Korean Job Discussion Forums

phaedrus · Joined: 13 Nov 2003 Location: I'm comin' to get ya.

Regardless of what hagwons think, what are and are not actual English teacher's duties in your minds? May want to distinguish what should be paid for and what is 'free'.

Yes a duty

paid classroom instruction of English
other paid instruction mentioned overtly in contracts
preparation of lessons
occasional testing of students for school record or course assessment
research of new methods

Not a duty

schmoozing with students
friendly contact with students outside of class or school
checking up on students who are not present (secretary?)
menial chores

baldrick · Joined: 03 Feb 2004 Location: Location, Location

Mr. Pink · Joined: 21 Oct 2003 Location: China

phaedrus · Joined: 13 Nov 2003 Location: I'm comin' to get ya.

Homer · Guest

checking up on students who are not present (secretary?)

That to me is included in teaching duties as long as it is asked of the teacher during his work hours.

I also would do it because I care about my students.

Other duties might include:

Help for students in difficulty (i.e. extra classes).

Workshops with the teaching staff where ways to better the curriculum and teaching methods are discussed.

Mr. Pink · Joined: 21 Oct 2003 Location: China

I think it also depends where you teach.

When I worked at a hakwon, they EXPECTED me to do the phone calling crap AFTER my usual work hours. That was total BS. It wasn't in my contract. I ended up doing 1/2 the students in each class once a month...a lot of the times I had to do it from home, as the parents were only home after 9-10pm...that again is CRAP.

At a hakwon I also had to do extra duties for kids doing speech contests. This again was AFTER my shift so on my OWN time. I didn't really mind it so much, but when the kids would win and want to give me gifts - the director was against that - that pissed me off. Basically I worked for free, and then couldnt get any reward when they appreciated my help.

I had to do things like "Kindergarten Plays" or Sports Days, that were on MY HOLIDAYS. I complained about how I wasn't getting paid, and it made our bosses angry. Well, a hakwon IS NOT a real school, it is a business and they exploit the foreigners who work there, why shouldn't I get paid for working on my holiday? It isn't as though they are giving me 2-3 mths of them, I got weekends and MAYBE 10 days a year.

At my current job, I teach at a high school. I have a totally different attitude towards "extra duties". The school isn't in the business to make money, it is there to educate. I feel more professional in that sense. I am not merely an "entertainer" or "babysitter", but rather someone who is expected to TEACH. I have no problems with staying late, coming in on my holidays, even calling the kids, or having them call me. I've had kids meet me on weekends when they needed help for speech contests or university interviews. If they know how to get ahold of me and I am not busy, I am always happy to help. The reason is I know how hard it is to get into university, and ANYTHING I can do to help is going to have very positive results.

So basically my point is, when I know someone is USING me to make a fast buck, I don't feel like an educator, so I don't want to go the extra mile for FREE. When I feel like I am being treated as a real educator and given the respect an educator deserves, I will go the extra mile and more for my students.

I never taught at an adult hakwon, so I am using my experiences teaching kids...