Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Gentle Giant]

I have a friend who recently taught for 1 yr in S. Korea. She says that many people work 6 day weeks from early morning 'til night and have to spend many hours travelling to different companies that your hogwan sends you to. How many people live like this?

[kimcheeking]

not any that I know.

In the past I did the traveling thing but the company that had me doing it was breaking Korean law (it was SISA). I never worked six days though.

Anyhow I was a newbie and foolish.

[Derrek]

Currently during the students winter vacation, I work 9am-2pm on MWF and 9am-1pm on Tuesday/Thursday. I will go back to working 3pm to 9pm on these days in February after their winter break is over. I don't work Saturdays, and never have at my Hagwon.

[saw6436]

Came here in 1998. First taught from 6:30am to 8:40am (adults) then back at 4:00pm till 8:20pm (adults and kids). Did teach on Saturdays but it was voluntary and on overtime. Currently my schedule is 2:00pm till 8:20pm MTWT. And 3:00pm to 8:20pm Fridays. I teach TOEIC on Saturdays from 2:30pm till 6:20pm (3 classes). Saturdays at my school have always been considered overtime regardless of the actual hours worked during the week.
My contract calls for 30 hours per week teaching (45 minute class equals 1 hour) but for the bulk of my 4 years at this school I have only taught 25 hours per week. Currently I am actually teaching 28 hours per week plus the Saturday class. By the way, my Director pays me for 5 hours of teaching on Saturday even though I only "work" 4 hours. Have read the horror stories about directors here and feel very lucky with mine.

[william beckerson]

I almost took a job like that.

If you teach adults, even in the glorious holy land of PAGODA, thats the sort of hours you have. The hours at a kid's school are more reasonable. But you're still putting in more hours than you're contracted for, regardless of where you work.

[gray]

um yep, so this is sort of embarrassing, but i work hours sort of like those described, but without the travelling. 930-1230 every morning, then mwf 3-640 and on tuesday/thursday 315-740.............every saturday from 4-6 i teach two classes. phew, i'm tired. ah, only 7 months to go. tick tock, tick tock.

[hellofaniceguy]

It all comes down to this; we KNOW when we signed the contract that the hours were terrible! Until we stop signing bad contracts, it won't change. Someone will always come along and agree to teach for peanuts, 6 days a week and buku classes each day! Hokwons know this also. We need to get the word out and stand together to make working in korea more fun and better for BOTH sides. You need to sell yourself to the school when asking for less classes and more money. Don't sign just because "it's done that way in korea."

[william beckerson]

In that case, you should just go to Japan and teach 20 hours a week.

Nothing will change because teachers have absolutley no bargaining power must leave Korea once the visa sponsorship is yanked, and almost all of them are people with massive student loans to pay off.

Think about it: 35 hours a week for $2000 a month teaching Korean kids or 45 hours a week for $1000/ mo flipping burgers. I made my choice. and as crappy as it is, I know it'll be even crappier back home

[gbm]

so, if japan's as easy as you make it sound, why arn't you people teaching in japan?

[Grim Ja]

When I first came to Korea in 1996, fresh out of college, I worked 6am-7am, 10am-1pm, 3pm-8pm. I worked this schedule everyday M-F for a year. I also worked on Saturdays from 2pm-4pm. How much did I make a month 1.5 million. Although this was before IMF and the exchange rate was 800won to the dollar. Regardless it was terrible and I hated my life. I was teaching crazy kids and living in a backwater hamlet. But things have change over the years. Now, I love living in Korea I have an easy job, a great family, and many opportunities. But the reason we made it is because we paid our dues.

[william beckerson]

GBM: My girlfriend is Korean. That's why I havent left yet. But even her hold on me is weakening the longer I stay here.

[IconsFanatic]

If you're teaching little kids, you shouldn't accept any split-shifts. But if you're instructing the old farts, ya better get used to it.

Personally, there's no way I'd ever work weekends. I'd miss too many K-League football (Busan I'cons) games!

[BTM]

[VanIslander]

My director tried to have me work late Saturday afternoons last year and I said it was inconvenient but I would do it in the short term.

Three months before my old contract ended and my director started wooing me to sign a new contract my Saturday shifts disappeared, and hasn't returned, and I'm four months into the second contract.

I think it helped that I often brought up related news: about Korean health problems with overwork, about how a weekend starts on Friday night, about the poor students who have to study so much more than kids from my country, about the new five-day work week, about hobbies Koreans do when they aren't busy working, etc.

He got the point.

From what my adult students say: To Korean men, work is life. Quantity is more important than quality when it comes to time. Patience and dedication, perserverance, and virtues practiced. (Not exactly common in the workplace of Western cultures I know of).

That said, my director asked me recently if I'd come to work three hours earlier on weekdays to teach a new class of adjummas

[Crois]

Monday, Wednesday and Thursday - 8:20am to 9am. At 1 school.

Mondays Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays 1pm to 1:50pm. At 2 different schools

Then everyday 2 til 3 preparation at my Hogwon.

Then 3 till 8:20pm teaching.

I have a bad work time.