Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Koreaboundandgagged]

Please read as much as you might want and please let me know if there's anything that should be adjusted.

Thanks!


EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT


THIS AGREEMENT, made and __________________ FOREIGN SCHOOL (hereinafter referred to as "Employer") and Mr. ________________(hereinafter referred to as "Instructor");


WITNESSETH:


WHEREAS, Employer is an educational institution aimed at providing a Western-style education for foreign children residing in the __________ area, and wishes to employ the services of Instructor as a qualified educator for such children; and

WHEREAS, Instructor is experienced as a teacher and wishes to be employed by Employer in order to educate such foreign children.

NOW, THEREFORE, the parties hereto hereby agree as follows:


Article 1. Term of Employment

Instructor shall be employed by Employer for an initial term of two years. The period of employment shall be from _______________________. Such period shall be renewable upon the mutual agreement of the parties hereto.

Article 2. Position

Instructor shall be employed as a _______________ and shall have the duties commonly associated with such a position.

Article 3. Salary

Instructor shall be paid a gross salary of \2,100,000 per month for the initial year of the Agreement term and W2,200,000 per month for the second year of the term of the Agreement for approximately thirty hours of teaching and supervisory work per week. Such work shall take place during the school day, which begins at 8:30 a.m. and ends at 3:20 p.m. Monday through Friday. However, Instructor is required to be at the school no later than 8:00 and to leave no earlier than 4:30 in order to prepare for the school day, training, meeting parents and so forth. Permission for leaving early is at the discretion of the Principal of the school.

Deductions from the said salary will be made for Korean income taxes.




Article 4. Housing and Other Benefits

a. Instructor shall be provided a partially furnished apartment for Instructor.

b. Instructor shall receive eight weeks paid vacation per annum to be staggered between Winter Break(3 weeks), Spring Break(1 week) and Summer Break(4 weeks) as notified by and negotiated with the Employer. Provided, however, that all Instructors are required to be present and teach during the short summer school period which the school has.

c. Ten to Fourteen School Holidays will be granted to the Instructor without any reduction in monthly pay.

d. The equivalent of one month�s salary per each full year of employment will be provided to the Instructor as severance pay upon the faithful completion of the Agreement. Provided, however, that such severance pay shall not be paid for the corresponding year should the Agreement be terminated prior to the fulfillment of the year.

e. At the completion of a second year of employment, a bonus is awarded annually in the final pay period for those staff members who will be returning to work for ______. The bonus is in the amount of W500,000. This renewal bonus is only available for full-time expatriate staff.

f. The school will pay a Christmas Bonus of W50,000 to expatriates who work full-time at ______. This benefit will be paid at the time of the school Christmas production in December.

g. The Employer shall provide comprehensive health insurance for the Instructor.

h. For ESL and other special classes beyond regular working hours during which the Instructor is required to teach, Employer will pay Instructor 25,000 won per hour.

i. Instructor shall be paid 1,000,000 Korean won toward airfare one time only per year. This amount may be paid in two separate payments spaced out over the year.








Article 5. Utilities

Instructor shall be responsible for all utility, management, water and other fees related to the apartment. Telephone fees shall also be the duty of the Instructor.





Article 6. Other Duties of Instructor

a. Instructor should attend and supervise at certain sports tournaments or other special school activities during the term of the Agreement. Such events may possibly be held overnight and outside regular school hours, but will not be held on a regular or frequent basis.

b. Instructor shall endeavor to enhance the image and promote the educational purposes of the Employer and to act responsibly and follow the reasonable instructions of the Employer in good faith.

c. Instructor shall instruct students faithfully in accordance with the designated course materials and textbooks and with the permission of the Employer, may adopt supplementary textbooks and materials as needed.

d. Instructor shall observe school and class hours strictly. Any absence or tardiness, early class dismissal, non-observance of working hours and so forth may take place only with the permission of the Employer. Occasional tardiness may be excused by the Employer or may be dealt with under the provisions mentioned hereinbelow.

e. Instructor shall faithfully prepare for each class on his/her own time, as is normally required of teachers.

f. Instructor shall conduct examinations in accordance with the academic schedules of the Employer and to report on the results of such to the Employer.

g. Instructor understands that being tardy on two (2) occasions may be deemed by the Employer as one (1) hour of absence and one hour of prorated pay may be deducted accordingly.

