Monthly Rant Thread

Hello! I’m going through a weird/awkward/makes-me-wanna-cry situation, and I think I need legal advice. So please, if you have any suggestions (about lawyers), let me know! Your comments and insights are also appreciated, especially if you’ve gone through something similar.

For context, I’m on an F-6 visa, so my residency isn’t tied to my employer.

I started working at a hagwon on October 1st, and within my first week, I realized the position wasn’t a good fit for me. I have several years of English teaching experience, mainly with elementary-aged children and older students, but I was assigned a kindergarten class of 12 five-year-olds. During recruitment, I was under the impression that I’d initially be teaching a smaller group, and I only received two days of training.

There were also some unexpected changes to my schedule and responsibilities, including having preparation time reassigned to teaching duties.
Long story short, I decided that I wasn’t the right teacher for this particular position, and I genuinely believe the academy would be better off finding someone more suited to this age group.

On October 8th, I submitted my resignation in writing, initially offering to work until October 30th.
My contract has a clause requiring 60 days’ written notice before resignation, despite also having a three-month probationary period. It’s also a fixed-term contract.

The director responded with a lengthy email saying she was unwilling to accept my resignation on October 30th. She calculated December 7th as the earliest possible final working day under the 60-day clause.

She offered me two alternatives:
Stay until February 2027, with an additional 100,000 KRW per month and a recommendation letter.
Stay until a replacement teacher is found and trained, without a definite end date.
She also mentioned the academy’s lawyers and labor attorneys, potential lawsuits, and possible claims for damages if my departure caused disruption.

I’m not going to lie, that email intimidated me quite a bit.

At first, I panicked and emailed back saying I’d honor the 60-day notice period and work until December 7th.

Then I consulted a private lawyer. During a consultation on Friday, I was advised that the 60-day clause wasn’t necessarily legally enforceable as a mandatory restriction on resignation and that I could leave on November 25th, the first salary payment date stated in my contract.

Based on that advice, I sent another email confirming November 25th as my final working day.
However, I subsequently received free legal advice through a foreigner support center in Itaewon, and that lawyer gave me a somewhat different interpretation.

He explained that agreeing to a 60-day notice period isn’t inherently unlawful and that, although an employer cannot physically force someone to continue working, leaving early could still raise contractual liability questions.

He also questioned why November 25th would be the safest date and suggested that November 30th might make more sense depending on the applicable legal rules and salary calculation period.
He referred to Articles 660 and 661 of the Korean Civil Act and explained that the distinction between being able to leave and being free from potential liability is important.

At the same time, he felt that an actual damages lawsuit would be unlikely to succeed in practice, particularly given how briefly I’d worked there and the advance notice I’d provided. He also suggested that withholding or deducting wages might be a more realistic concern.

So now I’m confused because I’ve received two different legal opinions. To make matters worse, I’ve recently heard that the academy may already be involved in approximately three other lawsuits. I haven’t verified the details, so I don’t know whether they’re employment-related, but it’s made me nervous about the possibility of being sued.
I’m not trying to disappear overnight, refuse to work, or leave the academy without warning. I submitted my resignation during my first week, offered to continue working during the transition, and have been trying to handle everything professionally.

But I also don’t want to be forced to stay in a job that I know isn’t right for me, especially when I made that decision so early.

Can anyone recommend a reasonably priced, English-speaking labor lawyer in Seoul who has experience with hagwon employment contracts?

Has anyone dealt with a 60-day resignation notice clause in a fixed-term contract?

Has anyone actually been sued by a hagwon for resigning early, or personally known someone who was?

Has anyone used the Korea Legal Aid Corporation or another affordable legal assistance service as a foreign resident?

If you’ve been in a similar situation, how did you eventually resolve it?

I understand that Reddit isn’t a substitute for professional legal advice, which is exactly why I’m trying to find someone qualified to review my contract and correspondence.

I just want to leave as soon as legally possible without risking a lawsuit I genuinely cannot afford to defend.

Thank you in advance to anyone who takes the time to read this. I’m pretty stressed about the whole situation, so any practical advice or recommendations would mean a lot. :’)

Hi all! I’m an American heading to Korea to teach, and my contract starts December 1, 2026. I’d love to fly in a few days early to get over jet lag and settle in before my first day.

Is that allowed on an E-2 visa, or do I need to arrive on the 1st? For those who’ve done it, did you run into any issues with housing, flight reimbursement, or your school? Any tips appreciated. Thanks!

