Korean Job Discussion Forums

[AaronPSU777]

What is the deal with tutoring at a Hagwon? Recently my boss has had me start tutoring a student a few times a week during what is typically my planning time. This is not mentioned anywhere in my contract and I was never told I might be asked to tutor. I'm sure my boss is charging the parent for this service but I of course get nothing, meanwhile it is that much less time that I have to plan for my regular classes.

I find this rather annoying and would like to approach my boss about but I'm not sure if I have any legal standing to refuse to do it or what, any advice would be appreciated.

[Kikomom]

How many teaching hours are in your contract, and do these put you over the max? If so, ask if you'll be paid overtime for them.

[AaronPSU777]

Not enough to kick me into overtime. Thats why I guess I find it kind of annoying, basically she's rounding out my schedule with tutoring but staying short of pushing me into overtime. Everyone I know that does tutoring pockets a decent rate for it, I get nothing but extra work while she takes all the cash.

If what she's doing is perfectly legal then I guess I have to suck it up, I was just hoping she was breaking some rule, especially since its not mentioned anywhere in my contract; I was hired to teach english classes as far as I know, not provide tutoring services.

[Darkray16]

think of it this way; your teaching a class that has only one student, because that's essentially what it is. If you are not teaching more than your contract than you shouldn't be paid overtime.

If those other people are pocketing extra money, then they are probably tutoring on top of doing a full teaching load, which you aren't.

Or they have a different contract, which still doesn't change anything.

[AaronPSU777]

I guess it's my feeling that that is not exactly the best way to think about it, not for me anyway, for my boss it's great. The fact is everyone I know that does tutoring is getting 50,000 per hour and up, I'm not getting a dime, actually my boss is keeping all the money. Nowhere does it say in my contract I will doing tutoring, it says I will be teaching classes.

Let's say you were hired to paint walls at the going rate of $20/hr. Fine, great, but now what if your boss decides that for several hours a week he is going to have a you do electrical work instead, a job for which the going rate is $50/hr. But he is not going to pay you any extra, and it is not mentioned anywhere in your contract that you will be doing this type or work. You would probably feel like you got a little ripped off somehow and thats how I feel. And I don't really feel like trying to think about in a "different way" to justify my boss's actions.

[yingwenlaoshi]

It's not apples and oranges, it's the same thing. Get over it.

[Skippy]

The only case where I would say your whining would be valid is if

- Your boss is having you do extra hours above overtime. You sign up for 30 hours a week you are doing 35 or 40...

- Your are having to travel outside of the school constantly to where the students are, like their house or an another school or business.

-They are doing it at another time outside regular hours. You are an afternoon hagwon worker and they have you come in the morning or on Saturday.

- The boss is farming you out school to school or person to person which is illegal. (unless signed off by the immigration department.

- You have a F- series visa and you could do the classes on your own in a (quasi) legal sense.

Remember you are working for a company/ a business. Ya that 20 dollars an hour for painting is valid for you. NOT if you work for JOE PAINTING company. They will pay you what you sign a contract for.

At the most you can ask your boss for some leeway in the planning time. Maybe you can come in earlier and plan or the boss will be happy with 30 min planning then the one hour before.

Also consider this which would you rather teach one student or 10 plus students all hyped up on sugar and summer time break.

Good Luck