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NSMatt
Joined: 29 Dec 2008
Location: London
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 Posted: Mon Jan 17, 2011 8:28 am Post subject: School wants me to get an H1N1 vaccination |
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I work for a certain unnamed hagwon chain who are asking that I get an H1N1 vaccination since I am going away on vacation. They will pay for the shot but I still don't want to get it.
If I refuse then I am told that I cannot work for a week upon my return to the country. It goes without saying that there is nothing in my contract that entitles them to make such demands.
Frankly, I'm sick of arguing with them over relatively minor things such as this but I also don't feel that unnecessary vaccinations are a good thing. I don't want to legitimize their concerns that foreign countries/foreigners are somehow more disease ridden than Korea. The H1N1 flu was established to have a much lower mortality rate than normal flu.
What should I do? I already told them that I didn't get it last year (which would have covered me for this year apparently) but I'm thinking about saying that I got it in Canada. |
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interestedinhanguk
Joined: 23 Aug 2010
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| Posted: Mon Jan 17, 2011 9:06 am Post subject: |
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| Just say you canceled your plans to go abroad. When they ask about your suntan upon return, tell them it's a result of fun in the sun in the tropical paradise called Jeju-do. |
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some waygug-in
Joined: 25 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Mon Jan 17, 2011 10:35 am Post subject: |
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Or you could tell them that you will enjoy the extra week off when you get back.  |
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conrad2
Joined: 05 Nov 2009
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| Posted: Mon Jan 17, 2011 3:17 pm Post subject: |
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| H1N1 has already been in Korea. So I don't see what the purpose of this vaccination would be. Tell them that if you got the shot, it would be to protect the Thai people (or whoever) from dirty Koreans. |
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Skyblue
Joined: 02 Mar 2007
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| Posted: Mon Jan 17, 2011 5:13 pm Post subject: |
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| interestedinhanguk wrote: |
| Just say you canceled your plans to go abroad. When they ask about your suntan upon return, tell them it's a result of fun in the sun in the tropical paradise called Jeju-do. |
Thumbs up. |
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CentralCali
Joined: 17 May 2007
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| Posted: Mon Jan 17, 2011 6:07 pm Post subject: |
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Simple solution: If you work for a hagweon, do not tell them any of your personal plans! This includes plans for evenings during the term, plans for weekends, and most especially plans for leaving the country during holidays.
If you work for a public school (school GET, not the hagweon-provided after-school teacher), then you are required to notify your employer that you will be leaving the country. Currently, there is no governmental blanket requirement for all travelers who will or have been overseas to be vaccinated for H1N1. There is a screening for those displaying symptoms as they enter the Immigration concourse at the airport.
The OP's boss is an utter moron. |
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thegadfly
Joined: 01 Feb 2003
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| Posted: Mon Jan 17, 2011 6:59 pm Post subject: |
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I worked at public schools in the US, and depending on where I worked, there was a list of vaccinations I was expected to have gotten -- no vaccination, no job. Later, while performing my teaching duties, there were further vaccinations I was required to get. I guess I do not think it is all that out of line to expect a teacher to protect him/herself from a frightening disease, if the protection is as simple as a single shot that is paid for by the school. Lots of folks were happy to pay for that vaccine themselves.
How do you decide a vaccine is "unnecessary?" Even if you, personally, are not at risk, or even if you, personally, are willing to risk the chance at becoming sick or even dying, perhaps your employer is not willing to risk you acting as a vector for the disease to spread to all of your students. Perhaps their line of reasoning is flawed, but the fact of the matter is, H1N1 HAS been in Korea, and has even been somewhat common -- I personally know several students that have had it -- they were in my class before they got it, stayed home while they had it, and came back after their doctors cleared them.
Guess what? Now that the furor and fear have died down, sick kids come to school again -- they don't stay home like they did during the panic. Kids don't use the hand sanitizer that is still sitting out. It is back to being germ factories, as usual (all kids are, everywhere). It would be a good thing to be protected when little Min Soo comes hacking and horking into class because his mom won't keep him home .
You are right -- the danger is NOT from you traveling, and the fact that they are telling you to do this because of your travel plans speaks to someone's ignorance (most likely, the parental reaction), but irrational basis or not, the vaccine is a rational act that WILL likely help protect you and the children you teach.
Get the vaccine, and be glad you don't have to pay for it yourself. |
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CentralCali
Joined: 17 May 2007
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| Posted: Mon Jan 17, 2011 7:03 pm Post subject: |
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| thegadfly wrote: |
| How do you decide a vaccine is "unnecessary?" |
This is also pretty simple. I go by qualified medical advice. Last time I checked, some panicky hagweon owner does not qualify as such. |
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methdxman
Joined: 14 Sep 2010
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| Posted: Mon Jan 17, 2011 7:40 pm Post subject: Re: School wants me to get an H1N1 vaccination |
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| NSMatt wrote: |
I work for a certain unnamed hagwon chain who are asking that I get an H1N1 vaccination since I am going away on vacation. They will pay for the shot but I still don't want to get it.