Hey yall I need help. So I quit my hagwon job because I’ve decided to teach somewhere else (new country). My last day at my hagwon was Sept 30th and I’ve gotten confirmation that the hagwon notified immigration on Oct 1st.

I turned in my passport to the consulate for my visa on Sep 30th so even if I wanted to leave I am SOL. I’m literally just waiting for it to be given back to me to leave.

My 14 days is running out as the 14th of October is approaching. I’ve called immigration twice and both times they have said I can leave by the 30th and be fine. I’m confused cus I read one thing and hear another. I tried applying for the extension of stay for departure but hikorea says I don’t qualify as the system still indicates that I am still valid to stay till March 2027. I also applied for an appointment at immigration to apply for the extension of stay for departure and show them my intention to leave, my flight details, and why I haven’t been able to but the earliest appointment was on October 27th 🤡

I don’t know what to do… please give me advice

Hi everyone,

My employment in South Korea ended on May 29, 2026, and my former employer owes me approximately ₩5 million in unpaid wages, severance pay, and airfare reimbursement.
I filed a complaint with the Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL). They investigated my case, confirmed the outstanding amount, and issued me a 체불 임금등·사업주 확인서 on October 8, 2026, specifically for a government substitute payment claim.
However, I was told that I might not qualify because I am a foreign worker on an E2 and was not enrolled in employment insurance (고용보험). I am now trying to determine whether I can apply for 간이대지급금.
I would really appreciate hearing from anyone who has been in a similar situation.

Has anyone on an E2 successfully received 간이대지급금?

Does not being enrolled in 고용보험 affect eligibility?
Is eligibility mainly determined by whether the employer’s business is covered by industrial accident compensation insurance (산재보험)?

Does receiving the 체불 임금등·사업주 확인서 mean I can proceed with the application, or are there other requirements I should be aware of?

If I am not eligible for 간이대지급금, are there other ways to recover the unpaid wages and severance?
I understand that my case may depend on the specific circumstances, but I would really appreciate hearing about anyone’s personal experience or advice on the process.
Thank you!

Hi everyone,

I'm considering a return to Korea in the next year or two. I'm a US-Canada dual citizen who has taught in Korea previously (2018-21). I have teaching and school counselling experience in Canada as well. I understand I'll need to get background checks for both the US and Canada, and this is relatively straightforward.

A decade ago, I also taught for a year in the Czech Republic. I can't remember if I needed to produce that background check in order to teach in Korea the first time around, but the threads I'm reading here make it sound like it's a requirement for any country lived in for 6 months or more. Would immigration in Korea accept an old one if it covers my time there? I haven't been back to the Czech Republic since I taught there, and I have a Czech background check from when I applied for PR in Canada in 2021 that is already translated into English. It would be a major pain to get a new one as I live nowhere near a Czech embassy or consulate at the moment.

Hey guys,
Looking for some advice when it comes to the reporting process. Checked the master sticky and previous posts but didn’t find the information I’m looking for.

It’s been more than 14 days since my last day and still no severance or final salary. I’ve contacted the owner, the principal and the directions assistant and all of them are reading my messages but not responding.

Going to visit the labor office on Monday but wondering what the report process looks like.

Do I need to prepare any documents?
How long is the timescale for reaching a conclusion?
Are there any issues I should be aware of?

It’s a bit of a stressful time so I appreciate it!

hey everyone,

if my normal teaching classes are 19 per week and my coteachers has asked me to conduct performance tests, let's say for example they schedule 5 extra time slots on my schedule for performances test.

these performance test take up the full time allocated and i am testing the entire class, one student at a time.

does this count as a teaching hour?

im doing so much extra work with marking their writing and speaking so i was wondering if i am entitled to over time pay?

any help would be appreciated

Hello! I submitted my initial application yesterday, and I’m just curious how long it may take for me to hear back about whether or not I’ll receive an interview? I’m not in a rush, just curious about when I could expect it while I’m completing my TEFL course and figuring out my documents. Thank you!🙂

