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Threequalseven
Joined: 08 May 2012
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Posted: Thu Feb 28, 2013 10:47 pm Post subject: Worth quitting hagwon 12 days early to work public schools? |
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My girlfriend and I work at a hagwon, and our contract ends on August 27th. We really want to work for public schools next year. However, the start date for all public school jobs is usually on August 16th - eleven days before our contract expires. The way I see it, we have three options:
A.) Talk to our boss to see if we can leave two weeks early and negotiate our severance pay, airfare, letter of release, etc, hoping that he doesn't pull a fast one last minute.
B.) Invest our energy trying to get September and/or October gigs through EPIK, which might be difficult as a couple.
C.) Give up on the idea of getting a public school job altogether, and just hunt for the best job that's available after we finish our contract (which might mean teaching in another country).
Of course, if we cut our contracts early, even more questions come into play:
1st, would our year-minus-two-weeks count as a year of experience, or does one year have to be 365 days for public schools?
2nd, if we got a letter of release, what other documents (if any) would we need to transfer to a public school job? |
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isitts
Joined: 25 Dec 2008 Location: Korea
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Posted: Thu Feb 28, 2013 11:44 pm Post subject: Re: Worth quitting hagwon 12 days early to work public schoo |
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Threequalseven wrote: |
My girlfriend and I work at a hagwon, and our contract ends on August 27th. We really want to work for public schools next year. However, the start date for all public school jobs is usually on August 16th - eleven days before our contract expires. The way I see it, we have three options:
A.) Talk to our boss to see if we can leave two weeks early and negotiate our severance pay, airfare, letter of release, etc, hoping that he doesn't pull a fast one last minute.
B.) Invest our energy trying to get September and/or October gigs through EPIK, which might be difficult as a couple.
C.) Give up on the idea of getting a public school job altogether, and just hunt for the best job that's available after we finish our contract (which might mean teaching in another country).
Of course, if we cut our contracts early, even more questions come into play:
1st, would our year-minus-two-weeks count as a year of experience, or does one year have to be 365 days for public schools?
2nd, if we got a letter of release, what other documents (if any) would we need to transfer to a public school job? |
I think your boss would enjoy you leaving a bit early so he doesn't have to pay some of those benefits. And he won't have to do the usual 11 month firing routine.
Seriously, though, if it was just you, I'd do it. If you're on good terms with your boss, could work out.
But since it's you and your girlfriend, EPIK only puts married couples together. You could end up being quite far apart from each other. |
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ttompatz
Joined: 05 Sep 2005 Location: Kwangju, South Korea
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Posted: Thu Feb 28, 2013 11:57 pm Post subject: |
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Is it worth losing $6000 between the two of you to gain a PS job?
(2 severance allowances and 2 air tickets)
It would, in my opinion, NOT be worth kissing $6000 away for a job that may disappear in a year or two and has no long term viability.
C, B, and A as a very last minute desperate move.
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Threequalseven
Joined: 08 May 2012
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Posted: Fri Mar 01, 2013 12:09 am Post subject: |
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ttompatz wrote: |
It would, in my opinion, NOT be worth kissing $6000 away for a job that may disappear in a year or two and has no long term viability.
C, B, and A as a very last minute desperate move. |
That's exactly what I've been thinking. I think it's just hard for us to hear all these public schoolers tell us how they've had two months of vacation now and hear all their stories of visiting their families, vacationing in Thailand, and so forth.
But just as people work for their retirement, I've thought all along that I'm working for that last month's payment here. I think our director sent the last couple home with $900 for airfare, on top of severance, last month's paycheck, and housing desposit... So it would end up being closer to $10,000 for us!
I guess attitude is everything. Perhaps this situation is good for us. This way, we'd be more inclined to explore other options like teaching in Japan, Hong Kong, etc, instead of feeling locked into Korea because there's nothing better out there. |
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Who's Your Daddy?
Joined: 30 May 2010 Location: Victoria, Canada.
