any form of physical punishment to students cannot be tolerated.

12) At all times during the term of this agreement, the Employee will directly adhere to and obey all the rules and regulations that have been or may hereafter be established, by the Employer for the conduct of the Employee or generally for the conduct of instructors at the place of employment.

11. Taxes
Taxes and deductions in compliance with Korean Law shall be withheld automatically from the Employee��s monthly salary. The deductions will be income tax, residence tax, and medical insurance (50%) and so forth if any, from monthly and severance payment.

12. Relocation and Orientation Time
The Employee will be allowed several days from the date of arrival in Korea for adjustment and school orientation before beginning regular teaching duties. Computation of initial pay period of the Employee will commence from the first teaching day.

13. Termination
The Employer and the Employee may terminate the contract with the written notice 40 days in advance. The proper reasons and adequate grounds must be provided in order for the contract to be dissolved. In the event that this contract is canceled the employer must issue a letter of release, without delay or any undue fee being charged to the employee or potential employers.

30 days is plenty

Keep looking

[panda_bear1982]

Thanks guys for your replies. i really appreciate it.


I recently got the school to pay me 2.0million won per month instead of 1.9 but i guess the contract is still not good. After speaking with the foreign teacher who is finishing her contract soon the school seems ok (her words were "good but not great"). She has about 6-9 classes a day, working from 9.50am to 6.30pm or sometimes 7.40pm. Inbetween she has a lunch break to do what she pleases. Should i just assume, as i am replacing her in March my work schedule will be similar even though it does not state it in the contract? Or get the school to change the contract to be more specific?

The school is in Yongtong.

Thanks all!

[panda_bear1982]

oh and what should tax be for 2.0million wage? Does it vary or can i find out and put it in the contract?

[Grotto]

http://www.nts.go.kr/eng/default.html

The tax on a 2 mil salary should be about 30,000 won a month

go to the website above and enter the monthly withholding tax for an exact amount.

[Yu_Bum_suk]

The contract sounds very typical. Ask yourself a few questions:

- how much do you like little kids? Do you really want to spend up to four hours a day with groups of kids age 4-6 who scream, cry for no reason, cough in your face, fight and hit each other, and all have picky mums?

- are you good at not taking things personally? When you get dumped on for things completely out of your control can you just brush it aside or do you let it bother you?

- how assertive are you? After choosing your battles carefully are you the type who can stand up for him/herself or do you tend to cave in? Do you have the confidence to say 'no' to things and stick by your guns without panicking?


If you can give positive answers to these questions then this might be a decent job for you if nothing else turns up.