“I Don’t Think Rights for Helpers (Doumi) Exist”
Editor’s note: In collaboration with a women workers’ writing group, Ilda is publishing a series examining the previously ignored work and lives of female laborers. This series is being produced with support from the Korea Press Foundation’s Press Promotion Fund.
Event helper, a promising job?
When the press mentions the difficulties of getting a job among college graduates and the competition in the part-time job market, narrator models and sales promotion helpers [both of which are types of event helpers] are listed as the representative jobs that pay high hourly wages and have over 90% of their applicants in their 20s.
Twenty-nine-year-old Choi Mi-yeon (alias), who has been working as an event helper for 7 years, shook her head at the word “promising.”
“The wages are the same as they were over 10 years ago, and nowadays they’re even getting lower since everyone wants to do this. The wages are different for each event, and they regard working experience or physical appearances as important too. Since it’s a job that’s meant to be seen. Usually the wages are 10,000 to 20,000 won [10-20 USD] per hour, and the work can be as short as a day and as long as 4 or 5 days in the cases of exhibitions. It’s a nerve-racking field since you can’t predict when you’ll have a job. It all depends on how much work you are able to get, but you can’t do all the events just because you want to, and there are many variables such as sudden cancellations or not getting paid. There’s a limit to how much you can plan your life. At this time of the year, there used to be a lot of events, but after the Sewol Ferry incident, a lot of the events have been downsized. It’s also rare that you get a contract [instead of relying on a verbal agreement]. I once had a contract for a long-term job, but that kind of thing happens less than 10 percent of the time.”
Frequently, the hiring company suddenly changes the schedule or changes their mind and cancels the event, but helpers cannot receive any compensation in these cases. Helpers “live managing their schedules according to the immediate circumstances,” and if an event is cancelled a day before or on the day of, it is very difficult on them because the financial losses are large. They have tried demanding that in these cases, they be given at least half of the promised wages, or even one-third - but the companies have never done that.
“When they receive orders from the advertiser, the agency recruits helpers. The advertiser comes first, the agency comes next, and the helpers are beneath that. We are cautious around the agency, and in many cases we can’t voice any complaints or opinions for fear of not being able to receive the next job. I think it’s absurd. There aren’t even any legal procedures. But on the contrary, if a helper is sick or something unavoidable occurs, the company goes berserk. In the same situation, all that is required of them is the words “I’m sorry,” but for the helpers, they are condemned. “You, you won’t be able to work anymore, don’t ever think of coming here again!” they say insultingly.
If only I could get a contract, even if it is to work for a day...
Choi Mi-yeon describes herself as a person who “meticulously inquires.” Even when starting to work, she always asks in advance at what kind of place she is to work, and what kind of work she is to do. If a helper doesn’t do that and just answers “yes,” in many cases the terms change suddenly once she arrives at work, and the work itself can increase beyond the allowed limits.
Choi also inquired when her wages were overdue. She waited for three paydays, then called the company until they paid. “I’m receiving the payment for my labor,” she said. When she was demanding that the company pay, she was prepared never to work with that company again. Even though the amount wasn’t large, it was commonplace for the company not to pay immediately. And even though they did the same job, the company paid people like Choi Mi-yeon, who demanded the payment, first, while paying her fellow workers three months later.
“They don’t abide by the payment deadline. There are some companies that pay promptly, but some companies don’t, and I’ve seen companies that go to trial for overdue wages. We need that money to live, but they keep delaying payment or they don’t answer the phone or change the dates and terms and keep us waiting... If you work, you should get paid for it, don’t you think? But helpers that aren’t good at talking people into things or speaking their mind get their payment three months later or sometimes never, even though it’s only a small amount. Should we just trust whatever place it is that gives us a job? It’s hard for us to judge which company is good. The helpers are on the weaker side.”
During the interview, an agency sends her a text message. A photograph with a woman dressed in a red skirt and a white sleeveless top is attached.
“They’re telling me to wear a sleeveless top. Sometimes they give us the clothes, but there are cases where we have to prepare our own clothes according to the photographs. Sometimes cue sheets come. The ones that inform us like this are on the kinder side. Some of them don’t. It becomes harder then. Tomorrow’s job is to host an event and hand out presents to people who enter it.”
Choi Mi-yeon closely reads the event script that had also been sent. The things she wants when working are these:
“I think it would be nice to have a contract even if it is to work for a day. Since it’s a promise between two parties, I would like to sign a contract, and I would like it if there weren’t any situations where the work gets cancelled a day before or on the day of, and I wish they would state that in the case of cancellations, there will be compensation, and I think it would be better to work if they considered the safety of the helpers. And if they also took into consideration the health of the people who work... The thing that bothers me the most is the wages. Everyone says, ‘oh, what if I can’t get paid?’ That’s the first thing that makes us anxious. ‘The job was cancelled suddenly, so I don’t have any money.’ That’s another source of anxiety. Since we’re the weaker ones. But everyone does it anyway, to earn money.”
