Korean Job Discussion Forums

[trubadour]

Can I sign a contract and then, err, change my mind?


Derrr! Hagwon owners do it, so of course its ok for me, right?

what if I

[kigolo1881]

Yes, You Can!

....FIGHTING..!

[boyne11]

[trubadour]

yeah like the thing is it might be good to have it as a stand-by, incase I don't get a better offer.

But - if i sign doesn't it mean I have to go through with it?

[jajdude]

Of course you know there's no obligation without a visa in your passport to make you legal?

[wylies99]

Until your visa is finalized, you may do as you wish. It's not legal to teach without a visa, anyway- though, crooked hogwans will try their darnest to get you to teach without a visa.

[Pak Yu Man]

No VISA no problem.

[trubadour]

thanks guys. perhaps not such a stupid question after all.

[ontheway]

One little problem with all the above advice - it's not quite correct.

When you sign a contract, any contract, you IMMEDIATELY become liable for damages if you subsequently break the contract. As for a teaching contract specifically, it is valid and enforceable even prior to the issuance of an E2 visa.

Of course, the key here is, what are the damages and will the damaged party pursue you legally for the damages. Perhaps the damages will be small or zero, this would be true if the school has time to replace you before your start date. It might cost more to go after you than it is worth. It is also possible that the damages will far exceed what your pay would have been, and they will come after you. If a school has no teacher for the classes you were contracted to teach, they could lose hundreds of dollars per day that you would be liable for. You could be blacklisted on a public blacklist. You could have trouble with Immigration for your next contract. Yes, you could get away with it if you break the contract, but you are still guilty of dishonoring your contract, even if you get away with it. And that will become your reputation.

If you sign a contract, you should plan to keep it. If you aren't sure, don't sign. Don't put yourself into a bad spot by thinking you can just break a contract. Besides, why would you want to put yourself into that group of dishonest hogwan owners, managers and teachers who have no ethics and don't honor their contracts.

Your word is your bond and your honor. If you sign up knowing that you are not ready to honor your word, you are dirty and you have dirtied yourself.

Keep yourself clean. Have a little pride. Never sign a contract if you don't mean to honor it completely.

[koon_taung_daeng]

yea but i think that to many hogwons dont honor their contracts, also if they try to go after you for not working there it should be pretty easy to just leave

[wylies99]

[ontheway]

Wake up Wyles. The OP never said he would be teaching illegally or before getting an E2 visa, only that he wanted to sign a contract and then break it later if he found a better deal. There was no idication of any wrong doing by the school. Just a teacher trying to cheat a school. It goes both ways here.

You shouldn't defend teachers who indicate that they have no morals or honor. Teachers like this hurt everyone. It's teachers like this who make it necessary for schools to have high security deposits and other policies to defend themselves against crooked teachers.

To the OP: if you can't make a deal and keep it for a year, even after you find something better, you shouldn't come to Korea.

To Wyles: if you defend crooked teachers, then you are no better than the worst of the crooked bosses that you hate.

Crooked schools, crooked teachers, and their defenders are all scum.

[Anicca]

I had to break a contract recently, felt bad about it, but there was no real choice. They told me I had to give 3 months notice! I told them 3 months is unreasonable. I gave them one, two if they really can't find someone. Most contracts are one month. Anyways, because I'm an F-2, it's not such a big deal. And they did find someone to replace me. Now, I have to see what they try to take from me on my last paycheck...

I also asked them, would you give me three months notice if you were going to fire me? Didn't think so.

[wylies99]

The OP is NOT a crooked teacher. If the hogwan tries to make him teach without a Visa, then the hogwan is at fault.

BTW- EVERY hogwan teacher who works without a Visa is breaking the law and the hogwans are at fault.

[koon_taung_daeng]

korean law means nothing to most hogwon owners, its up to the righteous native english teachers to lay down the justice