I am dealing with many problems with my job at the moment. I really need some advice.
Ok, so my school is going out of buisiness at the end of February. I lost my job, but quickly found a new one at a hagwon down the road. I was waiting for my boss to sign my letter of release. He was not in yesterday, so he was going to sign it today. Today, he calls me into his office in a fury to tell me that I can not go to the new school that I was hired at because the director (at the new school) called him to ask for the names of his remaining students to hopefully gain a higher cencus. As he is incredibly sensitive that his buisiness is failing... this was the wrong move on the part of my new director. My director is now saying that I can not work for the new hagwon and that I can not even work in Saha-gu (my current city) and that he must approve of the school I choose to work for or he will send me directly home.
On top of this, he has breached legal issues before this event. He didn't pay into the pension fund (first said they didn't know what I meant, then said they had never done this with a foreign teacher, then said they didn't have enough money to pay), he removed money from my contract for apt fees that were not actually recieved by the apt ( I confirmed this with the manager of my apt) , they denied the option of health insurrance, and my last paycheck was half the amount it was supposed to be. I wouldn't doubt if the money they removed for taxes was also pocketed like the apt. fees.
Please, If you have any advice for me as to whom I can contact or laws that can protect me, I really would like to know all and anything that can help.
Thanks
Re: In need of help for legal information or people who can ...
Hello,
Your situation is not uncommon. You should go to the Ministry of Labor near Busan City Hall to get some help. They will call the director at your current school and give him the riot act. Since he has already broken the law, it shouldn't be that hard to get him to sign your letter of release. Make sure that you bring your passport, ARC, contract, and bank book with all of the deposits with you when you go.
You could call the Busan Global Help Center too. They might be able to talk some sense into your current boss and save you the trouble of having to go all the way to the Ministry of Labor. Good luck!
Re: In need of help for legal information or people who can ...
I do not think If the school is going out of business your boss has any control over you . I think you just need a legal paper showing that the school is going out of business . In that case your visa is easier to change . Futhermore unless you are really in love with Saha gu you shouldnot limit yourself . Many schools would want to hire you since they dont have to buy a plane ticket or pay a headhunter agent a commision . I suggest you head for immigration and ask them what you need to do . This is a legal matter so I suggest going to immigration first
Re: In need of help for legal information or people who can ...
1345 is the immigration hotline. You can try having them point you in the right direction. I've also had friends before that have successfully sued their employer for not paying into there pension.
Re: In need of help for legal information or people who can ...
Legal advice is cheap here, and needed sometimes , in my mind. There are some lawyers available on the British website for Pusan. The complexity and legalities here, may land you in hot water. You may want to check your accusations, before going to MOEL aka- Labor Board and accusing- due to defamation laws here.
You want to put in on paper in bullet points, and be clear , and make sure your accusations are simple and clear to lawyer to save time. The lawyer will tell you pretty quickly if owner has "done,or is doing" you.(excuse expression) For 50-80 bucks= 2 hours-ish, for peace of mind and fewer mistakes, might be worth it.There is a charge for first 20-30 mins. I think these are fixed, set mins, by the legal bar here, and then it's by a certain amount of minutes- perhaps - 4-60 per hour- forgotten.I think it would be 100 for 2 hours- you can get through a lot, if you prepare in advance.
Mz. Bae So Min - is an English-speaking lawyer here. Her Law firm is called Kukjae. Honestly, I thought they were decent- 8th floor- Busan Town Law Building opposite Law Courts and Police.Subway- Geoje stop after Sports stadium, I think. I bet, you'll pay 80 maximum. 법무법인 국 제 변호사 배 소 민 부산광역시 연제구 거제1동 1490-1(부산법조타운빌딩 8층 808호) TEL: 051-506-1700 FAX: 051- 506-6710
or join these guys "pali- pali" http://english.kfta.or.kr/contact_s.asp Nice people, I've heard.- costs 10,000 per month.
Re: In need of help for legal information or people who can ...
Thank you everyone for your comments and help. For those of you who are interested in what happened... I was able to get my letter of release once my boss cooled down. I landed myself a new job at a wonderful hagwon and the past 5 months there have been great. I battled back and forth with labor board, pension, and the tax office. In the end, the only thing that I could get accomplished without using a lawyer was getting the money back from my old employer's over taxation. It wasn't much, but it felt good to have something, even so minute, happen. Thanks again!