Midnight Run or Letter of Release? How do I get out of a bad school?

Here's the question:

I am looking for advice about E2's. My 2 friends are at a shit korean kindergarten (not hagwon, but a korean school that thought it would be cool to have English teachers but have no idea how things work). things have not worked out and they have agreed to give them release letters. they have been there 4 months and have agreed to pay back the flight here. The school is now telling them they must pay back the recruiter fee too since the recruiter is not agreeing to pay it back himself. as we know this is bullocks!

My questions are 1) can they just do a runner (and pay back the flight by working the last month free) and still get a new E2 for with a new school? or do they have to wait for their year to be up on the original visa? 2) if they get the release letter do they have to go to Japan to get a new E2 or can it just transfer over to their new schools?

thank you in advance.

f

This is one of those stories that everybody reads about on countless sites and blacklists. There are a couple ways to approach such a situation, but each must be done done well and with relative calm and finesse.

This is total advice since there is no proven formula for a painless exit from a bad school.

Technically speaking, your friends "shit kindergarten" has every right to demand repayment of the flight tickets and it's not at all uncommon for them to demand recruiter repayment as well. A lot of schools will dock fifty or so bucks from each paycheck for the first six months as a safety net in case a teacher doesn't work out or decides to pull a midnight run. So unless this school has a deduction system in place, they will try to get that money from them. Since contracts in Korea are not binding in the least, they have very little ground to stand on.

The Runner

You ask if they can do a "runner". Of course, you're referring to the infamous "midnight run" where a disgruntled English teacher bent on sticking it to the man picks up in the middle of the night, catches the red eye and laughs all the way home. I don't recommend this option in most cases (and especially not in public), but in all honesty, your friends are going to lose a lot more if they don't. If they run, then they need to do it sooner than later. Ethics aside, there is no reason to continue showing up to work if they are going to surrender all of their wages to the boss for repayment. They should quietly pack up, store their stuff at a friends place and hop on a cheap flight to Japan. Their absence at school will obviously be noticed and once the school discovers that their apartments have been abandoned (but don't trash it as that presents other problems), they will cancel the visa within a few days. Schools do not want the responsibility of having sponsored teachers MIA and wondering the countryside. That said, it is important to be out of the country by that time and/or be in contact with a new recruiter.

Once the school has cancelled the visa (and their new recruiter will know if it has been done), they can start the process over again, totally new and unknown to the unorganized and unmotivated immigration officials. All they need to have is their documents (diploma, criminal background check, transcripts, health exam...) and be out of the country to get another E2 visa. Some say that a midnight runner must remain out of the country until their previous contract expires, but the contract has little to do with the visa itself and should not be a problem.

I recommend this, but I don't really like it. It'll save your friends a heap of money, but it might screw a fellow teacher. And like always, they might have to deal with some unforeseen song and dance with immigration.

The Release

The release would be the safest option, but it looks like it's going to cost them. Traditionally, they would not have to fly to Japan since E2 sponsorship would simply to transferred, but if their current school is playing hardball and doesn't want to issue the letters until all debts have been repaid, then it would make a smooth transfer difficult.

It's a difficult situation to be in really and one that could be so much easier if their current school was being just a little bit more cooperative with the recruiter fees. Personally, I would get in contact with a recruiter, be honest with them about the situation, take a boat to Japan, save some of that repayment cash and start over at a well-researched and established school. Publicly, I would press for the letter of release as soon as possible and move on with as little hassle as possible.

If anybody has any questions, just send me an email at asktheexpat@yahoo.com or leave a comment

I want to teach in South Korea, BUT I'm worried about North Korea. Any advice?

Here's the (increasingly common) question:

I'm leaving to teach in South Korea in mid-July, but my family is becoming worried about the situation with North Korea and is pretty much demanding me to stay in the US. I really want to go, but I am also getting worried. What should I tell them?

Rachel

I have gotten so many questions about North Korea recently which doesn't really come as much of a surprise considering the recent tests and subsequent tension, but offering advice on this issue is not an easy one.

There's nothing I can tell you that will really calm a concerned family down. There is no key phrase or unknown facts that I can present to you here. Rather, I can only point you to where I get my information, so you can have a better understanding of what's going on. In the end, it is you and only you who can make the decision on whether to come to Korea or not.

Let me start by recommending a few solid resources. As usual, I'll send you to one of my personal favorites, ROKDrop. He has a very solid, clear and realistic grasp on North Korean issues. Being a career military man, he offers more than the posturing pundits and politicians who are way too visible when it comes to something many of them know little about.

While GI Korea over at ROKDrop has his shit together, he doesn't exclusively cover North Korean issues. One Free Korea, on the other hand, does. He has several updates everyday and once you start reading, you know he's been around and knows what he's talking about.

DPRK Studies is another excellent one. The main author has a long relationship with Korea and has spent years observing and studying the inner-workings of North Korean politics, history, security and society. It's a must-read in my opinion.

To get a fuller picture of the entire situation in the North, you must know everything and that's where North Korean Economy Watch steps in. This is an excellent resource for some of the information that you might not see posted on the other three. On top of that, they have been doing some amazing mapping work with Google Earth on North Korea. ROK Drop mentioned that it was featured on The Rachel Maddow Show.