h. Instructor may retain needed materials in order to prepare for future class sessions.

i. Instructor shall not participate in activities that might defame the Employer or its prestige, including but not limited to the following:

1. Acceptance of tuition or other funds in person or other unsanctioned monetary transactions related to the Employer;

2. Borrowing funds from or selling items to the students of the Employer other than items officially sanctioned by the Employer;

3. Conducting classes in an intoxicated or drugged state;

4. Sexual advances towards students or questionable interpersonal relationships with individual students; or

5. Teaching classes or students without the prior approval of the Employer.

j. If the Instructor damages the facilities, material or property of the Employer through willful or gross negligence or intent, Instructor shall assume pecuniary liability in accordance with Korean law.



Article 7. Other Duties of Employer

a. Employer shall provide Instructor with needed course materials, textbooks and other supplementary provisions in order to carry out his/her duties.

b. Employer shall pay Instructor his/her salary no later than the fifth day of the following month.

c. Employer shall be attentive and responsive to the reasonable needs of the Instructor and shall cooperate in order to assure that such reasonable needs are met.



Article 8. Termination

This Agreement may be terminated by the Employer for any of the following reasons:

1. In the event the health of the Instructor becomes seriously endangered and continued teaching by such Instructor is determined to be impossible;

2. In the event the Instructor or his/her dependants violates the laws of the Republic of Korea;


3. In the event the Instructor does not faithfully carry out his/her duties mentioned hereinabove; or

4. In the event the Instructor submits documents relating to his/her credentials which prove to be falsified or invalid.



Article 9. Other Items

a. Any error in the computation of salary shall be reported by either party to the other within seven (7) days excluding weekends or other Korean holidays.

b. Any unresolved dispute arising hereunder or related hereto shall be resolved under Korean Civil Law.

c. Both parties hereto agree to faithfully carry out the duties mentioned herein in good faith.

d. This Agreement has been prepared in the English language, and any translation hereof shall not be binding.



______ JOB DESCRIPTION AND DUTIES

1. The ______ staff members are expected to act in a manner worthy of their profession and maintain high educational standards within the classroom and throughout the school.
2. Striving to meet the curriculum objectives in each content area is of great priority to our staff. As educators, we owe it to ourselves and our students to best meet these objectives and assure that each one is addressed throughout the school year.
3. Teachers at ______ are expected to keep up to date records of attendance, grades, lesson plans, and student portfolios. These records should be available upon request.
4. School spirit is very important to any school. Teachers may be asked to monitor activities, coach sports, advise clubs, and attend special school events. Teachers are strongly encouraged to involve themselves in an after school activity of some sort. Teachers can use their own initiative to develop a club that interests them.
5. Continuing to learn, study and grow professionally is an essential part of a teacher�s life. ______ teachers annually attend the KORCOS conference held in Seoul each year. Other professional development days will be scheduled throughout the year.
6. The principal will view grade books, planning books, curriculum trackers, and portfolios at the end of the quarter. Follow up on any points raised from the teacher appraisal form.
7. Students must be escorted to the cafeteria for lunch where they must remain seated in the cafeteria until they are dismissed for recess.
8. All teachers are responsible for developing and implementing their own classroom schedules. Class schedules are made to ensure a full and balanced coverage of all the curriculum subjects.
9. School grades in the school are a combination of a child�s daily class work and formal assessments such as tests, projects, and special assignments. A full grade report is School grades in the elementary school are a combination of a child�s daily class work and sent home to parents at the end of every quarter, along with detailed comments. Parents are given a copy of their child�s report and the original report is held in a secure file at school.
10. Teachers are responsible for updating the work held in the portfolios according to the schedule set out. The portfolios are shown to parents at parent conference time as an additional method of reporting progress to parents.
11. Our school-wide expectations create an environment that is stable and conducive to learning. These rules have been created for the benefit of all students. We like to encourage and reward good behavior in students whenever positive behavior is demonstrated.
12. Classroom rules, along with a reward and consequence system, needs to be outlined and displayed in the classroom within the first week. This plan needs to be handed in to the principal during the first week of school. It should also be sent home to your parents in the first week along with a copy of your class timetable.
13. School staff meetings are held once per week on Tuesdays at 3:30p.m. Additional staff meetings may be held at the discretion of the principal.
14. Formal conferences are held twice throughout the year. All parents are advised to attend these conferences, as they are an excellent opportunity to meet with a child�s class teacher in person and discuss their child�s progress with them.
15. ______ is modifying a curriculum for each of the core subjects in all grades. Each curriculum contains the objectives taught for each grade in each subject. Each faculty members will be expected to take an active part in during the year. Suggestions for possible modifications and changes can be made in order to further strengthen our curriculum.
16. Cooperate with the ______ Board and administration in implementing all policies,procedures,and directives governing the operation of the school.
17. Accept responsibility for other assigned duties deemed necessary by the director and principal for the operarion of ______.

