Korean Job Discussion Forums

[dannylelievre]

The teachers at my school are baffled and arguing! Help us solve our dispute please.....with your votes and comments.

Ok, here's the situation. The local teachers at our school work from 8-2 everyday and the foreigners work from 9-4. So everyday a lot of us show up after at least one of the local staff is there and working. We open the staff room door to a brick wall of heated air, as if stepping into some sort of cruel demonstration of what the environment in the center of the Earth's core would be. Usually, the foreign teachers will go turn down the thermostat from 38!!!! to 22 or something, then go re-apply their eyebrows while making some smart-a$$ comment about the heat. Does turning the heat to 38 make it get warmer faster, or just get even hotter Well, after about a month of this, the fighting has started, along with the personal insults. It is a bit ridiculous. Anyway, does this happen at anyone else's job? I've noticed it on the subways, where even if it is 10 degrees outside, it will be 100 degrees inside, just because if it's cold out, they've got to utilize the heater to full extent. I came home today on the train and had to strip off every bit of clothes in order to avert passing out. If you have similar experiences, or have found the opposite, please post.

[Captain Corea]

I take it you've tried to talk about it?

[dannylelievre]

Of course, it has gone on for a long time, and happened last year as well as this past summer! Even our very level-headed head teacher is lost at this point. It is getting ugly. Some of the foreign teachers are even showing up an hour before work just to make sure it doesn't happen. As soon as we all leave the room, the temp goes right back up.

[tomato]

You need everyone's vote?
What makes you think everyone lives in Seoul?

[tzechuk]

[RACETRAITOR]

[eamo]

You're not the first and you certainly won't be the last foreigner to notice that Koreans use heaters and air-conditioning in the style of 8 year-olds.

[dannylelievre]

Sorry, i consider Seoul to be the center of the universe (i have to update my maps!!!) Anyway, I just didnt really want to be offensive to the Koreans on the board by saying 'Koreans can't use thermometers'. This is a post about workplaces, not people. If you live out of Seoul in Korea you are more than welcome to vote.

[Kimchi Cowboy]

In the hallway at my old hagwon was a thermometer (no, not a thermostat) with recommended indoor temperatures for summer and winter. The recommended temp for "Summer" was 18 C. The recommended temp for "Winter" was 28.

[Newbie]

Lighten up people... it's a funny post about something almost all of us have experienced.

OP, Many of us feel your pain.

[Hanson]

[esetters21]

[JAWINSEOUL]

I suggest bringing some research into the school regarding the temperature the human body functions at its peak. This may seem strange, but Koreans have been known to accept advice that will help them learn.

Manipulation is not always a bad thing. Here is what I found;

I actually looked that up one time, as I was interested.
Temperatures between 19 C and 22C is when the human body functions best. Most people feel very comfortable at that temp, and our metabolism seems to function best there too.

[sconner]

If you have central heating at your school your lucky.

[Ya-ta Boy]

This is one of the true mysteries of the Orient. As far as I and many other people can tell, Koreans do not perceive air temperature directly. It is either hot or cold depending on the season on the calander, not the thermometer.

My classroom does not have a thermostat. The central office controls the heat. We get heat after Nov. 15 and it is turned off on March 15. During the heated months, we get heat from 8:30 to 9:30 and again from 1:00 to 2:00. That's it.

While I'm sweating bullets and clinging to the podium to hold myself vertical, my students are sitting there in their uniforms, plus their winter coats, zipped up to the throat. "It's winter" is the only answer I can get out of them.