problem

There is a problem.

My school is not doing well. Kids are leaving left and right, and no new kids are replacing them. As it stands now, my school has 51 students. It takes about 70 for the place to be profitable for my bosses. They are losing money each month.

Yesterday they had a talk with me and informed me of a few changes. First, the school is on its way to closing down, but they want to keep it afloat for as long as possible, hoping that things will turn around.  In order to stay afloat, they are giving me a pay cut. They are also ceasing to pay for my health insurance and pension. This is not okay.

They also asked that I continue working months beyond the end of my contract, since they won't be able to afford a new teacher. The fact that they are cutting things out of my contract has other ramifications as well. For one, there is no chance in hell that I'll be getting a plane ticket home or my severance bonus of one month's pay upon completion of my contract. They basically want me to work more, for less money, and no health insurance, no plan ticket home, and no bonus. They must be effing high.

That's not going to happen. I hate this job, this school, most of the students, and I don't particularly care for my bosses or any of my coworkers. There's no way I'm going to do it longer for less money and no benefits. When they first told me about this they tried to guilt trip me a bit, saying that if I don't consent to this then the school must close immediately and all other teachers will lose their jobs. Well, tough shit man, there's a million academies here, they can get another job. (I'll try to put it more diplomatically than that when I speak with them.)

After getting some advice from some fellow foreigners, I've decided what I must do. I'm going to have to ask to be released from my contract. What they are doing is illegal, so I have that on my side. The way I see it, they can hire a Korean to replace me, pay that person at a lower wage, and also save money by not having to pay for my apartment.

What this means for me is that I'll have to find a new job, and start a new contract. I hope America wasn't counting the days until my return, because it looks like it could be another whole year.