Job Discussion Forums

[Imseriouslylost]

Just curious about a few things job related. Just a few questions if no one mindes providing the answers...

First, "deskwarming." My current teaching job in Korea (Public School) requires me to attend school regardless of what is happening. Last week was an exam week, which meant that I had no classes yet I was still required to attend school and deskwarm for the entire week. What Native English Teachers usually do during this period is play around on the internet.

I also have to deskwarm for the entire month of January despite only teaching for one week that month (winter camps). About %20 of my time will be devoted to lesson planning... The rest? Studying Japanese, god knows what.

Second and this might be a cultural thing, here it is very rare to find out about scheduling (class schedules, exam weeks, etc) in advance. Usually its on a week-by-week, day-by-day basis. Its not uncommon to go to work expecting a full day of classes and finding out that there are no classes. The opposite is also very common. There are many reasons for this, the most prominent of which being the art of "making it up as you go along." Asking is usually pointless as the people who are asking don't know themselves and complaining is pointless because everyone else is used to it.

Its nearly impossible to make vacation plans without someone at your school telling you, the night before you leave for vacation, that something changed and you need to cancel your flight and come in to work tomorrow. Another instance of this is class changes. Often classes are merged and time periods are switched without informing the Native English Teacher.

Lastly, asking for help. Its pretty hard to get help with anything in Korea as Koreans usually don't know themselves. Bus routes, gym locations, local events, movie showings, where the immigration office is, what needs to be submitted where and when are all fruitless queries. Same in Japan?

Thanks (sorry this ended up being a rant!)

[Glenski]

You won't find too much deskwarming in eikaiwa jobs here, other than the situations where you have an early afternoon class or 2 followed by a few hours gap before the evening round takes over. Some employers let you leave the office, while others require that you stay.

You might have to process paperwork, interview prospective students, park in the lobby to attract or chat up potential customers, or make lesson plans.

In HS, the only real deskwarming time I had was during the weeks when classes were not in session, but I still had plenty to do. Club activities, for one, but general meetings and other things related to lesson planning were always at hand.

In uni, my school requires that you come to work even during the breaks, unless you schedule time at home to work (they'll never really be able to know), just as long as you can provide a contact number to be reached.

[cornishmuppet]

OP, I saw on a previous thread you said you were coming in as an ALT. In ALT jobs "deskwarming" as you call it is pretty common (I'm doing it right now - the week's classes are all preped up and there aren't many anyway with it being close to the winter break). You can do what you want with that time. Some schools you'll have more than others. In high school I have a lot more than in Junior High, partly because I teach a lot less classes, and am required to stay in the school during vacation unless I take paid holiday. Again, some contracts will give you vacations off, others you'll be required to stay in.

Regarding scheduling, its case by case, and a common complaint at ALT meetings. Some schools are completely on the ball, others will give it to you late, change it at short notice, etc. Both my schools do it occasionally at the moment, but I take it in good grace. Half the problem is that the schools often give the ALT caretaking duties to the youngest/most inexperienced teacher or the teacher with no other duties (for good reasons). Again, some schools will always give you a schedule weeks in advance, other times you'll turn up and be still waiting (happened to me this month). I'm just ready for it to happen, but I'd be lying if it didn't royally p#ss me off sometimes. In general, though, its not too bad.

Regarding being asked to cancel flights etc, if you've taken official paid leave it won't happen. If I want to go overseas, I keep it to school holidays and book the time off as far in advance as possible. Never had a problem. You might find they don't want you to take a certain day, but no one will ask you to cancel a flight once you've taken the time off.

And on asking for help, again I've never had a problem, but be aware that your school/caretaker is not there to deal with minor everyday issues related to your life outside the school. A complaint that came up at the prefectural ALT meeting a few weeks ago from the Japanese teachers was that many ALTs treat their caretaker like a councellor. Dealing with your emotional issues is not their job. If you want to know which bus to take to get to Tokyo by all means ask, but if you're feeling homesick that's not their problem and don't expect it to be. If you feel sick then ask them for a doctor's address, but if you can't find milk in a supermarket don't expect someone to walk you around. Otherwise, you'll be fine!

