Good(bye) Things

Our time in Korea has not been ideal.  It's been far less rewarding than most expats'.  The main cause of all our trouble here has been our hagwon (Yoon's English Forest), but sometimes it's difficult to separate our business culture experience from our overall culture experience.

So, I thought I'd post the top six "good things" that have come out of living in Korea.  No, not all of them are directly correlated to Korean culture, but they've been made possible by this journey.

1. Personal Growth

Korean culture is backwards from U.S. culture in many ways.  Working and living inside it has been a challenge from day one.   It seems that everyday I had to relearn how to problem solve and step outside my comfort zone.  I tend to keep to myself and not ask for help, so starting from the ground up has been a really good experience for me.

 2.  The Kids

Working with kids is always rewarding.  While they give us hell sometimes, it's only a handful that are actually true troublemakers.  The rest of them are a mix of clownish girls and boys who just want your attention.

I wish I had more photos of students, but here are some memorable kids:

Jenny and Ann.  You might remember Ann from a video I posted when Mom was here titled "Ann talks about bodily functions."

Cameron.  He's a smarty, but he's a crier.  He cried about everything from forgetting his homework to losing a foot race from the street into Yoon's.

Mattew and Eric.  This dynamic duo will do anything to weasel out of work.  But, it's all in good fun.  Mattew knows just about every way to say "What?" in English.  There were always periods of class which were punctuated with Mattew's barely restrained giggling and repeated "Pardon me?"  "I'm sorry?"  "Come again?"

3. Korean food

Being a vegetarian in Korea is difficult, but manageable.  It really taught us how to eat our veggies and enjoy a wider range of flavors and textures (both in Korean recipes and others).

Remember the first time we ordered pizza and it came with ham?  We were so sad.  And hungry.

First experience with bibimbap.  Note that in this post we call Chun wha "Kim."  Is that her English name?  I actually have no idea.

Fishy bread!

Homemade puchingeh and overcooked rice.

Kimbap and ramen.

Rainbow ddeok (rice cake).  My favorite.

Homemade bibimbap with brown rice.

Ddeokguk (rice cake soup) for Korean New Year's. 

"Nostalgia Drink" is not for Ian.

Sushi and yubu chobab (I can't remember the fried tofu stuffed with rice's Japanese name).

Take out bibimbap, all mixed up.

4. The People

Sure, our company sucked and the director is an evil dictator.  But, we met some really wonderful people here (Korean and otherwise) and we've built some international friendships.

Haso teachers (and Chang su).

Hayley, SJ and Kate.

Jeff, Adam, Matt and Albert.

Tania.

Iris and Michelle.

Tina (in the maroon, I don't remember her friend's name, we only met her the once).

Rahee (far right).

Ben.

Amy.

Chun wha, Chang su and Min su.

5. Travel

We're about to embark on a trip back around the world and we got to spend New Year's in Japan.  Neither of those things would be possible without our time teaching here.

Zojoji Temple, Tokyo.

6. Our Marriage

Hopefully, it's a given that a married couple be best friends.  But, dropping ourselves into this new culture has made Ian and I iron clad.  We've shared a one room apartment for almost a year.  We (literally) do everything together.  And, we faced a bully of a company together.

Thank you for reading!

Good night!

Surprise!

Just as Ian and I were getting ready to pack up and leave today, Montana came in and handed us a packet of information regarding our tv/internet/mobile bills.

Apparently, Julia signed us up for 2 and 3 year contracts (with the companies) when we first got here.  The longer contracts saved on start up fees and also gave us a discounted monthly rate.  They knew that we were only signed up with Yoon's for one year, but they figured that they could pass on the services to the next round of foreign teachers.  But, the company has decided that we will be their last foreigners, so, they must cancel the contracts early.  Because of this, the company is asking for that the difference (from the one year contract monthly fee and the discounted multi-year rate we've been paying) be paid in full.  The bill came to 545,604 won or approximately $450.

So, naturally, Yoon's decided that this was our responsibility.

We told Montana that we were never in control of these contracts and therefore were not going to pay for the company's mistake.  It was the company's responsibility.  Ian left to call Julia, who did not answer, but promptly called Montana's phone.

He spoke with her, asked us if we would like her to come down and speak with us and we said yes.

She showed up about 15 minutes later.

Before she would let us say anything about the bill, she wanted to discuss why we wouldn't just talk to Montana about these things.  We tried to explain that Montana has been working for Yoon's for less than a quarter of the time that we have and he, more often than not, does not have the answers we need.  As we are running out of time, we figured it was best to talk to Julia directly (or as directly as one can speak through a translator).

