Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Kiwigoddess]

I apologize if this thread has been done but when I put in a search, it returns a blank white page.

I would just like to know what hours you work and the best and worst things about those hours. For example, does a late finish (9 or 10pm) affect your ability to socialize in the evenings? If you dont go out until late are most other people going home within a couple of hours of you arriving? Do most people tend to socialize during the weekends, or are there lots of people out drinking/partying/socializing every night?

Any info would be greatly appreciated

[ttompatz]

[Kiwigoddess]

Thanks for that....after being a distance learner the past few years I'm more than ready to socialize but didnt want to end up only being able to spend a couple of hours out on the town and have everyone else heading home for bed.

[NYC_Gal 2.0]

I work from 2-7:30, give or take 10 minutes. It's pretty decent. I'm switching to a new job soon that will have me working mornings until about lunchtime. I'll have to start going to bed earlier, but it'll be worth it.

[sigmundsmith]

9am to 5pm - Mon, Wed, Fri - 12 hours teaching in total, the rest lesson prep, student consultation, grading - so I have a few hours that I usually spend socializing

[MetaFitX]

My school.

Cons: Teaching 23 80 minute classes a week

Pros: None.

[Threequalseven]

My job: M-F, 1:30-9:00pm everyday. (37.5 hours per week)

My initial reaction to the OP is that this is a great question to ask, but you're asking it for all the wrong reasons. To answer your original questions: Yes, most people go out on weekends, and yes, there are usually people out on any given weeknight as well. That said, my social life is probably the thing my job affects the least.

PROS:
- I can stay up late.
- I can sleep 'til noon if I want.

CONS:
- I hardly have any time to do things during the week. I wake up, get showered and dressed, eat breakfast, then I'm off to work. After work, I might get groceries or go to the gym, come home and have a couple beers, then it's time for bed.
- Most businesses are closed or closing by the time I'm off work.
- It's never light out when I finish work.

After this year, I definitely want a day job even if it's at a hagwon. It would be nice to spend half the day at work and have the other half to myself, rather than having my job take up the most cognitively-active chunk of my day.

[ttompatz]

[Kiwigoddess]

Thanks for all the responses so far. I realize different people will be after different things in Korea. Although money is important, I still want to be able to socialize and do things rather than eat, sleep, and work day in day out. I dont want to be the chicken stuck in her cage (apartment) because everyone else is at work when I have free time....that would be just my luck though. I guess its just a matter of weighing up the advantages and disadvantages of the different working hours and trying to pick which suits best.

[Threequalseven]

Again KiwiG, your work hours aren't going to affect your social life. You can always go out and socialize. If you work at a public school, you'll probably hang out with other public schoolers. If you work at a hagwon, most of your friends will probably be hagwoners. There really is no minority group of teachers - it's split about 50/50.

The main thing that will determine if you'll be stuck in a cage is where you work, not when you work. If you work in a big metro, or even a city with over 200,000 people, you'll be just fine. However, if you apply for a provincial public school job and get placed out in the pattyfields in a town of 8,000 people, then you're SOL.

Just keep your search to more populated areas and you can socialize every night of the week no matter when you work. Aim for big cities if you want to b.s. with strangers; aim for smaller cities (200,000-400,000) if you want to create friendships. The time at which you work is totally irrelevant.

[World Traveler]

[John Stamos jr.]

A lot has to do with who you know... I was supposed to switch after school jobs but it recently fell through (program postponed til the summer). I was planning to leave and haven't even opened a job listing, yet I've been offered 3 different AS jobs since that fell through. One in incheon one in yongin, wherever that is, and another in central Seoul. Guess I'll be staying a bit longer.

[Zyzyfer]

I can list hours for past jobs...

1st job (2001): 3-9 usually (hakwon)
2nd job (2003): 9-4:30 (public school)
3rd job (2004): 4-10:40 (test prep hakwon)
4th job (2009): initially a terrible split shift, eventually got my desired 9ish-4ish (adult hakwon)

I'm a night owl so jobs 1 and 3 suited my desire to sleep in. 1st job most of us foreign teachers finished at 9 and we socialized with each other a fair bit, so it wasn't too bad. 3rd job the finish was way too late and I went a bit stir-crazy by the end of the contract due to all the time to myself. There weren't other foreign teachers at my academy and my buddies in another academy finished earlier and therefore called it a night earlier.

Hated 2nd job after 1st job but between 3rd and 4th job I switched over to office hours and obviously preferred that heading into the 4th job.

As for socializing a lot depends on your location. Also if you're finishing at 10 pm or so and then go out to socialize I think you can imagine the sorts of social situations you will find yourself in.

[s.tickbeat]

12:00 - 5:00 tuesday and thursday, 12:00 - 6:00 monday-wednesday-friday.

My schedule is pretty good, I have no complaints. Unfortunately, my lover and some friends don't finish until 9ish so I have a lot of time on my own. I'm liking it, though.

[Kiwigoddess]

A few people changing over to morning shifts with earlier finishes I see. Thats what shift I think suits me better too. Thanks everyone, have really appreciated your input.