Korean Job Discussion Forums

cdninkorea · Joined: 27 Jan 2006 Location: Seoul

I stopped by the administration room of my (public) school yesterday to "remind" them that I should get paid yesterday (all the Korean teachers get paid on a different day for some reason, and I, the sole foreign teacher, wanted to make sure they remembered). They assured me that I would. Last night I drop by the bank to see if the money is there, and no dice.
So I called my boss. He assured me I would be getting paid today and didn't understand what the big deal was about being paid a day late. My argument about the contract saying pay day is on the 30th and not the 31st fell on deaf ears.
This isn't the first time either- last month the 30th fell on a weekend, so I expected my pay on Friday. It didn't come, and I was on vacation at the time, had already wired all my money home, and was out of money.
A few months ago, for some overtime work, I got paid three weeks late!

Does this happen to other people? What do you do when it does?

ttompatz · Joined: 05 Sep 2005 Location: Kwangju, South Korea

just because · Joined: 01 Aug 2003 Location: Changwon - 4964

basically just say...no money, no honey.....

VanIslander · Posted: Wed Aug 30, 2006 7:41 pm Post subject: Re: Paid late. Again.

Moral of the story?

Save some money so that you don't need it so badly if it comes a day later. And of course keep the reminders coming. My limit is one week late. Never happened, but if it ever did, I wouldn't be going to work on the 8th day after I should have been paid. In full.

Hence I haven't had any issues with being paid late, which has only happened twice in nearly four years, and only by a day or two. No sweat.

Qinella · Joined: 25 Feb 2005 Location: the crib

In the future, you might have to start reminding your boss (or whoever is responsible for distributing your pay) the day before your money is due. Or you can try what I did last year. At my previous hagwon, the boss consistently paid me late my first few months. I quickly grew tired of reminding him to pay me, so I wrote a nice letter to him explaining that in America, it never happened to me once, and that apparently Koreans don't have what it takes to run a western-style business. No problems after that. I insulted his pride, and it worked. Might work for you.

PaperTiger · Joined: 31 May 2005 Location: Ulaanbataar

Are you sure it's not some misunderstanding where he meant the last day of the month. Be ready to apologize in any case...they really dig that here.

cdninkorea · Joined: 27 Jan 2006 Location: Seoul

laogaiguk · Joined: 06 Dec 2005 Location: somewhere in Korea

rawiri · Joined: 01 Jun 2003 Location: Lovely day for a fire drill.

[quote="VanIslander"]
Save some money so that you don't need it so badly if it comes a day later. And of course keep the reminders coming. My limit is one week late. Never happened, but if it ever did, I wouldn't be going to work on the 8th day after I should have been paid. In full.

.

[quote="cdninkorea"]...last month the 30th fell on a weekend, so I expected my pay on Friday.[/quote]
Expect it on the Monday.[/quote][quote]

Ummm no, thats not the moral of the story. The moral of the story is that it's bullchit having to wait a month to be paid as it is without having to wait further. I can barely stretch my finances to last a month lately so i quadruple check before payday that they are going to put it in.[/quote]

some waygug-in · Joined: 25 Jan 2003

Let's see. Pay is a day late. Confused

Oh no! Let's have an all out hissy fit with the boss man over it.

If it's a week late, then it's time to start worrying, until then, just accept it as par for the course.

By complaining about this, you are only making yourself look anal.

laogaiguk · Joined: 06 Dec 2005 Location: somewhere in Korea

some waygug-in · Joined: 25 Jan 2003

I agree, in a perfect world, things would be perfect.

But getting stressed out over something so trivial.........

My boss has paid me late twice so far, both times a day late. Both times he also apologized to me for it.

Why?

Because when he hired me he asked why I left my last job so suddenly and I replied that I wasn't getting paid.

So I suppose he realizes that me not getting paid may lead to me doing a midnight run.

ilovebdt · Joined: 03 Jun 2005 Location: Nr Seoul

I work at a public school and have only paid late once so far in 11 months.
The reason my pay was late was because the headmaster has to sign a form, allowing me to be paid I guess, before the admin can put it into my account.
I was a bit annoyed because that pay day fell on a Friday, so it left me short for the weekend.

One day late merits a polite, calm enquiry as to why you haven't been paid. But, any longer than that then you need to get onto them because they won't do anything unless you badger them.

ilovebdt

ella · Joined: 17 Apr 2006

laogaiguk · Joined: 06 Dec 2005 Location: somewhere in Korea