I want to escape “those ways” of viewing helpers
She does various tasks. She works as a helper to promote a company’s image, wears a suit and guides guests for ceremonies, greets guests at counters, carries out lottery events, or leads tours for company publicity. The companies include big enterprises, smaller businesses,
public institutions, schools, franchise dealers, and smaller shops. The working hours vary depending on the event, spanning from five to eight hours.
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▲ Event helper at work (Image | AI-generated) |
Choi Mi-yeon has also worked as a narrator that holds a microphone and explains the event during the opening of a franchise chain. She had to work while standing outside under the hot sun in the middle of summer. There wasn’t even a single parasol. In the winter, she worked in the biting cold. It is so hot, so cold; her throat hurts, her legs ache. But all Choi Mi-yeon says is that “it’s very hard.” Her expression hardens gloomily for a moment when she says that. When it comes to talking for 45 minutes and resting for 15, or talking for 50 minutes and resting for 10, she says that that difference between a 5-minute break and a 10-minute break felt very big.
“My throat never was on the strong side, and since I have to talk nonstop, I get tonsillitis often. So do many other people... And you know how our job is to prioritize the customers and always be nice and friendly to them? I don’t think there are any rights for helpers. Sexual harassment also occurs... One of the very insulting and offensive things I’ve heard was when I said, “Congratulations, we’ll give you a present,” and a man slyly said to me, “Don’t they give you as well? Don’t they give anything else?” Older men have tried to hug me from behind, and sometimes they watch us with creepy eyes.”
She says other helpers also experience similar situations.
“I’m not that tall or pretty like a celebrity, and it’s worse for other women who are taller. In those situations, I say, “What are you doing?” or ask security guards beside me to control them, but nothing much is done to resolve this kind of problem. The companies don’t want to create a fuss, so they tend to overlook it. I’m not doing these jobs to hear comments like those... it makes you feel very bad.”
“I wish they would start by not addressing us in casual language (banmal)”
※banmal: Informal language usually used between those of the same age or from an older to a younger person
When carrying out events, she is frequently addressed rudely or in casual language. Also, even when she has already generously handed out presents from a limited stock, there are customers that ask for more or steal them.
“When I’m working, they look negatively at me, or stare at me explicitly, or address me in casual language. ‘Miss, do this, what is this, give this to me!’ they say. If we go out to work, people in their 20s and 30s mostly respect us, but people in their 40s and 50s use casual language. I don’t know whether it’s because they think we’re their daughters, but it is very insulting. It feels bad because they use contemptuous tones... I think there should be a shift in the way helpers are perceived. We’re working. I wish they would respect us from their hearts. Even people in the company don’t address us in formal terms and use casual terms, so I think those things should change first.”
She also says that many college students do this job because it’s regarded as “okay to do for a short while.” There are many young women who work as event helpers during their preparations for their future, or while they prepare for exams, or study at school.
“If someone asks us helpers, ‘What do you do?’ we say ‘freelancing.’ If we say that we’re helpers, they sometimes look at us in a negative light... Since there are also helpers in karaoke rooms, people tend to think of them when they hear the word ‘helper.’ There are negative stereotypes about narrator models and helpers that wear short, revealing costumes. We call each other freelancers because we want to escape those kinds of perspectives.”
“Us ‘frees’...” She calls her colleagues by this term. Sometimes the work is fun because she talks with people and does a variety of jobs, and sometimes it makes her happy to see guests delighted to hear her words or receive the presents she hands out. This optimistic happiness, the pride in doing labor from which she makes a living, and the hope that she will be able to leave for a job where she can do what she wants to do and be respected, is contained in the word “free.” The women want to escape from “those views,” and do not want to hear “those words.”
Harboring dreams of becoming an actress...
She started working as a sales promotion helper to sell cereal for a retail store at age 22. She worked nine hours and received 50,000 won. Even when doing the same job later, if it seemed as if she had no work experience, companies would pay different wages. “I was good at my job.” She smiles.
She had graduated from the department of arts at a professional school. When she had moved to Seoul to study, she had had dreams of acting. She graduated from school, starred in plays, went to auditions, and applied at many places. When she wasn’t able to pay her rent because she had no income, she decided to “act while working” and started to work again as a sales promotion helper. It was common to see fellow actors around her working as event helpers as well.
“In acting, you never know when you’ll be called, and it’s like being on the 5 minute waiting squad, so I wasn’t able to get a regular job. I endured it and worked as a helper, because it was acting that I wanted to do, not being an event helper. Since acting wasn’t enough to make a living.”
So at age 24, she started working again.
“I was a sales promotion helper for baby skin care products. I was a contract worker for a year. It was to work over 20 days per month, and because I was ambitious for work, I worked over 25 days a month. I worked 9 hours a day and received 90,000 won per day. Back them, 90,000 won was the highest amount to be paid in the retail store. Although I had a fixed income for a year, the work was very hard. I had to stay standing the whole time, and there was pressure regarding sales. The pressure is given to achieve higher standards than competing companies. Because I was chosen not as a common sales worker but as part of a special team that was good at selling, the pressure was even worse. I didn’t just work at one place but had to go to several retail stores. Sometimes I had to go to places far from home, where it took 3 to 4 hours just to go back and forth. It was a very hard job.”
