Leaving GEPIK early

What are the implications for leaving GEPIK after 6 months but before the contract is completed?

check your contract.

most likely you will have to pay back the settlement allowance and flight money. you may find it difficult to get another job with GEPIK or EPIK again, but it won't be impossible to work at a hagwon.

I'm with GEPIK and from what I understand after reading my contract, you shouldn't encounter any issues. You won't have to pay back your plane ticket or the housing settlement if you quit after six months.  Are you going to give notice? If not, might be hard for you to get back your 900,000 deposit you gave the school for your apartment...that's all I can think of, though. I'm almost at six months and I'm considering leaving too, so I've been reviewing the contract a lot 

You can leave, but GEPIK never forgives and never forgets, so you won't be able to get another job with them.

I'm with EPIK but I'm pretty sure that your contract will be set out in a similar fashion. There should be a distinct section about giving notice, leaving and having to pay back your entrance allowance. For my EPIK contract I had to have worked 6 months and give 30 days notice....so I gave notice in my 5th month and will have worked just over 6 months by the time I leave in a few weeks (CANT WAIT). I hear some GEPIK contracts ask for 60 days notice...which really sucks...but I'm not sure about the time frame for repayment of the entrance allowance. I get to keep mine. I guess if you are really unhappy you could wait till the 6 month mark and then just leave (if your contact says you can keep the cash after 6 months). If you break the contact terms it MAY mess with your chances of coming to Korea again (if you care). You also, no matter how you quit, almost certainly not get into GEPIK/EPIK again.

I'm going to teach in Thailand.... Good luck!

I'm with EPIK but I'm pretty sure that your contract will be set out in a similar fashion. There should be a distinct section about giving notice, leaving and having to pay back your entrance allowance. For my EPIK contract I had to have worked 6 months and give 30 days notice....so I gave notice in my 5th month and will have worked just over 6 months by the time I leave in a few weeks (CANT WAIT). I hear some GEPIK contracts ask for 60 days notice...which really sucks...but I'm not sure about the time frame for repayment of the entrance allowance. I get to keep mine. I guess if you are really unhappy you could wait till the 6 month mark and then just leave (if your contact says you can keep the cash after 6 months). If you break the contact terms it MAY mess with your chances of coming to Korea again (if you care). You also, no matter how you quit, almost certainly not get into GEPIK/EPIK again.

I'm going to teach in Thailand.... Good luck!

The new EPIK contracts specify 60 days now, so it really depends on when you signed.

Also, I don't think you have to 'pay back' your allowance (if you are supposed to)- I think it will simply be deducted from your last paycheque.  The net effect is the same.

Are you on the GEPIK 2012 contract? If so, Article 9 says you must pay back the flight money AND the settlement allowance if you quit your contract early, regardless of whether or not it's over 6 months into the contract. This is new for the 2012 contract; previous contracts had said that you would not have to pay back the airfare if you quit before finishing your contract, AS LONG AS you had stayed for at least the first 6 months.

GEPIK differs from EPIK.

I wonder if there is concensus regarding GEPIK contracts for 2012. Did all of us receive the same one?
Do some state 6 months and others anytime before the end of contract...
Papayapie, perhaps you should double-check the wording or validity of your contract before you plan your exit.

Oops, I guess I was kind of assuming you weren't going to give notice and just peace out. According to my contract, if you give notice (30 days)  you'll have to pay back the plane ticket and the 300,000 settlement. Then you'll also have to pay for your ticket home...kind of sucks. But if you just leave on pay day, you won't get back your 900,000 deposit for your apartment.

Mostly wishful thinking for me to leave early  My boyfriend's here and not leaving, so I've gotta stick it out with him.

I do have to say that the contract is a piece of crap and worded so poorly...most confusing contract I've ever signed.

Here's what my contract says:

2.    If the Employee decides to resign during the term of employment, he/she must give the
Employer a thirty (30) day prior written notice of resignation stating the date of and reason for
resignation. An unannounced resignation of the Employee, without a thirty (30) day prior written
notice of resignation to the Employer, shall be reported to the Korean Immigration Service and
shall affect the Employee's entrance to the Republic of Korea in the future.

  In all cases of the Employee's resignation without fulfilling the full year term, the airfare for
his/her return trip shall be borne by the Employee, and his/her E2 visa shall be cancelled.

4.    In case of the termination of the Contract before the Contract period ends, the Employee shall
immediately pay back 100% of the one-way airfare into Korea and the settlement allowance of
300,000 KRW to the Employer.

Seems pretty clear to me.

That part of the contract isn't confusing, but other aspects of it are.

Ah, ok.

What you should probably do is ask your co-teacher to translate the Korean parts of the contract.

The contract is in Korean, not English.  The English is provided for our convenience.  If the English part says one thing, but the Korean part says another then it's the Korean part that takes effect.  If you are heavily relying on a particular part of the contract you should double-check the Korean, since it may clarify (or contradict) the English part.