Korean Job Discussion Forums

[timetotravel]

so i am trying to get home for a month this summer for various reasons, my grandma has cancer, my sister just had a baby, lots going on there.....

my school told me i can only go for the 14 days as stated in the contract, but i asked if they would allow me to the other 14 days if i were willing to be unpaid for the time...

they said theyd check the contract and let me know. well theres nothing in the contract that really pertains to that. if i am agreeing to not be paid can they FORCE me to stay and not allow me to take that time? im not missing any classes as students are out for vacation....

[timetotravel]

so my ct came and told me i am not allowed to take time off unpaid because there is no section in the contract for it.
she said she called the co ordinator in charge at the admin office and thats what they told her.

is this true? has anyone taken time off unpaid for family situations???

[Morgen]

They can't force you, but they can fire you. Why aren't they letting you do home study during that period, anyway?

[timetotravel]

actually this is my second year at the school (contract ends in sept) and ive never been made to deskwarm or work during vacations and they just told me today that since im being paid i must come in to work ( we have a new principal)

[BS.Dos.]

I think a few FTs are able to negotiate longer vacations. I did last year. I managed to extend my 2-weeks contract time to just under 4-weeks so that I could go home. However, I had to soften the blow a little by agreeing to do the 2-weeks of summer camp, which, as things turned out, was only 2-classes per day; one in the AM, the other PM.

Ultimately, it's down to your school really. They're under no obligation to accomodate that which isn't specified in your contract, so it's down to your powers of persuasion and your schools ability to be flexible. As a bargaining chip - and assuming that they're happy with you - you could also dig your heels in regarding re-signing, as contract re-newals will be along shortly. Just be tactful and see if you can trade what they want with what you want.

[rayjoy]

I knew a girl who got a month off unpaid.

BUT

There is a newfound push to follow the contract EXACTLY and I can't count on my fingers and toes how many times in 9 months I've been told "it's in/not in the contract."

Now that the economies around the world suck and there's actually a surplus of people applying to work in Korea, it seemed these bonus benefits of extra time off, extra pay, etc., are going to be falling away. As long as there's someone else willing to take the job with less benefit, they'll provide less benefit.

You could try a little pressure but it's no guarantee.

[refikaM]

You didn't say if the were in a PS or not.. EPIK? GEPIK? If so, you should get 2 wks vacation in addition to your 2-wk home leave when re-signing (?).. However, the first year I was here (2006-07), we were allowed only 2 wks summer vacation (my contract runs Aug-Sept, too) and that was it... I wanted to re-sign, but didn't feel 2 wks was long enough to be home. So, I asked my school if I could take 2 wks "leave of absence" in addition to my 2 wks vacation and they agreed. So, basically, it's up to your school to work with you on this. In my EPIK contract, it doesn't say anything about taking leaves of absence (other than medical leaves), but neither does it say they are prohibited.. Maybe you can approach them tactfully again.. Tell them you REALLY want to return, but just need more time to be at home, etc... It's better for them to have a happy teacher who's familiar with the school and the kids than to bring in another and have to deal with orienting that person, setting up the apt/ARCs/bank accts, etc... In my opinion.. If you have a good relationship with them, chances are you can work something out...

[timetotravel]

its with EPIK....

[JJJ]

Good luck with that. I mentioned before that I asked for 2 unpaid days off months in advance during exam time and almost go fired for asking. If....if you can smooth it over and get it, then you have a phenomenal school. If you want to spend time at home then finish the contract, take a few months or 6 months off and come back. That's what I did. It worked out well for me. I needed the break.

Cheers.

[timetotravel]

you almost got fired just for asking? thats crazy!

[timetotravel]

actually i found a clause in the contract last night

"if employee should be absent from work without having obtained a prior approval, employee's salary for that month shall be lessened by the amount calculated on a pro rata basis for the number of unauthorized absent days"

soooooo techinically we should be able to take the time (its during break not missing any classes) and claim it as unauthorized

[Yu_Bum_suk]

What kind of school are you at? Are there summer classes / camps that run at your school?

Despite apparently standard contracts, every school is different. With some you can negotiate and with some you can't.

[timetotravel]

i told them i didnt want to do summer camp and they said it was fine

[poet13]

I think there's another clause that says if you skip work for five consecutive days, you've quit...

[timetotravel]

really?! yikes i didnt see that.

i really dont understand korea sometimes. im taking the time unpaid, im not missing any classes....how can they be so unreasonable?