Korean Job Discussion Forums

[adverge]

My school does not let us leave the building at any point during the workday, not even for a lunch (they provide a Korean lunch on site which I cannot eat due to the spice). I am wondering if anyone else has this same kind of school policy?

The director told us that teachers in the past have gone out and gotten drunk during their lunch breaks so they cut them out entirely.

My contract does not have a specified lunch in it.

Then again, my contract has been completely changed since I got here because one of the lines in it says "The teacher will follow the policies of the school during the contract year". After I was here two weeks I was told they can change anything in the contract because of this one line.

I'm not completely upset with this bad business practice. I never intend to come back to this school again - the director has absolutely no business sense . I'll put in my year and get out of here with a smile and my bills paid off. I'm completely not stressed about it so don't take this as a rant. I was just wondering if this lunch thing is common.

[ChopChaeJoe]

How do they "not let" you leave? Armed guard? I'd just walk out.

[adverge]

The director said "Do not leave the building during the work day without my personal permission or you will be fired."

[schwa]

I'd say totally uncommon. Your school (hagwon I presume) is treating its teachers like children, or worse, prisoners.

A quick google on "korean labor board lunch break" brought up this from the Korean Labor Standards Act:

Article 44 (Recess Hours)
(1) The employer will allow the worker a period of rest not less than 30 minutes for every 4 hours of work and not less than 1 hour of rest for every 8 hours during the course of work. (2) The employee may use his or her rest period as they choose.

I've worked in a hagwon that didnt observe (1) but I was happy to work a block shift right through & be done for the day. But I would regard (2) as inviolable.

[Donkey Beer]

Time to leave this shit Hogwan. This will be only the beginning...

[ttompatz]

[adverge]

I wouldn't mind a block shift and no lunch break. I have to be at the school from 2:30pm to 10:00pm however. I only actually teach for a few hours a day, I have plently of time off. The rest of the time I am supposed to be doing lesson plans and improving my teaching skills by reading books (I think, not quite sure what they want there). Instead, after all my lesson plans are done, I tend to play Age of Empires on my laptop, which I take to work with me because they won't give me a computer, in my classroom (which I took all my stuff to because my desk turned into the lunch table and I couldn't get work done with all the people around and the stench of fish cooking beside me all day).

I told one of the other foreign teachers about the law and he was rather gleeful. I'd rather not be fired but he doesn't seem to care anymore - so I'll let him bring it up.

[ttompatz]

[Jeonnam Jinx]

Well, if you are not going to leave the school, despite the illegality of your boss' wishes, then why don't you either buy a snack on the way to school, prepare your lunch at home and bring it to work with you, or have some food ordered in from a restaurant?

I agree with the others that your boss has no power to keep you in the school during your breaks. Despite whatever kind of contract you signed (illegal!), if you're going to stay there, you should eat something. 8 hours without any kind of food is too much. Been there, done that, and will not do it again.

Yet another story of another crooked, power-crazy, "clearly overcompensating for something" wonjang that likes to lord their power over the lowly serfs.

Bet Grotto'd have something to say about this! He rocks!

[SeniorEnglish]

It is obviously a control technique. Some hogwan owners want you to soley belong to them. They do it to 1. Prevent you from doing any part-time work and 2. They are control freaks.
If a couple of teachers went out at got drunk during lunch at my school, I would kick them out myself. But, your boss just gave you a line of bs man.
I had an interview and the boss wanted me there from 12-9:30pm. and a 6 hour shift, lunch included, I said hechk no. They didn't even want me to teach my nephews afterwords.

Where do you work, so I can avoid it like the plague?

[ChopChaeJoe]

Your boss has turned you into his punk, and it will only get worse from here. Ask around, you'll hear plenty of stories of what you're in for. Have fun.

I'd walk out the door, get my food and come back a reasonable time before your next class and see what dorkless says.

[sheba]

We can only leave our school with permission. Its not a big problem.... It certainly wasnt the beginning of a nightmare school either. We have a Korean lunch/dinner provided to us free of charge, but when I want something different, I get one of the Korean teachers to order in, or if I want something extra (snacks or drinks) I either pick it up on my way to work or get one of the (good) kids to go out and get it for me.

Sure Id like to leave on the odd day, but its not that big a deal. The times I have asked to leave it wasnt a prob.... but I ve only asked twice in over a year.

However, if I had a 2 hour break for lunch then Id be annoyed at having to stay at the school.... but my break is only 20-30 mins.

[Grotto]

Take off for lunch! As for this nonsense:

[poet13]

Just to reiterate, or add fuel to the fire already burning; your break period is your own to spend as you wish. That doesn't include getting drunk of course. I would guess, wihtout knowing anything about your school, that they had a bad experience of the sort they have applied rules to.
In my case, for the first few weeksof my employ, my director kept saying, "NO drugs!". The two previous employees had been busted for exactly that.

[princess]

I've worked at a couple of places where we were asked to let them know when we were leaving the building on a break. Needless to say, most folks just walked out without saying anything.