Site Search:
 
Speak Korean Now!
Teach English Abroad and Get Paid to see the World!
Korean Job Discussion Forums Forum Index Korean Job Discussion Forums
"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Teachers from Around the World!"
 
 FAQFAQ   SearchSearch   MemberlistMemberlist   UsergroupsUsergroups   RegisterRegister 
 ProfileProfile   Log in to check your private messagesLog in to check your private messages   Log inLog in 

asked to make up lost days due to public holidays?

 
Post new topic   Reply to topic    Korean Job Discussion Forums Forum Index -> Job-related Discussion Forum
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
depth



Joined: 01 Feb 2008

PostPosted: Fri Jan 09, 2009 2:36 pm    Post subject: asked to make up lost days due to public holidays? Reply with quote

if any of the forum experts could please advise,

this month (january)the hogwan is closed for 4 days - 3 are public holidays and 1 day the hogwan is closed.

they have increased my hours on the remaining work days to make up for the lost time.

are they allowed to do this? the whole point of public holidays is to relieve workers from their normal work hours NOT to have them make up for lost time. At least thats how it works in Australia.

im in shock, because january as we know, our hours are more to begin with due to school vacation, so with the added hours, im overwhelmed.

my contact says: actual teaching hrs shall not be exceeded 30hrs a week (120hrs/month).

my january schedule initially had me doing 33 clases / week. but to make up for the lost time due to public holidays they added an extra 14hrs teaching time for the month.

what can i do to resolve this?
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
icicle



Joined: 09 Feb 2007
Location: Gyeonggi do Korea

PostPosted: Fri Jan 09, 2009 4:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

First thing I would say is what does your contract say about holidays. If it gives you the national holidays (which is normally what it does) then you should not be making up time for them.

BUT ... (And my teaching hours are like yours) ... How many teaching hours are you working each week in January? You said that your contract is up to 30 teaching hours a week (which mine does .. so I know how hard that can be) and then you say that you are teaching 33 classes a week in January ... Is that 33 hours or 33 classes (of shorter length)? What is the teaching hours each month (with the additional classes added)? (My contract has 30 teaching hours a week ... but classes are only 40 minutes long ... so it ends up meaning a lot more classes .... Even though I have never got to the 30 hours yet ... ) If i got over 30 hours I would start to get overtime .... What does your contract say about that?

I would assume that adding what amounts to "make up" classes for the days that the students missed classses with the holidays ... is within the rights of the employer ... (It isn't taking away your holidays ... It is a PR exercise with the parents in giving what they paid for ...) BUT if it takes you over the 30 teaching hours a week in your contract then the employer should be paying you the overtime which I assume your contract has for teaching over that 30 hours ...

I know that it is painful to do ... Mine did not have makeup on the holiday days that we had ... but adding extra classes with winter ... and getting close to the 30 teaching hours a week ... Is very hard to do ... as someone who is doing it ...

What does your contract say?

Icicle
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
sojusucks



Joined: 31 May 2008

PostPosted: Sat Jan 10, 2009 10:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hopefully your contract says that you have national holidays off. Assuming this, I would provide the following advice:

1. Anything over 33 (hours or classes?) should be considered overtime and paid at the proper rate.

2. You should mention this to your hogwon. If they deny this and your CONTRACT says otherwise, you will have to remain firm and show them your contract.

3. If your contract states this, you can take your hogwon the Labor if they don't pay. In that case, start looking for another job but at least you were paid.

Good luck.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Ya-ta Boy



Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: Established in 1994

PostPosted: Sun Jan 11, 2009 1:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

This is a fairly common strategy for hakwons and 'extra classes'. It's the result of schools selling X hours of lessons a month and the need to supply what the parents have paid for.

It's likely the hakwon owner is also 'doing you a favor' by giving you a full month of hours so your payday will be for a full month of work.

If you resist, it's likely you will get a reputation for being uncooperative and lazy.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Ramen



Joined: 15 Apr 2008

PostPosted: Sun Jan 11, 2009 4:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Red days are paid holidays. And it's not your fault that school closed one extra day. You should count the hours you're scheduled for the red days and one extra day the school was closed.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Joe Boxer



Joined: 25 Dec 2007
Location: Bundang, South Korea

PostPosted: Sun Jan 11, 2009 7:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hagwans, and private schools, ALWAYS do this.