We finally got down to talking about the bill.  At first, Julia couldn't seem to understand the difference between paying a lump sum and a monthly bill (as in, we would have paid a higher amount each month with a 1 year contract, so what's the difference now?).  Then she went on to attempt to guilt trip us by telling us she signed up for these elongated contracts to save us money.  After all, she argued, the company could have charged us the full price and pocketed the difference.  But, they wanted to be moral, you know, so they gave us the discount.  She even threw in the busted white board from the Janrak campus (closed down 8 months ago), blamed Ian for it and basically said that she didn't charge us the 900,000 won for it out of the kindness of her heart.  That white board split because they drilled into for access to a power outlet behind it.

Through all of this, we kept pushing.  We told her that the company was taking money from us left and right and that this extra $450 was a very big burden.  Then she tried to ask us whether or not we thought she had a conscience, which we declined to answer based on the fact that we're supposed to have a professional relationship.

And then, finally, she bent and told us that the company would cover the bill and that she didn't want to say anything else.  Montana signed our printout as a safeguard and we went on our way.

It was a small, exhausting, but thrilling victory.

Good night!

The Beginning of the "Lasts"

Today was our last Thursday with Yoon's.  Thursdays' hold the dreaded Basic B27, so I'm happy to say goodbye.

Rahee told me that she called the National Pension Scheme and found that she and her mother are registered as "self employed."  She did some further hunting and found that all of Jecheon Yoon's employees are registered as self employed.  I haven't yet been successful in my hunt for legal help, but I don't intend to let this fight go just because we've gone home.  I will contact the NPS (and whomever else necessary) and do my damnedest to get this company held accountable for something.

Julia was at Goam for about a half an hour today during one of my classes, but she was hold up in Mrs. Choi's office in a meeting with her the entire time.  I only saw her on my way to make copies a few times.

This weekend is packed full.  On Saturday we are going to the East Sea with Chun wha and Chang Su (I'm excited!).  Then Sunday we will be cleaning, packing and seeing some of the teachers (at least Ben and Amy).

Good night!

Mixed Emotions

I'm having what we expats tend to call an "I hate Korea day."

But, it's a little more complicated than that.

Sure, I'm angry.  So angry that it feels more like helplessness than actual rage.  I'm angry at Yoon's for taking advantage of us.  I'm angry for the potential money we lost.  I'm angry for the time and effort spent on a fruitless project.  But, most of all, I'm angry at what this experience has done to my outlook on life.  I don't trust people to have the best intentions.  And I certainly don't give them the benefit of the doubt.

Though I've always considered myself more of a realist than an optimist, I think my youth and inexperience gave me the kind of naive happiness that my generation is known for.  I believe this year was the final straw on that proverbial camel's back.

On top of all this, I have conflicting feelings about leaving Korea and even our trip.  

I'm not a quitter and Yoon's is robbing me of the opportunity to finish what I started.

I can't wait to go home, but I'm terrified of the prospect of not finding a job.  I can definitely see why many people stay abroad, hopping from one country to the next teaching English rather than facing the market back home.

I'm excited for our trip, but I'm so tired and stressed that I find myself sometimes wishing that we were going straight home.

It's all a bit much, really.  I just keep saying, "I look forward to looking back."

Avoidance

If there's one thing that Julia and David (the directors of our hagwon) have become very adept in, it's avoiding us.

Julia (via her son, Terry, I'm sure) finally emailed me back today just before work.  I had been emailing her demanding that we set up a face to face meeting and telling her that docking our pay in June for the day we took off (right after we were fired to get some of our personal business in order) was deceptive because there was no prior communication about it.

Dear Casey.
 
sorry, i didn't check your mail until now. i was so busy .

As you mentioned 'sick days', you should submit copy of prescription or letter from a doctor to prove you used the day off for medical reason. And there's no exception.
We both know you two used the day off for your personal business, not medical purpose.

About your medical insurance, yes, we will provide proof of insurance coverage.
We'll ask insurance company for the copy.

Please send your mail to suprevise, Mr,Sin from now. That is his job.

Thanks.

I responded thus:

Hello-

I am unsure of who "Mr. Sin" is, but I assume it is Montana.  I do not have his email address.

As for the money taken out for days off, I do concede that they were not sick days, I was simply pointing out the lack of agreement and communication between us since you defer everything to someone else.

I think we can manage to schedule one meeting face to face before we leave.  This is an issue that I will continue to push.

Thank you for your reply.

Even in her reply, she avoids us.  She didn't say a word about scheduling a meeting and she basically told me not to contact her anymore.  I haven't heard back yet.  She was on campus today when I arrived, but by the time I put my things in my classroom and came back to the lobby, she was gone.  I won't make that mistake again, as soon as I see her I will approach her, though I'm uncomfortable with the idea of actually talking to her.  