[Yu_Bum_suk]

It looks like the type of contract a well-run school would come up with. The pay is not great for what is basically an international school, and 30 teaching hours a week will be a bit of a stress (I teach 10-20 hours a week for a slightly higher salary at a regular Korean school, for instance).

W1,000 will not nearly cover airfaire if you are arriving in summer. I'd try to get this change to airfaire covered to and from the nearest international airport.

If you like elementary kids this looks like a pretty good gig. If you're a regular class teacher you might want to specify what grade you'll be teaching, as some people might feel much better suited to grade 6 than grade 1, or vice versa.

[alabamaman]

[Hotpants]

Well, you seem set to come over.

The contract does seem well written. However, I would agree that the workload does look like quite a lot for the salary. There's suggestions that you need to do extracurricular work and be on call and on site through the entire day. Okay if you're a workaholic.

You mentioned before that you are bringing your wife and 2 kids over. I would find out the apartment size first, otherwise you should negotiate a decent housing allowance or at least an arrangement whereby the school pays a deposit for an apartment on your behalf. I can't imagine an apartment provided by a school will ever be large enough to accommodate 2 kids.

Basically, if you personally have a good feel about it, just come on over and jump in with both feet first. As you said before, if things don't work out, you can always move.

[Koreaboundandgagged]

Thanks for the replies and suggestions. I'll try to clarify a few things. First, this isn't a hagwon, it's an elementary school for "foreign" but ethnic Koreans. Second, our daughters will be able to attend for free which is a HUGE bonus.

The apartment is a large one with three bedrooms. Furthermore, there is a couch, TV, VCR, etc, etc. They have offered to pay half of any other furnishings, though they will remain in the apartment once we leave.

Since this isn't a hagwon, the number of classes are set. School start at 9 and ends at 3. However, should we be paid OT since they want us there from 8 to 4:30? And what about coaching, or extra-curricular activities that it seems we're "require" to be there for?

What about being reimbursed for at least half of our flights upon arrival insteead of after one year? My wife and I are both being offered contracts (to clarify).

I really don't want to be too nitpicky about this, but just want to make sure everyone's on the same playing field.

[alabamaman]

[Hater Depot]

OK, this is what always happens whenever someone posts a contract. Yes, there is often shadiness, and many posted contracts are flat crap. But there is also this weird tendency of Dave's posters to advise negotiating for a perfect contract like it was some kind of multi-million dollar deal.

It's a foreign language school in Korea, right? There won't be such a thing as a perfect contract or one that covers every possibility. Your relationship with your boss and coworkers is far, far more important than that piece of paper in the drawer. If you feel good about your personal relationships in that regard then this is a great contract. If not then you wouldn't want to work there no matter how great the contract appeared to be.

[Qinella]

[Grotto]

EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT


THIS AGREEMENT, made and __________________ FOREIGN SCHOOL (hereinafter referred to as "Employer") and Mr. ________________(hereinafter referred to as "Instructor");

Address of the school?

WITNESSETH:


WHEREAS, Employer is an educational institution aimed at providing a Western-style education for foreign children residing in the __________ area, and wishes to employ the services of Instructor as a qualified educator for such children; and

WHEREAS, Instructor is experienced as a teacher and wishes to be employed by Employer in order to educate such foreign children.

NOW, THEREFORE, the parties hereto hereby agree as follows:


Article 1. Term of Employment

Instructor shall be employed by Employer for an initial term of two years. The period of employment shall be from _______________________. Such period shall be renewable upon the mutual agreement of the parties hereto.

