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Too good to be true?
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BlueBeetle



Joined: 12 Apr 2012
PostPosted: Sat Apr 21, 2012 4:47 pm    Post subject: Too good to be true? Reply with quote
Hi there,

I had a recruiter send me info about a job teaching adults where the hours are:

M, W, F: 6:30-7:40am, 10:30-11:40am, 7:30-10:00pm
T, Th: 10:30-11:40am, 7:30-10:00pm

Although it is a split shift there are only about 20 hrs a week and a nice break during the day where I can hike, and have lots of time to do my own activities.

My question is should I expect this to change? If they add afternoon hours then I will be working on and off 16 hours most days which would be awful. But with the full afternoon off and low hours it could make my first ESL job in Korea less stressful. I have a bad feeling that new hours, and possibly weekend hours would start popping up and ruin it.

Has anyone had experience with something like this? If I can get them to sign off on these hours in the contract how enforceable would that be?

I had hoped to teach children in the public school system but maybe this will get me experience for that for my second year.

Thanks.
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wylies99



Joined: 13 May 2006
Location: I'm one cool cat!
PostPosted: Sat Apr 21, 2012 6:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
If you want a public school job then insist on one- stick to your guns. If you are a popular teacher hogwans will pile hours on you and make trouble for you if you turn down overtime. Been there. You don't need that kind of aggravation.
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Son Deureo!



Joined: 30 Apr 2003
PostPosted: Sat Apr 21, 2012 6:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Those hours are awful even for an adult hogwon job. The triple split shift on MWF will wear you down in less than a month. Don't do it.
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pegasus64128



Joined: 20 Aug 2011
PostPosted: Sat Apr 21, 2012 8:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Son Deureo! wrote:
Those hours are awful even for an adult hogwon job. The triple split shift on MWF will wear you down in less than a month. Don't do it.

I agree. The MWF is the killer here. If you can negotiate a change, it could be ok though, provided you design the evening classes as awesome as possible so that when you finish your 2nd morning class, you have the day off minus one big class that you don't mind doing. Honestly, it's not that bad. If you get to teach some hottie k-girls, then all the better.

Re: additional hours
I think it's unlikely you'd get shafted with extra hours - very few I'd say if any. The window to teach company employees is morning and evening when they are supposedly not busy. As I said, the evening class is key. They will be tired then and you will have to find a way to make that class interesting. Don't be afraid to use TPR with adults. Getting them up and moving around could really help them to engage in the class at that weary time of day (for them).
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young_clinton



Joined: 09 Sep 2009
PostPosted: Sat Apr 21, 2012 9:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I believe 20 hours is the norm and anything over that is overtime, at least that's the way it is in the public school system. I don't see anything special there. If you don't mind doing split shifts I guess it's ok. I would stick to your guns and get a public school job.
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impsmith



Joined: 14 Jun 2011
PostPosted: Sat Apr 21, 2012 10:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I wouldn't take it because of the MWF. I work split shifts and they aren't too bad when there's a nice big gap or when you start late (like your T/Th) but I find that a two-, three-, or even a four-hour gap isn't really enough time to go home and take a nap or do whatever you want to do. You'll be in work-mode from 6:30-11:40am MWF, which combined with the late finishes every night means you'll be exhausted most of the time. It's not worth it, imo -- you need some mornings/nights off, or a big gap every day.
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zombiedog



Joined: 03 Oct 2011
PostPosted: Sat Apr 21, 2012 11:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Hagwon hours are not stable in my experience.
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Malislamusrex



Joined: 01 Feb 2010
PostPosted: Sun Apr 22, 2012 12:18 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
no pension is -2 mil a year.
no accommodation is -5 mil a year.
no health insurance means all of your medical bills will cost twice as much.
no bonus either that's another 2-3 mil

don't get too excited with $$$ per hour
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ontheway



Joined: 24 Aug 2005
Location: Somewhere under the rainbow...
PostPosted: Sun Apr 22, 2012 8:17 am    Post subject: Re: Too good to be true? Reply with quote
BlueBeetle wrote:
Hi there,

I had a recruiter send me info about a job teaching adults where the hours are:

M, W, F: 6:30-7:40am, 10:30-11:40am, 7:30-10:00pm
T, Th: 10:30-11:40am, 7:30-10:00pm

Although it is a split shift there are only about 20 hrs a week and a nice break during the day where I can hike, and have lots of time to do my own activities.

My question is should I expect this to change? If they add afternoon hours then I will be working on and off 16 hours most days which would be awful. But with the full afternoon off and low hours it could make my first ESL job in Korea less stressful. I have a bad feeling that new hours, and possibly weekend hours would start popping up and ruin it.

Has anyone had experience with something like this? If I can get them to sign off on these hours in the contract how enforceable would that be?

I had hoped to teach children in the public school system but maybe this will get me experience for that for my second year.

Thanks.



Take a look at the contract. (Have you seen it yet?)

The contract should state the number of hours you are expected to work to earn your salary. Hours beyond that number should be paid overtime.

If the contract states, 30 hours or some other number, then you should expect that your hours will be increased to that number at times that the school has classes for you to teach. If the contract states 30 hours, I would expect you would have either 2 more hours per day in the late afternoon or one additional hour at noon and one hour in late afternoon.

This contract is for a triple split shift - very difficult for some people to work. It could be worth it for a while as you would meet some interesting students that you won't meet at an evening only kids hogwan, but the early and late schedule can be exhausting.

So, is the contract "too good to be true?"

No. It's likely to be "true," with your hours increasing to 30. But it doesn't sound "too good." Maybe acceptable depending on your lifestyle.
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BlueBeetle



Joined: 12 Apr 2012
PostPosted: Sun Apr 22, 2012 11:06 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Thanks so much for the replies. I guess it does sound pretty rough.

Also thanks for he advise to hold out for a public school. I just don' know what my chances are. I am male, 36 and have TEFL and a degree in comp sci. From what I have read the public school posts usually go to young females. Are my chances of landing a GEPIK job realistic?

I would much rather work with kids, and I like the public school hours and the co-teacher. Really the only downside I can see to public schools is the