Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Gwangjuboy]

I found out today (saw the form myself) that the education office in Gyongi-do has issued a directive to all public schools (elementary not sure about the rest) compelling them to limit the foreign teacher's holiday to just 14 calender days per year. Schools who don't comply will face penalties. The education office will honour the current contracts, but when your contract is up for renewal you will only be offered 14 days. I have been told this because my contract will expire in March and they are pushing me for a decision on whether I will stay got another year. I am not part of the GEPIK programme so I assume that this applies to everyone irrespective of whether you are GEPIK or not. I am currently given 5 weeks off per year, and I like the school (they really want me to stay another year) so it's a big blow for me. I would like to resign, but not on those conditions. The idea of working hard for a year and being rewarded with a 3 week vacation cut is absurd. Oh well. Time to look on the jobs board.

[JacktheCat]

I am in the exact same situtation as you.

Gyeonggido has been coming down hard on my school about the vacation time they give me, sending nasty memos and wanting written guarantees that I am only being given 1 week of vacation this winter. Same as you they have let my school know that starting next year there will be severe penalties for schools caught giving their waegukin teachers more than two weeks of vacation a year. And I teach in a "private" high school.

I love my school, and love my kids, but two weeks of vacation a year is total bullshit, and I probably won't be renewing my contract.

JacktheCat, on the lookout for a new job.

[crazylemongirl]

They did the same thing last year. Some beaurcrat with a bug up their ass about protecting their precious GEPIK programme I suspect.

[bourquetheman]

I too was in the exact same situation last year. The first year I had 4 weeks but when I went to re-sign they told me that Gyeonggido education board said 2 weeks was all I was allowed. The said that although on paper it would be 4 weeks they would do what they could to quietly give me more time. So in January and February I had 2 classes every Tuesday, all the other days I could quietly stay home. This still screwed me from really going away or doing anything else but better than nothing. This summer however I went to take my whole 2 weeks at once (thinking that this winter I would basically have the same schedule) and they almost flipped saying 2 weeks all at once was virtually impossible. I told them that if I was going home (I wasn't) that a week wouldn't even be worth it! The caved but weren't too thrilled.
Sad to say that although I like the school, two weeks is a joke and I have given my notice. Although I have a few interviews I still have nailed down anything as of yet, so needless to say I'm a bit nervous. March isn't that far away!

[zappadelta]

Why do they get such a kick out of cutting our vacation time? It just makes us hate them and despise going to work.

[Ya-ta Boy]

They don't want to give raises and yet they want to reduce the one benefit that doesn't cost them anything.

They must want to drive everyone back to the hakwons.

[TheUrbanMyth]

Why look on the jobs board though? Uni comp is very tough. And school vacations are still better than hakwons.

[JacktheCat]

[cruisemonkey]

Rumour in Geyongsangnam-do is the current 28 working days/year vacation time for public school teachers will be cut to 14 next year.

[Joseph Fitzgerald]

Another example of Korean educators (GEPIK) shooting itself in the foot.
They also wonder why most teachers do not renew their contracts. This is just one of the reasons I didn't renew last year.

[Rteacher]

Their "reasoning" is probably that practically all hogwans give less paid vacation time - so in that respect they are still competitive with the hogwans (and public schools are known to offer more stability).

) I think the best we can hope for at this point - which would be OK with me - is to be allowed to take unpaid leaves to travel during the extended school vacation periods in the summer and winter (after doing a week-or-two of special classes)

[Karabeara]

So far, I told them I will not be staying next year, and gave one of the reasons as the threat of losing all but the 14 day vacation. We will see what comes out of it.

They made me sign a contract saying 2 weeks, however, promised to give me more. My school has fudged it this past year, and given me over 2 months of paid vacation, and I made it painfully clear to them that I would be giving immediate notice if they ever changed their minds. They did not, so I am still here. I suggest, if you sign again, you make a similar agreement with the person who is at the top (not someone in between, or it would be worthless).

It is actually more of a pain for them to put together work for me when the rest of the school is off. And for the government threats, they still have to get off their ass and actually show up for things like my open class, much less make due on threats like JackTheCat said. It is like the traffic laws in this country. They put out the same threats last year, but never once checked anyone, to my knowledge.

[Gwangjuboy]

[TheUrbanMyth]

[I_Am_Wrong]

are you off your rocker? the students and korean teachers get 2 1/2 months and the foreign teacher (who works just as hard the korean teachers) is expected to settle with 7 days and come to an unheated school all winter. teachers need holidays man.