Korean Job Discussion Forums

[rayjoy]

Okay, I'm feeling rather troubled. I'm a new EPIK elementary school teacher in Busan (as of Sept). I am my school's first NT. This winter break, I'll be working a 3 week camp at my school, teaching 20 kids each day four class periods a day, by myself. My boyfriend got recruited to teach at my school too so the both of us will be teaching our own classes throughout the 3 weeks. After classes end, we are stuck at school til 4:40.

Before the camps start, there are 5 working days, including day after Christmas and day after New Year's. We're told we need to come in all of those days.

After the camps we'll take our 7 days off, which including weekends and holidays equals a 13 day stretch.

It all sounds a little lame but whatever.

But in researching, I'm finding that generally camps, especially in Busan, are paid extra. And asking around, pretty much everyone goes home at noon after camps and gets extra days off.

I asked my co-teacher about extra pay and she said, no that's not the case. I said that I've heard other people make extra money for camps. She said, oh yes, Korean teachers do, not native teachers. I said, no actually it was native teachers I heard that make extra money. She sat in front of me and reread the EPIK contract 3 times to try to find where it says I don't get paid extra.

I know there's a clause that says for me to do extra work like camps. But it doesn't say it's for extra pay and it doesn't say it's for no extra pay.

They had a NT teach a summer camp and paid him but they said he had given up his other pay, which doesn't make sense, I've never heard that before.

In asking about doing lesson prep at home instead of school and how most other EPIK teachers can go home early during break, she said "I don't know about other schools but here you have to be here." She said that they were just trying to follow the contract exactly.

My school has treated me very well, very respectful, very encouraging, saying how much they appreciate having me here. But it kind of stops at the words. There are no extras, like going home early, extra time off and I really feel like if my school had the choice to pay me for the camp (I've seen others here elude to the fact that the money to pay us is there, it's just the school's choice to use it), they would not. My school is not wealthy and I'm becoming suspicious that money they got for me is not always used on me. Maybe I'm paranoid.

Yes, clearly this is a rant but I also want to hear others' opinions. Is this is a Too Bad Too Sad situation? Something I should pursue with higher-ups? Has anyone else been in this situation and been able to resolve it positively?

My co-teacher was calling the school board and we'll talk about it more today so maybe this is going to be moot but I suspect it will not be. I just want to hear what others' have to say.

[afsjesse]

Our situations are exactly the same. I have towrk a 2 week camp over break with no pay and my school doesn't give me any so called "extras". But they do treat me with respect.

Only difference is my co-teachers is taking my side on things.... but in the end it doesn't really matter.

Enjoy seat warming!

[xCustomx]

It all depends on the school. I taught a 3 week summer camp last year, a 2 week winter camp last year, a 2 week spring camp, this year and a 1 week intensive summer camp this year, and I never got paid an extra won. Your local education office or city might sponsor a camp at a university which you might be able to get paid extra for.

Last year I had to stay at school as well, even though I finished all my classes. I came on Daves and explained my situation, just like yourself, but it didn't really help. After numerous attempts to persuade my VP to let me go home after class, he only let me go home one hour early.

When it came time to renew my contract, I made sure they changed a lot of things, especially regarding the camps. I now teach 1 week in summer and 1 week in winter. During the camp period, I can leave when I finish my classes. The rest of the time is vacation.

I know the situation sucks, but suck it up and try not to complain too much that other teachers are getting a better situation. This can only lead to a decrease in vacation time for ALL PS teachers. Try to get changes made in your next contract, and if they don't, move on to a different school.

[Jeff's Cigarettes]

I have to teach a camp for 4 days after xmass. Then, I'll be off to Thailand at new years for a month. Sux, I'm not getting anything extra for the camp either.

[Fishead soup]

Your school doesn't respect you. Try to get transffered. Don't complain to someone in the POE this will just result in everyone else getting shafted.

[nomad-ish]

^ yeah, be careful about complaining too much about this to your co-teacher, and definitely DO NOT mention any names of other foreign teachers. my city had a situation last year where one guy dropped a few FT names, and his co-teacher ended up calling those schools and yelling at the co-teachers

[wayfarer]

In January I'm going to finish lesson planning very quickly. Then, I'm going to close my computer, lean back, and start reading a book, just so they can see how pointless my presence is. It'll be interesting to see if they get the point.

[Ramen]

Why not mention which schools are paying their NT's extra pay?

Go ahead and complain to co-teacher, POE,... about it.

If others are getting paid, why not you?

[BS.Dos.]

[Fishead soup]

[nomad-ish]

[JJJ]

Jeez, at the very least try to get home after your last class.

I know K teachers take turns coming to school for a couple days in the summer and winter to "supervise" any extra classes or if students walk in off the street to chat/discuss a problem, but they don't spend all day here. Once everyone is gone home, u should as well. Good luck.

[Ramen]

Make good use of your 15 sickdays. That's all I have to say.

[I_Am_The_Kiwi]

Been tehre done that...warmed a chair for 2 months when i arrived while my friends were able to stay home. Pissed me off but theres nothing you can do about it, youre supposed to be at work. Its totally up to your VP/P if you can go home. I think do the camps, do them well, put in the time and show em you care or whatever........drop the hints about wanting to see Korea in winter blah blah blah, just sell it.

Then they might just give you free time in Feb. But its up to them, just dont kick up a stink cos you have no right to, and itll look bad. Especially if u want to try score extra time off in summer r next winter when the same shit goes down.

[poet13]

Refusing camp pay is bullpucky. In EPIK, from everything that I've heard, and I've heard some, is that work outside of normal school hours is paid extra. That's why we get paid extra for the after school program.
And teaching alone? Not allowed. If they want to pocket the money allotted for your camp pay (and YES, it's going in someones pocket), then tell them that Korean law requires a Licensed Korean teacher to be in classroom at all times. If there is no Korean teacher present, step outside of the classroom and wait for the teacher to arrive. If they want to play games like adhering to the letter of the contract, you can play games too...and adhere to the letter of Korean law.

As for the vacation thing. That sucks dirty monkey butt but that's their perogative. I like the other posters advice...
"If you get a crappy vacation package vote with your feet and go work for another school."
You could ask about the proffessional paper that teachers write during the break. Every Korean teacher that I know (maybe 100 between 4 schools) takes january adn February off, but they submit to their school a professional paper. I've submitted 2 now. They were quite short, maybe 15 pages, and didn't take very long at all.