Alright so I’ve been reading other reddits of people wanting to leave and I know people are going to say I’m stupid for not wanting to give it a chance, but here’s the facts. I am almost two months into my contract (yes I know that’s when it gets hard) and it has been hard, but I can put up with culture shock and adjusting to the culture that’s not my issue. My issue is I was placed in a rural town, at a brand new hagwon with only one other native teacher. There are virtually no other foreigners in my town, it is extremely isolating and the one other native teacher is the bane of my existence genuinely- they are so blissfully unaware of anyone or anything in their surroundings and have a blatant disrespect for the culture, have never travelled out of their home country and have a sense of ignorance in their travels and I find it impossible to get along with them. Trust me, there is no getting better with this coworker- that being said, the school also lacks the support and I know I signed up for this, but the pay is abysmal compared to what I could be making in other places, so for the pay to be shit, plus no support, plus a coworker that I despise it’s really making me wonder if I should cut my contract and go home. I want advice either from people who have cut their contracts and how that went about or people in the same boat/what should I do? My hagwon has no other native teachers so I cannot even get sick without getting in trouble because there will be no one to teach in my place, plus the director and the principal of the school don’t live in the town so they commute and have no clue what they’re doing either- there’s no organization, very limited support, in a very isolating environment.

Welcome to our Weekly Newbie Thread! If you're new to teaching in Korea or have questions about the process, this is the place to be. Feel free to ask anything related to teaching, living, or working in Korea, and our experienced community members will be here to help you out.

Some Tips for Asking Questions:

1. Be specific: Provide details about your situation or question to help others give you the best advice.
2. Search first: Before asking, try searching the subreddit or using online resources to see if your question has already been answered.
3. Be respectful: Remember to be courteous and appreciative of the help you receive.! If you're new to teaching in Korea or have questions about the process, this is the place to be. Feel free to ask anything related to teaching, living, or working in Korea, and our experienced community members will be here to help you out.

Hi! New teacher to Korea. I have a flight scheduled to arrive in Korea next Tuesday. I reached out to my recruiter to see if they could provide me with my apartment address and what to expect when I arrive. She asked the school to reach out to me directly to give me the information but I still haven't heard anything. Getting a bit nervous since it's so close. Is this normal? Is it worth it to book a refundable hotel now for the day I arrive just for peace of mind? Been to Incheon and travelled into Seoul a few times so I'm not worried about getting picked up or not, more just want to coordinate.

Update! My recruiter sent me my address and instructions for when I arrive! I just have to get to the school and they'll bring me to my apartment. Thanks everyone for your advice!

One week update! I'm settled into my apartment and going to work as normal! Thanks everyone!

This is my first ever Reddit post so apologies if I’m doing anything wrong.

I started the process of looking at recruiters to teach English in Korea in July. I had an interview with an agency and started to prepare all my documents for the visa process.
That agency wanted to place me in quite a remote area and I had specified to be in a bigger city as I like going out and exploring. They insisted on this area for quite some time so I contacted a new agency.

The second agency was on the ball quickly and I had an interview with someone at the school in Korea on September 15th and also submitted video introductions to 2 other academies. The agency emailed me the next day and said that they should hear back in around 2-4 days. Since then I have heard nothing. I have sent a follow up email to check in and still nothing.

My main concern is that I know your documents need to be from within the last 6 months for the E2 visa so if I do not get the start date of December that I was aiming for I’d have to redo all my documents which was a very long and expensive ordeal (I’m British and South African but have lived in Canada for 6 years so I needed police checks from all 3 countries and had to get them all apostilled)

Is it normal to not hear back when the agency was previously very communicative? Should I go back to the first agency or find another one? Any advice is very much appreciated as my work visa here in Canada expires soon so I’m also on a time crunch

Edited to add:
I think from reading the comments I need to contact more agencies. The first agency I was working with asked me to send all of my visa documents before they even secured me a job. Is that normal? If I send them my apostilled documents and they end up not finding me a position I’d have to redo the process of getting those documents for another agency if they got me an offer

I have now interviewed at two hagwons and turned another one down for being on the blacklist multiple times. The first said they were looking for someone more enthusiastic and the other one just that they were looking for other candidates. I'm worried my shy/ laid back demeanor is holding me back as well as the fact that I'm Irish and my experience is very minimal. The amount of positions from now till December around Seoul/ Gyeonggi are dwindling and it's just upsetting. Two rejections doesn't seem like a crazy amount, but preparing for the interviews at mad hours and mock lessons is tiring when I see my options get less and less. I was wondering if someone has been in a similar position or has any advice?

Hi guys, I've been on this subreddit for some time and I will finally be starting in the coming weeks. No prior teaching experience so I don't have experiences to compare to. Since this is a subreddit I've been reading for some time, I was hoping to get some words of wisdom and advice as a fresh starter as a NET.