David was on campus for a large part of the day.  But, anytime I got within ten feet of him, he was suddenly needed in another room.  One time I came out of my classroom to make copies for a student and he was watching the video screen in the lobby.  One must walk through the lobby to get to the copy machine.  As I approached him, he (without even glancing at me) turned sharply and headed quickly down the hallway.  The copy machine is near the end, so it was as if I was chasing him.  It was simultaneously amusing and frustrating.  Not that talking to David would get me very far.  He would simply defer to Julia.

Montana did give me a copy of our proof of insurance today.  And it's real!  They went with a private company (AIG), so that's why we never had health care cards.  I'm happy that there's one less thing to feel crummy about.  At least Yoon's wasn't stealing that particular money from us.  Granted, they went with a private company because they didn't want to pay pension.

I haven't heard back from any lawyers yet.  I will call someone tomorrow and see if I can get some advice without paying a consult fee.  I think it might be better to leave the country and then send a letter to the government (National Pension Scheme) through a lawyer.  That way, we don't end up paying into it and then getting hosed.  We could pay into it from the states, if necessary.

Six more working days left!

Good night!

Eggplant Parmesan Mini Cutlets Over Greens

Instead of closing the circuit of negativity that's going around here and continuing to tell you faithful readers how crappy Ian and I feel, I thought I'd post our fabulous dinner.  After all, we'll be out of here soon and I'm trying so hard to move forward and feel good again.

Yum!

The eggplant and greens recipes can be found on the Jen Goes to College blog that I recently started following.  In the background you can see Ian's cinnamon-sugar apples.  He doesn't use any oil of butter, but just lets the apples get juicy in a frying pan with the seasonings.

Good night!

Odds and Ends

It's difficult to pack up your things while you're still living somewhere.  Especially since we can only leave the things we will take in our rucksacks unpacked.

Ian and I packed another big box full today.  We filled our suitcases with bedding (we have the bedding that they gave us to use for our last week) and put them in the box.  Then we weighed it repeatedly to make sure we were just under the 20 kilo maximum.  It'll go on the slow boat sometime early this week.

The last box will be a (hopefully) smaller express box with the laptop and other electronics in it.  We're going to have to toss more stuff (like a low quality roller bag that I have) than we had hoped.  But, that's the way it goes when you move.

I'm looking forward to apartment shopping in Portland.  We'll be looking for a place where we can comfortably live for the next 5-7 years.  It'll be nice to have a more permanent residence.  Since I just graduated last year, I've been moving each year for the last five years.  It gets to be a hassle.

But, it feels good to be moving on.  Monday will start our last full week working for the nightmare that is Yoon's.  I think I'm starting to see the light.

Good night!

Stand Still

There isn't anything new to report on the "hagwon from hell" front.  And, frankly, I'm so frustrated and tired that I don't have much to say.

We just got paid tonight and they've overcharged us for our days off in May and they've charged us (with no prior agreement) for our day off in June.  Considering we still have sick days left, I'm pretty unhappy.

I've emailed two lawyers with a rundown of the situation.  So, I'm playing the waiting game.  I'm guessing that I won't hear back until Monday.

We don't have any plans this weekend other than packing the rest of the things we don't use on a daily basis and shipping them on the slow boat.

If any of you know anyone (or anything) that could help us, please email me.  As it looks right now, we're going to lose this game.

Good night.

An Island

I emailed the US Embassy in Seoul today to see if there was anything that they could do for us or if they had any advice.  They emailed me back very promptly and expressed sympathy about our situation.  But, all they could tell me was that the embassy isn't permitted to give us legal advice regarding or represent us in employment matters.  They could only suggest that we consult a lawyer and tell them about our legal issues.  They provided us with two links to lists of English speaking lawyers in Korea.  I will email them for advice, but we can't afford legal representation and we don't really have time for a case.  We just want the company to be looked into.

I'm really starting to feel like we're on an island and no one can help us.  It's pretty maddening and damn depressing.  I don't want this company to get away with this just because we don't have the resources or time to push for legal action.

So, after work Rahee and I walked out of the building and I told her everything that the company has done to us.  I told her to look into her pension, health care and taxes.  Her mom works for the company, so she'll be checking for her, too.  Also, if the laws are the same for Korean citizens as they are for foreigners, Rahee is owed 30 days pay because they fired her without written warning.  She told me that Montana told her that she shouldn't speak to Ian or me unless she wanted to suffer a similar fate.

If I can help Rahee get the ball rolling and turn the company over to the Labor Board, Taxation Office or someone that can hold them accountable, possibly audit them and (fingers crossed) remove their business license.  Rahee isn't as gung-ho about going after the company as we are because her mom has worked for the company for several years.  I told her to call the Labor Board and ask them about all the possible consequences.

I just don't even know what to do with myself anymore.

Good night.

