Korean Job Discussion Forums

[ifa79]

My co-teacher told me that the main reason for this is the Q&A on Saturday because last year the FTs and KTs had a lot to complain about.
For the past 4 months I've had nothing major to complain about until now when I have to wake up early this Saturday morning to go listen to other teachers in other schools complain. I'll be complaining about that.

As for the "Cultural Awareness" sesson: I've been here for two years. I already know that Koreans and Westerners are different.

I feel bad for the Korean taxpayers whose money is being wasted on renting out La Vie D'Or again. This could have easily been compressed into a 9-5 sesson in a few cities around Gyeonggi-do

[ilovebdt]

[philipjames]

It is extremely insensitive for them to book a workshop a) on a weekend and b) on the last weekend before Christmas. If they want to develop 'cultural awareness' they could start by taking into account that many Western teachers have booked Christmas events for this time of year. And for them to expect us to drop these plans at a moments' notice is the very antithesis of 'cultural awareness.' Also, they could become 'aware' that Westerners expect employers to adhere to contracts, and that our contracts state 'no Saturdays.'

I, for one, am not going. I have tickets to a concert. They have been bought and paid for. Christmas comes once a year. (We don't even get an extra day off for Christmas this year - or New Years for that matter - because they fall on Sunday.)

Simply tell your supervisor that you are not going. You have a Christmas engagement. And, besides, WE DON"T WORK ON WEEKENDS. There is a major principle involved here people. If they can get away with violating our contracts on this occassion, it'll set a bad precedent.

Just say 'no'. I am.

[fidel]

Sage advice, simply turn off your phone and don't show up. Then claim ignorance and miscommunication problems on Monday. Problem solved. No one is going to get fired over such a trivial matter.

[Prince Frog]

For all of you who are sticking to your guns and refusing to go, I admire your pluck. I on the other hand have caved and will be there as I have just arrived at my school and they have been really nice to this point. My only real complaint is that it takes up a little bit of my Saturday, and to Korean teachers who work practically every Saturday, this seems like a hallow complaint indeed.

I am optimistic about the outcome; it could be fun in the end (if we can find any booze).

[Ekuboko]

[chiaa]

Guess you guys have something to complain about on Saturday.

Back home, usually classes are canceled for teacher's workshops. Never heard of a public school system forcing their teachers to work over a weekend.

[antoniothegreat]

well, i think this is absoluute crap. they told me yesterday about it, even though our contract specifically says no saturdays. so i am in a bind because they just gave me the week off since it was finals week, and i just finished another problem at school and dont want to turn into the greedy foreigner. but it is a bad precedent to allow them to do this. no saturdays means no saturdays...

my solution? i need to go to suwon for that crappy immi degree confirmation thing. so i will go to suwon, do that. then oops.. i got lost. and my phone is broken (the traditional korean excuse) so i didnt know what to do, and since they always give me paperwork in korean, i didnt know where to go. so sad. anyone else pretending to go, want to meet up for dinner???

[BigBlackEquus]

Has anyone thought that they might actually want this to fail? As in: we gave the foreigners a special event to make their complaints known, and most of them didn't show up......

[OiGirl]

[crazylemongirl]

[ilovebdt]

[Hobophobic]

Yeah, it is in a rural area...there are some bars and a family mart down the hill for beer runs though as mentioned above...

[ilovebdt]

[TheUrbanMyth]

I heard you had to sign in AND sign out...anyone else know about this? If one has to only sign in, then maybe we can go home early.