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Sir John Hawkins
Joined: 07 Nov 2008
Location: Ulsan, SK
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 Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 9:16 am Post subject: Had a "talk" with my boss tonight |
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| She asks if she can talk to me, so I say, "sure!" We go into her little side office and she asks me if she thinks its ok if I "leave during work" I asked her when I left during work. She said "during one of the times you dont have class!" I told her I didnt think it would be a problem seeing as I wasnt teaching during that time anyway, I was hungry, so I went to the corner store to grab a salad. She told me that this is not done in Korea, that when you come to your work, you work, its like war, you cant leave until its over! (Verbatim) I told her I am neither her solider or her prisoner and if I am hungry or thirsty, I will go to the store. She kept arguing the same boring points so I brought up her paying late and how I gave her extra time and didnt really say or do anything other than ask when I was going to be paid and she should show me some wiggle room when it comes to going to get some food. She then says "so, since we are paying you late, I should just shut up and say nothing to foreign teacher?! At that point I knew she would settle for nothing but total agreement, so I just said, "hey, you said it, not me" Then she claimed I gave her a hard time when she didnt pay, which is a total falsehood, I was told numerous times by both the owner and her husband that they appreciated my patience in the matter after I just simply asked daily when I would get my pay. She then chalked it up to cultural differences and told me to go to class. |
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VanIslander
Joined: 18 Aug 2003
Location: Geoje, Hadong, Tongyeong,... now in a small coastal island town outside Gyeongsangnamdo!
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| Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 9:28 am Post subject: Re: Had a "talk" with my boss tonight |
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| Sir John Hawkins wrote: |
| ... She kept arguing the same boring points so I brought up her paying late and how I gave her extra time and didnt really say or do anything other than ask when I was going to be paid and she should show me some wiggle room when it comes to going to get some food. |
You should have stayed on topic. Trying to shift the dispute into some broader thing showed your lack of resolve and worse, integrity. Stick to your guns! Let her talk until she's blue in the face.
| Sir John Hawkins wrote: |
| ... She then says "so, since we are paying you late, I should just shut up and say nothing to foreign teacher |
See? She's in the right here... you went from being in the right to putting your foot in your mouth.
Just callin' it as I see it.
As for deskwarming at ps school jobs: that's a requirement, not an option. It's much like a government job back home: only designated breaks are one authorized to leave the workplace. Just because you hear of SOME teachers who are lucky enough to be in schools where there's some slack given, oversights made, doesn't deny the expectation we all should know about beforehand.
I knew before coming to Korea that Koreans pass along info at the last minute, even wait to make decisions at the last minute, and thus I didn't try to change them when I came: I tolerate their well-known and deeply-ingrained cultural quirks.
You can *beep* in the wind if you want. It's disrespectful, worse: unwise! |
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Sir John Hawkins
Joined: 07 Nov 2008
Location: Ulsan, SK
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| Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 9:48 am Post subject: Re: Had a "talk" with my boss tonight |
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| VanIslander wrote: |
| Sir John Hawkins wrote: |
| ... She kept arguing the same boring points so I brought up her paying late and how I gave her extra time and didnt really say or do anything other than ask when I was going to be paid and she should show me some wiggle room when it comes to going to get some food. |
You should have stayed on topic. Trying to shift the dispute into some broader thing showed your lack of resolve and worse, integrity. Stick to your guns! Let her talk until she's blue in the face.
| Sir John Hawkins wrote: |
| ... She then says "so, since we are paying you late, I should just shut up and say nothing to foreign teacher |
See? She's in the right here... you went from being in the right to putting your foot in your mouth.
Just callin' it as I see it.
As for deskwarming at ps school jobs: that's a requirement, not an option. It's much like a government job back home: only designated breaks are one authorized to leave the workplace. Just because you hear of SOME teachers who are lucky enough to be in schools where there's some slack given, oversights made, doesn't deny the expectation we all should know about beforehand.
