Korean Job Discussion Forums

[philipjames]

I'm friggin furious. Recently I haven't been sleeping due to the heat. I've been exhausted and suffering from bad headaches. On Sunday night I got virtually no sleep, and woke up with a brutal migraine. I was unable to stand. I phoned in sick to my GEPIK school and left a message. Today I got lectured that being 'tired' was not an excuse for calling in sick. I'm fucking furious. I wasn't friggin tired. I was suffering from insomnia and suffering from migraines. If I'm suffering from insomnia and paralysed by migraines I'm not going to work. My contract gives me 15 sick days a year. After 11 months I've now used three. And I'm being given the inquisition.

Sometimes this country drives mecrazy. I expected this nonsense from hogwans, but I'm very dismayed to experience it at a public school. I was so angry I cut the conversation off and stormed out of the classroom.

Friggin furious. Why put 'sick days' in our contract if we can't use them when we're sick without enduring an inquisition the next day?

[crazylemongirl]

you are supposed to show up to school and 'prove' you are sick enough before they will send you home.

[Grotto]

Dont sweat it....simply call in...tell them you are sick and remaining home that day....you dont have to supply any reason unless you miss 7 or more days in a row!

I went through similar crap with my school last year!

I told them that I was sick and that I would be back when I felt better and not before!

[UncleAlex]

I sometimes wonder whether the 15 sick days entitlement isn't stipulated
in a contract just to get us to sign it. It doesn't matter if one is teaching at
a hagwon or a public school: this is Korea. Taking a day off from work can
be controversial. I heard of a native English teacher who had suffered a mild
stroke at a hagwon down south. Although his doctor advised him to stop teaching
immediately, his employer asked him to continue at least until he found a suitable
replacement. In my case, when I taught at a middle school, I took only one day
off all year out of the 15 days I had coming because of a fever. I called in at 8am
to absent myself, an hour and a half before my first class started. I was told that
I should have asked for permission to have the day off the previous day. Of course,
I argued that I didn't have a fever the previous day and could not forsee having one
on the following morning. My sick leave notice was accepted, but in bad grace.
Later I learned that my co-teacher(s) complained how inconvenient I had made the
day for them, according to my supervisor, a neurotic middle-aged spinster
and pain in the arse. The school even made it hard for me to get another public school job the
following year by charging that I "suffered from serious health problems", so I was
told by my recruiter, and "neglected the needs of my co-workers." A friend of
mine who taught at a private high school took three days off all year, and on each
occasion his support teacher dropped by his apartment to "see how he (was)". He
suspected that the school was checking up on him to make sure he
wasn't faking it. We foreigners are "liars". Most of the time Korean teachers,
like the students, come to school sick and spread their germs. But I've had co-
teachers of mine take a day or a class off sometimes because of illness and even
fatigue. I wasn't given notices until class time, when I had to ask of the whereabouts
of my co-teachers. Condescendingly I had been told "You'll have to teach the class
on your own." Another instance of the old Korean double-standard. Indeed,
we are second class citizens and outsiders to some extent. The next time your
co-teacher is absent because she is sick at home ask the head teacher whether
it wouldn't be wise to check up on her in case she is faking it.
Again I ask, "Are public schools really worth it?"

[Gwangjuboy]

I have had several days of myself. I was given the usual stern lectures, but after my second period of sickness I produced a note from a doctor. They were quite sympathetic after that.

[ajgeddes]

First, I have to say that being 'tired' is not an excuse to miss work. I get that you were sick, but why even mention being tired? Tired is not sick. You should have just said you were having migraine headaches and that is enough.

I am in GEPIK and I have taken 6 sick days. I produced a letter from a doctor the first time and have never needed to since. They have never given me a lecture and anytime I have called in sick, they just said "OK, get better."

I know other people that just text message their co-teachers if they are sick and and that is enough.

[ajgeddes]

[livinginkorea]

[laogaiguk]

Mine visited me in the hospital. I didn't really need the doctors note that time BTW, they do tend to visit anyone who is sick, not just the foreigners. For bad or good reasons, I don't know, but they do.

[philipjames]

Ajgeddes dude, I never said I was 'tired'. That is the message that was given to the vice principle from a fellow teacher who received the message. Nor did I leave a text message. I spoke to a colleague.

[ajgeddes]

Sorry, I was never implying that you text messaged them. I was just saying that my friend does and has never been questioned.

It's a little strange that they would just make up that you were tired, but it doesn't surprise me. If I told a co-worker that I was sick and they relayed on that I was just tired, I would definitely have words with them.

[philipjames]

That's a good point about how maybe they just include the 15 days as false sweetener. Then when you try to take them they pull the 'Korean culture' thing to deter you from taking any others. Sometimes I can't stand this place with its smoke and mirrors, lack of clarity, hidden meanings, lack of transparency, etc...

I know that someone knocked on my door last night, but I didn't answer it. If I find out that it was a colleague 'visiting' me I'll not be pleased.

[laogaiguk]

I must admit, when I am sick, I dont' really want people visiting. It's nice they bring over some food, but just give it to me, wish me well, and thank you. My apartment is never very clean when I am sick (and probably smells I am sure) and I look (and again probably smell) like crap.

[UncleAlex]

Needing the school's permission to have the day off, although one is really
sick, occurs also at public schools. In my current contract and previous one
it is stipulated that if the native English teacher is sick and wishes to take a
number of his 15 days off on a given occasion, he must first get the school's
approval after arriving at the school (probably for a diagnosis). Any number
of days exceeding 3 requires a doctor's certificate; any number beyond 15
involves a loss of pay.

[ajgeddes]