|
Korean Job Discussion Forums
"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Teachers from Around the World!"
|
| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
some waygug-in
Joined: 25 Jan 2003
|
 Posted: Thu Mar 10, 2011 5:43 am Post subject: |
 |
|
Don't do it.
The clause you brought up says "temporary programs", NOT every second Saturday.
That means working at a town "meet the people" thingy or one of the local
"festivals".
What your principal is doing is trying to satisfy the KT's because they do have to work Saturdays.
Is there someone in EPIK you can take your concerns to?
Perhaps you should contact someone there.
Honestly, these PS jobs are becoming more and more like hakwons every day.
The previous teacher got renewed, probably because he/she agreed to this. You will have to ask yourself whether or not you would want to be renewed at a place that pulls this kind of crap.
Best of luck.
Last edited by some waygug-in on Thu Mar 10, 2011 5:52 am; edited 1 time in total |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
shcforward
Joined: 27 Sep 2009
|
| Posted: Thu Mar 10, 2011 5:46 am Post subject: |
|
|
Standard EPIK contracts are pretty clear that you don't have to work on Saturdays. Some of the newer EPIK contracts have a little clause in there for English camps, but for the normal school year, you don't have to work on Saturdays, ever.
The line about "the employer may require the employee to work additional hours" does not include weekends or holidays. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
tealeeds1
Joined: 08 Jan 2011
|
| Posted: Fri Mar 11, 2011 11:20 am Post subject: |
|
|
well, it took aweek of negotiations and a call from the local government education board.... plus some re-scheuling of weekly hours... but ----- I won
no saturday work unless i agree to it, and if I do then i get overtime rates according to to epik contract.
----------------
for future refernce - stand your ground - do not budge... the minute they budge, you know youve won. i dont know a whole lot, but on this, i feel beat epik, i beat the "system" as it were. i guess just know your contract, know your rights and stick to them.
massive thanks to everyone who offered advice - being able to go back everyday with new ammo and arguements meant that whenever they said i had to work for reason A or reason B or whatever i could always had a comeback.
Last edited by tealeeds1 on Fri Mar 11, 2011 7:31 pm; edited 1 time in total |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
wylies99
Joined: 13 May 2006
Location: I'm one cool cat!
|
| Posted: Sat Mar 12, 2011 6:43 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| OP, stand your ground. If you agree to work on Saturdays when the school is open you'll be giving away half of your Saturdays in Korea. Many schools try this kind of thing and some foreign teachers agree to it. If you don't want it the answer is NO, but you must be strong. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
tealeeds1
Joined: 08 Jan 2011
|
| Posted: Sun Mar 13, 2011 6:53 am Post subject: |
|
|
| wylies99 wrote: |
| OP, stand your ground. If you agree to work on Saturdays when the school is open you'll be giving away half of your Saturdays in Korea. Many schools try this kind of thing and some foreign teachers agree to it. If you don't want it the answer is NO, but you must be strong. |
Hi - i got the school to back down on it, i contacted the Yangsan Department of Education who then rang the principal and said i have to sign an agreement on working saturdays, and that any saturday work has to be paid at contracted overtime rates (20,000won ph teaching and 6000 won non-teaching)....
I did alot of reading up on the issue and put together a pretty solid arguement to the DoE, who ultimately took my side. But it needed the DoE to get invovled -they would not have budged otherwise. My logic was that the principal might be my superior, but he has to listen to his superiors...
The school were very stubborn, and on friday the principal said he was disappointed about my lack of duty to the kids, lack of morals etc - i said i will always be a dutiful teacher within the terms of my contract and work my hardest for 40hours a week Monday to Friday, but anything outside of that was my own time.
My supervisor tried to schedule some lessons for me to teach on saturdays when i first complained - i only did 20 hours before due to some after school cancellations, so she said i had to do 2 hours on saturday to meet my contracted hours (this was a lie, my contracted hours are 22 hours within the 40 hours, not two seperate quotas).