I knew before coming to Korea that Koreans pass along info at the last minute, even wait to make decisions at the last minute, and thus I didn't try to change them when I came: I tolerate their well-known and deeply-ingrained cultural quirks.
You can *beep* in the wind if you want. It's disrespectful, worse: unwise! |
I work at a hogwan. I am not talking about leaving for an extended period of time, I mean leaving for 5 or 10 to grab some food and come back. |
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yingwenlaoshi
Joined: 12 Feb 2007
Location: ... location, location!
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| Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 10:27 am Post subject: Re: Had a "talk" with my boss tonight |
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| Sir John Hawkins wrote: |
| She asks if she can talk to me, so I say, "sure!" We go into her little side office and she asks me if she thinks its ok if I "leave during work" I asked her when I left during work. She said "during one of the times you dont have class!" I told her I didnt think it would be a problem seeing as I wasnt teaching during that time anyway, I was hungry, so I went to the corner store to grab a salad. She told me that this is not done in Korea, that when you come to your work, you work, its like war, you cant leave until its over! (Verbatim) I told her I am neither her solider or her prisoner and if I am hungry or thirsty, I will go to the store. She kept arguing the same boring points so I brought up her paying late and how I gave her extra time and didnt really say or do anything other than ask when I was going to be paid and she should show me some wiggle room when it comes to going to get some food. She then says "so, since we are paying you late, I should just shut up and say nothing to foreign teacher?! At that point I knew she would settle for nothing but total agreement, so I just said, "hey, you said it, not me" Then she claimed I gave her a hard time when she didnt pay, which is a total falsehood, I was told numerous times by both the owner and her husband that they appreciated my patience in the matter after I just simply asked daily when I would get my pay. She then chalked it up to cultural differences and told me to go to class. |
Nice. What's "illogical" in Korean? Can you make an oxymoron out of the previous sentence?
She's playing hardball with you and tyring to get the upper hand. Maybe she'll try to pay late again. Anyway, she's fkg with your head. I'd rip her a new one for talking to me like that. If you want to go to the store when you have no class, there's no problem with that. Some places have similar rules, but I doubt it's in your contract. Even then... She doesn't care whether you go to the store or not. She's just pulling rank. Maybe she's on the rag.
I don't know how some employers think it's best to open their mouths at times. It doesn't do any good.
Everyone goes to the store.  |
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Trip
Joined: 28 Dec 2008
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| Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 10:36 am Post subject: |
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| Then she claimed I gave her a hard time when she didnt pay, which is a total falsehood |
It should have been the truth, not a falsehood. |
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Ya-ta Boy
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: Established in 1994
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| Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 1:29 pm Post subject: |
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| How about offering her a compromise? The next time you are free and hungry, say you will ask her for permission to run out to grab something to eat. That way you get your food and she gets to exercise her control. |
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yingwenlaoshi
Joined: 12 Feb 2007
Location: ... location, location!
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| Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 1:34 pm Post subject: |
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| Ya-ta Boy wrote: |
| How about offering her a compromise? The next time you are free and hungry, say you will ask her for permission to run out to grab something to eat. That way you get your food and she gets to exercise her control. |
Or how about he tells her to go screw herself. I would just look at her and say "Reaaaaaaaallly," get up and walk away. |
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CentralCali
Joined: 17 May 2007
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| Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 1:50 pm Post subject: |
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| The only reason the boss brought up the subject, of course, is to lay groundwork for firing you. She couldn't care less that you cut out of the building for a few minutes during non-class hours. You already know she has no ethics because she can't pay you on time. |
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cruisemonkey
Joined: 04 Jul 2005
Location: Hopefully, the same place as my luggage.
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| Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 1:53 pm Post subject: Re: Had a "talk" with my boss tonight |
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| VanIslander wrote: |
| As for deskwarming at ps school jobs: that's a requirement, not an option. |
What the hell does deskwarming at PSs have to do with the situation?
P.S. Deskwarming is NOT a requirement at all public schools - it depends on the individual school principal. |
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wylies99
Joined: 13 May 2006
Location: I'm one cool cat!