Is your visa other than an E2? Contract length is limited to one year....after which you can extend.

Article 2. Position

Instructor shall be employed as a _______________ and shall have the duties commonly associated with such a position.

Article 3. Salary

Instructor shall be paid a gross salary of \2,100,000 per month for the initial year of the Agreement term and W2,200,000 per month for the second year of the term of the Agreement for approximately thirty hours of teaching and supervisory work per week. Such work shall take place during the school day, which begins at 8:30 a.m. and ends at 3:20 p.m. Monday through Friday. However, Instructor is required to be at the school no later than 8:00 and to leave no earlier than 4:30 in order to prepare for the school day, training, meeting parents and so forth. Permission for leaving early is at the discretion of the Principal of the school.

8.5 hour days for 2.1 if you are a qualified teacher you will want to up this to 2.3 or more!

Deductions from the said salary will be made for Korean income taxes.

There should also be mention of health care and pension here!



Article 4. Housing and Other Benefits

a. Instructor shall be provided a partially furnished apartment for Instructor.

What is defined as partially furnished? Its nice to know what you will have.

b. Instructor shall receive eight weeks paid vacation per annum to be staggered between Winter Break(3 weeks), Spring Break(1 week) and Summer Break(4 weeks) as notified by and negotiated with the Employer. Provided, however, that all Instructors are required to be present and teach during the short summer school period which the school has.

Generous vacation time.

c. Ten to Fourteen School Holidays will be granted to the Instructor without any reduction in monthly pay.

d. The equivalent of one month’s salary per each full year of employment will be provided to the Instructor as severance pay upon the faithful completion of the Agreement. Provided, however, that such severance pay shall not be paid for the corresponding year should the Agreement be terminated prior to the fulfillment of the year.

If you finish your first year and are half way through the second year when you leave you get severance for the 18 months.

e. At the completion of a second year of employment, a bonus is awarded annually in the final pay period for those staff members who will be returning to work for ______. The bonus is in the amount of W500,000. This renewal bonus is only available for full-time expatriate staff.

f. The school will pay a Christmas Bonus of W50,000 to expatriates who work full-time at ______. This benefit will be paid at the time of the school Christmas production in December.

g. The Employer shall provide comprehensive health insurance for the Instructor.

deduction of 2.24% matched by the school.

h. For ESL and other special classes beyond regular working hours during which the Instructor is required to teach, Employer will pay Instructor 25,000 won per hour.

Decent overtime pay.

i. Instructor shall be paid 1,000,000 Korean won toward airfare one time only per year. This amount may be paid in two separate payments spaced out over the year.

Is this above and beyond being reimbursed for your airfare to Korea?

Article 5. Utilities

Instructor shall be responsible for all utility, management, water and other fees related to the apartment. Telephone fees shall also be the duty of the Instructor.


Article 6. Other Duties of Instructor

a. Instructor should attend and supervise at certain sports tournaments or other special school activities during the term of the Agreement. Such events may possibly be held overnight and outside regular school hours, but will not be held on a regular or frequent basis.

Are these hours paid overtime? They really should give you a number of the times these will be held!

b. Instructor shall endeavor to enhance the image and promote the educational purposes of the Employer and to act responsibly and follow the reasonable instructions of the Employer in good faith.

c. Instructor shall instruct students faithfully in accordance with the designated course materials and textbooks and with the permission of the Employer, may adopt supplementary textbooks and materials as needed.

d. Instructor shall observe school and class hours strictly. Any absence or tardiness, early class dismissal, non-observance of working hours and so forth may take place only with the permission of the Employer. Occasional tardiness may be excused by the Employer or may be dealt with under the provisions mentioned hereinbelow.

e. Instructor shall faithfully prepare for each class on his/her own time, as is normally required of teachers.

Within reason! I would check to see how many classes a week/day you are expected to teach...if you are at the school for 8 hours a day and only teach 5 classes a day then all is fine and dandy...if you are teaching 8 classes a day then you will be working long after that 4:30 timeframe!

f. Instructor shall conduct examinations in accordance with the academic schedules of the Employer and to report on the results of such to the Employer.

g. Instructor understands that being tardy on two (2) occasions may be deemed by the Employer as one (1) hour of absence and one hour of prorated pay may be deducted accordingly.