She also said id be breaking my contract with the school if i didnt and hinted they would have to sack me (again, a lie - my main contract is with EPIK as that is the one my visa and salary is through. The schools is secondary, and they cannot sack me over this).
Finally they tried to threaten me with a negative reference and no option to resign - basicially, if i do not work Saturdays then i am not a good teacher, and thus they cannot possibly write anything positive about me... Again i said ill be the best i can be within the terms of my contract, no more no less.. so a reference based on my contracted work could be nothing less than positive - the only way they could write a negative would be if they were to bring in details about my work outside of the contract (or lack thereof).
all in all - it would seem ive sacrificed any chance of staying on here (which is a shame, becuase despite this incident, i actually love the job, the kids and the facilities are great and i really like my coteacher), and we'll see if the school are petty enough to give me a negative reference at the end. i guess i have 10 months now to prove my worth, but as of now - the prinicipal thinks im immoral, my supervsor thinks im a lazy troublemaker, and my name will be dragged through the mud amongst the korean staff... but ive got my saturdays. i win, they lose  |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
desertdust
Joined: 09 Jan 2011
|
| Posted: Sun Mar 13, 2011 7:31 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Give it a few months and all will be forgotten. You have also gained respect but this will not be apparent or given for some time. Well done. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
WadRUG'naDoo
Joined: 15 Jun 2010
Location: Shanghai
|
| Posted: Sun Mar 13, 2011 7:39 am Post subject: |
|
|
Right off the bat, I would've shown the principal my passport and said "I'm from Canada."
Morals? What?!? Those are fighting words. If there were any witnesses to him saying that, I'd make a complaint to EPIK and hand in my resignation. You say everthing else is great, but you have to count everything. Get the hell out of there. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
lowpo
Joined: 01 Mar 2007
|
| Posted: Sun Mar 13, 2011 2:38 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Why didn't someone from EPIK step in to help you? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Ramen
Joined: 15 Apr 2008
|
| Posted: Sun Mar 13, 2011 5:11 pm Post subject: |
|
|
a few *beep* and ass kissing fts who gives in spoil it for everyone. it's a classic case here. good job for standing up for yourself and all of us op.  |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
tealeeds1
Joined: 08 Jan 2011
|
| Posted: Sun Mar 13, 2011 6:22 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| lowpo wrote: |
| Why didn't someone from EPIK step in to help you? |
i didnt contact EPIK - i would have done if i needed to, however the local Dept of Education was able to sort things out.
| Quote: |
Right off the bat, I would've shown the principal my passport and said "I'm from Canada."
Morals? What?!? Those are fighting words. If there were any witnesses to him saying that, I'd make a complaint to EPIK and hand in my resignation. You say everthing else is great, but you have to count everything. Get the hell out of there. |
My supervisor was there, however I'm prepared to let some of the things that were said slide now that ive got what i wanted - no point in making things harder. I like the easy life - i only rock the boat if someone gets in the way of that Also, it was phrased more like "i should feel a moral obligation to do my best by the children". My stance on that is that kids need free time too, so doing my best by them would be to let them refresh themselves on a sat/sun and be ready for monday.. Weekends are important to leading healthy life and keeping a healthy mind. This is a concept somewhat alien to koreans...
Like most NETs, my time in korea is more of a working holiday and a means to pay off some debts rather than a chosen career path... Going through the application and visa process again, moving all my stuff and having to resettle in a new place is not what i want - I'm happy and as long as things stay this way, i can let a little tension slide. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
some waygug-in
Joined: 25 Jan 2003
|
| Posted: Mon Mar 14, 2011 10:50 am Post subject: |
|
|
| desertdust wrote: |
| Give it a few months and all will be forgotten. You have also gained respect but this will not be apparent or given for some time. Well done. |
No it won't.
You should expect not to be renewed because you made your school principal lose face.
Incidently, I used to work in the Yangsan school district and there were all kinds of similar things going on there.
I had a similar situation come up and I won the battle but in the end I decided to leave because my co-teacher was impossible to work with. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
|
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