At that time, the agency told her to “choose between receiving the 4 major insurance benefits (with a regular contract) or paying 3.3% income tax (with a freelance contract).” She chose to receive the 4 insurance benefits and pay the premium. She chose to be an employed worker. “After the job was over, I was able to receive unemployment benefits for several months. I was happy I had done it, but there haven’t been any more chances to receive insurance benefits since then.” She, who worked 9 hours a day, 25 days a month, for a year as a contract worker, now feels as if she is no longer a worker.
The flower of the event? If it withers, no one will like it
She secured jobs as a day worker through agencies or promotions. Sometimes she would find internet forums such as small groups for event helpers and apply by e-mail after creating a profile. Agencies had connections with advertisers, and when they received “orders,” the agencies would post them on such small groups’ forums. With the agencies, most of the work is secured by oral agreement. The agencies take their share from the amount determined by the advertiser and give the rest to the helpers. There are cases where the agencies take a lot of the money.
“Usually the ratio is 70 to 30, but they often take more. We don’t know the amount, but sometimes when we hear how much the advertiser paid, we find out that, “Oh, the agency took a lot for themselves.” It’s usually unclear [how much they take]. We’re grateful that the agencies give us work, since if they don’t, we can’t work. A lot of the helpers keep their heads down from fear of falling out of favor with the agency, of being disliked by the agency. Many have complaints about insulting and illogical affairs but can’t speak them out loud. The ones that are taller and prettier work as posing models for motor shows or racing events, and they receive higher wages. Since they are a type of product. They devote a lot of care toward their looks, such as by getting plastic surgery, or in the case of posing models, getting breast enhancements or going on diets. They do it in order to keep working.”
Choi Mi-yeon continues to consider herself an actress. She has had minor roles in films and dramas. The work she wants to do is acting, but as a person playing passerby roles in drama sets, she was nameless. She was addressed in casual language as “hey, you,” treated badly as if she were a piece of baggage. I discovered that she had appeared in films I had seen as well. I promised that I would recognize her face in the next film. Choi Mi-yeon said:
“In Korean age, I’m a 29 year-old women, and I have no experience of working in a regular workplace. I wouldn’t be able to work in a regular job, would I? It would be hard to work in the so-called ‘big’ or smaller enterprises. Since I don’t have special knowledge or a career history. That’s why the people who worked as event helpers move on to be heads at the agencies, since they already know a lot about this work. Or they become secretaries or bookkeepers. Everyone thinks that working as an event helper is temporary. Even the helpers themselves. I mean that they all think of something else and prepare for it while working. They perceive it to be a passing job to do while preparing for one’s career, while going to school. Even the helpers themselves don’t think they can work as one for a long time. Usually, if you take good care of yourself, they say you can work until your early- to mid- 30s, but that’s difficult since this is a job to be seen. They look for pretty, slim women. They say they’re the flower of the event, but these helpers...if they whither, people will not like them.”
I devoted my life, and did this job sincerely
She pauses for a moment.
“But I have a sense of achievement. Doing this work, I paid back my student debt. I graduated from a 2-year arts college, and because I wasn’t in circumstances where I could receive help from my parents, I went to college depending entirely on student loans. When I graduated from school, my debt was 20 million won. Working as an event helper, I paid back that debt whenever I got money. Whether it was a few hundred thousand won, 500,000 won, I made payments on my debt. After graduating from school, I paid back all that money in 4 years after I started at 24 years old. I was so proud. I worked really hard during that time!”
She smiled as she said she didn’t want to live like this when she gets married in the future. “I did all the part-time jobs young people can choose from.” She was also happy to find a small place to rent with the key money of several million won she earned after paying back all her student debt.
Everyone said that event helping was temporary work you passed through. Even the customers who passed by, even she herself as a helper regarded this as the background for life. So no one paid attention to what the helpers did, why they took such roles, who determined that work, what the conditions of labor were, and what parts could be changed. But this is all that has been given for now. One realizes that this is where we are staying.
“You have to manage with what you have. If you have a perceptive eye and are precise, it will be okay.”
She wishes that the labor she does would not be looked down on, that she would not be treated badly, and that she will be able to receive payment. Because she “really works hard” on the jobs she iss given. The small room she was able to get for the first time at 29 years old, the education she persevered through unsupported, the things she had to sacrifice for her dream, the independence she managed to keep. Because she did this work sincerely in order to take responsibility for her life. Even though she had to work, dressed in certain clothes that were predetermined, and work while smiling consistently, saying certain words, she devoted her life to it, and she has been sincere. She wants that sincerity to be respected. She wants that promise to be upheld, and she trusts that it will be.
She will go out to work again tomorrow. [Translated by Rose]
*Original Article: http://ildaro.com/6723 Published: June 23, 2014
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