Korean Job Discussion Forums

[BobbyTeenager]

Hey All,

Dose anyone have any experience or knowledge about either Chang L Bridge School in Bundang or English Topia in Pyeongchon? Any information that you can provide would be a big help.

Thanks,
Bobby

[BobbyTeenager]

It's hard to believe that no one on Daves has an opinion on these schools.

[just because]

You only gave people 12 minutes to respond in a time when most people over here are asleep......don't be so critical

Wait a couple of days...

perhaps both are new schools and no foreign teachers have worked there before....perhaps people that work there don't come onto daves. I would say the vast MINORITY of people that teach here post on here as well...

If you want to know about the school get in contact with people that are currently working there by phone and find out more...ask your recruiter and the prospective schools for the phone numbers.
Make sure they can take the call outside the school as well

[BobbyTeenager]

Hey,

Thanks for the advice but I wanted to see if these schools are infamous in their areas, perhaps part of a chain, or any information that could help me formulate the proper questions before I talked to the teachers that the schools provide.

As for me waiting for the Dave�s posters to reply, if you check the original post date and then the date of my "bump" you would see that two days had passed in between.

Sincerely,
Bobby

[alabamaman]

Refer to ttompatz reply for questions to ask.

http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/korea/viewtopic.php?p=925538&highlight=#925538

Here are some points to cover when looking at contracts.

Hagwon labor contracts

Korean Labor Standards Act

http://www.molab.go.kr/download/_20051220144304549.pdf

Paid sick days

If there are no paid sick days, then ask for 3 to be written in your labor contract.

Work Schedule

What are the working hours throughout the contract period?
What days of the week will you work? (Monday through Friday)
What's the definition of a class to be worked?
How many classes will you work per month? (120)
How many classes will you work per week? (30)
How long is each class? (Most classes are between 40 � 50 minutes)

Block Shifts: There should be no more than 8 hours between from your daily start time until your daily finish time when working block shifts throughout the contract period.


Is there contractual language stating your employer will allow you a recess period?

Article 53 (Recess Hours)

(1) An employer shall allow a recess period of more than 30 minutes for every 4 working hours and more than 1 hour for every 8 working hours during the working hours.

(2) A recess period may be freely used by workers.

Annual leave/Holidays

Your labor contract should have 10 days of annual leave written in it. A majority of employees take 5 consecutive days of annual leave in the summer and five consecutive days in the winter. There are some schools that count weekend days as annual leave days. You should ask for this to be changed because you take annual leave days on working days. You�re entitled to all Korean National Holidays. Workers are paid on all Korean National Holidays, and no pay deductions occur on these days!

Penalty clauses

Penalty clauses (Housing deposits) should be removed from your contract.

Article 27 (Prohibition of Predetermination of Nonobservance)

An employer shall not enter into any contract by which a penalty or indemnity for possible damages incurred from nonobservance of a labor contract is predetermined.

Monthly wage & overtime

You shouldn't settle for wages less than 2,000,000 Korean Won per month. Workers should be paid once per month according to Labor Laws. There are allot of employers who pay on the 10th of the following month. You should ask to be paid on the last working day of every month throughout the contract period, but settle for later than the 5th of the following month. If you're making 2,000,000 Won per month, then you should be making 20,000 Korean Won per overtime class.

Food for thought:

*What are the length of overtime classes? (Same as regular classes)
*When can you work overtime classes?
*What's the definition of an overtime class to be worked?
*Both parties must mutually agree before overtime classes are worked!
*You can decline employer's request to work overtime classes!


Severance bonus

You�re entitled to severance pay in the amount of your monthly salary on the last working day of the contract period.

Airfare

Employers should purchase a roundtrip ticket prior to departure. Employers may ask you to reimburse them for the total cost of the airfare for dismissal, or resignation any time throughout the contract period. Airfare reimbursements should be waived after 6 months of employment have been completed.

Emergency leave

Ask for 5 days of emergency leave in your labor contract. Emergency leave days are unpaid, separate from paid sick days, and separate from annual leave days. Emergency leave is for a major death in the family, and your employer may require proof.

Dress code

Ask for one to be written in your labor contract.

Health Insurance

Korean National Healthcare Plan

http://www.nhic.or.kr/wbe/faq/faq.html

http://www.nhic.or.kr/wbe/nation/nation033.html

The clause below is a good example of a health insurance clause.

The employer will deduct 2.24% from the employee's monthly salary in the amount of _________________ Korean Won throughout contract period.

Furthermore, The sum of 3 month contributions in the amount of ____________ of Korean Won shall be prepaid every month by the employer to be paid to the National Health Insurance Corporation.

The employer will enroll the employee in the Korean National Healthcare Plan within 5 working days upon arrival in Korea.

Income Taxes

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

*Go to check my monthly withholding tax

The clause below is a good example of an income tax clause.

The employer shall deduct __________ Korean Won from the employee�s monthly salary throughout the contract period, and pay deductions to the District Tax Office concerned.

Korean Pension Fund

http://www.nps4u.or.kr/eng/enpsk.html?code=./enpsk/a02.html

How much will your employer deduct from your monthly salary to be paid into the Korean Pension Fund throughout the contract period (4.5% of your monthly salary)?

How much will your employer contribute to the Korean Pension Fund in Korean Won per month throughout the contract period (employer shall match the deduction from your monthly salary)?

