A Few Stories of Mistreated English Teachers

SOMEONE WHO STAYED IN KOREA FOR SIX YEARS WAS CHEATED OUT OF 3 MILLION BY ONE HAGWON. THEY UNDERSTOOD THE MONEY WAS GOING TO THEIR PENSION BUT AFTER GOING HOME TO THEIR COUNTRY,NEVER RECEIVED IT. AFTER COMING BACK TO KOREA THEY WENT TO A GOVERNMENT OFFICE TO ASK ABOUT IT. THEY SAID THIS PERSON'S NAME HAD NEVER BEEN REGISTERED WITH THEM, THEREFORE THERE WAS NO PENSION AND NO REFUND COMING. THE HAGWON WAS CLOSED SO THERE WAS NO WAY TO TALK TO THEM ABOUT IT.  

SEEMS LIKE EVERY TEACHER I MEET HAS A STORY TO TELL. A FEW MONTHS AGO I MET TWO YOUNG FEMALE TEACHERS WHO HAD FINISHED A YEAR AT A HAGWON THEY SAID WAS BAD. THEY SAID IT HAD BEEN HARD ON THEM BUT THEY DIDN'T REALLY EXPLAIN WHY OTHER THAN SAYING THE PEOPLE RUNNING THE PLACE WERE TOO HARD TO WORK FOR. ONE THING THEY TOLD ME I DO REMEMBER: THEY SAID ONE TEACHER HAD WORKED FOR EIGHT MONTHS AND WANTED TO LEAVE TO GO TO A FAMILY REUNION. THEY GAVE ONE MONTH'S NOTICE BUT THE HAGWON SAID THEY SHOULD'VE GIVEN TWO MONTHS SO KEPT ONE MONTH'S SALARY. THE TWO TEACHERS TOLD ME THAT THIS TEACHER WENT HOME WITH A BAD OPINION OF KOREANS.  

I MET SOMEONE ON THE TRAIN NEAR DAEJON ABOUT A YEAR AGO WHO TOLD ME THEY HAD RECENTLY QUIT THEIR HAGWON. THEY SAID SIX TEACHERS QUIT IN ONE DAY. THERE WERE DIFFERENT PROBLEMS BUT ONE THING I REMEMBER IS THIS: THIS TEACHER SAID THAT ONCE WHEN A NEW SCHEDULE WAS MADE THEY SAW THAT THEY WERE TEACHING 45 HOURS A WEEK EVEN THOUGH THE CONTRACT SAID 30.WHEN THEY TALKED TO THE BOSS ABOUT IT, THE BOSS SAID TO "BE A TEAMPLAYER." 

ONE TEACHER FEATURED ABOVE UNFORTUNATELY ALSO HAD A PROBLEM AT ANOTHER WORKPLACE THEY ASKED ME NOT TO GIVE THE NAME OF. DURING SUMMER OR WINTER THE TEACHERS WERE TOLD TO TEACH AT A CAMP AND THAT THEY'D GET THE SALARY FROM CAMP IN ADDITION TO THEIR OWN SALARY. AFTER CAMP THEY GOT PAID FOR IT AND WENT BACK TO WORK. THEN A SUPERIOR SOMEHOW LET THEM KNOW THEY WOULDN'T GET THEIR REGULAR PAY. A GROUP OF THEM WENT TO COURT. THEY HIRED ONE KOREAN LAWYER TO REPRESENT THEM. IN THE END THE JUDGE TOOK THEIR EMPLOYER'S SIDE.