Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Maxboss]

Read this from Aiden Reilly [email protected]


Heads up

Re: In the World

I started working for In The World in an elementary school, in Ansan, a city outside of Seoul on April 11, 2005. There were problems during the course of the year none of which they fixed. I tried to leave and they said I wouldn�t get a release letter and the boss�s friend at immigration would ensure that I never worked again. Gun to my head, I stayed.

On February 28 by, this year, about 5 weeks before the end of my contract, Jack told the school and then me, that I was out March 3 and they were shutting down the program at the school. Jack told me they had or were shutting down the program in the other schools and that his boss had lost about 50 million won. The principal was angry that he hadn�t been given a month�s notice as promised but he didn�t pursue the matter.

I did, however. If you have worked for someone for more than 6 months here then according to Korean law you must be given a month�s notice. If you�re fired on the spot after having worked more than 6 months you are entitled to a month�s pay extra, a form of severance.

In The World laughed at this. When I said I would go to the Labour Office they said they had lawyers to fight it. The Labour Office sided with me. In The World threatened to report me to the police for a non-existent crime because, as Jack put it, I had played hardball by going to the Labour Office.

I had also seen on the internet In The World looking for at least 10 new teachers.

Pressured by the Labour Office, eventually they said they would pay, less the final bills and charges on the apartment. Fair enough. When I checked these bills and charges with the real estate agent I found they had overstated the charges by over 200,000.

They finally paid me on May 11.

As I said, I started in April, 2005. A bunch of teachers started with them around then. By June according to their own figures they had 17 teachers. I met about 10 of them. Of those 10

1 did a runner.

2 knowingly were hired although the company knew they were totally unsuitable (Jack�s words). Neither finished their contracts. I don�t know the circumstances of their departures. Jack told one of them on the phone �I hate dealing with fucking foreigners�.

1 who after about 6 months gave a month�s notice to quit. She didn�t get all the money she was owed and was spoken to like a dog when she asked the company for this money. They still wouldn�t pay all the money they owed her.

1 finished his contract. They tried not to pay him his severance. He only got it because the school and the parents helped him.

2 were fired with no notice. One of them is me.

Beware

[princess]

I had an interview with this "Jack" guy in January. My intuition told me this guy could not be trusted. He gave me a contract to look over. I took it home and decided there was no way I could sign a contract with so many penalty clauses, not to mentikon he gave me a wrong email address for a current teacher. He wasz practically begging me to work for him. He sent me two emails asking if I was still interested in the position. When I finally emailed him telling him how those penalty clauses sounded like too much, he didn't speak to me again. Good riddance, I guess^^

[jacl]

Strange people, eh. Wonder why they act like they do? Stupid penalty clauses, not paying salaries or stealing money off your check, overtaxing, etc.

It just baffles me.

[bellum99]

There is a character flaw in many people here in Korea. They enjoy screwing with people...it makes them feel superior. You get that crap everywhere you go (government offices, immigration, police, tax offices, and businesses).
They don't do it for money...they do it because they can and it gives them pleasure. I have been given wrong information every single time in Korea and it is not because they don't know their job. It is at the point that I will ask 3 people in an office for the same information and compare them.

[NearlyKorean]

Jack and "In the World" are bad news. Avoid them like the plague. One look at their contract will tell you alot.

[Junior]

[jjmonkey]

Please note that this company posts under several different names;
In the World
E&E
English Solutions and Management
E-Sam

to be avoided!
Allowing a company to hold your Bank account is a bad idea. Don't get involved in the scam. They are evading taxes in your name. They never provided proof that taxes were being paid on my salary or the very large sums of money (the kids tuition) that went directly into my account that they controlled. Although they did deduct 5%, I was never given any proof that this was paid to the government or provided a proper pay slip.
Not too mention, the many other problems I encountered with them. They are all nice and fuzzy at the start, but it quickly turns dark.

[SHANE02]