I can’t believe the last time I blogged about leaving Korea and i-to-i’s incompetence was the day after I handed in my resignation. So much has happened since.

During first few days the director was saying he wasn’t going to hurry up finding a replacement, telling Katrina he would find her the “right guy” and even offering to find her a boyfriend so she would be happy after I left!! The teachers were sickly sweet making empty promises about going to the movies and to Nori bangs’s (Korean singing rooms) with Katrina once I’d gone.

I resigned on the Monday and on the Thursday Katrina cracked and handed him two months notice.

On Friday I finally had some contact with John from i-to-i because he was at the school meeting with the director about finding replacements for us. Katrina and I were left alone with John in for a chat, stupidly I assumed the ensuing conversation would be between me, Katrina and John in his capacity as i-to-i country coordinator.

I asked him about my email, which he claimed not to have received? Then took the opportunity to broach the subject of our contracts. He said he’d read the contracts before recommending the job to us, and he knew they contained monetary penalties for leaving early. When I confronted him about the penalties being against the Korean Labor Standards Act, and thus illegal, his response was: “A lot of schools are doing it.”

So that makes it ok then. If everyone else is doing it then i-to-i can do it too. Who cares if its illegal.

Walking out of the office I was fuming at the response from John as i-to-i’s representative.

Today I was called into the directors office for what I though would be another chat about leaving. Imagine my astonishment when he then relayed details of the conversation I’d had with John and asked me not to say bad things about his school! I cannot believe the i-to-i coordinator, who is supposed to offer ME support, had the audacity to relay details of a (seemingly) private conversation to the school director.

I am amazed that i-to-i are even able to claim they offer support when the man they employ in Korea is clearly has a conflict of interests. If he is working with my director to find him a replacement, how can he then offer me support dealing with issues arising from an illegal contract with the school. I know from talking to him he has no intention of requesting the director change his contract.

As for the latest from i-to- in the UK.

I received an email form them yesterday and was again told: “We cannot issue a refund at this time because…” they have provided me with all the services they offer including orientation – whatever that is? But they said they would contact John in Korea with regards to the issue of “support” and get back to me once they’d received a response from him. I emailed them back explaining the conversation I’d had with John on Friday. I’m waiting to see what their next excuse is. But after realising that John cannot offer support or confidentiality I will NOT be giving up this fight easily.

On the plus side. I had an email from a producer on BBC radio 5 live today interested in my experiences. Maybe i-to-i will finally get a wake up call and realise they can’t keep conning people into dodgy jobs in foreign countries.

Rant over. Phew!

* Posted by j150vsc on 16/05/2007.