Korean Job Discussion Forums

some waygug-in · Joined: 25 Jan 2003

Your choices are

A) don't do anything, just keep teaching normally. If they ask you about the
"project" just tell them you're working on it. Keep saying that until your contract finishes.

B) Download a bunch of free worksheets off the internet, print them out and put them in a binder....voila!

C) Get an old EFL textbook that your school probably hasn't heard of, put a new cover on it and hand it in.

D) Quit and go home.

E) Actually attempt to write something, I think this is the least likely possibility.

F) Some combination of any of the above (perhaps A and B)

I worked at a hagwon that tried this stunt. What they want is a book they can sell to the students and thereby double their profits. We just kept delaying and delaying until we left.

Voyeur · Joined: 19 Jun 2003

You may be approaching it from the wrong angle. Instead of trying to get your other teachers to join you in open rebellion, find out what they actually intend on doing.

It seems unlikely that they will truly put in hundreds of hours on top of intensives. So maybe you don't need to put a target on your back and can just join and hide with the herd. All of you can do a half ass, 95% plagiarized off the internet job and all benefit from the protection of doing it in a crowd.

Sometimes you can't just say "NO". You can say yes, and then as you negotiate the details of the task minimalize it into nothingness.

In the end there is no morality at play here. It is supply and demand. A question of leverage. Korean Managers feel they have more power to try and get more out of teachers for less because of the recession at home and abundant supply. They are probably right to some extent, though a bit short-sighted in their policy for other reasons. Nevertheless, they probably won't care about firing you if you make a stink. It is easy to say you can always get another job. But it isn't quite as easy to get a decent one here anymore. And you have to think about the documents - do you have them in order for a quick change of Visas and jobs? (tbh not sure what the requirements are for quitting and finding new work anymore - you would have to check).

Sometimes in life, they have you by the short and curlies and you just have to bend over and take it. It depends on your situation.

thekingofcheap · Joined: 09 Sep 2010 Location: South Korea

Here's the latest:

My head teacher told me I will be written up even as the dispute is going on, meaning I have to do the work until my contract is interpreted. They are saying that work assigned "during working hours" is means I have to do it. If that's the case, why don't they have me clean the bathrooms or take out the garbage? They could eliminate three jobs and a janitors' contract that way.

For interpretation, I asked that someone from HR be present. I was denied this request.

Not sure what to do, but I am really scared and upset, and I don't want to give in on this. Not when my branch will turn around and sell the book to parents while I never receive a dime for the effort.

jrwhite82 · Joined: 22 May 2010

Do you have a teacher manuel? What does that or your contract say about right up procedures? I know at my old job in the US, the HR manager had to be present for the meeting, but I doubt it is the same case here.

I'd have to agree with them some what about having to follow their directives during working hours. If you have free time during the day what do you usually do? Surf Daves or lesson plan and create materials for your class? Answer honestly. If your planning period is maxed out and your class schedule is full, then just agree to work on it when you are finished teaching and planning. (Which means, you won't do anything, because you're always busy with higher priorities) If you are free during the day, then you should be doing something productive, not surfing youtube. Is making a POS textbook productive? Probably not but if your boss says it is and you have nothing else to do that he deems more important, you really have no defense to fall back on.

If you owned a business and you saw your 4 highest paid employees doing nothing during their planning time or empty class blocks, wouldn't you give them something to do to justify their salary? I'm not saying you do nothing, but it sounds like you do have free time at work. You're being paid during that free time, so you have to work. If this is your situation, you should be happy he is only making you make a textbook while you usually do nothing. Instead he might just tell you to take out the trash and clean the toilets.

NYC_Gal 2.0 · Joined: 10 Dec 2010

Download worksheets and lesson plans from the internet. Don't put your name on anything. Take forever to put it together. Done.

PatrickGHBusan · Posted: Sat Jan 29, 2011 4:39 am Post subject:

Or do the project well and have something to show as a part of your teaching portfolio when you look for another (perhaps better) job later on.

Sometimes looking further than whats in your face can lend perspective.

You should really be wary or trying to start somesort of teachers rebellion with your fellow Foreign Teachers. First of all that will sink you faster than anything else you could do at your school.

Simply refusing to do the work based on your contract is in that perspective far more intelligent than trying to rouse up other teachers. Also, other teachers may actually be interested in the project and that can be for many reasons. This does not make them pushovers or losers by the way.

Since every contract tends to include clauses along the lines of "other duties related to teaching" then you may be out of contractual luck here.

By the way, developing a textbook does take time as was said here. However, developing a textbook as a team can speed up the process to a certain degree. Producing a textbook as a team and getting a good result will certainly add to your resume.

Still completely up to you.

shifty · Joined: 21 Jun 2004

some waygug-in · Joined: 25 Jan 2003

PatrickGHBusan · Posted: Sat Jan 29, 2011 1:43 pm Post subject:

I agree he was not hired as a curriculum designer and that partaking in such a project will impact his work.

I was just arguing that completing such a project can be beneficial to his later job prospects and that trying to rouse other teachers against management on this issue is a sure way to get in trouble.

The fact the OP may be inexperienced does play into the equation of course but this seems to be a TEAM project so it could also be a LEARNING EXPERIENCE FOR A NEW TEACHER right?

Anyway, who knows what will happen here and I just wanted to show another possible avenue for the OP.

As for this from thekingofcheap

NYC_Gal 2.0 · Joined: 10 Dec 2010

happiness · Joined: 04 Sep 2010

not only Korea, but in Asia, this is common. Its called working for the good of the company: making them something and saving them money. It happens in every company. That said, if you dont want to do it, stand up. The flood of new ETs coming in demanding things will certainly tighten up the Korean ship adrift at sea that is English, Kimchi flavor.

NYC_Gal 2.0 · Joined: 10 Dec 2010

I have friends at McGill. You aren't going to be making a professional textbook. Just make a workbook of sorts. That should be easy enough with all of you working together. It's up to you. You really can waste 6 months conceptualizing, as another poster stated.

shifty · Joined: 21 Jun 2004

NYC_Gal 2.0 · Joined: 10 Dec 2010

A cool benefit is that you have something to show for it. One of my uni teaching friends has his own workbook, and he uses it for privates (he's on an F visa).

Perceptioncheck · Joined: 13 Oct 2008

Sorry to hear that you weren't able to get the support of the other teachers at your branch.

Good luck for the meeting; if I were you, I would focus less on the contractual obligation issue, and more on the fact that the extra work will almost certainly impact your lesson preperation time and overall teaching quality. You're only protesting for the sake of the kids, etc. etc.