Job Discussion Forums

[hartikainen]

I am looking for a school that offers more vacation time than the hagwons (the reason I turned down job offers) but is still a private school with smaller class sizes. Is there a certain country where a school like this would be more likely to be found? IE: I now know that Korea is not the place to look.

Thanks for the help.

[naturegirl321]

How much vacation time are you looking for? Can you work in the EU?

[Kootvela]

In Lithuania teachers are entitled to 56 calendar days of holidays after 6 months of work. The teaching load is irrelevant but the point is it's got to be 6 months on a normal work contract (no freelancing).

[hollysuel]

[hartikainen]

I don't have TEFL certification so I would need to get one first if I wanted to work in most places in EU, correct? I was mainly looking at East Asia but if there are opportunities for someone with basically no teaching experience but with a 4 year degree, I would be open to other places too. I'm not even talking about huge vacation time, but the 10 vacation days that you cannot choose at hagwons in Korea is not what I am looking for. Maybe something like 4-5 weeks including holidays.

Are there any Asian countries that have private schools that give better vacation than in Korea??

Thanks!

[spiral78]

TEFL certification is not enough to get you an EU job, unless you are an EU member citizen. It takes years of experience + MA +++

[naturegirl321]

plus connnections.

China, Taiwan, Thailand might be places to look at. And you can't generalise. Some places will give you a week, others a month and that's in the same country. Each place will offer a different contract and that's not to say that you sign the contract. It's give and take, so ask for longer workdays and maybe they'll give you more vacation. It you work 10 hours a day, four days a week, then you get an extra day off, etc.

Be wary of winter and summer camps. They can cut into vacations.

[Glenski]

Why are you so insistent upon "more vacation days"? In Japan, for example, you aren't even obliged to take days off for the first 6 months, and after that by law you only get 10 days per year. Theoretically, those are your days to choose, but in reality it is difficult. There are 12-13 national holidays per year, and depending on the type of job you have, you may or may not get them. Some places exist to make money when customers are free, not when holidays are available for staff (teachers) to be free.

IMO, 4-5 weeks per year for a newcomer is asking too much. In Japan, you will get roughly a week around Golden Week, a week or less around Obon, and 7-14 days around New Year, but that is only because it's usually when the conversation school is closed for business. So, there are your 4-5 weeks roughly, but those are the busiest travel times of the year for all workers in Japan, foreign and local, so traveling is expensive and congested.

In other situations, like high school, you get far more time off like summer break and such, but it's case by case how long this is, or even whether it's truly off. You may have to stick around and do makeup tests, monitor club activities, give study support lessons, go on field trips, etc.

In university, it's similar. Lots of time off for summer and winter break, but as in my case, we are still required to be in the office.

[naturegirl321]

Either way, you'll be better off than Peruvians, who have to work a solid year and then after the second are entitled to time off, three if you're a doctor. And lots of places have no qualms about letting you go once it's vacation time.

[Anda]

Most government public school positions in China, Korea, Japan etc give 4 weeks plus off a year.


There is the EPIK program in South Korea, JET in Japan, NET in Hong Kong. In China places like Jiangsu Education Center for International Exchange in Nanjing employ for public schools. All these can be found with a NET search. Most of these positions you have to teach from 40 students up. Class size is not the problem it is more age as 4 to 6 young kids in one class total at an institute can be more of a problem than 40 older kids at the same institute in a bigger class.

[MO39]

I would think that after teaching classes of 40+ wee ones, one would need more than 4 weeks of vacation just to recover!

[kurtz]

You're asking for a lot as a newbie, 4 weeks is a lot.

I can only offer experience from Korea but with hangwons being a dime a dozen, you struggle through the year, quit and take a long vacation and walk into another job (plus many visa problems)

I'm with EPIK in Korea, working with young kiddies in a school and I only get 7 works days in summer due to summer school and my vice principal wanting to do everything within the contract and a two week home leave in winter if I re sign. Other teachers I know get 5 weeks in summer and maybe the same in winter so as mentioned before, it comes down to luck and where you are, seems country schools give you more time off.

[Anda]

I did five years in EPIK and now I'm into my third year in China. Many public schools and universities in China offer a ten month contract with four weeks of holidays so you are stuck for wages for two months during the summer holidays but there is Summer holidays programs around. Most places will want to keep you especially if they can get out of paying for the summer holidays. So provided you just want to relax and not go mad spending money then china isn't too bad.