[Imseriouslylost]

Thanks for the replies.

I don't mind deskwarming, actually, if I'm kept busy or if I'm allowed to do what I want to do. If there is absolutely nothing to do I'll probably use the time to study Japanese unless the school has a problem with that. Conversational fluency in a year, here I come! (Yeah, right, but its nice to have unrealistic goals).

Just so long as its not absolutely ridiculous I'll be fine. Being told to take the week off by my boss only to be called by the department head asking me where I am in a threatening tone is something I find really, really annoying.

[cornishmuppet]

That must have sucked. I hope you passed the blame on to your boss - I would have.

If you pull your weight in class you'll be fine. My classes are in good shape and I spend a fair bit of time wandering the corridors during breaks / lunchtime "socialising" with the students, so I don't worry too much if I'm reading a book or using the net etc when there's nothing else to do. I like writing so I'll bang out a few chapters of a novel on my computer during test or holiday weeks. I try not to shove it in anyone's face when I'm not doing work related stuff, but I used to sit next to a JET who spent the majority of each day on either Facebook/youtube/various anime sites in full view of the other teachers with headphones on, and no one batted an eyelid. In fact the other teachers spoke pretty highly of her.

Be friendly and talk to people, smile and joke a lot, help out when necessary (e.g. fill up the staff kettle) and do well-prepared, interesting lessons, and you'll have no problems. The lessons are the most important part for your immediate co-workers. If you show up with no more than a photocopied page from a textbook each lesson people might start to question what you're doing in your down time. If its clear you have put some effort into preparation, no one will likely care what you do at your desk.

[Apsara]

[fluffyhamster]

AET dispatch companies (even the worst!) usually accompany their AETs to their schools before the start of the semester, in order to make the necessary introductions, familiarize the AET with transport routes etc.

As for visas, if yours is from roughly the start of the school year (one March/April to the following year's) and you decide to change employer (or are not offered another job with them for whatever reason), then renewing it will obviously remain your responsibility, but if the visa is from e.g. July to July and/or you are staying with the same employer, then they will be only too happy to submit your passport and documents for you in order to get the visa renewed (technically, the Period of Stay extended). [Of course, it would be nice to get a day off to submit your passport and apply for the visa yourself, then another day off however much later to pick it all up, but every day that you would otherwise be allowed off is of course a day of lost earnings ("intermediate exploitation") for the dispatch company! Plus they more understandably do not want to have to supply (individual teachers with) multiple copies of whatever company docs to Immigration - it is easier and cheaper for the dispatcher to submit the one set along with everybody's passorts and visa renewal forms].

[Inflames]

[seklarwia]

[womblingfree]

[Glenski]

Plenty of JET ALTs complain about the deskwarming and fill the time with Internet surfing and finding ways around the school's firewall.

[fluffyhamster]

Inflames: What Seklarwia wrote re. Interac. That, and ESID and/or things are getting worse in dispatch generally. Anyway, I too have worked for Interac but was taken to my school by them (cor sounds like an alien abduction or something LOL), so not everyone has never been introduced to their schools by Interac at least!

[Inflames]

[fluffyhamster]

Sure, the rurality factor makes sense; as for Kansai, it's always seemed to me like it has somewhat slim pickings, and the general conditions of the work could be mirroring the relative scarcity (IMHO) of ELT jobs there. I'm still a bit surprised (and disappointed) though that a company the size of Interac (and the Kanto side of it never struck me as being too bad) could mess up things as basic as starting time, scheduled days etc - it can't have been very nice, getting off on the wrong foot thanks to them! Plus I bet that the schools are a bit disappointed if Interac isn't nowadays still always paying them what would seem common courtesies, especially in a pretty formal place like Japan. In all, a bit of a shame! ( )

[Inflames]