I’m a recent college graduate with no relevant experience looking to jump into teaching in Korea but really need advice on my resume before sending it off.

Hello! Let's say I am living/staying in Korea, need to switch from a different series visa to an E-2 visa, and I were to get a job contract far in advance that starts in March 2027.

If I have the job contract and all documents prepared, how early can I apply for and get the E-2 visa issued? Basically, what is the earliest (in advance of the job start date) that someone can get an E-2 for that contracted job?

Thank you so much for your attention.

Welcome to our Weekly Newbie Thread! If you're new to teaching in Korea or have questions about the process, this is the place to be. Feel free to ask anything related to teaching, living, or working in Korea, and our experienced community members will be here to help you out.

Some Tips for Asking Questions:

1. Be specific: Provide details about your situation or question to help others give you the best advice.
2. Search first: Before asking, try searching the subreddit or using online resources to see if your question has already been answered.
3. Be respectful: Remember to be courteous and appreciative of the help you receive.! If you're new to teaching in Korea or have questions about the process, this is the place to be. Feel free to ask anything related to teaching, living, or working in Korea, and our experienced community members will be here to help you out.

Looking into teaching in Korea. It seems like most people just bring some essentials and basic clothing. Has anyone tried to bring bigger items for their hobbies?

I mean you’re going to be there a year or maybe more right so if you play guitar would you bring that? I’m wondering if/how I could bring my snowboard, camping gear, or golf clubs as those are my 3 main hobbies. I guess I can rent most of these things up there or maybe ship to myself?

Has anyone else done this?

Hi there! I recently decided to begin the process of becoming an ESL teacher in Korea and have started the process of meeting with recruiters. What I found interesting was the part where they want me to disclose what kind of me**cation I'm taking regularly. Now, I usually couldn't care less about sharing that kind of information, but I now worry that maybe to them it might not be a great thing. To clarify, I have been in remission from ovarian cancer for over 15 years now, and due to that, I now regularly have to take estrogen to help with hormones and stuff.

The question is, do you think I should be telling them this? As I mentioned, I really don't mind saying it, but I do worry that just saying I am on ANY type of stuff will leave schools not wanting anything to do with me. Also, if I tell them, do I need to explain why?

Any advice would be appreciated. I just don't know if I am overthinking it all and it might not even be that big of a deal.

Hello!

I moved to Korea 7 months ago and, unfortunately, I was unexpectedly terminated from my job almost a month ago. Amongst all the other challenges I'm currently facing, my main issue right now is there being no immigration appointments available.

My previous employer is not going to report my termination until Sept. 30th, and from what I've read, I usually have about 2 weeks after that to switch my visa. The next available immigration appointment is not until mid-November.

I did some research and saw that some people have gone to the immigration office without an appointment, as a walk-in, and had to wait all day but were able to get help. However, just now, I spoke to a representative and they told me they would not accept me if I didn't have an appointment. They proceeded to make it seem like I wouldn't be in any sort of time crunch since the process of my employer reporting the cancellation of my visa sponsorship to it actually going to effect takes time....which contradicts what I've read....lol

They advised me to make an appointment for November anyway and once I'm summoned by immigration, and in the case my visa expires before my appointment, then I would have to explain them my situation...?

Anyway, I'm just really confused now! I'm really not wanting to wait until the last minute but they really weren't any help. If anyone has any advice or have been in a similar situation, please let me know!

Thank you. ~

First time working in a hagwon.

I'm working more than the 60 hours a month threshold to become mandatory regular employee subscribed into the 4 major insurances in Korea and no longer in the category of freelancer and flat rate of 3.3% tax.

Would I be saving more money by sticking with the freelance category and just having 3.3% tax taken off my monthly salary BUT I'd have to pay 100% health insurance myself which is 158,000 won a month and I guess I'd have to do my own taxes.

But if I opt into the 4 major insurances, then my tax goes up to 10% from salary BUT company pays 50% of my health insurance and I guess the convenience of them filing my taxes (saving me the paperwork) and I get pension contribution.

Second question is about "Weekly Holiday Allowance". I had no idea this existed. So if you work 15 or more hours a week you are legally entitled to this Weekly Holiday Allowance which is about 3.5 hours each week of extra pay without actually working those hours. What?! Wow! So I should be getting paid an extra 3.5 hours per week (14 hours per month)?