If I refuse then I am told that I cannot work for a week upon my return to the country. It goes without saying that there is nothing in my contract that entitles them to make such demands.
Frankly, I'm sick of arguing with them over relatively minor things such as this but I also don't feel that unnecessary vaccinations are a good thing. I don't want to legitimize their concerns that foreign countries/foreigners are somehow more disease ridden than Korea. The H1N1 flu was established to have a much lower mortality rate than normal flu.
What should I do? I already told them that I didn't get it last year (which would have covered me for this year apparently) but I'm thinking about saying that I got it in Canada. |
You need to stop telling your boss what your personal plans are. I never, ever do and I'm Korean.
Secondly, this is what we call a non-issue. There is no issue here. If you really don't want to get a vaccination, don't work for a week. If you really need to work during that week and still don't want to get vaccinated, lie to your boss and say you got it in Canada. Where is the problem?
Thirdly, North America is the continent (sans Mexico) with the most hypochondriacs on the planet. I don't think a hagwon owner telling you to get vaccinated is a big deal. The school place is a place where people contaminate each other often. If you take yourself out of that contamination loop you are helping, albeit a little, to help contain any outbreak at your school.
I don't like getting vaccinated too, because it's a hassle, but there really isn't an issue here. How badly do you need to work vs. how badly do you not want to get vaccinated.
Forget about the other philosophical stuff vs. the hagwon owner, you'll drive yourself crazy. He has his reasons. They may be illogical, but so is hiring a kid straight out of uni to become a teacher, maybe? |
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methdxman
Joined: 14 Sep 2010
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| Posted: Mon Jan 17, 2011 7:44 pm Post subject: |
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| CentralCali wrote: |
| thegadfly wrote: |
| How do you decide a vaccine is "unnecessary?" |
This is also pretty simple. I go by qualified medical advice. Last time I checked, some panicky hagweon owner does not qualify as such. |
I generally agree that only old people need to get vaccinated for seasonal flus and that people are over vaccinated.
But workplaces often place strong restrictions on its employees. You can wage some philosophical battle with your employer and become unhappy or you can just solve the problem and get it over with. |
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CentralCali
Joined: 17 May 2007
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| Posted: Mon Jan 17, 2011 8:34 pm Post subject: |
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| Or, better yet, I can follow competent advice. Your last two posts above don't qualify. |
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thegadfly
Joined: 01 Feb 2003
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| Posted: Tue Jan 18, 2011 5:49 am Post subject: |
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| CentralCali wrote: |
| thegadfly wrote: |
| How do you decide a vaccine is "unnecessary?" |
This is also pretty simple. I go by qualified medical advice. Last time I checked, some panicky hagweon owner does not qualify as such. |
...so DID you seek qualified medical advice, or did you just go with what you felt like doing -- or is that what you are doing here, on Dave's -- seeking qualified medical advice?
In the US, many teachers were vaccinated, as were many doctors, nurses, and those that worked closely with the elderly -- not for the individual protection for those vaccinated, but to protect those in their care.
Did you ask a doctor about whether getting the vaccination would somehow be BAD for you? The only doctors' warning I heard in the first go-round were not to use up all the vaccine -- to hold off, and let those in the higher-risk groups get first go. There is no such stricture in place now, so there really is no reason not to -- or are you one of those people that believe vaccines cause autism and fans can kill you in a closed room? |
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northway
Joined: 05 Jul 2010
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| Posted: Tue Jan 18, 2011 6:23 am Post subject: |
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| some waygug-in wrote: |
| Or you could tell them that you will enjoy the extra week off when you get back. |
This is what I would do. And maybe enjoy that week prior to coming back. |
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some waygug-in
Joined: 25 Jan 2003
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thegadfly
Joined: 01 Feb 2003
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| Posted: Tue Jan 18, 2011 6:13 pm Post subject: |
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waygug-in,
ROFLMAO -- quoted from the article you cite as an authority:
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| The LIES and misinformation about vaccine benefits from the drug industry is voluminous, overwhelming, and statistically provable. Don't allow your child to go on the chopping block for these Liars and their profit margins. They aren't working for you, they're servants of the corporate elite/Illuminati and the Illuminati has a surreptitious population reduction agenda in place. |
Wow, ok...I see logic and reason won't work here -- so long, and thanks for all the fish.... |
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