Korean Job Discussion Forums

Zack_in_Korea · Joined: 16 Mar 2006 Location: Incheon

Ok, well to start off, I have to say that I really like working at my hagwon. If I didn't I would have been gone long ago. That being said, I don't mind doing what needs to be done in my job almost 100% of the time. However, the schedule could be better. We teach from 2:50 pm to 9:20 pm, with no lunchtime at all. We don't even have time to drop our pants and take a decent crap. "Breaks" consist of 5 or 10 minute intervals between classes which are not paid and considered "free time". LOL, yeah right. With photocopying, getting books ready, talking to students, etc. etc. these breaks often don't even give enough time to properly transition from one class to the next, let alone sit down for a few and take a breather.
Basically it's a 7 hour non-stop workathon where we teach 8 classes straight and somehow manage to find a couple spare minutes to make sum ramyeon or eat an apple. Pay rate is below 1.9 million WON after deductions.

So how does this compare to your hagwon? Are we being shafted?

jlb · Joined: 18 Sep 2003

It's not great but at least it's not a split shift. Some people who teach adults can start at some obscene hour in the morning and not be done until late at night. Those with kindy in the mornings can work from 10:00- 6:00 or 8:00.

Zack_in_Korea · Joined: 16 Mar 2006 Location: Incheon

Yeah split shift would be worse, and our schedule is condensed so we do get in and out of there faster, but to the detriment of having any time in between to do anything. I have worked Kindergarten before most of the time, but there you get an hour lunch to run sum errands, relax, eat, do what you need to do and kick back for a bit... even get sum work done if need be. In this case, we are about to do report cards again this month (65 in my case) which means coming in very early a couple days, or taking work home again, cuz there is no other time.

Rteacher · Joined: 23 May 2005 Location: Western MA, USA

It's definitely a tough schedule. Have you communicated your concerns to your boss yet? He obviously thinks that it's necessary to schedule classes during those hours, but if you can make the case that you could teach more effectively if you had at least a thirty minute break he might consider the feasiblity of begining and ending the last four classes twenty minutes later, extending your shift to 9:40 pm. (Parents reaction would be key, though, especially for the last class ...)

If he doesn't think that schedule would work - or if you'd rather not work later, I guess you,ll just need to tough it out for as long as you can, everything else being OK.

captain kirk · Joined: 29 Jan 2003

That's, I think, how it goes at a winning, busy hagwon. Kind of a wringer, aint it. At our haggie it's 3 times 50m then four times 40m but only MWF. With 2 times 50m Tues and Thurs. I feel tired after the busy days. The 50m classes are with the younguns. Not kindy but younger; 9.

If it's busy you don't have to worry about not being paid, fired, etc.

ontheway · Posted: Sun Mar 19, 2006 5:26 am Post subject:

At my hogwan, I got to set up the class schedule. So, we teach back to back with no breaks. Kids in kids out, we just keep going. Then we have a dinner break, and back to it. 5 or 10 minute breaks are useless anyway. This way we can teach flat out, the kids get more and then we finish and go home.

ThePoet · Posted: Sun Mar 19, 2006 6:15 am Post subject:

The OP's schedule and salary is almost exactly like mine the first 1.5 years I was here. I really loved it because I could get all of my hours in quicker. I HATE wasting time (like a half hour or so) in the school when i could be getting it done and on my way home to do my own thing.

Some people love it, but evidently, some people don't. I guess thats life though.

Poet

seoulsucker · Posted: Sun Mar 19, 2006 9:53 pm Post subject:

I did the nightshift my first 6 months here, but was quickly transitioned to a brutal 10-7 with only a 30 minute break between kindy and afternoon classes. You're not exactly sitting on a goldmine, but you're not getting your bunghole stretched to high heaven either.

Stick it out a year, and if you're patient and persistent, you can score a much better gig. Hagwons are like the bootcamp of ESL.

ilovebdt · Joined: 03 Jun 2005 Location: Nr Seoul

UncleAlex · Joined: 04 Apr 2003

With that many classes back to back everyday, I'm surprised to hear that
you enjoy teaching at your hagwon, or more precisely white-slave labor camp. Cool

Snowkr · Joined: 03 Jun 2005

Sounds typical to me. Most of my friends work similar schedules.
I also make the lower end of the salaries after tax and insurance but I work 10- 7 MWF and 10-7:30 on tues, and thurs. The difference is... I have 30 minutes off each morning between 11 and 11:30 and another two hours from 2 until 4 every afternoon. I feel really lucky to have this schedule.
I somtimes wish I could just work straight through and get home faster but I've learned that getting home faster rarely happens here!

Your schedule would be tough for me. I hate that we are not paid for prep time and that those ridiculous 5 to 10 minute increments are considered breaks... sometimes they are more stressful than actual classes at my school.
Anyhow... I'm down to 134 more days and then I'm finished with Korean kids forever!

buymybook · Joined: 21 Feb 2005 Location: Telluride

This is why each class should be counted as 1 hour and nobody should work more than 100 hours each month unless paid overtime after 100 hours. Those who sign contracts to work 120 hours per month before being paid overtime have made a big mistake.

The Wonderland contract I signed didn't even say 120 hours before receiving overtime.

I received overtime from Wonderland after working 100 hours, but they didn't count each class as 1 hour. They nickled and dimed me. Still, 120 hours is way too much without overtime.

So many job advertisements say overtime after 120 hours and I think... How ridiculous!

Yu_Bum_suk · Joined: 25 Dec 2004

If you're doing 7 hours a day m-f you should be making at least five ours of overtime. All in all it could be worse. You could have two hours of morning kindy and 5 of afternoon / evening hogwan.

Zack_in_Korea · Joined: 16 Mar 2006 Location: Incheon

I'm a little surprised by the responses here. I am all for getting out earlier, but at the expense of having no dinner or lunch break whatsoever for 7 hours would be considered highly illegal back in Canada.. and yes this is not Canada but this is double the time that a person can work in Canada without a break. I guess sometimes they forget people need to eat, run an errand, and that we aren't willing to work like people who are native to this land. The only reason I do it is because I love working at my school and it gives me super energy.. under any other circumstances I would never do this killer schedule.

VanIslander · Posted: Mon Mar 20, 2006 5:17 am Post subject:

I've done six 50-minute classes with 10 minutes between classes from 3 pm- 9pm for over three years... and love the lack of breaks... except it'd be nice to have one for dinner. Still, I think it'd be harder to work afterwards. When I sit down I start to feel the tiredness of the day.

Back-to-back-to-back shifts go by so fast! And are easy to do... motivation isn't a factor once you get into the rhythm.