Korean Job Discussion Forums

D.D. · Joined: 29 May 2008

What do you think about being asked to teach many days of summer camp for no extra pay? It's 3 weeks over summer break at a p.s. about 3-4 classes a day. We have been told that we have to live up to our contracted hours. My beef is that summer classes require a lot more planning and it's the same students for every class. I would be interested in finding out what others are being asked to do.

icicle · Joined: 09 Feb 2007 Location: Gyeonggi do Korea

If you are working for a public school ... then it is a normal part of the contract ... and definitely expected ... It can also be in a lot of ways the most enjoyable part of the year ... because you do get the chance to work with a smaller group of students ... each day over the time ...

Yes ... there is often more preparation involved than in normal times ... when a lesson can be reused multiple times ... But to me that isn't a bad thing ... I used to hate having so much time to sit around with nothing I had to do ...

I am personally now much happier in a hagwon where I need to prepare for each class ... and adapt to meet the needs of the class ... rather than prepare a lesson or two to use all week with multiple different classes ... as was the case in the public school ...

ttompatz · Joined: 05 Sep 2005 Location: Kwangju, South Korea

You are also aware that most PS contracts have a limit of 20 classes per week for summer camp / summer classes (USUALLY 9am - noon) and MANY of the older contracts had a limit of 2 camps per vacation period.

I have also found the camp classes to be the most fun. We toss out the books and do fun stuff, TPR, task based learning, etc.

My kids do NOT bring pencils to camp.

In regards to getting extra pay for it...

IT is NOT your vacation time.
You are contracted to do it as part of your job description:
Article 2
3.To be involved in English day camps, extra-curricular classes, teacher training during school vacations.
It should NOT include weekends or working after your normal day ends.

.

Draz · Joined: 27 Jun 2007 Location: Land of Morning Clam

I think it is my inability to adapt to different classes (because there are TOO MANY of them) that bothers me the most in my PS job...

That said, I think your situation sucks balls, OP. Sorry you picked a dud out of the random job hat. You must have a different format than the summer camp where I live. The teacher last year only had to plan one lesson and taught it every class to different students for the massive combined area camp with many teachers from all the schools. Not sure what they are doing this year, but I know it's going to be twice as long. I'm hoping they don't make any other changes.

Horangi Munshin · Joined: 06 Apr 2003 Location: Busan

My co-teacher has been going to meetings at the city office of education about summer camps.

They are really pushing for every school to have them (at each school) this summer and actually spending time making lesson plans. I know it fell solely on the foreign teachers in the past.

AND

The education office is pushing the Korean English teachers to teach in these camps too!!! They will get extra pay maybe but of course I don't think any Korean teacher would like to give up 2-3 weeks of their vacation!!!

I really hope I aren't stuck with horrible lesson plans that I must teach. She did say they were content based and supposedly simple and fun. Math in English, cooking, science in English etc.

Draz · Joined: 27 Jun 2007 Location: Land of Morning Clam

some waygug-in · Joined: 25 Jan 2003

I'm hoping I can convince my co-teachers that they don't have to be here... but I expect that someone has told them that they must.

Last year one of my co-teachers consistantly interrupted, took over the class and ruined most of the fun activities I had planned.

I hope that won't happen this year.... but we shall see.

sojourner1 · Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 9:49 am Post subject:

You are entitled to your Summer vacation, aren't you? If it's 2 weeks, then you should be off for 2 weeks, but can teach Summer camp classes during the part of Summer break you are NOT on vacation. If it's not your vacation time, why is it an issue to teach? How is the Summer camp unpaid if it's during part of your contracted work period? Right?

I'm looking at this from an angle of having an EPIK contract with 2 weeks vacation in the Summer and 3 weeks in the Winter like in Gangwondo and Jeollonamdo. Some provinces only give you 2 weeks of vacation a year, while others give you 5 weeks.

If you are not on vacation, then go to work, even if there's nothing much to do unless told you don't have to go. If you are supposed to have vacation, it should not be an issue to take it. I would go higher up if there is an issue.

thomasdr · Joined: 02 Feb 2005

Korean teachers are not on vacation in the summer either. They are not required to be at work but they still are on call and must submit an official form stating what they will be working on when school is in recess.

It is ludicrous that you should have to stay at school when school is not in session because it is not vacation if you are working from home like every other Korean teacher. On a vacation you can leave the country, but when regular classes are not taking place you are expected to be working - professional development - from outside the school like the rest of the teachers.