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| Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 3:23 pm Post subject: |
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OP, it's your free time. Today, go get a salad and a nice tall McCol and tell her you just went to the corner store and got her a nice McCol. You gotta be firm, but nice- at least for now.
BTW- where do you live that the Korean convenience stores have salads? |
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Bigfeet
Joined: 29 May 2008
Location: Grrrrr.....
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| Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 3:54 pm Post subject: |
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| wylies99 wrote: |
OP, it's your free time. Today, go get a salad and a nice tall McCol and tell her you just went to the corner store and got her a nice McCol. You gotta be firm, but nice- at least for now.
BTW- where do you live that the Korean convenience stores have salads? |
Er no, working hours is their time not yours. Are they paying you hourly or salaried? If they're paying you hourly, then you need to clock out and do what you want to do. If you're salaried then working hours is their time. It doesn't matter if you have classes or not.
As for them not paying you on time, they are in the wrong for that. But comparing which person is more wrong is laughable. If the problem is flexibility then that's another story. But you two need to hash this out so there will be less misunderstandings. |
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greedy_bones
Joined: 01 Jul 2007
Location: not quite sure anymore
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| Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 4:12 pm Post subject: |
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| Bigfeet wrote: |
Er no, working hours is their time not yours. Are they paying you hourly or salaried? If they're paying you hourly, then you need to clock out and do what you want to do. If you're salaried then working hours is their time. It doesn't matter if you have classes or not.
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Not according to the Korean Labor laws.
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Article 53 (Recess Hours)
(1) An employer shall allow a recess period of more than 30 minutes for every 4 working hours and more than 1 hour for every 8 working hours during the working hours. |
Granted, if this person is taking her 30/60 minutes and going to the store in addition to taking the 30/60 minute break, then that is the employer's time.
Recess time is the employee's time. You can go wherever you want. |
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Ramen
Joined: 15 Apr 2008
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| Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 4:21 pm Post subject: |
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I foresee a future problem getting your pension, severance, and/or last month's pay. 
Start packing OP. |
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Bigfeet
Joined: 29 May 2008
Location: Grrrrr.....
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| Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 4:34 pm Post subject: |
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| greedy_bones wrote: |
| Bigfeet wrote: |
Er no, working hours is their time not yours. Are they paying you hourly or salaried? If they're paying you hourly, then you need to clock out and do what you want to do. If you're salaried then working hours is their time. It doesn't matter if you have classes or not.
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Not according to the Korean Labor laws.
| Quote: |
Article 53 (Recess Hours)
(1) An employer shall allow a recess period of more than 30 minutes for every 4 working hours and more than 1 hour for every 8 working hours during the working hours. |
Granted, if this person is taking her 30/60 minutes and going to the store in addition to taking the 30/60 minute break, then that is the employer's time.
Recess time is the employee's time. You can go wherever you
want. |
It doesn't define what recess means so I'm not sure. It doesn't say anything about lunch so maybe most people use recess time to eat. |
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jdog2050
Joined: 17 Dec 2006
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| Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 4:43 pm Post subject: |
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| Bigfeet wrote: |
| wylies99 wrote: |
OP, it's your free time. Today, go get a salad and a nice tall McCol and tell her you just went to the corner store and got her a nice McCol. You gotta be firm, but nice- at least for now.
BTW- where do you live that the Korean convenience stores have salads? |
Er no, working hours is their time not yours. Are they paying you hourly or salaried? If they're paying you hourly, then you need to clock out and do what you want to do. If you're salaried then working hours is their time. It doesn't matter if you have classes or not.
As for them not paying you on time, they are in the wrong for that. But comparing which person is more wrong is laughable. If the problem is flexibility then that's another story. But you two need to hash this out so there will be less misunderstandings. |
God I love it when people try to defend these shitty hagwon owners.
"Hurrr Durrr it's their time."
So no teacher in Korea gets a break? Shut up. |
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