The Reveal

We found out something very interesting this morning when we called the National Pension Office to discuss the legality of a hagwon not paying into the scheme.  When they ran our Alien Registration Numbers they found that we are listed as "self employed" (as in, free agents who came to Korea [not under contract] looking for work on our own).  We read them our contract and they agreed that Yoon's has mis-registered us.  They did this to skirt around tax, health care and pension laws.  So, before we can go and apply for our pension refunds (meaning we and the school will have to pay back pension that we will get back in 6-8 weeks) we have to go to the tax office and change our status to "worker."

Our meeting with Montana this morning was terribly anticlimactic.  It's not that I wanted a fight, Montana went from "You've made a big mistake" (on the phone with Ian last night) to "Do whatever you need to, it's your choice," (the gist of his input during today's meeting) in a real hurry.  I don't think he was prepared for us to have found out about the school's shady fraud situation.

Julia did not show up for our meeting.  Ian tried to call her today and she refused to talk to him, stating that her English is not good enough and that she'd have a "recruiter" call back.  Sure enough, ten minutes later a girl from ESL Park called.  She tried to convince us that pension was a contract issue and that it isn't mandatory.  When it was obvious that we weren't convinced, Ian told her that she wasn't privy to our plans and hung up.

In discussing this new circle of hell with fellow teachers, I've discovered that the school has been stealing the money that it claimed was going to pay for health care from us (15,000 won a month each).  We have no health insurance cards and David/ Julia accompanied us to the hospital the three times we had to go.  That adds up to roughly $220 and I want it back.

I'm really tempted to open the blog early, but I worry about libel laws and our last paychecks.

The last few entries will be suggestions and warnings regarding Yoon's and working in Korea in general.  Here is a draft of the "blacklist letter" that I've been posting on several different ESL sites:

-Yoon's English Forest (영어 숲 ) has three campuses in Jecheon-si (Haso-dong, Sinback-dong and Goam/Jangnak-dong)
-The director's English name is Julia Lee and her Korean name is Park Eun-hee
-The corporate website is yoons.com (there is no website for the hagwons as of right now) and the phone number is 010.651.0580

From the start, the school was difficult to work for. I chalked my feelings up to cultural difference, kept my head down, worked hard and pushed through. I should have listened to my gut. 10.5 months in, I'm regretting ever getting on a plane and coming to this country. I work for this company with my husband, Ian.

Our director threatened to terminate our employment starting when we were 8 months into our contracts. It took us very much by surprise. We had had our differences, but we had always worked hard and found common ground in the past. It all reached it's peak then when they gave us a letter stating that we would be terminated if our "performance" did not improve in two weeks time. While this warning came as a shock to us (we had had a couple rough meetings with our director before then in which she was unhappy with one or two small things, but the overall feeling was that we were doing well), we took it very seriously and worked very hard (putting in extra hours and showing a lot of submission to our director) to show that we were serious about keeping our jobs.

Two weeks later, in a meeting to discuss whether we would, in fact, be terminated, our director told us that we seemed to be "doing our best" and that if we kept that up, everything should be fine.

Then, two weeks before the end of our third term with this hagwon our director made some changes to our schedules, switching the campuses that we worked at and such, and told us that if enrollment didn't improve in two weeks that we would be terminated (this time with no letter). Again, two weeks later our director told us that if we kept up the good work that our jobs were not in jeopardy (she seemed happy with our performance at this point and said that the "switch" was a very good idea).

Then, two weeks into the term, she called another meeting. She stated that she was very unhappy with our performance and said that our teaching skills were not up to par with what she had hoped for. The meeting ended with nothing concrete being said about our employment. The next week our director failed to show up to our meeting. Instead, it was conducted by our translator/supervisor. He told us that the company had decided to let us go and gave us a letter listing the reasons (which included ludicrous claims of inappropriate language and behavior in the classroom and poor class preparation [we have folders and folders of lesson plans, activities and worksheets to prove otherwise]). We have little room for legal action because they gave us four weeks notice (meaning we'd have to wait until we were no longer employed and housed to make a claim).

Additionally, we found out this morning that Yoon's registered us as "self employed" to skirt around tax, health care and pension laws. As we are American citizens living as "workers" (not self employed free agents as Yoon's falsely told the government) we are required to pay 4.5% of our income into pension with the school paying a matching 4.5%. Then, when we are leaving the country, we can apply for a full refund as per the agreement the US made with Korea in 1993. They have also used this illegal loophole to fly under the radar with National Health Insurance (which they have also not been paying or providing). Our hagwon has tried to convince us that their (and our) payments into this are optional. They are not. We will be going to the tax office, changing our status then taking the appropriate steps (including paying our back pension) to hold Yoon's responsible for this indiscretion.

