Korean Job Discussion Forums

[richinlondon]

So, after booking flight tickets, hotels etc for the summer vacation, EPIK have just advised that summer vacation is a ten day block which includes Saturdays and Sundays.

Is this serious and are all EPIK people happy with this?! The contract says 10 calender days, OK, so five calender days, Monday to Friday and then I'll take five calender days, Monday to Friday the next week....

16 days with weekends turns into 10 days, is this a joke?!

Is anyone familiar with this kind of holiday scheme on contracts in their countries? US, Canada etc? In the UK im sure all contracts state holidays as working days.

Any ideas/ views appreciated

[rationality]

[richinlondon]

I thought this whole EPIK thing was standardised? It must be down to each education office, 10 consecutive days that now includes days I usually dont work sounds like a joke to me!

[rationality]

[OculisOrbis]

I dont have a contract on hand, but it sounds like you're getting shafted - it should be about two weeks. So 14 calendar days or 10 workdays. Depending on how they dole out the time - if they give you your break starting midweek or on a monday - it could be 12 or 14 days at least, not including any additional time that they may offer.........................which sounds doubtful in your situation, but you'll have a very warm chair during the school vacation.

[richinlondon]

This is the dumb thing, I spoke to the education office today and was told that they will be calling around the schools to tell principals to give natives about two weeks off, this is all hearsay though and useless if you actually want to make a booking a month before and not spend twice as much for a plane ticket.

It just seems ridiculous they want to try and make out its Saturdays and Sundays, and for what, me to work a Thursday and Friday and mess up my summer moves.

[OculisOrbis]

The rumor is that more and more of the POE's are doing that because theyre not have as much trouble filling their FT positions as they have in the past ----- so rather than just taking the best applicants or encouraging their best current teachers to re-sign --- of course they need to take away any benefits that made good teachers want to start working or continue working for them in the first place.

Gotta love the logic that maintains the lowest common denominator in terms of the quality teachers willing to work for them. So much for improving the reputation of FT's in the eyes of the public.

[richinlondon]

It's funny you should mention that because the person I spoke to at the education office told me the contracts would change again next year from 21 days vacation to 18 days! So much for encouraging the re-sign!

[cruisemonkey]

richinlondon,

You must have started last March when the changed the 'standard' EPIK contract (POEs can modify it at their discretion) vacation article to - 21 calendar days, to be taken in two blocks: 11 days in winter and 10 in summer.

They have since changed the 'standard' contract for September, 2009 to - 18 working days.

There's a big difference between calendar days and working days. A block of Calendar days is just that... and includes any normal days off and any statutory holidays that may be contained.

P.S. If you think that if you renew your contract for 2010, you will get a W2,000,000 're-signing bonus' and flights, you're in for another surprise.

[richinlondon]

I'm sure in the contract it doesnt specify "block", could pull them up on this and exercise 10 days in the week but I heard its best not to mention the contract as its written against the employee anyway.

Downtown and more teachers means no more flights and signing bonus?! That would be a surprise, have to try and bend some arms...

[cruisemonkey]

[D.D.]

It was 14 working days before and they just changed it to 21 calendar sound like it was more. There was another problem in that many of us would take our days near a public holiday and take longer trips. My friends school doesn't want him to leave on the Saturday and Sunday before his holiday starts. They want him to only take the 10 days.

[gazz]

I feel for you all.

Its gonna be hard deciding what i'm going to do with my 28 days in Summer!

[Morgen]

One more reason to come to Gangwondo and enjoy your 35 bare-minimum days

[Rusty Shackleford]