Korean Job Discussion Forums

[lactaid]

Hello all,

Just a question about hours per week. My employer has me at 30 hours a month or 120 hours a week. Sound about right huh? Well, its an inclusive "or" meaning if I don't do 30 hours a week, I still have to do 120 hours a month. In other words, one week I might do 5 hours, but the next three weeks i'm obligated to make up the 25 hours. So I could end up with 38 hours for the next three weeks. Make sense?

I'm just wonderin' is this common? Or is it just a way to get me to work long hours for camps with no overtime?

Thanks,

Lactaid

[ratslash]

doesn't sound normal, no. most school will have a set schedule dependant on demand. sounds your school could be very dis-organised and the director does not know what classes he will have scheduled from one week to the next, therefore, he has stated that you could work strange hours like what you stated.

the hours you are expected to work, not just how long, also the time you should be expected to work from and to, should be in your contract.

[justagirl]

If your contract says: 30 hours a week, 120 hours a month, it does not mean he can add on extra hours the next week to get your total up to 120 hours. That is NOT what 30 hours a week means.

What it does mean is that he can schedule you up to 30 hours a week without paying you overtime.

If he is demanding you work extra hours one week because the week before you worked fewer hours, this is not a good job. This is a salaried position. You are paid for UP TO 30 hours a week, which comes to 120 hours a month, if working all 30 hours each week.

Now, if the contract just said 120 hours a month, then he could work you 2 hours one week and 58 the next.

Hope you can smooth things out so your boss understands what your contract says!

justagirl

[syclick]

[lactaid]

Sorry that's 30 hours a WEEK or 120 a month. heheh Well, as far as what justagirl said, that's what I meant by an inclusive "or" (one or the other or both). Personally, i think it's one of the most illogical policies i have heard. "30 hours a week or 120 hours a month" with an inclusive or basically means "120 hours a month" like you said. It seems like it was worded that way simply to make the employee think that they'll only get 30 a week.

But like ratslash guessed, they are a little disorganized. I think i'm gonna have to talk it through with the director.

Well, at least I know it's just me. ahw jeah....

[kangnamdragon]

[lactaid]

Waddup Kangnam,
so does this mean that i can't complain that i'll be working two ten hour shifts a week for three weeks? Is it just me whining or does ten hours seem a bit long to be standing and talking? I thought I read on the EFL website that anything over 8 hours a day is considered overtime and that Federal law takes precedent over any contract.

[kangnamdragon]

Does the contract say 30 hours per week or 120 hours per month or both?

Yes, 10 hours seems excessive, but you have no case with the government. Technically anything over 44 hours is overtime, yet most Koreans work much more and do not get overtime.

Are you really being asked to work 10 hours in a day, or is that just a concern?

[lactaid]

Right now i'm slated to work two ten hour shifts per week for three weeks later this month. I'm gonna talk it through though. As far as contract goes, i believe it says both like i explained before. Just a bit of shadiness i suppose.

The way the director justifies it is that i often get less hours per month than i should. Last month for example, I worked 70 something hours. This month around 120, skimming a little less or a little more. But in both cases unless I pass 120, no overtime. I get what he's saying empathetically, a.k.a. i'm not complaining about 70 hours a month. However, i'm willing to work the 120 if it means i get:

a) a regular work schedule, not some improv, "here's your schedule for the week."
b) 30 hours or less a week.
c) 8 hours or less a day.

Don't get me wrong, other than this and one other situation i might post one day, the pay's pretty decent, the staff is chill, and the kids work hard. The only other problems i've had are problems that any teacher would deal with (discipline, backlogged paperwork, etc.)

hmmmm...reading my post over again...maybe i should just suck it up. But ten hour days? ugh. that's crap.

oh yeah and it's gonna be six days a week. But again, just for those three weeks. I'm posting all this cause i need some objective opinions, cause i got no idea what's going on...

[kangnamdragon]

It sounds like it is for an intensive course season. I admit 10 hours would be hard, but just think of the other day where you hardly have to work any hours at all. If you work 20 hours in 2 days, then you only work 10 more hours total for the 4 other days?

[lactaid]

i wish it was like that kangnam, more like:

Monday: 7 hours
Tuesday: 4 hours
Wed: 10 hr
Thurs: 4 hrs
Fri: 10 hr
Sat: 6 hr

again, just for three weeks

[kangnamdragon]

If it is only 3 weeks, the be happy with all the extra money you will make. Is that an extra 600,000? sounds good

[lactaid]

point well taken. As far as overtime, i probably won't get that much because my payday overlaps with the camp schedule. At most probably 3 hours. Thanks for all the input.

[Son Deureo!]

In future contracts, a good way to head nonsense like this off at the pass is a clause that says when your workday is with wording something like this, "The workday will begin after X:00 and end before Y:00, unless the Employee consents otherwise."

The thirty hours of classes a week, 120 hours a month isn't so horrible in and of itself, but if it's not spread out in a considerate way can be a real nightmare.

I've been through something like that before, so I feel your pain.

[syclick]