Less shady and illegal, but still important things to know about this hagwon are:

-The school is incredibly unorganized and has no foundational curriculum to speak of. It (and the schedule) change upon the whim of the director.
-The school employs CCTV and regularly forces teachers to watch hours of themselves teaching and write down any mistakes or flaws and report them to the director
-There is no meal provided to foreign workers or time specifically allotted for consuming one's own, making for days in which one cannot eat for 7 hours
-There is no transport or stipend provided (while its common to make one's own transport, make sure you're living within walking distance to the campus or that the school provides a bus/van [as Jecheon GnB does])
-The director is known for her contradictory behavior. She will be happy with you one week and sit you in a two hour meeting discussing your faults the next.

Please, do your research. There are plenty of great schools and great people in Jecheon. Just DO NOT work for Yoon's.

Good night!

A New Low

I asked Montana for the pension paperwork right as I was leaving work tonight.  He said that he didn't have it because Julia hadn't been into the office today.  Then he asked a question (which I don't remember) to clarify and he referred to it as "taxes."  I corrected him and told him that our pension and taxes are two separate things.  He said he didn't know what our contracts say, to which I replied that it had nothing to do with our contracts, that it is the law (we must pay 4.5% into it and the company must match 4.5%).  He again stated that he didn't know anything about foreign contracts, and I repeated myself.  Then we said our goodbyes and I left for home.

I tried to call Ian to tell him that we may have a problem, but the line was busy.  A few minutes later he called me, telling me that he had just received an angry phone call from Montana.  He had called Ian after I left to clarify this whole taxes versus pension situation.  When Ian told him that we and the company must pay our 4.5% halves, things started to get ugly.  Montana wasn't having it and when Ian asserted that it is the law, Montana said that Ian was threatening to shut down the company.  Of course, Ian stated clearly that he did not say that or even imply it, but Montana was adamant.  He told Ian that we'd have a meeting (including Julia) tomorrow at noon to "figure this out."  He basically closed the phone call by telling Ian he'd made a big mistake.  Remember, Korean libel laws are archaic and extremely harsh.

So, I met Ian at the Sinback campus where we printed out the English information regarding pension from a site for expats and directly from the National Pension Scheme's website.  We did the math and figured out that our "taxes" taken out of our paycheck don't add up to 4.5%, which means that we most likely haven't been paying into the plan and neither has Yoon's.  As we were walking home, Ian decided to call Montana back, hoping to end things on a lighter note.  Montana insisted on referring to our pension as "taxes" and stated that pension was "not a must."  The US has an agreement with Korea (France, Germany, Canada and Hungary have the same kind of agreement and other countries have different stipulations) and it is legally required for both parties to pay the tax.  While it's our fault for never having run the math before, Yoon's was in charge of any and all deductions from our paychecks.  If it hasn't been paid by either of us, I'm not sure there's anything we can do.  If that's the case, we've lost another $2,500.

This nightmare just won't end.  I miss my country.  At least I understand its flawed labor laws.

Can someone tell me the feasibility of taking legal action from the US against a foreign company?  I'm going insane here, I need options.

So tomorrow we will have a meeting at noon with two people who want nothing more than to screw us over in every way.  It'll be our first face to face with Julia since she canned us.

Good night.

Trip Planning

Planning for a vacation is equal parts stressful and fun.  In the guide that I'm putting together (so that we can plan our days as we go without being tied to a computer) I've made it as far as Prague, the fourth city out of our nine (not including the night we'll spend in Bangkok).  It's incredibly tedious, but I'm so looking forward to getting out of here and leaving this job behind.

I asked Montana for a copy of Yoon's pension records in regards to our paychecks.  He said that he had spoken to Julia and that he'd give me the paperwork tomorrow.  We shall see.

Two of my classes were really rowdy and obnoxious today.  I try to give them the benefit of the doubt, they are just kids after all, but the students at the Goam campus are so spoiled and bratty it's just unforgivable.  They're rude, packed full of self righteous expectations and to them, as we're foreigners, we are the help and nothing more.  I have less patience, tolerance and energy with each passing day.

I just hope I can make it another two weeks without cracking.

Good night!

Death and Taxes

The former is what we wish for Yoon's, the latter being the latest matter of interest in our downward spiral with them.

Before we left work tonight, we quickly asked Montana what he had found out about our pension.  To remind you, we get reimbursed for the Korean pension we pay here because the US and Korean governments have an agreement.  So, we just wanted to make sure that Yoon's had been paying their half and that there wasn't anything else that we needed to know before filing for our reimbursement.  But, when we asked Montana if he had any information for us he said that he had talked to Julia and she said that there was nothing we could do, that because we're leaving Korea we will not be able to get our money back.

We told Montana very firmly that this is not true.  Then we clarified that Yoon's had been paying their part and Montana insisted they had.  So, we're going to the file the paperwork as soon as possible.  We won't be able to get any money back until our last paycheck is issued (because that's when our last payment will go to the National Pension Scheme), but we want to make sure everything is good to go before we leave.  Click here for Korea4Expats' explanation of the pension scheme.

