Leaving South Korea

Quarantine - Well, there was a little snafu with the last article. I uploaded a picture and decided a video would be better...but then the video was removed and placed with the original photo. So, if you were curious about quarantine in South Korea, the video (hopefully) should be above.

Defamation - Now, on to the next part of this article. If you are in South Korea, DO NOT SAY OR POST ANYTHING NEGATIVE. If it includes the company or person's name, you can and will be sued for defamation. Defamation laws in South Korea are no joke. This never happened to me, but there are plenty of horror stories online about people saying things, GOOD or bad, and getting pulled into a police investigation, sued, and deported. Yes, even if what you're saying is positive, that's "defamation." So just try to be generic if you have to say something.

What you really came for - How to leave Korea.

If you come to South Korea and find yourself in a less than ideal situation, there are ways out of it. If you've been in your position for a while and are past the 3 or 6 month "probationary" mark for your contract, you can ask your hagwon for a Letter of Release (LOR). In South Korea, if you don't have an LOR or an active case against your employer with the labor board, you can't switch jobs. If you have a good relationship with your employer, you may or may not get an LOR. Some feel that asking for one or not signing on for another year is a betrayal and will withhold an LOR. Others are just out to make money and they want to punish you for making them recruit a replacement.

The number one, golden rule of South Korea is this: ALWAYS have your phone on you. If you have a voice recording app on your phone, great. If not, get one. Even if you're just leaving your classroom to get copies off the printer, you never know what may happen or who may say what. Have your phone charged and on you at all times. Maybe even make the recording app part of your lock screen or on your home screen. If your employer says something illegal, breach of contract, or otherwise implies that they are punishing you or taking something out on you, not paying you, etc., you can make a complaint with MOEL (Ministry of Education and Labor) and now you have proof to back it up.

However, if you're still in the early days of your contract and something is going wrong, chances are that LOR is a distant dream.

When I came to South Korea, I was excited for my position. I was told all these great things about the job, how progressive the school was and the great support they show for their teachers. There was never a problem with the pay, the apartments were great, and everyone loved to work there.

I think you can already see where I'm going with this. I was hired because I have a teaching degree and experience. In order to sweeten the pot, the director offered me a lot of money for a first time teacher in Korea, which is still not that great by American standards. I was coming for the food, the scenery, the healthcare and social responsibility, not the pay, but pay helps.

Upon coming to my school, things were VERY different. The entire foreign staff had filed a MOEL complaint for fail to pay, the classrooms were crowded, the school had taken away half of the teacher's lunch breaks so someone could watch the students during lunch, there was no prep time, assignments, projects, and even performances were randomly tossed into the curriculum with little or no warning, and classes were added to your schedule...which you had to find out on your own.

In short, it was a disaster and NOT what I signed up for.

I had been there for about a month and had constant talks about portions of my contract - DO NOT sign anything the school gives you. If it isn't part of your original contract, you have no obligation to sign anything. They were also withholding my pay because they wanted me to approve a bunch of charges and fees they wanted to deduct. I refused and asked for bills or receipts for the things they claimed they were trying to charge me for. This went back and forth for nearly a week and I still never got a single bill, itemized list, or my pay.

Once I started asking about the issues with my contract and paycheck, that's when additional harassment set in. Suddenly I was no longer the great teacher I had been publicly praised as only a week or two before. I was also told that I had fabricated my teaching credentials.

The stress, financial situation, and straight up lie about the type of work I would be doing took a toll on me. I ended up getting sick and couldn't even come into work because my stomach was tied in knots, I couldn't eat or sleep, and I was making constant trips to the toilet. I couldn't take it any more and I wouldn't suggest anyone else do so either.

That was when I decided I was going to pull a Midnight Run. I was already out of school sick and I couldn't sleep. Any time I wasn't violently ill, I spent packing. I had expected Korea to become my forever home, so I had bought quite a few things for the apartment and brought most of my worldly possessions. The furniture was a loss - I couldn't return it and I definitely wasn't taking it with me. I packed up all of my clothes that I knew I wore or would wear on a frequent basis - I basically left behind some socks, ties, and a pair of slacks. I also packed my favorite mugs, shoes, and my bedding.

I was leaving with less than I came with, but I had all of the essentials. I booked the next flight out - I actually bought the ticket the night before I was sick, because I felt it coming on and knew at that point I didn't want to stay. This was a Wednesday in Korea. I called in sick on Thursday and Friday was a holiday. My flight wasn't until Friday afternoon and I spent the entire time in my apartment with a dread, sticky feeling in my stomach and flames creeping up the back of my neck.

Friday came and, while there were some issues, I was finally able to call a cab. I changed my cash at the currency exchange after getting something to eat (half a sandwich, still not feeling well) and went to wait for my flight. The next day, I told some of the teachers I was close with that I had left and that was that.

Keep in mind - I was working at a hagwon. As such, I had paid for my ticket into the country, so I had no expenses to repay in order to leave.

Basically, if something is wrong, if you're stressed over your job, or there are massive issues, don't feel bad about leaving. If you were at your job long enough, just make sure to file to get your pension before you leave. Always be skeptical of contracts overseas and don't sign something if you aren't 100% on every aspect. If they get annoyed that you want everything spelled out in writing, then they're not right for you.