Korean Job Discussion Forums

[tnwls206]

I'm currently teaching at a public middle school in Gyeonggido, and I've been informed by the vice principal that the education board is REQUIRING me to teach AT LEAST 20 hours. From what I understand, the GEPIK contract doesn't say anything about "minimum" hours..it just says that my teaching hours SHOULD NOT EXCEED 22 hours.

But okay, whatever. I'll teach 22 hours if they want me to. The problem is, my school is so small that we can only make 16 teaching hours within my teaching hours (8:30~4:30) and so to meet that 20-hour mark, we need to add the rest by making after-school classes. Which, I don't mind teaching either as long as I'm getting paid for those. I approached my vice principal about this issue and she said that I was absolutely correct and that I should be paid extra. But my co-teacher came to me today and said that I would be paid 7,000 Won for each hour because that's what the education board told her. Here's what I'm confused about: the GEPIK contract says that FTs will be paid 7,000 Won for OT and 20,000 Won for teaching more than 22 hours. But I remember seeing on this forum that after-school classes and overtime hours are completely different from each other, and that even though I'm not technically teaching more than 22, I should be paid 20,000 Won for those after-school classes. I have a friend who's teaching at a GEPIK school and she's getting paid 20,000 Won for teaching after-school classes even though her hours don't meet the 22-hour mark. My co-teacher called the education board and they said that I should be just paid 7,000 Won. To be honest, I don't think it's fair. It's not my fault that the school can't make enough teaching hours for me.

If any of you have experienced this issue, correct me if I'm wrong about this.

[creeper1]

This is where the confusion is arising. Some people are getting paid extra for after school classes and some are not. To be honest in your case your work load is so light with just 16 classes I think you have a cheek to ask for extra money . You are lucky to get the 7000 won.

Seriously are you for real?

[sugarloaf82]

I am a GEPIK teacher at a small rural high school. I as well do not teach the full 22 hours and they asked me to teach one after-school class as part of my hours. When they initially asked me if I would be alright teaching that class after-school I told them it wasn't my fault that they couldn't provide me 22 hours between 8:30 and 4:30 and that I felt I should get paid extra for that class. They called the GEPIK office and were told that I would be paid 7,000 an hour since I was under 22 hours.... There isn't anything else to do in my village so I didn't really complain about it. The wording in the contract is kind of confusing when it comes to that "overtime" issue. Extra money is extra money though.

I do have another after-school class though that I am getting paid 30,000 won an hour since that goes above my 22 hours.

[tnwls206]

[TheUrbanMyth]

OT hours and after school TEACHING hours are different.

OT hours would apply to non-teaching hours that you are doing work (lesson prep for example) and you would get 6-7000 won per hour for that.

But any classes over 22 per week and you should get around 20,000 won per class.

Some schools you get lucky and get the OT rate for classes after school regardless of the number of classes you teach, and some you don't.
They've only had FTS in public school nation-wide for a few years...they are still working the kinks out.

[Murakano]

[andrewchon]

We're all being asked to teach full load of 22 hours (if you aren't already) because those who aren't will be first to be dropped from GEPIK program next year when the budget cut comes through.

[nomad-ish]

the way i read this was: you are teaching under 22 hours/week during the workday (8:30-4:30). however, the school board wants you teaching near your max, however your school can only schedule those classes after 4:30 and will only pay 7,000 W an hour.

first, if they can't schedule 22 hours a week within your 40 hours a week, then too bad. if you TEACH beyond your 8 hour work day, then the rate of pay is 20,000 W an hour.

you could be teaching 10 hours a week, but if they want you to stay late and teach more, they'd have to pay the 20,000 W teaching OT.

[lifeinkorea]

After-school classes are not only after 4:30. You could have a first grade class between 1-3pm, and that would be an after-school class. Older kids come later. So long as they schedule those classes BEFORE 4:30, I'll repeat BEFORE 4:30, you have to teach them. I don't see how they would be paying 7,000 won in that case.

Personally, if they asked me to teach after 4:30pm, they would have to pay me that day. Since they wouldn't do that, I wouldn't do any overtime classes after 4:30. They have to fill up that 8 hour block, 5 times, to get the 22 they desire. It's up to them. That's 18 hours you could be teaching that you aren't getting paid for (and for the honor of being chained to one school).

[Countrygirl]

As nomad-ish said, if you are teaching afterschool classes after 4:30 then you will get paid 20,000 won per hour irregardless of total teaching hours. If it is before 4:30 you don't get paid anything because it's seen as the regular 22 hours. Also, you can refuse to teach after 4:30.

It might seem unfair that other schools are paying their teachers even though they haven't made the 22 hour teaching mark, but that's life. Some schools treat their teachers better while some schools don't understand the GEPIK contract (ie your school with the 7,000 won overtime). Basically, your friends got lucky.

[Burndog]

Are you teaching these classes AFTER 4:40p.m??

[tnwls206]

[cruisemonkey]

When I first started at my middle school, I was in a similar situation - scheduled to teach only twenty classes/week between 8:30 - 4:30. The school district then scheduled two, advanced 'after school' classes (with students from different schools coming to my school one afternoon/week, 4:30-6:00) to bring me up to my contractual, 22 classes/week. I said "Fine... but you must pay me at least 'time-and-a-half' as per the Labor Standards Act for 'extended works'." - i.e. overtime. They said there was no money in the budget for this... to which I replied "No... forget it!"

In the end, my principal proposed a solution to which I agreed - for every four, overtime classes (three hours actual time), I got an extra day of holidays. In the end, everyone (all three parties) were happy.

[Juregen]

Man, English teachers can be such pansies.

"Ow no, I have to work!"

[TheUrbanMyth]