Replacements

Thursday is very rough and I am exhausted.  It's my longest day, as the first class starts at 2 and the last ends at 8:40.  I have a couple of breaks, which I used to work on our guide for our summer trip.  It's going to be a big packet and when all is said and done I'll have probably put over 20 hours into it.  I'm excited, though.  I found some vegetarian restaurants in Ho Chi Minh, including a vegan pho restaurant.

Danny and Montana were at the Haso campus with Ian today.  Danny was sitting in on Ian's classes, but Montana didn't really have a purpose there.  Maybe he is required to go wherever Danny goes.  They do live together, after all.  It seems that Danny will be taking over the Haso campus once we're gone.

I'm no expert in Korean law, but as far as I know only native speakers of English (only those holding documents from countries like the USA, UK, Australia, etc) are supposed to be teaching conversational classes.  For a hagwon to be operating legally, there must be an hour of classroom time with a foreigner for every hour of classroom time with a Korean English teacher.  Yoon's system is already a little different than most of the others (with the tapes and everything), so I'm not sure if they are within the lines of the law there or not.  I also know that many places hire Filipino teachers and that seems to be legal.

Danny was born in Korea and his parents relocated to the states when he was very young.  He is a Korean citizen; and though he speaks very little Korean, Yoon's currently has him teaching the grammar classes that are designed for Korean teachers.  I'm not sure whether his citizenship makes him an illegal conversation teacher or not, but I will be looking into it.  I've nothing against Danny, but I'm after anything I can find against Yoon's.

It seems that my replacement might be lined up as well.  I haven't met or seen her, but Yoon's hired a Korean-Canadian named Maria recently.  I think the company has had its fill of white people, since the foreigners they are bringing in are Korean by heritage.

I couldn't be happier to be leaving rigid homogeneity behind.

Good night!

Response

I know that I'm most likely preaching to the converted, here, but I'd like to take a moment to talk specifically about why the reasons listed on our letter of termination are complete and total bull.  So, beware, for below is an organized rant.  I don't blame you if you choose not to participate.

1. Abiding complaints from students and their parents as well as principals for the last 8 months

 I cannot account for the principles, but students complain about everything.  If I gave them a lot of challenging work, they complained.  If we played language games (taboo, pictionary, charades, etc.) they complained to the principals because they thought it was funny to see if we'd get in trouble.  As for the parents, they send their kids to hagwon once a week and expect them to be fluent in one term (3 months).  It's common knowledge that Korean parents will pick up their kids' text book, flip to a random page and ask their kid to translate/answer/explain.  If they cannot do it perfectly in English, the parent calls the hagwon.

     2.  Caused serious financial damage to school management as well as lowering school's reputation by losing students

 Personally, I think that opening four campuses in a small town of 140,000 people within your first year of business is financially ridiculous.  There are many established hagwons in Jecheon, it would have been smarter to open one campus, build a rapport with the city and move from there.  Oh, and as for a reputation, it's the hagwon division of Yoon's first year of business, so there was no reputation to "lower."

     3.  Poor class preperation

This is a stack of lesson plans from one month of Ian's time at the Goam campus.

This is an average lesson plan of mine for a forty minute class.  Some of them are more interesting than this, but all are at least this thorough.

     4.  Using inappropriate words and behavior in the class

About two months in, Ian and I were told that we weren't to use the word "crazy" or the Korean equivalent "babo" in class.  Since then, neither of us has used it and we've implemented disciplinary measures for students who use it in class.  In fact, Ian made a list of inappropriate ("do not say") words on his board at Goam and I retained it.  Ian has been reprimanded for playing with his students.  He pokes, teases and bops them on the head, riling them up and making them laugh.  For several months, this is how Ian bonded with his students with no one telling him not to.  Last week, when Montana was sitting in on his class, Ian was playing with the students when he used the paper folder to lightly bop them on their heads.  Rebecca, a student that is all around good but routinely whines and needs attention, began to cry.  She told Montana that she had fought with her friend earlier that day, had been hit in the head and it still hurt.  Later that week, at our meeting, Montana flew off the handle at Ian and told him that he could invite lawsuits for "hitting" the students.

     5.  Not using textbook with felicity

I don't even understand this complaint.  We use the textbooks and as for "felicity," we've never complained about them unless they've explicitly asked us for criticism.

     6.  Assignment is not checked up properly

I can only assume that this is referring to homework.  I check the student's homework everyday at the beginning of each class.  Julia even once complimented my thorough grading.  They have hours of CCTV videos of my teaching to prove that.  When Ian first started working for Goam, there was a lot of confusion regarding the essays that were assigned and who (the students see their main teacher and then come for our conversation class) was supposed to assign homework to the younger students.  Every time the question was posed to Julia or any authority figure, a different answer was given.  But, for the last two months Ian has had complete control over his classes, which means that he assigns and checks homework everyday.

