Korean Job Discussion Forums

withnail · Joined: 13 Oct 2008 Location: Seoul, South Korea.

Your day is never your own. You can�t quite enjoy your afternoons because of that nagging feeling that you might not be properly prepared for the evening. Also you�re never quite sure whether to let yourself get involved in this or that for fear of being late for the evening kick off.

If you�re on an insanely early start like 630am (common in adult hagwons in Korea), do you stay up straight through to the final whistle at night? If you do, you�ve little energy left for the second half. If you get some kip in the avvo, you might not be able to later and join the ranks of the living dead.

Now that I�m on a single shift, I can see them now, TEFL zombies. Stayed up straight through, had a few drinks down the pub afterwards, walkin round Dong-A department store, eyes aglaze, murmuring to themselves and quaffing little bottles of instant energy rocket fuel to get them through to close of play. Stifling Daegu humidity, sweat soaked shirts, they�re a sight for sore eyes - and their eyes look sore! Ouch!

I hated split shifts with a passion�

withnail · Joined: 13 Oct 2008 Location: Seoul, South Korea.

anybody out there like split shifts?

corporate · Joined: 11 Oct 2008 Location: NEW YORK - SEOUL

you talk a lot O shit, some of us get our proper sleep and then wake up early birds and go about our day, maybe hit the gym for energy to go throughout the evening. not sugar bull drinks for me.

maybe you would like to go home back to the farm? leave kr for the city guys, the new yorkers

withnail · Joined: 13 Oct 2008 Location: Seoul, South Korea.

charming. i can see split shifts are doing wonders for you...
corporate - you've made just 3 posts on this site and you've flamed the OP twice! I sure hope you won't need people to help you out and answer your questions if you keep this up. Good luck!

Xuanzang · Joined: 10 Apr 2007 Location: Sadang

Nope because waking up early for PS is hard enough...lol

cdninkorea · Joined: 27 Jan 2006 Location: Seoul

I have a split shift on Thursdays and quite enjoy it. Mind you, the hours aren't extreme like hagwon splits:

In the morning: 9:30 - 12:20
In the evening: 7:40 - 9:30

So I have a 7 hour and 20 minute break.

Whirlwind · Joined: 03 Jun 2005

Anybody with previous teaching experience in Korea, who is doing split shifts, gets what they deserve. Split shifts are for fools.

PRagic · Joined: 24 Feb 2006

Seconded. Back in the early 90s, there were no option. Now, however, you can find jobs without splits. Anyone who takes a position with splits didn't do their homework and deserves what they get. Consider it partial payment of dues. Finish your contract and get the helll out of that job!

branchsnapper · Joined: 21 Feb 2008

I've "paid my dues" Rolling Eyes

at the split-shifters as well and thats the exception to what I just wrote elsewhere about most jobs being pretty similar, in particular jobs with schedules that force you to wake up for work 10 times a week.

sojourner1 · Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2008 9:06 pm Post subject:

I knew one guy teaching splits at a university and he was tired all the time. He couldn't enjoy his nights nor weekends, because of that nagging feeling that he might not be properly prepared to teach advanced students. Needless to say, despite putting in many more research and lesson plan prep time than class hours, he got sacked after 6 months.

jadarite · Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2008 11:17 pm Post subject:

There are pros and cons to both. At a hagwon, split shifts allow you to do things like go shopping or go to the bank in between classes. However, you are grounded to the area you teach in because you always have to be available for lessons in an hour or so.

At a public school, you have no freedom to leave the school and are prisoner until your last class (or later if your finish before the 4:30 mark). However, once it's over, it's over. You can do anything with your evenings.

I'd say 3 or 4 days like a public school and 2 or 1 day like a hagwon would be great so you can get things done you need during the day and also have time in the evenings to yourself.

In the end, I am 70 percent in favor of no split shifts and 30 percent in favor of split shifts

PRagic · Joined: 24 Feb 2006

Give it time. Splits suck. Period.

withnail · Joined: 13 Oct 2008 Location: Seoul, South Korea.

i love the comments from the bright-eyed, bushy-tailed newbies who say long splits are no problem! you just know they'll gradually change their minds, ha,ha! one of the common experiences for all tefl vets is being flamed by a newbie. talk to you in a few months guys...

Ukon · Joined: 29 Jan 2008

mogbert · Joined: 10 May 2004

Same here. I can go to the bank whenever I have a free period. Have any of you ever asked your CT or VP? If I've had 4-5 classes in a row and am done early, I can also leave early (around 2ish to 3ish) to run errands if I just let my VP and CT know.