Korean Job Discussion Forums

jaderedux · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Location: Lurking outside Seoul

Actualy I don't work for GEPIK..but Gyeonggi-do is still meddling. I realize that alot of teachers don't just giving advice to those who do. Sorry if you took offence some how.

Jade

mack the knife · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: standing right behind you...

It's not just GEPIK that is changing. Look at the Job Board on Dave's. These days it seems most (or all) schools, other than uni, are offering 2 weeks of vacation.

That's Korea for you. Always lowering the bar. Salaries have not increased concomitantly with cost of living and inflation. Average starting salaries hover around 2 mil these days. Back in '99 average starting salary was 1.7 or thereabouts. In the meantime, living expenses have shot up do to the price of oil (which affects heating, maintenance, gasoline, etc.), not to mention the housing bubble (for those who wish to find their own place), not to mention the cost of food and traveling out of country, etc., etc., etc.

What gets my goose the most is when you mention your frustrations the teachers always say "Well, we have to go to training camps during the holidays". True, but then I'm not getting a bonus of 2X my salary every other month, which is what all Korean teachers receive. For that, I'd gladly relinquish extra vacation days.

jinju · Joined: 22 Jan 2006

jinju · Joined: 22 Jan 2006

I_Am_Wrong · Joined: 14 Sep 2004 Location: whatever

1st Public Elementary School- Yongtong, Suwon-
non-gepik

-Contract with two weeks paid holiday plus all national holidays, no saturday.

-six weeks of teaching 3 camp classes in the morning from 9-12 and could leave afterwards. It was pretty rad.

1 week holiday tied plus Seoulnal and then some more morning classes for about two weeks.

two weeks summer holiday...one week unpaid.

6 days off tied in with Chuseok

-school field trips, test days, school festival, school birthday, school field day,

Honestly, it was scattered but with easily enough time off.

Next Contract--Middle School

-non gepik
-contract states two weeks winter vacation and two weeks summer vacation plus national holidays

-two weeks of a fun camp in the Winter and two weeks in the Summer

-I talked to the teacher who worked there previously and he usually got between 3 and 5 weeks off in both summer and winter. Worknplay has told me that it should be 3 weeks off in both with the possibility of a little more.

-The teacher did say that the supervisor for the area of Gyeonggi is being a dick and trying to get all the schools down to a couple of weeks.

inspector gadget · Joined: 11 Apr 2003 Location: jeollanam-do in the boonies

My middle school contract includes 20 days vacation, plus national holidays.

To make sure that all the extra days off that I have been getting were not being counted as my vacation days, I asked my co teacher about when the holidays would be and she said its up to you to apply in writing for taking them.

So it seems to me that I can take my 20 vacation days when I want as long as its approved by the principal.

I hope to take two weeks in the summer and two weeks in the winter.

As for all the other extra days, nothing but a bonus of a public school job I suppose.

Public schools seem to be much better than hagwans in relation to time off thats for sure.

ddeubel · Joined: 20 Jul 2005

Yes Gadget, good that you clarified that your "days off" (ie. this spring break) are not counted as your vacation days. Hope other teachers do the same. Our holidays should be what we take as holidays or what we "apply" and arrange with administration. If at the end of the day they declare school holidays as our own, atleast we have something to fall back on -- ie. their own words this wasn't so.

I get 19 days (working days so about 4 weeks) / contract year. I seem to get about 2 or 3 weeks atleast which are extra "school " holidays. Go home, there is no school (ie. no clients). I also get a hell of a lot of free days where I go home early/run errands/go on excursions with no educational responsibilities.... I also get 15 sick days. If I add it all up, I get every 3rd day off...........about the same as in Canada when it comes right down to it. .

DD

PS> but it is all relative, if you love your job, there should be no distinction between work and play.....one just happens and so does the other.

khyber · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: Compunction Junction

my contract says 7 in summer, 7 in winter.
However, i was planning a trip this summer so i asked my (new) school principal RIGHT away what the vacation time was like.
no camps, no courses...nothing.
all vacation...no work.
soooopppperrrr!

inspector gadget · Joined: 11 Apr 2003 Location: jeollanam-do in the boonies

Speaking of summer and winter breaks. Can anyone tell me what the approximate dates are for the summer break?

I am at a girls middle school in Jeollanam do if that matters.

I am sure that it will vary but a ball park would be nice

TheUrbanMyth · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Location: Retired

TheUrbanMyth · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Location: Retired

mack the knife · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: standing right behind you...

My wife's father and brother are both teachers, so there's your link. The teachers at your school don't care to tell you about the bonus because they're afraid you will resent the hell out of them if they do. I forced it out of my co-teacher when she was trying to pull the old "Oh, but during our vacations blah blah blah" nonsense.

"Oh, but during vacation we have to go to teachers' training."

"Well, I wouldn't mind going the extra mile if I were getting the same bonus as you guys."

"Oh! Bonus?"

"Yeah, the one where every other month you get a paycheck bonus."

"Oh. (insert Korean unnngggggg)"

BUSTED.