Those four blogs kind of work in conjunction with each other. They all support the other and if you spent a few days reading them, then you would have a much better understanding of what's going on with North Korea.
For a solid news resource, check out Asia Times.
That's the information I can offer, but that doesn't really explain how I feel or how the average Korean feels about the north. Of course, there are fringe groups on both sides that remain vocal. Some are out protesting Kim Jong-il's provocations while others are protesting South Korean policy. That's what you see in the news, however, the average Korean suffers from North Korea Fatigue. That fatigue can manifest itself in a few different ways.

Many Koreans are like this man:

“We sent them food, fertilizer, factories, more than we give our own poor people,” said the South Korean, Lee Soon-hwan, a 30-year-old office worker. “And all they pay us back with is this nuclear test.”

He's like many Koreans who always had hoped that a peaceful reunification could be reached through economic aid and mutual development and while that may still be a very viable option, many are losing patience.

“The nuclear test has made people feel that North Korea has gone too far, and it’s high time for us to be tough on North Korea.”

There is no reason for me to go on and on about what could or should happen with North Korea as the bloggers above are world's more qualified and versed on the subject, but I can say that like many Koreans, seasoned expats have also reached a certain level of complacency. We have become immune to the weekly (and now daily) reports of North Korean discontent and aggression, so concern of an attack or serious emergency has been seriously dwindled.

I have been telling my family about these patterns with North Korea for years now and although they understand how North Korea acts, they still show genuine concern for my safety. That's what a family is supposed to do. So, my advice would be to read up on as much North Korean information as you can for yourself. You will not be able to magically calm your family, but you can calm yourself a bit.

On a side note, there are evacuation plans in the case of such an emergency.

If anybody has any questions, just send me an email at asktheexpat@yahoo.com or leave a comment.

Is it possible to have a DUI and still get an E2 Teaching visa in South Korea?

This week's sitemeter "request":

...On DUI's and E2 Visas

I have been getting a lot of hits about DUI's and whether or not they eliminate a candidate for an E2 visa therefore barring any potential teachers from coming to Korea. I emailed Jason Cresswell at AskNow (the only entry under "The Expat's Trusted Recruiters) and this is what he told me.

"Some immigration offices accept DUI's with a letter of explanation. Lately, our experience has been that Seoul immigration has a no-tolerance policy to anything at all on the background check. Thus, Seoul would be out. However, the Suwon immigration office and some other areas have approved them for us, so [potential teachers] have to be open to areas outside of Seoul."

Not only that, but he added a little more.

"Anything drug or sex-related is a 100% "no" at any office. Other things are subject to individual immigration officers and also very much subject to change. No clear rules available."

There you have it, E2 seekers. As I've said many times, a lot of these immigration rules are either unclear or not enforced uniformly. There are ways to get around some of the rules. It looks like Seoul -the number one teacher destination- has gotten stricter, so if you have a DUI and are really set on coming to Korea, then you've gotta be open to some areas other than Seoul.

If anybody has any questions, just send me an email at asktheexpat@yahoo.com or leave a comment.

English Language Movie Listings for South Korea

Here's the question:

Is there an online ENGLISH resource for movie listings in the Seoul area? I can't read Korean yet and am really tired of going to the theatre, only to find out the movie is sold out.

Kate

I got this question about four minutes ago and can easily answer it because Brian had a post up today that mentions a website that I had never come across before. It's called Korea Movie Times. It's great and even lists most of the smaller city theaters.

Other than that, The Yeogiyo has some pretty good listings, but not as detailed or comprehensive at Korea Movie Times.

If anybody has any questions, just send me an email at asktheexpat@yahoo.com or leave a comment.

Soccer (Football) Games and Clubs in Seoul, South Korea

Here's the question:

I'm moving to Suwon soon and was wondering if there was any teams in the local Seoul leagues who needed players? I'll be living in Suwon but
am used to travelling for at least an hour to play football in Manchester back home, so if there are any teams in the Seoul area I would love to
know.

"Some Dude"

Another sports question, huh? I did cover a little on sports in the Seoul area here, but I didn't mention soccer clubs. There are tons of expat soccer players and a lot of clubs out there. You could take a look at Seoul Saturday Soccer League or Expat-Advisory's list of Korea-based teams, but none of them are as well-organized as the Seoul Sunday Football League. These guys have schedules, tournaments, standings and just about anything else you would want. It's also got a nice forum filled with great information.

Judging by how official looking some of those sites are, I can only assume that they're pretty competitive, so those of you looking for a friendly or casual game might be dissuaded to join. For those of you looking for a more casual pickup game, check out some of these facebook groups. Each one of them are different pickup games....

* Sunday Pickup Games in Seoul
* Monday night games in Seoul
* Tuesday night games in Seoul
* Wednesday night games in Seoul
* Thursday night games in Seoul
* Indoor games

All of the above links and groups are active and play 5-a-side.

I think that should just about cover it for you. There appears to be a pretty dedicate group that goes out there and if, for some reason, you can't join of those teams, I would suggest that you either do as OpenMicah suggested and talk to your school or you could just go out there and see if you can get in on the fun.

If anybody has any questions, just send me an email at asktheexpat@yahoo.com or leave a comment.