Teaching English in Korea The following information is provided by the government publication Teaching English in Korea. Severance Pay for English Teachers Teach English Abroad Online TEFL course. - £195/$295 Severence Pay

Canadian government offices in Korea receive many questions and complaints about severance pay (taechikum) issues. It is important to make sure that your contract contains a clear statement about severance pay, even if your employer is reluctant. By Korean law, discussed below, all full-time instructors (if you have an employment visa, you are considered full-time), whether Korean or foreign, are entitled to receive severance pay of one month's salary for each year of employment. Employers cannot ask you to waive this right, nor can they evade it by employing you on an 11-month contract.

The Ministry of Labour has jurisdiction over matters of severance pay. You can reach the Severance Pay Division at 82 (2) 503-9727; the general number for the Ministry of Labour is 82 (2) 500-5544. The Ministry of Labour or the Ministry of Education may, at your request, call employers to remind them of their legal obligations. If you have exhausted all other avenues in trying to obtain severance pay and feel that you need to take legal action, the Canadian Embassy in Seoul can provide you with a list of attorneys.

Severance pay rights are covered by the Labour Standards Act of the Korean Legal Code. English-language translations of the Code are available at the Kyobo Bookstore, located near the U.S. Embassy. The key provisions of the Labour Standards Act relating to severance pay include:

• Article 28(1) (Retirement Allowance System): An employer shall establish a system by which an average wage of not less than 30 days per year for each consecutive year employed shall be paid as retirement allowance to a retired employee. Provided, however, that this shall not apply in cases where the period of employment is less than one year.
  

• Article 5 (Equal Treatment): No employer may include any discrimination in the terms of labour conditions because of nationality, religion or social status.
  

• Article 10 (Scope of Application): The Act applies to all enterprises except small family businesses, domestic servants, and those exempted by Presidential decree.

Please choose from the following sections:

Teach English Abroad Online TEFL course. - £195/$295

Introduction
Types of English Language Schools
Visa Matters
Contracts
Housing
Working Hours
Severence Pay
Income Tax
Medical Insurance
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Cultural Differences
Adapting to Korean Society
How Canadian Government Offices can Help

Canuck Abroad takes no responsibility for the information or accuracy contained in this section and suggest you go to http://www.voyage.gc.ca/main/pubs/Korea-en.asp for the latest information.

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