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Adventurer
Joined: 28 Jan 2006
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 Posted: Mon Oct 20, 2008 1:52 pm Post subject: I just got too burnt out at work.... |
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I was working 32 classes a week at my academy. I protested in the beginning that it was too much, quality would go down, and that was ignored. Not only did I have 32 classes, they increased the amount of students in the classes. I was so exhausted that I got sick twice, and I spent 70% of my planning time grading and grading and even with being at work 40 hours a week, I wasn't able to finish grading everything or able to be organized with that many classes. Some of the students felt the quality went down and dropped. I was complaining royally about the workload.
Management acted somewhat sympathetic in the middle of the term, but I felt pissed, because my teaching, I felt, was compromised, because I was exhausted, and I felt 32 classes with no overtime was exploitave. I felt if I can't finish my work at work, I am not going to take work home and grade, because the currency is too low, and I am not paid overtime.
Finally, my manager seeing me constantly stressed and sick for the second time said it would be better if I go home. He wants to have a Korean teach the advanced kids instead. I guess quality can then go down further. I guess his logic is a Korean will do whatever it takes including working from home and not complain like a colleague of mine and myself. We thought the workload was way too excessive.
Also, half the time the CD players I had to use for TOEFL wouldn't work.
I am not saying I am the perfect teacher out there, but I did quite well last term. I do know how to teach, and I am certified. I just can't handle 32 classes a week with very little break time.
I was getting so exhausted and stressed to the point that I no longer had the drive to read books at home for my own pleasure. I used to be able to do that in Korea. We had record enrollment, and they exploited that to the max this term, and all I got as a reward for the extra enrollment was an envelope with 30,000 won, because our campus got an award and after distribution of that money to the secretaries and other foreign teachers that's what I got. I was insulted, but I didn't tell my manager that. |
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Yu_Bum_suk
Joined: 25 Dec 2004
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| Posted: Mon Oct 20, 2008 3:19 pm Post subject: |
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| There's no way you can be an effective teacher with that kind of schedule. You can do it for a month or two, but more than that and you're just going to become a model of misery. Best to pull the plug. |
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M-Tea
Joined: 11 Oct 2008
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| Posted: Mon Oct 20, 2008 4:02 pm Post subject: |
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How long are these classes?
At some academies they work 40+ classes from Monday to Friday but they are only 35 minutes long.
I teach classes that are from 30 minutes to 1 hour long. |
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call_the_shots
Joined: 10 Oct 2008
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| Posted: Mon Oct 20, 2008 4:17 pm Post subject: |
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| I would expect overtime compensation for ANYTHING that brings me over 30 hours per week, including time spent preparing or grading. Otherwise, it's not getting done. |
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TheChickenLover
Joined: 17 Dec 2007
Location: The Chicken Coop
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| Posted: Mon Oct 20, 2008 4:45 pm Post subject: |
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You knew the schedule was too hard. Your boss knew it as well, but you both still went through with it.
Your boss has banked from your work and you got sick.
In short, you're an idiot for doing this to yourself.
Find another job or prepare yourself for more of the same.
Chicken |
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Adventurer
Joined: 28 Jan 2006
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| Posted: Mon Oct 20, 2008 4:58 pm Post subject: |
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| TheChickenLover wrote: |
You knew the schedule was too hard. Your boss knew it as well, but you both still went through with it.
Your boss has banked from your work and you got sick.
In short, you're an idiot for doing this to yourself.
Find another job or prepare yourself for more of the same.
Chicken |
Chicken, it's easy for you to say. I worked here last term, and the schedule was manageable. How was I supposed to know the manager was going to take a record number of students and open a record amount of classes at the expense of myself and another co-worker? When I got wind of it, I complained early on, and the reason why I am going home is because he preferred a Korean who will just take it and work like crazy.
I am not sure a Korean would do it for long, anyway, and the students would drop out if a Korean taught them, because the books involved deal with American and world history. I didn't really do this to myself. It's not that simple. I did protest against this, and I just protested more and more.
