Korean Job Discussion Forums

[winterfall]

Like another posted mentioned, you get used to it. After a month or so it's fine.

I had the same setup at university. 24 credits, Classes in blocks, a 4 hour break, another set of classes. And then a 2 hour nap before my night shift.

You can try taking power naps. It's when you sleep for 15 minutes to half an hour. As long as you don't go into REM sleep, waking up isn't a problem. And you still feel refreshed. If you really need an extra boost. Pop a caffeine pill. Go straight to sleep, by the time you wake up. It'll be in your system.

As long as you can get semi-normal sleep on the weekends and vacations, it doesn't do any SERIOUS damage to you.

[the_curious]

can you sleep at the school? a lot of them have a room that you can use for napping.

[AsiaESLbound]

I used to do something like that in a restaurant some years ago and it was exhausting. It's a way of getting more work out of you for less pay by only employing you during peak times of the day. They didn't want to employ you full time as to not pay a good salary, OT, and a benefits package; only an hourly wage. The advantage to you is having some free time during the day, but the exhaustion and long days will leave you feeling burned. With that said, I can still get free time to pay bills and visit a doctor working an 8:30 to 4:30 job since it offers some idle time I'm not teaching.

[tyrobinson]

i had the same hours. only i was shuttled off to do afternoon classes in between. small break here, small break there, but never enough to do anything productive. i'd get home from work around 10:30, but i've never been able to plop down and get right to sleep. i need time to unwind and often wasn't asleep until between 1 or 2 i the morning. then t was up at 5:15 to start the whole thing over again. stupid as it was, i made myself stick it out for the whole year. nobody else i worked with was able to and i don't blame anyone for jumping ship in a similar situation.

i'd like to say i got used to it and found a routine that made the schedule easier, but for me it just wasn't possible. the only thing i can say is to put your head down, concentrate on the one or two steps ahead of you and go-go-go. if it's 6am and all you can think about is the fact that it'll be 16 hours before you can go home again, you'll never make it.

good luck.

[liveinkorea316]

How long have you been working there OP?

You might want to raise this issue with your boss. Give him an ultimatum and see what happens. What is the worst he could do to you? Fire you? That is EXACTLY what you want isn't it?

[SinclairLondon]

At the six month mark, the author of Brother One Cell shipped himself a couple kilos of hash after his one week vacation in the Phillipines. I don't smoke and rarely drink but it took me half a year of split shift work to understand his motive.

[PatrickGHBusan]

That schedule comes with many adult hakwons and it is a tough one to keep up with.

How do you deal with it?

You either get some rest in the afternoon or if you think you are too tired and run down all the time, you look for a new job.

[jrwhite82]

[interestedinhanguk]

[meaghan]

[Isehtis]

[quote="jrwhite82"][quote="Isehtis"]

It can be difficult getting into this routine but easy once you're actually there it is completely natural. Some people find it easiest to get into with sleeping tablets until they've learnt the routine.

[/quote]

Doesn't sound too natural if you need drugs to induce the pattern of sleep behavior.

Yeah, I don't blame you for not being able to make it through the year on split shifts. Rough stuff.[/quote]


It isn't really natural, and I wouldn't suggest using sleep meds over a prolonged period, but it'd make the adjustment period a whole lot better.

I'm not sure what the legal state of GBL/GHB is in Korea and wouldn't want to discuss it if it's illegal, but I've read it can be a god-send for power-naps.

[cert43]

Well, are you on an E-2 visa? Do you wanna stay in Korea?

Then, you really have no choice then except to stick it out
and deal with it.

Heads up: The USA job market sucks,so doing that is better then what
you might be dealing with here.I mean some job is better then nothing
( as long as they are not outright abusing and degrading your
self esteem),it is doable with adjustment.

I am sorry ( it sucks) and it isn't fair,right?

Try to learn something from it and then make your choice

[asylum seeker]

Doing that kind of split shift for 10 months really deteriorated my health- it took months to recover afterwards. Despite what people on this thread will try to tell you, no matter how much you sleep in the afternoons you never really get the same quality of sleep as a proper night's rest. Also, Sunday evenings are horrible, knowing that you have to be up at five again the next morning. If you're finding it that difficult then better to quit and find something else. There are other jobs with much more reasonable hours that won't involve splits- as long as you don't mind teaching kids.

[asylum seeker]

[cert43]

No not at all

I just want her to think before she ups and quits

Release Letter and visa transfers aren't obligatory by Korean Law.

Exit orders and visa cancelations are.