Korean Job Discussion Forums

Adventurer · Joined: 28 Jan 2006

I am working 32 classes a week now at my academy. I am falling apart. It is too exhausting, and they are all upper level classes.
Last term, I had 23, but they were mostly lower level type classes, and we had phone teaching. Generally, teachers who teach the upper level don't have a heavy load, but the enrollment went up so much, that I actually had the opposite happen, and I just can't keep up with the grading without taking stuff home, and the thought of quitting has crept into my mind.

yingwenlaoshi · Joined: 12 Feb 2007 Location: ... location, location!

sojourner1 · Posted: Thu Sep 18, 2008 3:15 pm Post subject:

Yea, that's a bit too much. It's not uncommon for Korean teachers to have this heavy of a load, but less common for foreigners.

nomad-ish · Posted: Thu Sep 18, 2008 5:28 pm Post subject:

hagwons usually have a limit of 30 teaching hours a week, you should be getting paid overtime for those two extra classes (check your contract for your OT rate). i wouldn't take any editing home if i were you, do what you can during working hours, if you don't get it all done maybe think about teaching a class on peer editing Very Happy

if it's marking, well, do kids ever get lower than a B in hagwons?

Adventurer · Joined: 28 Jan 2006

I_Am_The_Kiwi · Joined: 10 Jun 2008

talk to your boss about it..

explain your over worked, have no time for marking. either they pay over time, give u less classes or ur out..

i wouldnt be taking stuff home EVER.

Ed Provencher · Joined: 15 Oct 2006

Do all that you reasonably can do at work in the most professional way you know. Tell your boss you can't do all the work necessary within your contract hours and ask them what they want to do. At least if you bring them into the solution-seeking mindset, you are being proactive.

There is no shame in telling your boss that you won't bring work home with you. There is a limit to what anyone can do in a day. My policy is to tell my boss when there is too much work and stand my ground. Set your boundaries. You already sound like you take your job seriously. You will be hard to replace.

I have coworkers who grade essays at home or work unpaid OT while complaining about how unfair the boss is, when they could simply have a discussion with the boss about what is humanly possible to do/not to do.

I'm a stubborn son-of-a-bitch too. Always have been.

Hyeon Een · Joined: 24 Jun 2005

i used to do 38-42 40minute classes, but i didn't do any grading or phone teaching or test giving or any extra stuff like that. Just in and out. 7 classes a day Mon-Sat. Fun fun.

Now anything more than 6 (75min) classes a week is overtime^^ And none of that "holidays don't count" creative accounting that hagwans do.

You've been here since 2006 right? Why'd you stick with the hagwan thing? Maybe you should switch to a public school or try and get a good uni job. Unless you're earning 7.000.000won a month.. then it might be worth sticking with it a while. Maybe.

Juregen · Joined: 30 May 2006

My first question would be.

What are you earning ...?

saw6436 · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: Daejeon, ROK

Good advice from Ed' . I currently have 54 40 minute classes but do not have any prep time (I have over 1,800 lesson plans on file). For me it's OK but it can be a bit of a drag.

If your doing grading, testing, and prep you are working a bit too much. Do talk to your boss about the work load. Sounds heavy to me.

Adventurer · Joined: 28 Jan 2006

yingwenlaoshi · Joined: 12 Feb 2007 Location: ... location, location!

Jesus Chrysler! With a heavy class load like that, you can't do anything but teach. Take it easy from now on.

Anyway, I'd get out of that gig. I'd seriously sit down with your boss first and tell him how you feel. Or something.