Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Snowleopard]

I'm sorry if this question has already been answered but I used the search function and didn't find an answer. I've been teaching at an elementary public school for about a month in South Korea. I've taught 24 classes a week. I looked at my pay stub and I noticed that I didn't get paid any overtime. It is my understanding that anything over 22 classes is suppose to be overtime or is it suppose to 22 actual hours? I know that the 2 courses are not considered afterschool classes but I thought you were suppose to get overtime for this? Isn't one class (40 minutes in elementary school) suppose to equal one teaching hour or am I just confused? I would really appreciate any feedback you could offer.

[OculisOrbis]

Your not confused. You should be getting two hours overtime for teaching 24 x 40 minutes classes. You should also make sure they dont try to average it out over the month. Your overtime hours hours to be paid should be calculated each week. For example, if you teach 24 classes for three weeks and then only 18 in the fourth week - you are still owed 6 hours overtime for the month.

[karri]

Check your contract.

I don't work with EPIK, SMOE or GEPIK and am signed on for 24 hours.

I know this is 2 more than average but no need to tell me I'm getting screwed cause I've used those 2 extra hours everytime I could to get other benifits.

[Snowleopard]

Thanks so much for the feedback. I just wanted make sure that I was interpreting everything correctly. I talked to my co-teacher and she said she would look into it so we'll see what happens. I'm just worried because of all the negative things I've heard about trying to collect your OT. I will definitely watch out for them trying to skip out on the OT because classes, during other weeks in the month, were cancelled. The contract specifically says that if you complete more than 22 instruction hours PER WEEK your entitled to OT, so its not suppose to be calculated by month.

[Otherside]

Snowleopard, bare in mind if some of class comprise of After school classes it can take upwards of 6 weeks to get paid for those classes. Often you have to complete a block of 20 classes (and teaching 2 a week could take as long as 10weeks) and only then they'll process it. Also, at my school my overtime is ALWAYS paid seperately from paycheck (and on seemingly random days...once its processed) So definitly look into it, but no need to worry just yet - Theres a perfectly illogical explanation I'm sure

[mountainous]

[BS.Dos.]

If they were CA classes, then you may get paid for them each month or there abouts. Although, if it's like my HS, it'll get paid into your account separately from your salary, so keep tabs on it and mark your calendar so you can check to see which ones you've been paid for etc as they may cock it up. Alternatively, and like at my MS, they may give you a lump sum at the end of the semester. Either way, mark the dates on your calendar.

[jadarite]

mountainous is right. Schools, public and hagwon, like to rationalize not paying overtime. My co-teacher yesterday was trying to tell me why we might not get paid on 2/4 in the morning because there is "just a graduation ceremony". Then we looked at 2/2 and 2/3, which both had a slash through them.

On further questioning (WHICH YOU GOT TO DO), I asked what we were supposed to do on January 30th, and these 2 days in February.

January 26th and January 27th are holiday days!!! What they might do is shift those 2 days to the 2/2 and 2/3 but not tell you anything about it. Don't assume they are days off just because they have a slash through them,

At least that's how my school hides things. I like to call them Korean Easter Eggs. They might try to rationalize not paying you overtime for those days.