If one month had a couple days off, they will jack up your "overtime" for the working days, and then you don't actually get paid any overtime.

Example: you get paid 120 hours per month. But there's a whole week off, so you are only going to get to work 90 hours. Cool, right? WRONG. The school will schedule "overtime" for the three weeks you ARE working, so that you actually work 120 hours.

You work 9 hour days, with NO EXTRA PAY.

That's why I always refused overtime at my hagwans.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
kprrok



Joined: 06 Apr 2004
Location: KC

PostPosted: Sun Jan 11, 2009 7:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Joe Boxer wrote:
Hagwans, and private schools, ALWAYS do this.


Don't make yourself sound stupid by making blanket statements that are not true. My hagwons have never done this in the past.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
plynx



Joined: 03 Jun 2008

PostPosted: Mon Jan 12, 2009 5:29 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

kprrok wrote:
Joe Boxer wrote:
Hagwans, and private schools, ALWAYS do this.


Don't make yourself sound stupid by making blanket statements that are not true. My hagwons have never done this in the past.


agreed. mine not only DOESN'T do this, but they also give us extra time off that isn't in our contracts.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Whistleblower



Joined: 03 Feb 2007

PostPosted: Mon Jan 12, 2009 7:34 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

So anymore updates OP?
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
VanIslander



Joined: 18 Aug 2003
Location: Geoje, Hadong, Tongyeong,... now in a small coastal island town outside Gyeongsangnamdo!

PostPosted: Mon Jan 12, 2009 4:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Joe Boxer wrote:
Hagwans, and private schools, ALWAYS do this.

My two hagwons never have, nor have the three hagwons I just asked another guy about.

Maybe up in Seoul, where hagwons go until midnight and hold weekend classes, maybe there every excuse to get more work out of teachers might be done.

But a lot of small town, mom & pop hagwons don't even open their doors until 1or 2 pm, everyone goes home by 9 or 10pm and there aren't weekend classes anyways, so there's no EXTRA MAKE-UP time to add to a teacher's workload to begin with! That might be it: there simply is no immediate economic incentive to try such things hereabouts.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
gangpae



Joined: 03 Sep 2007
Location: Busan

PostPosted: Mon Jan 12, 2009 6:06 pm    Post subject: Re: asked to make up lost days due to public holidays? Reply with quote

depth wrote:
if any of the forum experts could please advise,

this month (january)the hogwan is closed for 4 days - 3 are public holidays and 1 day the hogwan is closed.

they have increased my hours on the remaining work days to make up for the lost time.

are they allowed to do this? the whole point of public holidays is to relieve workers from their normal work hours NOT to have them make up for lost time. At least thats how it works in Australia.

im in shock, because january as we know, our hours are more to begin with due to school vacation, so with the added hours, im overwhelmed.

my contact says: actual teaching hrs shall not be exceeded 30hrs a week (120hrs/month).

my january schedule initially had me doing 33 clases / week. but to make up for the lost time due to public holidays they added an extra 14hrs teaching time for the month.

what can i do to resolve this?


Congratulations you've hooked up with a seriously dishonest hagwon. Get your next pay packet and then pull a runner.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
depth



Joined: 01 Feb 2008

PostPosted: Tue Jan 13, 2009 12:20 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Whistleblower wrote:
So anymore updates OP?


my contract says 30hrs per week.

i have been scheduled 39 classes per week for the next 2 weeks (classes vary from 40-60mins)

this still falls under 120hrs / month

best advice i would give..... is to make sure your contract has a maximum number of classes (not hours) per month that you are prepared to teach...and clarify the maximum class length (eg 60mins)
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Display posts from previous:   
Post new topic   Reply to topic    Korean Job Discussion Forums Forum Index -> Job-related Discussion Forum All times are GMT - 8 Hours
Page 1 of 1

 
Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum


This page is maintained by the one and only Dave Sperling.
Contact Dave's ESL Cafe
Copyright © 2018 Dave Sperling. All Rights Reserved.

Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2002 phpBB Group

TEFL International Supports Dave's ESL Cafe
TEFL Courses, TESOL Course, English Teaching Jobs - TEFL International