Korean Pension Fund contribution and return of said pension contribution at the end of contract.

http://www.npc.or.kr/social/index_en.html
http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/korea/viewtopic.php?t=45302

Accommodation

Your employer should provide you with the following below:

Rent (Most teachers prefer a one bedroom apartment!)
Shower
Bed
Desk
Closet
Table
TV
Washing machine
Clothes rack
Pots
Pans
Dishes
Eating utensils
Phone
Refrigerator
Stove
Air conditioner
Heating system

You're not responsible for the previous occupant's unpaid bills.

Contract length

Contracts are generally for one year. For your protection, insist that you have contractual language stating, "The employee shall work for the employer when the employee has been issued an E2 Visa from Korean Immigration Officials." Employers pressure their employees into working without an E2 Visa which is illegal. Korean Immigration Officials will deport you if you're caught teaching without an E2 Visa.

Termination Clause

A majority of contracts, if not all, omit contractual language pursuant to Article 26 of the Labor Standards Act. Article 26 of the LSA makes it legal under Korean Labor Laws to terminate your contract if your employer violates the conditions of employment. This is contractual language that's important to have in your labor contract, because there are owners that violate labor laws at your expense.

Article 26 (Violation of Conditions of Employment)

(1) If any of the conditions of employment set forth in accordance with Article 24 is found to be inconsistent with the actual conditions, the worker concerned shall be entitled to claim damages resulting from the breach of the conditions of employment or may terminate the labor contract forthwith.

(2) If a worker intends to claim indemnity for damages in accordance with paragraph (1), he may do so with the Labor Relations Commission. If a labor contract has been terminated, an employer shall pay travel expenses to a worker who changes his residence for the purpose of securing new job. (There should be contractual language pursuant to this clause that defines reasons you can terminate your labor contract. Allot of contracts use such contractual language as, "The employee may annul the contract if the employer doesn't complete the terms of the contract."

Article 30 (Restriction on Dismissal, etc.)

(1) An employer shall not dismiss, lay off, suspend, transfer a worker, or reduce wages, or take other punitive measures against a worker without justifiable reason.

Justifiable reason(s): Gross negligence, serious violations, violating Korean Laws!

(2) An employer shall not dismiss any worker during a period of temporary interruption of work for medical treatment of an occupational injury or disease and within 30 days thereafter; nor shall any female worker before and after childbirth be dismissed during a period of temporary interruption of work as provided herein and within 30 days thereafter; however, if an employer has paid the lump sum compensation due under Article 87 hereof or is not able to continue his business, this shall not apply.

Article 32 (Advance Notice of Dismissal)

(1) An employer shall give an advance notice to a worker at least thirty days before dismissal(including dismissal for managerial reasons). If the notice is not given thirty days before the dismissal, normal wages for more than thirty days shall be paid to the worker, except in cases, prescribed by the Ordinance of the Ministry of Labor, where it is impossible to continue a business because of natural disaster, calamity, or other unavoidable causes, or where a worker has caused considerable difficulties to a business, or damage to properties on purpose.

Article 31 (Restriction on Dismissal for Managerial Reasons)

(1) If an employer wants to dismiss a worker for managerial reasons, there shall be urgent managerial needs. In such cases as transfer, acquisition and merger of business which are aimed to avoid financial difficulties, it shall be deemed that there is an urgent managerial need.

(2) In the case of paragraph (1), an employer shall make every effort to avoid dismissal of workers and shall select workers to be dismissed by establishing rational and fair standards of dismissal. In such cases, there shall be no discrimination on the ground of gender.

(3) With regard to the possible methods for avoiding dismissal and the criteria for dismissal as referred to in paragraph (2), an employer shall give a notice 60 days prior to dismissal day to a trade union which is formed by the consent of the majority of all workers in the business or workplace concerned(or to a person representing the majority of all workers if such trade union does not exist, hereinafter referred to as a �workers� representative�) and have sincere consultation.

(4) When an employer intends to dismiss more than a certain number of workers which is defined by the Presidential Decree under the conditions as referred to in paragraph (1), he/she shall report it to the Minister of Labor as determined by the Presidential Decree.

(5) In cases where an employer has dismissed workers in accordance with the requirements as stipulated in paragraphs (1) to (3), it shall be deemed that the dismissal concerned is made based on the justifiable reasons in accordance with paragraph (1) of Article 30. <This Article Wholly Amended by Act No. 5510, Feb. 20, 1998>

Article 31-2 (Preferential Re-employment, etc.)

(1) When an employer who dismissed workers under Article 31

intends to recruit workers within 2 years from the day of dismissal, he/she shall make efforts to rehire workers dismissed under Article 31 if such workers desire, taking into account of the previous position, etc., of such workers.

(2) The government shall place the first priority in order to take measures such as securing livelihood, reemployment and vocational training, etc., for workers dismissed under Article 31.

Article 35 (Exception of Advance Notice of Dismissal)

The provisions of Article 32 shall not apply to workers who fall within each of the following subparagraphs:
1. a worker who has been employed on a daily basis for less than three consecutive months;
2. a worker who has been employed for a fixed period not exceeding two months;
3. a worker who has been employed as a monthly-paid worker for less than six months ;
4. a worker who has been employed for seasonal work for a fixed period not exceeding six months; and
5. a worker in a probationary period

[just because]