Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Julius]

Does anyone know?

Every room at my school- from the classroom to the toilet- is built with the light switch on the outside of the room- in the corridor.

This means that nobody using the room can control wether the light is on or off, but any miscreant child running past outside can plunge your class into darkness in an instant. Or leave you squatting on the toilet in the pitch black.

[cruisemonkey]

For bathrooms, it's because the whole room is a shower and Ks would electrocute themselves if the lightswitch was on the inside.

Other rooms: it's because when Ks build something, the 'electricians' sit down with a couple of bottles of soju and actually think of the stupidest/most inconvenient place to locate the switches.

It's like the doors to the norae rooms at my local hof... they can be locked from the outside (without a key)... so when drunk Mr. Kim comes back from the wha-jeong-shiel and accidently hits the lock switch on his way back into the room, he locks himself plus his buddies and their hookers in the room. They pound on the door but the owner is passed out on the sofa behind the counter... they finally kick out the glass pannels and the owner wakes up... a fight ensues and the cops are called after much damage is done to the premises.

K stupidity has provided me with many a Friday/Saturday nights' entertainment!

[Sector7G]

You just reminded me of something that happened the other day. The owner asked me to help him change the fluorescent lights in each of the 4 classrooms in our small hagwon. Basically either one of us could have done it alone, but it's easier when someone can hand up the bulb to the guy on the chair. BTW, these were the small, one foot in length double bulbs, and each fixture took three.

Anyway, one in the first room we went to was definitely out and needed to be changed. But when we got to the second room, I could tell even before he took off the cover that all three were working fine. No dark spots, no flickering. But he asks me to hand up a new one anyway. I shrug my shoulders and turn up my palms in the universal gesture of befuddlement. You know the look, the one that says "why are you wasting money replacing a perfectly good bulb that may have a lot of life left when your school is losing an average of 2 or 3 students a week?" And he actually agreed with me. But rooms 3 and 4 were the same way, but for some reason he insisted on replacing the bulbs. I still do not know why.

Now I realize that sometimes it is wise to do preventive maintenance, especially when something is a bear to get to so you do it while you can, or when you have a pretty good idea a part is showing signs of getting ready to fail.

But neither of these situations applied here. I teach in every one of these classrooms every day, and there has been no flickering or any other signs of trouble. And if there was, it would take less than 3 minutes to replace one.

Oh well, no big deal. I can't believe I even wasted the time to type this out. Just bored I guess.

[Ruraljuror]

[Goku]

It depends on what the architect had in mind during the design phase.

Usually whoever drafts the blue prints for designs will make deliberate choices as to what direction the doors swing, light switches, etc.

If an architect believes the room will be used as a storage room, or used at night, than making the light switch on the outside makes a lot of sense.

A few times I went into a storage room and had to fumble around to find the thing. One time I even fell down into a row of shiraz wine... that hurt.

Now this is all assuming you're at a hagwon, which is a building intended for anything or any business.

However, if this is a public school, the only rationale I can think of having the switch on the outside is to make it so the kids in the class can't create chaos by flipping it on and off. At least during class hours no kids are supposed to be in the hallways so they would assume no ones gonna be flipping them on and off from the outside


On the subject of logical sense. I asked someone about why people put their dirty wipes in the toilet in the bucket. Why not flush them down? He's explanation was sort of believable logically as a job that was formed to give ajummas work. No one wants to do it, but they've created a need for her to do work in the school or in the public restroom.

Artificial jobs. They have these in Hong Kong too where people will actually carry your trays to the trash in McDonalds. Bringing your own trash to the garbage actually makes them look really bad because that means their job is menial (which it is).

[Sector7G]

[Ruraljuror]

[Sector7G]

[gangwonbound]

Could be a security issue...If the classrooms/other rooms in Korea are locked and they have those windows where you can look in a light switch would be a good idea to see if anyone had broken in because it saves you unlocking the door to turn on a light switch.

[Harpeau]

[Joe666]

Harpeau: I think you'll find that it has a lot more to do with the Korean plumbing system, pipes, drainage, etc. being narrower than Western standards....Though things are beginning to change.

It really has to do with the number of people in any one area. Thus the reason for "open sewers". The sewers need to be aerated to decrease the concentration of methane related gases in the sewer lines. If they didn't, one ajossi's smoke could take out half a city. All the paper would clog up the pipes.

Larger sewer pipes might eleviate this problem to a slight degree.

[billietea]

I enjoy being in the bathroom and having the principal walk by and click off the lights (from the outside, of course).

In theory it seems like a good idea to have light switches on the outside of the room you want to enter so that you can walk into an area which is bright. Whether, or not, you can make it out is a whole different story...often the lights get switched off before I can make it out.

[Robot_Teacher]

One of my schools has a newer library addition with 10 switches on the inside near the door. It has 10 sets of light circuits running 3 different types of lights for a small classroom sized library in a really small school. Also has a really cool 50 something inch TV with the ultimate entertainment center furniture; a piece too large for most people's home. And best thing. The controls are at my fingertips; not outside. Even got a handheld wireless mouse with a little joystick, but it's slow and doesn't operate the lights. yet.

All my classrooms and bathrooms have switches on the outside which is inconvenient if you want to flick off the lights to use the video system. I've taught the students to help me out with turning on/off the lights so I'm not leaving the room. It helps with classroom control. Some menial tasks are best left for delegation.

This light switch logic even reigns over toilet paper dispensors where they're located outside the toilet stall. WTF? I can't reach it when sitting in the stall so I've learned to stuff my pockets before entering. I've seen this in many bathrooms.

[winterfall]

The switch on the outside is actually pretty smart. Maintenance or security does a run around the building. See any lights they can just turn em off without going into the room. No need for giant key rings.

On the masochist side, you can always lock someone in a room and play with the light switch. Haven't you read the torture memos?

[Mr. Pink]