Korean Job Discussion Forums

[grandpa]

I am at an SMOE Middle School. I teach 28 classes a week, the maximum amount allowed according to my contract.

They built a new English area in the school. My new office is between two classrooms.

There is an afterschool English program that happens three days a week between 3 and 4:30 in one of those new classrooms. The school hired a Korean guy to teach the students. The students do work in a textbook, and the teacher checks it. Because there is such a wait to get things checked, students now will come to me every couple of minutes as well to have things checked.

I like my school, so I politely brought up the fact that they pay someone to teach, but students come to me when he is busy. I was told to just "help" out, but I won't be paid.

Is what I'm doing just "helping" or would it legally be considered "teaching"? If it is teaching, then how would one best avoid this without offending people at the school?

[TheUrbanMyth]

[Modernist]

You need to think like a Korean.

'It's not that I don't want to help. I'd love to help. I wish I could. However, I'm afraid that I am very busy during this time with work and preparations for my other classes. I can't take the extra time to help this other teacher with his class. I have to prepare for MY classes. I'm very sorry.'

Repeat this several times, to several people, until it sticks. Don't offer any kind of wiggle room. Don't say you'll do it for a couple more weeks. Don't say you'll help during exams. Nothing. 'I'm sorry, I'm very busy.' Again and again. Also, make sure you have a whole pile of work to show them that you are doing for the other classes. Take all the work you're doing at other times and save it up for this exact moment during the day.

When the kids come over to try to check things, wave them off and keep saying with a smile, 'I'm sorry, but I'm very busy.' They only keep coming as long as you keep helping them. Stop helping, they'll stop coming. If the Korean guy says something, refer again to the above.

You have to be passive-aggressive, like them. They are counting on you being nice, AKA a doormat. Don't let them.

[YTMND]

You need to be more specific. How much are you being asked to do? You stated exactly the number of classes you teach, but we have no way of knowing if 3 students a day ask for a correction each or if you are being swamped with 100 student essays and being asked to check 1-2 pages for each essay.

Another thing to consider is your schedule. For me, my formula is the school can schedule blocks of 3 or 4 classes with 1 break anywhere in between. One block in the morning, one block in the afternoon. If they do any split shift schedules, there better be a third day off or I refuse to attend classes. They can choose which ones I don't go to or I will if they don't select them. Usually, this gets them to reschedule things so I teach everyone within 2 blocks a day.

You can then be available for 1 hour in the morning and 1 in the afternoon. Yes, that is a lot if they are always asking for corrections. So, make a schedule then if this is happening. Designate a time when certain classes can come and for how long. First come, first serve, then you are done. No more. If the school wants more, they pay you overtime.

However, you should check at least 10 a week, one in the morning, one in the afternoon. That's not that hard to do. I did 2 essays while I showed a class a video. We were done within 5 minutes and then went back in the classroom. I am not suggesting you do this specifically. I am just commenting how easy it can be to check essays.

You don't need to turn it into a lesson. Just find a few words incorrectly used or 1 grammar point that will help them out a lot. You could even get a grammar book and when you see a specific mistake, just flip to that part in the book and have them read it. Have them correct their mistakes. All you need to do is look at their changes and say "Correct" or "Try again".

[grandpa]

[YTMND]

[posnew]

I thought that anything over 22 hours with SMOE was considered overtime.

[plchron]

just make yourself scarce during this time. go hide in the bathroom and play angry birds on your phone or something. If they ask where you were or why you aren't in class then you tell them that you are not the teacher and are very busy with some made up excuse.

If you aren't teaching then you aren't really required to be anywhere except on school grounds. If you want to be a dick, go and play basketball in the gym while the class is happening.

It isn't your job. Don't make it your job by putting yourself in a position to be taken advantage of.

[soomin]

I had this kind of problem, too... My student doesn't get picked up until 30 minutes after her classes end (every day), so they were just sticking her with me and making me make new things for her to do during my (sometimes only) break. I told my boss the same thing, "I'm sorry, but I'm very busy and need to use that time for other things. I have to prepare and since I don't have too much prep time, I need this time." and so on. It's not your job, so don't do it.

[Emark]

If I understand your situation, it's a little like this.

You are a SMOE / government teacher. The guy in the other class is not. After school programs are private enterprises that go into public schools and convince the school administration to symbiotically work together to bring a higher level English to the students of the school. After school programs cannot get "school" or "education" status, thus the need to use the public school and it's status and business licence.

I could say more, but I won't. I will cut all that short by saying this.

Congratulations on giving your free labor to the after school program. I am so sure that the guy next door looks at you as a sucker that doesn't know the reality of the situation.

I'd politely tell them that you are employed by SMOE and even though you are working at the school, you're not responsible for the private enterprises of ESL businessmen.

... unless of course they want to slip you some cash under the table (kidding) don't do that either!

Enjoy your afternoons taking care of yourself and your responsibilities to your EMPLOYER.

[byrddogs]

[Who's Your Daddy?]

What is happening is a private company that only has a Korean teacher, gets to market itself as having a foreigner on staff.

[The Sultan of Seoul]

I have always dealt with this sort of issue by turning things down in the most arse-kissing way possible, just as Modernist suggested.

Didn't have to do 'English cafe' when all the other nets in the province did - check.

Didn't in three years do one hour of ot over my 22 hours - check.

Didn't have to do those 'talk to them in your lunch hour' sessions - check.

Yet all the other nets bent over for it.

[pegasus64128]

It could be tricky depending on what arrangement the after-school company has with your school. Sometimes, they upgrade the English facilities in exchange for being able to "use" the school. Find out more about this if you can. If you're not obliged to help, then you don't have to, and if you do, make sure you're getting full use of the facilities they have including all stationary and mini white boards, digital pens etc.

[plchron]

I would advise to not talk to anyone else at your school about this. Just lock the door or leave your office at this time and eventually they will get the message.