Korean Job Discussion Forums

[PeterDragon]

I teach full time at a public middle school. It's a great job that I have no intention of quitting.

However, I also teach part time--- 5 hours a week--- at the elementary school across the street. This elementary school is having me teach two grades at once in each section--- one class for kindy and first, anther for 2nd/3rd, and another for 4th/5th. They pack the kids so tight into my "classroom"--- a room NOT designed to host classes, that on any given day one or two of them have no seats and have to sit on the floor or prop their pens, papers and notebooks against shelves.

The students themselves understand nothing I say to them, and I don't have a set co-teacher--- on any given day whatever Korean assistant they've placed in the class with me may speak no English, be unwilling or unable to help me maintain class order, or simply not show up. As a result, the students tend to be very inattentive and disruptive, and I'm not sure I blame them.

The curriculum the elementary school chose to purchase is woefully inappropriate and insufficient. The school knows this and is now pressuring me to create a supplemental curriculum in my spare time. I've TRIED to make time for this, but the spare time simply isn't there. I'm already creating curriculum from scratch for the junior high I work for, hundreds of pages of all new material and dozens of lessons. I'm more than willing to do this for my junior high--- they are my primary employer, they have me on salary, and they've been very good to me in every way possible.

I'm not willing to blow twentysome work hours creating a curriculum for a second very-part-time job that only pays by the hour, however.

In my opinion, the elementary school is trying to get the benefits of having their own full time native speaker without actually hiring one. The only way I could see myself staying on in this job in good conscience would be if the school put in an equal amount of its own work in creating a curriculum, and made sure that I had a real co-teacher teaching alongside me for every class.

What would you do if you were in my shoes? Should I refuse to do the extra off-site work they're asking me to do, and see if they decide to fire me? Should I tell them what things need to change for me to be willing to keep working there? (They want me to continue working for them next semester.) If I decide to simply quit, what's the most tactful way to do this?

[majolica]

" I will be leaving this position in ___ days unless conditions a, b and c are met by ___ day."

the end?

[IncognitoHFX]

[PeterDragon]

That's definitely the simplest way to do it. But, while some would argue I shouldn't care, I am concerned about doing this in a way that doesn't come off a insulting. I sympathize with this school's basic problem--- they're having trouble getting a full time GEPIK teacher, a struggle they share with many of the rural schools out here. But trying to make my five teaching hours a week substitute for the real thing doesn't help anyone, IMHO.

[PeterDragon]

[ABC KID]

[IncognitoHFX]

It is legal if you're in the countryside. I've heard of it being common to work at two hakgyos.

[Yu_Bum_suk]

This is what I just don't get about Korean school officials. No Korean secondary school teacher would be allowed to teach elementary? Why? Because it requires a *different* set of skills. Why do they assume that because your'e white you should be able to teach everything from kindy to parents?

Just find a DVD player and show them movies every lesson and concentrate on your real job. Hell, do your MS lesson planning while the elementary students are watching movies. Who cares - if they don't like it they can find someone else for the P/T gig, right?

[poet13]

It's legal if you're in the countryside?n Are you suggesting immigration has one set of laws for the city, and another for the country?

I think you could get out of it quite easily by telling your primary school that the time you aer spending at the other school is affecting the quality of the work you do for them. You could tell them that you enjoy working there, but you don't feel its' fair that the school sponsoring your visa is getting shortchanged on the quality of your work. If you have someone there you trust, you can off-the-record by the coffee machine wonder out loud if the school would pull the plug on the other school...

[Kimchieluver]

[moosehead]

PDragon,

if there's anything at all I've learned from living and working in K it's that no matter what you do, how much you give, how creative and ingenious you are with a work situation, even how much it might be appreciated, the employer will always ask for more.

going along that line, they won't ever stop as long as you continue the path you've started. nor will someone look up and say - hey - perhaps you're working too hard, maybe we will get you an assistant.

it's not going to happen.

in some situations, they don't appreciate it, and don't even care about or perhaps even understand how hard you are working or how difficult the situation is. Perhaps they even think you are incredible to be able to work like that and that you think it's ok because you don't say otherwise.

SO, if you want things to change, hon, you are going to have to put up or shut up - simple as that.

Call a meeting
Make a list
Show them the list
Tell them what you need
Stick to your position whatever it may be.

Good luck!!

Let us know what happens, ok?

[poet13]

"Actually, if you work for the public system, you technically work for the provincial education system. So if your main school let's you take another public gig, it is lega."

Yup, just looked at my contract. I work for Gyeong San Buk do.