Korean Job Discussion Forums

Fren Lee · Joined: 02 Feb 2003

No one told me when I signed the contract that I would have to do the winter and summer extra classes thing... it turned out to mean in practice three (3) extra hours per day of teaching for an entire month. Guess what we got paid extra for that month of 12-hour days? About 40 bucks. Yep. 40 bucks for the entire MONTH.

So I'm not sure I want to stick around for the NEXT such month of exploitation, in August. Now, what's the best strategy for proceeding here? I'm past the 6-month mark in the contract. Should I give them more than the 30 days' notice stipulated in the contract? It's a decent place really and the staff are all very nice, the pay is always on time, the boss speaks very good English, the apartment is good. But I am up to 38 classes a week now and I think that's a bit much, and I'll be damned if I let them make me work a summer month of those extra classes for next to f***-all.

The Great Wall of Whiner · Joined: 24 Jan 2003 Location: Middle Land

Tell your boss that you want to give 30 days notice, and tell him the real reason why.

If he needs you so badly, he will pay you correctly.

(PS)

What does your contract say in regards to this matter?

BTM · Joined: 20 Jan 2003 Location: Back in the saddle.

It's all about the personal relationship you have with your boss, and whether or not you are a hot commodity (which it sounds like you might be), and whether you can work something out that will (a) make sure he doesn't lose money and (b) make sure he looks good.

I've always found (but I've been lucky, maybe) that talking honestly with a Korean boss (with those above things firmly in mind) and trying to find a resolution that was amicable has always worked. In the days when I was at the hagwons, for example, that involved me offering to help him find (illegal, of course) part-timers to come in and take the extra classes that I didn't want to teach. There are always folks around who are keen to load up on hours. He had to pay them, but then he was going to pay me for the extra hours anyway.

Always tricky, but it's doable, if you have a decent relationship.