KOREA Day 47

Fri, June 12, 2009 at 7:04pm

There has been a disturbance in this force this week. Long story short; my school recently refused to provide me with the Korean National Health Insurance and Korean Pension. Both of which are, according to Korean law, provided to American teachers as part of an agreement between South Korea and the U.S. government. I suspected something was up when I was sick two weeks ago, and the school informed me at the time that my health insurance was not yet completed, so I had to pay extra at the hospital and pharmacy. Since this time, I have voiced my frustration and have been working diligently with my hagwon (Korean private school) to finalize details concerning health insurance. This, unfortunately, led to a series of disagreements about the specific type of coverage that is written in my employment contract versus what is mandated in Korean law.

In spite of the recent misunderstanding, my school continues to be a decent place to work and they treat me well. Please do not read too far into this; I like it here very much. This situation would not be nearly as unsettling if I had not previously familiarized myself with every facet of teaching in Korea, Korean employment guidelines, and popular "deceptive hagwon practices", etc. It's just a part of the experience, and unfortunately, it's common for many hagwons to attempt to save money wherever possible by this type of action.

So, as of Friday, the school has agreed to provide me with Korean National Health Insurance and, I hope we will soon finalize the Korean Pension arrangements. I have spent the better part of this week making many telephone calls and sending mass emails attempting to resolve the matter in a professional manner, and convincing the school that I am correct about the Korean law. This is where communication with other foreign teachers and doing my homework prior to coming to Korea has paid off for me. Strangely, and fortuitously, my horoscope late this week read as follows:

The legal system will work in your favour today! Your efforts on this issue have finally come to fruition today. However, you may find yourself drained of energy even though you have emerged victorious. Recognize that this is a time to be happy and to feel relieved. Your legal matters will begin to be less burdensome for you from this point forward.

Hopefully this assessment proves true. If not, and absolute worst case scenario, I may be left with no other option than to find another teaching job. Luckily, there are several jobs at all times to select from, and currently being located in Korea is helpful so I can schedule in person interviews with prospective schools. I have posted my dilemma on a Korean teacher's website (Dave's ESL Cafe), and have received many responses thus far. The responses vary, but all agree I am correct about both the health insurance and pension, and tell me not to back down from my position. Feel free to check out their comments. My posting is listed under Esparrow1 or "I'm Being Mislead about Health Insurance and Pension."

http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewforum.php?f=3

Other highlights this week include:

Wednesday was pay day! I purchased new sunglasses to replace the two pair I managed to break since arriving in Korea. Bonus; I received a 20% discount from a student who works at the optical shop. I am also considering treating myself to a steak dinner at Marvin's or Outback Steakhouse. Cost is probably around 20-30,000 Won, but I haven't had a good steak since Ohio.

I started my weekly volunteer gig reading to children at the Sanbon Library every Thursday. This week, there were over 30 small children accompanied by their mothers. I read a total of six short children's books in 30 minutes and received a standing ovation when finished. I can honestly say I never expected I would be doing such a thing, in Korea of all places, and without a damn fine reason for my involvement. Still uncertain how and why I am doing this, but the kids and the parents seemed to really enjoy.

I almost went to the Philippines this weekend with Alvin and Tiann. Alvin located cheap round trip airfare to Manila (300,000 Won) and reasonable hotel accommodations, but unfortunately, the flight schedule interfered with Friday night class schedule, and if I left Saturday a.m., I would only be able to spend around 36 hours there. Plus, in order to make class early Monday morning, I would have to take a taxi from the airport to Sanbon instead of the shuttle bus or subway, which adds another 90,000 Won to the cost. Big disappointment, but instead I am making travel preparations for June 26-28, which is a three day weekend.

It's been a long week. I teach Saturday class, but otherwise I am looking forward to a nice, relaxing weekend. Plus, my sleep schedule is still messed up. No matter how hard I try I cannot fall asleep before 2am every night. It sucks.

I really hope to connect with some friends and an elusive parent this weekend via Skype. You know who you are, so please try me when you can. It will be good to talk with each of you.

Love from Korea.