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Posted: Fri Mar 01, 2013 1:25 am Post subject: |
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PS jobs do come up at other times, because some people quit. I knew a guy that quit 6 weeks in, and returned to his hogwon. So, it's not always great, and there are jobs coming up at odd times - but those jobs probably will come up on short notice. |
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NYC_Gal 2.0
Joined: 10 Dec 2010
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Posted: Fri Mar 01, 2013 1:38 am Post subject: |
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Maybe see about signing an extension with a pre-dated LOR to end before the March term starts. Then you could try for unis as well. |
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Times30
Joined: 27 Mar 2010
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Posted: Fri Mar 01, 2013 2:41 am Post subject: |
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If you have connections to people within EPIK you inevitable someone who knows an administrator there who might be able to hook you up for a later position. People drop out or have last minute cancellations. Apply and let them know the situation that you are an ideal candidate for stand by positions.
If you can, absolutely beg your friends if they know some of the admins of EPIK. Usually the admins try to get all chummy with new recruits so you never know. Maybe one of them can call in a favor. |
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NYC_Gal 2.0
Joined: 10 Dec 2010
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Posted: Fri Mar 01, 2013 2:57 am Post subject: |
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If you get a later position at a public school, do realize that you will not get a LOR if you want to transfer to a different school next March, or even a few years later. I have several friends who started slightly later than March 1, and because of this, they were not able to get uni and international-school jobs this year. |
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isitts
Joined: 25 Dec 2008 Location: Korea
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Posted: Sat Mar 02, 2013 3:23 am Post subject: |
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Are you guys missing that he's trying to get his girlfriend moved into EPIK as well? Your suggestions that there are sometimes positions that open up after the hiring season might be fine for one position...but two? Near each other? That's part of his concern, too.
As for the lost 6 mil won lost, they wouldn't be flying home, so (well, not sure abot the terms of their particular contract) they wouldn't be getting that money anyway.
So, yeah, lose 4 mil, but if your contract cycle is perpetually out of sync with the contract cycle you want to get into, then may have to bite the bullet. |
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littletelly94
Joined: 02 Dec 2012 Location: Korea
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Posted: Sat Mar 02, 2013 4:16 am Post subject: |
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NYC_Gal 2.0 wrote: |
Maybe see about signing an extension with a pre-dated LOR to end before the March term starts. Then you could try for unis as well. |
I was going to suggest simply extending until March as well. Maybe negotiate an extension until the Feb to give yourselves time to make a trip home? |
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Weigookin74
Joined: 26 Oct 2009
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Posted: Sat Mar 02, 2013 7:41 am Post subject: |
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Threequalseven wrote: |
ttompatz wrote: |
It would, in my opinion, NOT be worth kissing $6000 away for a job that may disappear in a year or two and has no long term viability.
C, B, and A as a very last minute desperate move. |
That's exactly what I've been thinking. I think it's just hard for us to hear all these public schoolers tell us how they've had two months of vacation now and hear all their stories of visiting their families, vacationing in Thailand, and so forth.
But just as people work for their retirement, I've thought all along that I'm working for that last month's payment here. I think our director sent the last couple home with $900 for airfare, on top of severance, last month's paycheck, and housing desposit... So it would end up being closer to $10,000 for us!
I guess attitude is everything. Perhaps this situation is good for us. This way, we'd be more inclined to explore other options like teaching in Japan, Hong Kong, etc, instead of feeling locked into Korea because there's nothing better out there. |
Offically most public schools have closer to a month of vacation a year. If you go through a province specific recruiter, you can probably get a late start anyways. Even EPIK might put you on a late start list. You'd just have to get a D10 visa. I think you can go home while on that visa. (But ask Ttompatz about that one.) I mean there could be an October start date for some places. Don't kiss 6 K away if you don't have to. |
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Weigookin74
Joined: 26 Oct 2009
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Posted: Sat Mar 02, 2013 7:42 am Post subject: |
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NYC_Gal 2.0 wrote: |
If you get a later position at a public school, do realize that you will not get a LOR if you want to transfer to a different school next March, or even a few years later. I have several friends who started slightly later than March 1, and because of this, they were not able to get uni and international-school jobs this year. |
That's what a D10 is for. |
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NYC_Gal 2.0
Joined: 10 Dec 2010
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Posted: Sat Mar 02, 2013 2:54 pm Post subject: |
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Weigookin74 wrote: |
NYC_Gal 2.0 wrote: |
If you get a later position at a public school, do realize that you will not get a LOR if you want to transfer to a different school next March, or even a few years later. I have several friends who started slightly later than March 1, and because of this, they were not able to get uni and international-school jobs this year. |
That's what a D10 is for. |
They weren't able to get them. Immi has reverted to previous policy. |
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