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white tiger
Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Location: Seoul
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Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2003 6:59 pm Post subject: is this a good contract? |
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here's some details of a contract i'm looking at; what do you think?
9:30-6:30 ... 7 classes of 40 minutes each. mon-fri.
obligatory OT (if needed)
apartment is in same building as school.
these were my concerns on the contract; is this so bad? especially the work hours...love to hear some thoughts...cheers |
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Mody Ba
Joined: 22 May 2003
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Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2003 7:28 pm Post subject: Does Not Sound So Good to Me |
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Here are my thoughts on your post.I have worked at three different hakwons in the past.I would never do it again,unless I was starving and it was the only thing I could do to put food in my mouth.
1.The hours.Seem a bit excessive,even for a hakwon.How much are they paying you?
2.Obligatory overtime.Another sticking point.How much pay for overtime?
3.Housing.This is the worst part in my opinion.NEVER live at the school where you work.You will probably have very little privacy,and there will probably be other problems.too. In other words,the school is too cheap(or broke,which is almost as bad) to pay for an apartment for you.This is quite outrageous,even in this business.Personally, I would turn down the "offer" on this one alone.Believe me,after teaching long hours at a hakwon,you will want to RELAX.If you live at the school, students, the owner,etc will probably always be pestering you.I would tell them that if they want you,to get you SEPARATE housing.
If I were you,I would look for another job.This one sounds like a REAL loser. good luck. |
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white tiger
Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Location: Seoul
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Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2003 7:35 pm Post subject: |
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they pay 1.9million won... the teacher i'm replacing also said that she is leaving after 5 months because of 'family emergency'. her bf is also leaving the same school for that reason. seems all too common an excuse to run like h*ll and save face at the same time. |
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Mody Ba
Joined: 22 May 2003
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Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2003 7:59 pm Post subject: Yes,I Agree |
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I agree with you.Those "family emergencies"...a catchall excuse for getting out.Again,this place sounds like one to really avoid.I am sure you can do better than this,although it will take some checking around.You do not want to work for people like this. Good luck. |
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RedRob
Joined: 07 Jul 2003 Location: Narnia
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Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2003 9:54 pm Post subject: Cheapo school? |
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Sounds like it to me, there are heaps more jobs here than there are teachers, so if you are still at home take your time , keep shopping around, and if you can, (I think this is quite important) try and make contact with a western teacher who is at the school, to get the lowdown on the place....also, I don't really put too much stock in the contracts, they seem to be very "flexible" or open to interpretation-by the school that is, not by you!
Good hunting, there are good jobs to be had! |
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hellofaniceguy
Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Location: On your computer screen!
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Posted: Tue Jul 15, 2003 1:11 am Post subject: |
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Stay away from the place. 7 40 minute classes a day!! Housing in the same building! OT! Nope!
Even if they pay you 2.1, it's a bad deal. You will burn out. The current teachers already "told" you to stay away; family emergency equals bad school owner. The problem is not the school but the owner.
Last edited by hellofaniceguy on Sun Jul 20, 2003 8:42 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Valora
Joined: 24 Apr 2003
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Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2003 12:27 pm Post subject: run away |
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Family emergency is esl teacher speak for this school is horrible. I know because its how I left my awful school and how 12 other people left the same school in a year. The owner probably won't tell but I bet that the other teachers ran because of how they were treated there.
Don't work for this school they have some sort of problem that they won't tell you about
Dont get burned |
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The Den
Joined: 26 Jan 2003
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Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2003 1:51 pm Post subject: |
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Is this job in Pusan? |
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Mr. Literal
Joined: 03 Jul 2003 Location: Third rock from the Sun.
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Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2003 3:14 pm Post subject: Re: is this a good contract? |
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white tiger wrote: |
here's some details of a contract i'm looking at....is this so bad? |
Yes, it's bad. |
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mika_21
Joined: 08 Jun 2003
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Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2003 4:03 pm Post subject: |
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This wouldn't happen to be a branch of a new chain called SBSI, would it?
By the way, all teachers avoid SBSI. |
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Gord
Joined: 25 Feb 2003
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Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2003 4:45 pm Post subject: |
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hellofaniceguy wrote: |
Stay away from the place. 7 40 minute classes a day!! |
7 x 40 = 280 = 4 hours, 40 minutes a day = 23 hours, 20 minutes a week
Not exactly a demanding schedule.
