Korean Job Discussion Forums

[ABC KID]

I'm teaching at a public school with the standard 14 days vacation. This isn't a post to complain about not having more holidays while the Korean Teachers have their x amount of weeks. In fact I am very happy at my school.

However, one thing that bugs me a little bit is my school's description of my legally entitled vacation as 'Special Holiday'. Don't get me wrong, they give me the 14 days without any problems (although they didn't want to give me more than a day for the birth of a child) but it really gives off the vibe that Native Speaker's shouldn't be entitled to any holiday at all and we should all be grateful for anything we can get.

Does anyone else ever get this feeling? Maybe teachers in hagwons or at CDI can relate to it more?

[nomad-ish]

[Boodleheimer]

i got some attitude last year because i left at 5:30pm instead of 10 or 11pm.

[Atavistic]

I don't get to go home early during camp usually. But EVERYONE leaves at 4:40 every day. My vacation is called "vacation." Yesterday half the teachers had a business trip, and half the teachers had to go to another school for sports' day after 1 pm. Me? I got to go home. I get sent home early probably twice a month without asking, and whenever I've asked to leave early (bank, post office, Embassy, whatever), they've let me go, no problem.

[KYC]

I was at the GEPIK cultural seminar thingy a few days ago. A Korean teacher actually told me that Native Speakers are lucky as they have a "holiday" every week. I didnt understand what he was talking about. I later realized he was talking about Saturday & Sundays. I definitely think there is some bitterness there..since we dont have to work saturdays and they do. I dont consider those "holidays"....my weekends are just that..my weekends.

[Ya-ta Boy]

[polonius]

My Baby was born 2 weeks ago, he has been in ICU for 2 weeks, and my wife was in the hospital before that for 1 month. I work at a hagwon, and have been at the same place for 5 years. I am a manager at the school, so that might have played a part in it all. But, they let me take the time I needed to take care of family. I think it also helped that in my 5 years here, I only took 3 sick days, and that is because I caught the chicken pox from a student, and was ordered by the doctor not to attend school for fear of passing it on to other students.

There are some good companies out there to work for. If you try to rationalize with them, (and I can only speak from my experience, and am certain that it might not work for others) but, they knew that if it were them in my shoes, they wouldve done the same thing I did.

Also, the Korean teachers at my academy get far fewer days vacation then do the foreign staff.

Bottom line, it depends on where you work.

[pkang0202]

Starting next year, Korean teachers will get the Saturday "holiday" as well.

[mrsquirrel]

My school religiously sticks to my contract. I have 19 days because of living in the sticks. Those 5 extra days ahd to be proven though by digging through the contract again.

However I am happy with the religous contract sticking. It has been good for me in that I leave for home at 4:30 everyday. I don't stay late.

It was recently suggested that since I had a demo lesson coming up that I might want to stay late and help prepare for it. I was happy to point out that it wasn't part of my contract to stay after hours, however if they had let me go earier during summer vacations like my VP had wanted me to then I would have gladly stayed, but you did insist that my contract said that I couldn't so I stayed without complaining.

They nod and show understanding.

[nomad-ish]

[theatrelily]

I feel pretty lucky at my middle school.

I don't sense any sort of resentment from the Korean teachers because I have Saturdays off...but I think that may be in part because I am at the school, helping students, a full hour earlier than all of them - and it's voluntary.

During winter and summer camps I am home by 12pm everyday, whether there is a class or not.

During the regular schedule, I am at the school until 4:30 and never get to leave early (unless I just got paid and have banking to do) but my school has been really good about granting me extra vacation (unpaid, but without hassle) when needed in the past.

The whole "special vacation" ploy seems to be one of those standard Korean management methods: A worker seems unhappy at work and is complaining, so tell them that they have been working poorly to humble them and get them back in line. Similarly, tell the foreign teacher that the vacation he/she is receiving is a "special holiday" so that the teacher feels grateful for the generosity and realizes how great he/she has it.

It sucks, and I am not saying that it makes a lot of sense- but it seems to be common practice.

[icnelly]

The teachers who speak English were actually saying my break was too short. My CT mentioned something about Saturday's off being like vacation, but there weren't any hard feelings.

She presented it like that's why our vacation packages are shorter because we get Saturday's off. Was that the real rationale behind it?

[Young FRANKenstein]

[xtchr]

[Paddycakes]