I teach 40 minute classes. However, each class requires a lot work.
26 of my 32 classes are advanced classes. Four of those are IBT TOEFL classes. The other 22 advanced classes are advanced history classes that involve vocabulary tests and debates every wek and a half and that requires looking at what they wrote and accumulating tons of papers from quizzes to debate and presentation papers, and I have to enter my grades into a Korean network system if I can catch up and do that.
At any rate, at the other campus they are getting rid of their foreign teachers, because the enrollment at the middle school (the other campus teaches middle school) went down significantly. I would say that because the boss on top (not simply the managers) focus on production, volume rather than true quality, he has problems. Our academy focuses way too much on the appearance of quality. Anyway, my quality wasn't good this term, I would admit, but I just couldn't handle such a workload without taking stuff home, which I ended up refusing to do. I shouldn't have to work more than 40 hours including grading. In the end, some of the kids (not most) were somewhat disatisfied with me teaching, but it is not my fault the quality went down. I am a human being, and I won't work like crazy from home with no overtime, and I need to have a life. |
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head-in-the-clouds
Joined: 14 Oct 2008
Location: London for now
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| Posted: Mon Oct 20, 2008 5:02 pm Post subject: |
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| TheChickenLover wrote: |
You knew the schedule was too hard. Your boss knew it as well, but you both still went through with it.
Your boss has banked from your work and you got sick.
In short, you're an idiot for doing this to yourself.
Find another job or prepare yourself for more of the same.
Chicken |
How is this helpful to the poster? Who are you to sum him up as an idiot from one paragraph.
Does it feel good to stick the boot in on the forum because the reciever can't punch you into next week.
Sorry OP, this site seems awash with losers. |
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Ukon
Joined: 29 Jan 2008
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| Posted: Mon Oct 20, 2008 5:11 pm Post subject: Re: I just got too burnt out at work.... |
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| Adventurer wrote: |
| We had record enrollment, and they exploited that to the max this term, and all I got as a reward for the extra enrollment was an envelope with 30,000 won, because our campus got an award and after distribution of that money to the secretaries and other foreign teachers that's what I got. I was insulted, but I didn't tell my manager that. |
*cough* Toby *Cough* What did I tell you....it isn't gonna get better anytime soon unless you grow a pair...and next time I suggest you looking into the PS system... |
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Ukon
Joined: 29 Jan 2008
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| Posted: Mon Oct 20, 2008 5:21 pm Post subject: |
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| head-in-the-clouds wrote: |
| TheChickenLover wrote: |
You knew the schedule was too hard. Your boss knew it as well, but you both still went through with it.
Your boss has banked from your work and you got sick.
In short, you're an idiot for doing this to yourself.
Find another job or prepare yourself for more of the same.
Chicken |
How is this helpful to the poster? Who are you to sum him up as an idiot from one paragraph.
Does it feel good to stick the boot in on the forum because the reciever can't punch you into next week.
Sorry OP, this site seems awash with losers. |
He's posted similar rants and everyone tell hims to confront the boss, but he always backs out of it like a good house boy and says "it's not so bad". |
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Adventurer
Joined: 28 Jan 2006
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| Posted: Mon Oct 20, 2008 5:30 pm Post subject: Re: I just got too burnt out at work.... |
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| Ukon wrote: |
| Adventurer wrote: |
| We had record enrollment, and they exploited that to the max this term, and all I got as a reward for the extra enrollment was an envelope with 30,000 won, because our campus got an award and after distribution of that money to the secretaries and other foreign teachers that's what I got. I was insulted, but I didn't tell my manager that. |
*cough* Toby *Cough* What did I tell you....it isn't gonna get better anytime soon unless you grow a pair...and next time I suggest you looking into the PS system... |
I did confront my manager over this. I am not a wimp. I was aggressive, that's why he decided he needs a Korean who will take it and be quiet. I did look into the PS system and the school I applied to had red flags. Remember, several months the visa system was all sparkling, we didn't know exactly what was going on, and I was trying to find a job during that hazy period.