So if you're early on two or more occasions you will be paid and extra hour of time

h. Instructor may retain needed materials in order to prepare for future class sessions.

i. Instructor shall not participate in activities that might defame the Employer or its prestige, including but not limited to the following:

1. Acceptance of tuition or other funds in person or other unsanctioned monetary transactions related to the Employer;

2. Borrowing funds from or selling items to the students of the Employer other than items officially sanctioned by the Employer;

3. Conducting classes in an intoxicated or drugged state;

4. Sexual advances towards students or questionable interpersonal relationships with individual students; or

5. Teaching classes or students without the prior approval of the Employer.

j. If the Instructor damages the facilities, material or property of the Employer through willful or gross negligence or intent, Instructor shall assume pecuniary liability in accordance with Korean law.



Article 7. Other Duties of Employer

a. Employer shall provide Instructor with needed course materials, textbooks and other supplementary provisions in order to carry out his/her duties.

b. Employer shall pay Instructor his/her salary no later than the fifth day of the following month.

c. Employer shall be attentive and responsive to the reasonable needs of the Instructor and shall cooperate in order to assure that such reasonable needs are met.



Article 8. Termination

This Agreement may be terminated by the Employer for any of the following reasons:

1. In the event the health of the Instructor becomes seriously endangered and continued teaching by such Instructor is determined to be impossible;

2. In the event the Instructor or his/her dependants violates the laws of the Republic of Korea;


3. In the event the Instructor does not faithfully carry out his/her duties mentioned hereinabove; or

4. In the event the Instructor submits documents relating to his/her credentials which prove to be falsified or invalid.



Article 9. Other Items

a. Any error in the computation of salary shall be reported by either party to the other within seven (7) days excluding weekends or other Korean holidays.

b. Any unresolved dispute arising hereunder or related hereto shall be resolved under Korean Civil Law.

c. Both parties hereto agree to faithfully carry out the duties mentioned herein in good faith.

d. This Agreement has been prepared in the English language, and any translation hereof shall not be binding.



______ JOB DESCRIPTION AND DUTIES

1. The ______ staff members are expected to act in a manner worthy of their profession and maintain high educational standards within the classroom and throughout the school.
2. Striving to meet the curriculum objectives in each content area is of great priority to our staff. As educators, we owe it to ourselves and our students to best meet these objectives and assure that each one is addressed throughout the school year.
3. Teachers at ______ are expected to keep up to date records of attendance, grades, lesson plans, and student portfolios. These records should be available upon request.
4. School spirit is very important to any school. Teachers may be asked to monitor activities, coach sports, advise clubs, and attend special school events. Teachers are strongly encouraged to involve themselves in an after school activity of some sort. Teachers can use their own initiative to develop a club that interests them.

call me a mercenary but do you get any sort of compensation (time off, extra pay etc) for these activities?

5. Continuing to learn, study and grow professionally is an essential part of a teacher’s life. ______ teachers annually attend the KORCOS conference held in Seoul each year. Other professional development days will be scheduled throughout the year.

Who will cover the costs for this meeting? Travel, hotel etc.

6. The principal will view grade books, planning books, curriculum trackers, and portfolios at the end of the quarter. Follow up on any points raised from the teacher appraisal form.

Ask for a sample of what is expected.

7. Students must be escorted to the cafeteria for lunch where they must remain seated in the cafeteria until they are dismissed for recess.
8. All teachers are responsible for developing and implementing their own classroom schedules. Class schedules are made to ensure a full and balanced coverage of all the curriculum subjects.

Are you teaching everything or are you teaching only English?

9. School grades in the school are a combination of a child’s daily class work and formal assessments such as tests, projects, and special assignments. A full grade report is School grades in the elementary school are a combination of a child’s daily class work and sent home to parents at the end of every quarter, along with detailed comments. Parents are given a copy of their child’s report and the original report is held in a secure file at school.
10. Teachers are responsible for updating the work held in the portfolios according to the schedule set out. The portfolios are shown to parents at parent conference time as an additional method of reporting progress to parents.
11. Our school-wide expectations create an environment that is stable and conducive to learning. These rules have been created for the benefit of all students. We like to encourage and reward good behavior in students whenever positive behavior is demonstrated.
12. Classroom rules, along with a reward and consequence system, needs to be outlined and displayed in the classroom within the first week. This plan needs to be handed in to the principal during the first week of school. It should also be sent home to your parents in the first week along with a copy of your class timetable.