     7.  Teaching method is not as developed as expected

There's really no way to argue this.  Maybe we're not good teachers.  Maybe we're not what Yoon's wants.  But, the time to fire us for that was months ago.

     8.  School management can't find any possibility any of the above situation would be corrected

Right, because finding a solution would mean paying us our severance.

Our notice of dismissal is illegal on two counts.  A) It is not signed or dated by both parties.  B) It lists a time of less than 30 days.  This could mean that we're due another 30 days wages.  So, we're gathering information.  We asked for the day off tomorrow (and got it), so we'll be getting our ducks in a row.

Good night!

Worst Case Scenario

"What's the worst that could happen?"  That's the question you ask yourself each and every time you stand at a juncture, deciding whether or not to take a risk.

Ian and I were no exception when we were looking at jobs in Korea.  We were fully aware (or, at least, as aware as we could have been) of the potential problems and deceptions of taking work as a foreigner in Korea.  But, we came anyway.  With that in mind, we are trying to move forward (up and out) during this time of crisis.

This morning we arrived for our scheduled meeting at Goam.  Only Montana was here.  We talked to him casually for a few minutes and then he instructed us to wait in his office while he sent a fax.  A few minutes later he came in and told us that apparently Julia wasn't going to come.  Then, he bluntly but professionally told us that, "The company has decided to let you go."  Ian and I didn't react.  We just stared at him, so Montana repeated himself, said he was sorry, but "that's business."  We walked out of his office and he gave us our official letters (which, still unsigned and undated by anyone are not legal):

OBJECT: TERMINATION OF YOUR EMPLOYMENT

Casey Whitlatch

We regret to inform you that your employment with Yoon's English School in Jecheon is terminated effective in four(4) weeks from receipt of this letter for the following reasons:

1. Abiding complaints from students and their parents as well as principals for the last 8 months
2. Caused serious financial damage to school management as well as lowering school's reputation by losing students
3. Poor class preparation
4. Using inappropriate words and behavior in the class
5. Not using textbook with felicity
6. Assignment is not checked up properly
7. Teaching method is not effectively developed as expected
8. School management can't find any possibility any of the above situation would be corrected

Please vacate the premises with your personal possessions within four(4) weeks.  We will forward your salary to date in due course or pay at your leave only if both you and Yoon's English School agree.

Please contact the management if you need explanation for these items and the school management also will arrange with you for the return and maintenance of any company property including housing.  If school management finds any maintenance issue including cleanliness, the cost will be deducted from your last payroll.

Sincerely,

Yoon's English School

56-1 Haso-dong

Jecheon-si, Choongbuk-do, Korea

The good news is we have the day off tomorrow.  We'll be heading to the labor offices in Chunju.  Stay tuned for a post responding to our outlined deficiencies.

Something

There's a strange feeling in the air at Yoon's.  Everyone (all the teachers, that is) can feel that something is happening.  Changing.  Maybe.  No one is really sure.

The "secretary" (there's a man who works at the Goam campus fixing computers, making schedules and doing the other odds and ends- my mother would remember him as the man with the shiny suit) told Rahee today that he saw a new schedule and that her and Stephanie's names were missing from it.  In fact, they weren't just missing, there were other names in their place.  But, Julia told Stephanie today that if she wanted to work another thirty day cycle that Rahee needed to work, too.  Somehow, they're contracts are contingent on each other's.  Neither Rahee nor Stephanie have any idea why.

I talked to Rahee for about a half an hour today.  She was told that someone would be sitting in on her classes today.  She couldn't remember the girl's name, only that she was Korean-Canadian.  But, when I walked by her class, no one unusual was there, just her students.  I wonder for what position this person is being hired.  Terry (Julia's son) is also back in Korea for summer break, so they'll probably find a position for him here, too.  The amount of excess baggage at this company is unbelievable.

Rahee's mother, who is a "home teacher" for Yoon's, has been ill recently, so she has been unable to take on her normal load of students.  David, Julia's husband and the real owner of Yoon's, has been pushing her to take a larger load.  Her mom has worked for Yoon's for six years, but she's seriously considered quitting.  She told Rahee that she may even leave before Rahee is finished.

Julia and her children lived in Australia for four years.  During that time, David was running the Jecheon Yoon's franchise.  Julia and her youngest (Terry stayed for university and to get out of mandatory military service) came back to Korea and the family went to work expanding their franchise to include hagwons (the Korean word for cram school).  Julia is in charge of the hagwons and David still runs the home-study portion of the business.  It seems that her management style has poisoned that division, too, because they are losing home teachers left and right according to Rahee via her mother.