It's not like I haven't heard rosy stuff about public schools, but consider a friend of mine who worked at a public school left her school is in the U.S., and she didn't finish her contract. Things aren't rosy at all public schools in Korea. You do know that since you've been here a long time like me, I assume. I can tell you why I didn't take that PS job I applied for.... They were dishonest, changed the apartment on me, held my passport for too long and the like, so I said no thank you. I am not exactly a push over. I am nice, but if I feel overworked, then I speak up and so did my other co-worker. Believe me, we did raise a big stink about it.
Everyone knows I made a big stink of it. We as foreigners are not treated as important by all Korean companies to where we can just simply say what we want and just walk out. There is something called an E2 visa, Joe the plumber.
I confronted the boss several times. I just know that simply confronting the boss is not going to simply change your schedule when they've signed up that many classes up. I knew basically I had only one option which was to quit (you know it is not easy changing jobs here) and that was pretty much it.
You do know that. Until you are in that situation, you can't really speak, because both myself and my other co-worker bitched royally, so don't go around presuming we don't raise stinks as foreigners and don't confront. I've been to labor before, I've confronted bosses, accused them of stuff, and confronted this current manager. To those pontificating, I would like to see you guys teach for a few years in a tough inner city school and then talk to me.
Thanks... |
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alex83
Joined: 03 May 2007
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| Posted: Mon Oct 20, 2008 6:40 pm Post subject: |
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| OP, how many teaching hours are you contracted to work? |
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Ukon
Joined: 29 Jan 2008
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| Posted: Mon Oct 20, 2008 7:09 pm Post subject: |
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| Don't "bitch royally", make demands....He has the money to pay you what you deserve...make no mistake about it. If you demanded fair compensation or else you walked, I bet he'd man up and pay you.....the foreigner teacher bailing is a real good way to reverse his exponential growth. |
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Adventurer
Joined: 28 Jan 2006
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| Posted: Mon Oct 20, 2008 7:21 pm Post subject: |
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| Ukon wrote: |
| Don't "bitch royally", make demands....He has the money to pay you what you deserve...make no mistake about it. If you demanded fair compensation or else you walked, I bet he'd man up and pay you.....the foreigner teacher bailing is a real good way to reverse his exponential growth. |
I am contracted to work 30 teaching hours. I work 32 classes a week which is about 21 hours, I believe. They are, however, advanced classes.
I have two hours of planning time before classes start.
So, I am there for 40 hours, and the planning time because of the increased load is mostly adequate just for grading, not planning. I often don't look at my syllabus, because I am grading and grading.
Ukon, this is Korea. You need to suspend the thinking you have from the U.S. It doesn't work here. I am leaving after the end of next month before the end of my contract. His solution to the problem of giving us excessive work is to have Korean employees who will work like crazy and might be stressed but won't say anything.
I did ask that I, for sure, not teach that many classes. He didn't give me such guarantees, I didn't act like a happy employee, and I was about to quit when he said I could go if I wanted, and he would give me a reference letter, because he felt guilty about giving me that many classes. My co-worker made demands that he wouldn't take work home no matter what the syllabus said. He will probably be put with the less advanced kids, and they will have a Korean teach the advanced kids. Not a smart business decision in my opinion.
Many hagwons sabotage their growth as you well know. I know how they think, and that's why I said what I said. I wasn't trying to burn my bridges, so to speak and do a midnight run. |
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saw6436
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: Daejeon, ROK
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| Posted: Mon Oct 20, 2008 7:34 pm Post subject: |
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40 hours a week? Sorry but that is a pretty standard work week. I'm doing 55 40 minute classes a week now and have ben doing that for a couple of years now.
I realize everyone has their own threshhold but I don't see the big deal. |
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Ukon
Joined: 29 Jan 2008
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| Posted: Mon Oct 20, 2008 7:36 pm Post subject: |
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| Holy cow! 30 classes a week...I hope your getting at least 2.8 mill amonth for that much work. |
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