Korean Job Discussion Forums

paperbag princess · Joined: 07 Mar 2004 Location: veggie hell

if you found out that your recruiter was doing some serious tax fraud, would you report him/her?

if you are working at a public school and your "manager" has access to your bank account and you don't, then what you are doing is illegal.

the korean gov't thinks i made 35 million won last year and i made 15 million, my recruiter made the difference. that means that my recruiter made 20 million won off me and probably off all the other teachers she had working for her. she isn't paying taxes on that money either, she told me herself...

so should i report it or not? does anyone else have any similar experiences. if you aren't comfortable posting, please pm me.

thanks.

jinju · Joined: 22 Jan 2006

Why is this even a debate? Report them and get them in trouble. They are cheating the government but more importantly, they are cheating YOU. Why would you want to protect such people?

paperbag princess · Joined: 07 Mar 2004 Location: veggie hell

given the way that foreigners are treated in korea, i don't want to be considered complacent in this crime. i have heard of english teachers being deported for things that their bosses have done. i have a new job and am happy at it and don't want to risk being deported.

paperbag princess · Joined: 07 Mar 2004 Location: veggie hell

gypsyfish · Joined: 17 Jan 2003 Location: Seoul

bellum99 · Joined: 23 Jan 2003 Location: don't need to know

The funny thing is that you seem actually outraged Surprised

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There is not a single company in Korea that doesn't commit tax fraud. I mean every single business. You reporting them is a joke (more funny because you seem to think it is important). Report away my good man, report away...

Everyone here seems to think Koreans are stupid...they are not. Just because you don't see the purpose of what they are doing, doesn't mean there isn't a purpose.

mindmetoo · Joined: 02 Feb 2004

In North America, if you work for a temp agency, they contract you out. You get paid, say, $20 an hour and the agency bills the company $40 an hour. They collect the $40 and give you $20. Of course, for income tax purposes, your T slip or whatever they call it in the USA reports your $20 an hour income.

Anyway, are you sure you're not working for your recruiter and being billed to the school at the agency rate?

paperbag princess · Joined: 07 Mar 2004 Location: veggie hell

i got my tax forms from the school. the school thinks they paid me that money. the recruiter makes you open a bank account in your name and then controls it. i beleive that the school actually doesn't know about what the recruiter is doing.

maddog · Joined: 08 Dec 2005 Location: Daegu

If the gov't thinks you earned 35M, then surely YOU paid tax on 35M, even though you earned less than half that. In other words, you paid your recruiter a tax free salary of 20M. No disrespect, but why are you earning as little as 15M? I am reading it wrong? Anyway, report the fcuker.

I made the mistake of working without a visa. My employer stalled my visa run indefinately. He took 300K a month in deductions. (which was too much anyway) and didn't pay a penny to the gov't. How could - I was illegal. After I bailed, I reported him.

If you don't report him you're selling out yourself and every other ESL teacher in Korea.