Doesnt the school have a discipline program in place? What do other teacher do?

13. School staff meetings are held once per week on Tuesdays at 3:30p.m. Additional staff meetings may be held at the discretion of the principal.
14. Formal conferences are held twice throughout the year. All parents are advised to attend these conferences, as they are an excellent opportunity to meet with a child’s class teacher in person and discuss their child’s progress with them.
15. ______ is modifying a curriculum for each of the core subjects in all grades. Each curriculum contains the objectives taught for each grade in each subject. Each faculty members will be expected to take an active part in during the year. Suggestions for possible modifications and changes can be made in order to further strengthen our curriculum.
16. Cooperate with the ______ Board and administration in implementing all policies,procedures,and directives governing the operation of the school.
17. Accept responsibility for other assigned duties deemed necessary by the director and principal for the operarion of ______.


Fairly well worded but clause 17 needs to be removed. Your responsabilities should be listed clearly in the contract....not at the discretion of the director or principal at a later date!

[Koreaboundandgagged]

Some answers to you, Grotto:

The school is in Jeonju. I'm not sure about the visa, but assume it's an E-2. Why would they want us to sign a 2-year contract? What the advantage/disadvantage?

We will be teaching 6 hours per day (all subject--my wife Kindergarten and me 5/6th grade). Also, there's only 30 students in the entire school.

How anal to I need to be regarding the furnished apartment? Do I really need to see pictures? The apartments are adjacent to the school, and the grounds are surrounded by wealthy homes (presumably the parents of the students).

Are you saying 2.24% is automatically deducted for comprehensive health insurance? I thought they were paying 100%? Please explain.

I don't know about the airfare above and beyond getting to Korea. Something to find out, though.

I believe the sporting events/extra-curriculars should be paid too.

Being on site until 4:30 is to ensure that we are able to meet with parents, etc. The school day ends at 3:20 or so.

I'm certain we will be paid for being early.

I believe the school should cover any travel expenses for required meetings.

Apparently with wealthy parents and a small student body there isn't much of a discipline problem...

I agree about clause 17; it is quite vague.

Thanks so much!!!

[Grotto]

The school is in Jeonju. I'm not sure about the visa, but assume it's an E-2. Why would they want us to sign a 2-year contract? What the advantage/disadvantage?

If you have an E2 visa you can only have a one year contract! You cant sign a two year contract. At the end of one year you could extend the contract(basically sign the same contract for a second year) or negotiate a new contract. Korean Immigration wont let you sign a 2 year contract.

We will be teaching 6 hours per day (all subject--my wife Kindergarten and me 5/6th grade). Also, there's only 30 students in the entire school.

Sounds good....curriculum set up? Or do you have to make one?

How anal to I need to be regarding the furnished apartment? Do I really need to see pictures? The apartments are adjacent to the school, and the grounds are surrounded by wealthy homes (presumably the parents of the students).

As the other poster pointed out....you do want basic furnishings covered. There is no point spending thousands of dollars of your own money for things like microwaves, air con, an oven etc when they are going to be left behind when you leave! Seeing pictures is nice....some apartments are quite .....hmmm how do we say.....crappy. It does sound like yours will be in a nice area but getting the pictures to see how big it is can help.

Are you saying 2.24% is automatically deducted for comprehensive health insurance? I thought they were paying 100%? Please explain.

you pay 2.24% and the school matches that!

I don't know about the airfare above and beyond getting to Korea. Something to find out, though.

I believe the sporting events/extra-curriculars should be paid too.

Being on site until 4:30 is to ensure that we are able to meet with parents, etc. The school day ends at 3:20 or so.

I'm certain we will be paid for being early.

I believe the school should cover any travel expenses for required meetings.

Apparently with wealthy parents and a small student body there isn't much of a discipline problem...

I agree about clause 17; it is quite vague.

[poet13]

Does anybody else have reservations about a school with only 30 students? Unless there's something special about the place, ie; the students are there for the entire day, all classes, I would worry about the viability of the institution....

[TheUrbanMyth]

[Yu_Bum_suk]