I'm very nervous about our meeting tomorrow, but I'm ready for it.  I hope that the idea of firing us or "shortening our contracts" doesn't even come up, but if it does Ian and I are armed to the teeth with information.  My guess is that they do not expect us to know the laws.  They expect us to take everything they say as gospel and, in the beginning, that's what happened.  Julia and David think we're stupid and they treat us like children.  Because Korean workers rarely act on their own volition, they will be surprised if they end up  confronted with our appeal to the Labor Board.

I'm trying to find information on the web about Wonderland Jecheon (the hagwon that Julia worked at before Yoon's), but I'm not having any luck.

Delay

Ian and I got up this morning and went to the gym as usual.  Luckily, Ian happened to check my phone when we got back because Montana had called and texted to say that the meeting was moved to Wednesday.

I'm not sure what signal to take from that.  Is she delaying the inevitable?  Julia did tell Rahee that she avoided dealing with her because she found it stressful.  Or is the meeting much less weighty than we're imagining it to be?    I don't want to wait any longer.  I just want to know so that I have a clearer picture of my future.

Rahee is seriously considering quitting.  Julia is trying to push her out.  Rahee is going to wait and see if Stephanie leaves (another teacher who told Julia she wanted to quit about a month ago, but agreed to stay for another thirty days).  If I understood her correctly, Rahee will leave if Stephanie does.

I'm fairly certain that this hagwon won't make it past the end of the year, if it makes it that far at all.  This hagwon has been shady from the beginning (if you'll remember, they didn't properly put our information through with immigration until we'd been here for three months).  I can't wait to open this blog and write about the abusive practices here.  I really don't want anyone else to come in as blindly as we did; which is why the very last post on this blog will be a guide to getting good work in Korea and making the most of your experience.

The good news is that my students have been especially wacky and energetic today.  It's tough to resist that sort of pick me up.


On a side note, Laurie at the Itty Bitty Kitty Committee has begun her fund raising for the Pierce County Humane Society's Dog-A-Thon Fundraiser.  All donations made through her group go directly to help the cats and kittens at the shelter.  Last year, she and her group raised $23,000 and helped build an entire new wing in the cat area.  This year her goal is $40, 000.  I gave last year and I will again.  If you're feeling generous, please visit her blog and follow the links to give.  To learn more about the Dog-A-Thon, go here.


Good night!

Runners' High

Nothing looks quite as bad after a good run.

Even if I'm in a terrible mood, a good run turns it 180 degrees.  But, today I was already in a good mood, so our trip to the park just made it even better.

Ben and Amy met us at our apartment at 5 o'clock and we all walked to the park that's just a few blocks away.  It was pretty packed today, lots of kids and parents and also many elderly folks getting some fresh air.  It used to make me nervous to have such an audience, but I've gained a lot of confidence in my running, so it doesn't bother me anymore.  And most of the little kids that run after you are more cute than obnoxious, so it just makes the run more interesting.  A treadmill can be very mind numbing.

We guess that it's roughly 6 laps to a mile (the track is about 3/4 the size of your average school track, we think).  I easily ran 18 laps, pushing it to a sprint for the last one.  But, Ben is hands down the fastest runner out of all of us.  We're no competition for him; he ran 21 in the time that it took me to run 17 of mine.

We decided to make this a weekly event.  Every Sunday (unless it's pouring) we'll head over to the little track and put on a waegookin (foreigner) show for all the people there.  I'm really excited it.

I am not, however, excited for tomorrow's meeting.  We know our rights and options.  If Julia fires us outright or threatens to without putting down a four to six week time line, we will take action.  The tricky part will be not losing our cool and not "threatening" her by telling her that we're prepared to go to the Labor Board.  We actually emailed the Ministry of Labor today.  We didn't name our hagwon or Julia, since we're just hoping to get some advice.

Here's hoping it turns out we don't need it.  Good night!

Rights

Here's an update in case you find yourself wondering.

Ian and I did a little research this morning about our rights in case we get fired on Monday.  Here are a couple of points of interest from the more experienced folks on the Dave's ESL Cafe forums:

• The written warning we received a few months ago is null and void because no one signed and dated it.
• Because of this, if we are terminated on Monday it is as if we were never given warning.  Therefore, we are (supposedly) entitled to a percentage (83%, since that's the amount of our contract we've completed) of our severance pay and airfare or equivalent payment.  This goes against what it states in our contract, so I am a little confused.
• This money would be owed to us on the day of termination.
• Also, because we would be fired "without notice" we would be owed one months pay for lost income, but I don't really know how this works. 
• If we do file a report with the Labor Board, it will take 14 days for anything to happen.  But, after that it seems (by most accounts) that things would turn out in our favor.

I emailed Asia to see if she had any information that could help us.  This is all very confusing and overwhelming, but we're not going to take it laying down.  A few people on the forums reported similar incidents (which is where we got this info) and most people agreed that they were being hosed by their hagwons.  If necessary, we will go to the Labor Board and the US Embassy.

As we learn more, I'll keep you posted.