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Housing in the same building! |
Offitel. The bottom seven floors of my building are all commercial businesses and whatnot (school, doctors, clothing, food, bars, PC room, etc.) If I worked at the English school there, I wouldn't complain. A two minute walk home.
That said, the concern is over the length of hours committed to the school. 9:30 - 6:30. A nine hour shift in which you're only teaching for half. If it's teach for 40, do nothing for 40, teach for 40, do nothing for 40, then the day will drag on and on.
If they would block your shift together (say two classes in the morning, then 5 in the afternoon), it's a split shift but at least you get 4 hours free between them (for example).
Split shift is a lot less of an issue when the commute is two minutes. Bonus, you can sit at home as you live in the same building.
Personally, I'd just contact the teachers and see why they are leaving. Unless they scream bloody murder, I wouldn't worry overly much. "Family emergency" is just as likely to mean "first job ever, where's my mommy? I can't live without my mommy!"
or "what? Prep work? And I don't get paid for prep work? My contract says I get paid to teach, and now you're saying I don't get paid to do prep work?" as it is to mean the school is evil.
Check to make sure the school isn't evil and ask them to shuffle the teaching schedule into two blocks so you don't have 6 fourty minute breaks. School in the same officetel? Double plus good. |
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Mody Ba
Joined: 22 May 2003
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Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2003 7:43 pm Post subject: Listen to the Majority |
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Let's see.I count six posters who advise the original poster to forget about working at the place that he mentions.Then along comes "Gord" and says maybe the place would not be so bad to work for...I hope the original poster takes the advice of the majority... |
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hellofaniceguy
Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Location: On your computer screen!
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Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2003 8:44 pm Post subject: |
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7 classes a day? Yes it's a bad schedule! No teacher can teach 7 classes a day, day in and day out 5 days a week AND do a good job. It's not possible. You are preparing for 7 classes a day. It might be split schedules or you might have classes scattered throughout the day. It'll be a long day and you will burn out. The school hopes teachers burn out and leave early. They save money. Hokwons/language schools are not schools; they are a business. Did you come to korea to slave away for someone, have headaches, stress, etc.? Hell, you can do that back home! Why come to another country and have the same thing? Get the best deal you can for yourself and don't worry about what other teachers have or don't have. Living in the same building has its good and bad points. It all depends on the school owner. Just remember, no one can use you unless you let them. Officetels? You'll have to pay a monthly fee for maintenance. It could cost you 150.000 Won each month or as low as 100.000 a month. Bathrooms are smaller than the airplane bathrooms. Usually no hot water in the summer, they turn it off to save money.
Last edited by hellofaniceguy on Sun Jul 20, 2003 9:07 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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OiGirl
Joined: 23 Jan 2003 Location: Hoke-y-gun
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Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2003 9:00 pm Post subject: |
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Gord wrote: |
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Housing in the same building! |
Offitel. The bottom seven floors of my building are all commercial businesses and whatnot (school, doctors, clothing, food, bars, PC room, etc.) If I worked at the English school there, I wouldn't complain. A two minute walk home.
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If that's the case, it doesn't sound bad. But what if "housing in the same building"="we fixed up a classroom as a bedroom for you"?? |
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Gord
Joined: 25 Feb 2003
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Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2003 9:03 pm Post subject: Re: Listen to the Majority |
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Mody Ba wrote: |
Let's see.I count six posters who advise the original poster to forget about working at the place that he mentions.Then along comes "Gord" and says maybe the place would not be so bad to work for...I hope the original poster takes the advice of the majority... |
Please explain how what I said was wrong. Just because I'm in the minority and not jumping on the "OH MY GOD, IT'S EVIL! IT BURNS!" without bothing to back it up with reasoning?
I'm sorry I didn't get on your bandwagon, but your entire argument was "living in an officetel means the school is cheap" which is incorrect, as officetels cost more per month than renting an apartment (and it's closer too) along with a unsubstantiated claim of "no privacy", coupled with the idea that the two teachers leaving are perfect in every way thus it must be the school's fault they are leaving.
Your statements requires me to put on blinders to believe. Instead, I just put up logical thinking. If your points can't even handle logical reasoning, then you might want to change sides.
My answer was the correct answer. I'm not saying the school will be perfect, but rather to at least check it out first before tossing away on the mistaken standard that benefits no one. |
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