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| How often do you call in sick? |
| Never |
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60% |
[ 26 ] |
| Once a year |
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23% |
[ 10 ] |
| A few times a year |
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16% |
[ 7 ] |
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| Total Votes : 43 |
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| Author |
Message |
crazylemongirl
Joined: 23 Mar 2003
Location: almost there...
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 Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2005 8:04 pm Post subject: |
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In my time in Korea I have never called in sick.
In feburary I got really sick with asthma and could barely breathe. I came to school and they sent me home for two daysi n a row. Then they gave me a week off to get better.
I'm at a public school and it was during office time so they were like go home, we want you well to teach when the semester starts.
In New Zealand I pulled sickes at my crappy retail job but I had amassed over 20 sick days that seemed to be a waste not to use. |
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Hanson
Joined: 20 Oct 2004
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| Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2005 8:56 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
Quote:
Back home, I'd call in sick at least once every two months, if not more...
Anyone besides me consider this an abuse of the system?
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For me back home, you either used your sick days, or you lost 'em. I was entitled to something like 6 paid sick days a year. Why not take 'em??? I wasn't abusing a system that provided for people getting sick. What else is a sick day for if we're not "supposed" to use them?
Interesting answers all. I don't take sick days anymore for the reasons mentioned by others here - it would fall on my co-workers, I'd have to remake the class or have a co-worker replace me and it would also be a "red flag" to my employer (crazy, but true in my opinion).
I can vouch for him, the man's supernatural (except where it REALLY counts, ahem) |
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agraham
Joined: 19 Aug 2004
Location: Daegu, Korea
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| Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2005 10:00 pm Post subject: |
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| Hanson wrote: |
For me back home, you either used your sick days, or you lost 'em. I was entitled to something like 6 paid sick days a year. Why not take 'em??? I wasn't abusing a system that provided for people getting sick. What else is a sick day for if we're not "supposed" to use them?
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Yeah I always call an ambulance three times a year whether I'm sick or not. Why shouldn't I? I paid for that ambulance when I paid my taxes. |
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JacktheCat
Joined: 08 May 2004
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| Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2005 10:22 pm Post subject: |
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Even if you wanted to, how could you get away with taking a sick day in Korea anyway?
Most Korean bosses would see taking a sick day as the worst sort of employeer behavior, as it goes against so much Korean culture. It would create so many bad vibes around the staff room.
In my two years in Korea, the closest I've come to taking a sick day was at the beginning of this year when I had some dental surgery done. My face was numb with novocaine and my mouth in rough shape and I was in a lot of pain, but I still came in. Was an interesting day, teaching conversation classes when I couldnt speak. |
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Saxiif
Joined: 15 May 2003
Location: Seongnam
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| Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2005 11:35 pm Post subject: |
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| Only once. I had an insane sinus infection and I couldn't sleep all night. My boss acted like I was killing his first born son when I refused to work the next day. |
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casey's moon
Joined: 14 Sep 2004
Location: Daejeon
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| Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2005 11:44 pm Post subject: |
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| I only take sick days for migraines, and only migraines that don't respond to medication. It is pretty much impossible to teach with a migraine. Imagine your worst hangover (including nausea and vomitting) plus extreme sensitivity to light and sound. Now imagine feeling like that in front of 30 plus kindy students. |
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SuperHero
Joined: 10 Dec 2003
Location: Superhero Hideout
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| Posted: Mon Apr 11, 2005 3:31 am Post subject: |
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| desultude wrote: |
I agree that I am not Korean, and so don't have unquestioningly follow the tyranny. But, where I teach (a uni) we are expected to make up every class missed, which is a huge burden to the students (in terms of scheduling) and also burdensome to me. |
Yeah, my school too, but apparently it's not really enforced
| desultude wrote: |
| In a different program on our campus, a colleague of mine was asked for a written doctor's note for missing 2 classes. My boss is not that unreasonable, but the expectations are clear. |
With a university teaching schedule it should be easy to see a doctor outside of your teaching hours.
| casey's moon wrote: |
| I only take sick days for migraines, and only migraines that don't respond to medication. It is pretty much impossible to teach with a migraine. Imagine your worst hangover (including nausea and vomitting) plus extreme sensitivity to light and sound. Now imagine feeling like that in front of 30 plus kindy students. |
Teaching kindy would make me feel worse than that. it did for my first year of hell in Korea |
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Ya-ta Boy
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: Established in 1994
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| Posted: Mon Apr 11, 2005 5:49 am Post subject: |
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In Korea, with my public school job, I am entitled to 15 paid sick days. I have taken 3 so far. I don't really care if Koreans come to work when they are sick, I am not Korean, never will be, and I will stay home if I need to. I just call in, and I don't feel guilty. I also don't go to the hospital when I am sick with a cold, as there is no need for that. Just because the Koreans do it, doesn't mean you have to follow suit. You are not Korean, I will say it again.
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My contention that taking sick days just because they are in the contract is an abuse of the system has nothing whatever to do with what Koreans do or not do. I'm talking about everywhere.
When I sign a contract I am promising to be at school on all contracted days. I am not saying that I will come in only when I happen to be in the mood.
I think it is a matter of professionalism. I owe it to my students and my co-workers to do the job I agreed to do to the best of my ability. Taking unnecessary sick days just because they are in the contract strikes me as childish and self-serving. That's my opinion. |
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Hanson
Joined: 20 Oct 2004
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| Posted: Mon Apr 11, 2005 9:56 pm Post subject: |
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Yeah I always call an ambulance three times a year whether I'm sick or not. Why shouldn't I? I paid for that ambulance when I paid my taxes.
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That's just stupid. Where in my post did I insinuate that I took sick days on a whim? I get a cold, I feel crappy one day = SICK day. Not just because, not cause I didn't FEEL like going in, but because I was under the weather.
Sheesh, you just can't type to some people like you used to! |
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sadsac
Joined: 22 Dec 2003
Location: Gwangwang
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| Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2005 1:39 am Post subject: |
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Touch wood, never yet in over four years. Being a diabetic, I feel I've abused my body enough.  |
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casey's moon
Joined: 14 Sep 2004
Location: Daejeon
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| Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2005 2:52 am Post subject: |
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23 people said "Never?" And yet, all the foreign teachers I've ever worked in Korea -- every single one of them, have all used sick days, and most of them have used ALL the allotted sick days, and sometimes more. They weren't lazy or anything -- but we teachers do tend to get sick a lot, especially in the first year in Korea.
This poll is not a very accurate reflection of the truth, methinks -- possibly because those who have never used a sick day are apt to respond to the poll question. |
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