Korean Job Discussion Forums

[stickybrit]

Okay, let me start by saying that I have undergone numerous phone interviews these past two months and sent over a dozen contracts, all of which have bits in them that strike me as, well...off.

I have been sent contracts that tell me if I am ten minutes late to class, then two hour's pay will be deducted from my check. Or that I am not issued paid sick days. Or that there is required overtime. Or the apartment has no A/C.

Is it really this difficult to find a decent teaching position that will provide pension, no more than 3.3% tax, 2-3 days sick pay, decent housing (single non-shared furnished apartment/studio with bed, TV, western-style bathroom, heat, air conditioning, washing machine, refrigerator, chair, stove, table) with no REQUIRED overtime, and have them state this in the contract?

Also! These "intensive courses" in January and August in which an additional 3 teaching hours is tacked on to every day. Are these fairly typical in all non-kindy teaching jobs? Or is this just a slick way to require overtime?

Or am I just super nit-picky and being overly analytical of the contracts?

I'm going cross-eyed!

[DC in Suwon]

I know how you feel. It almost seems like each contract has something that has been nibbled away. It gets frustrating. Now you almost question everything (even if it's not warranted).

I wish public schools would just have one contract that is used throughout the country.

I'm taking an after school position with public schools, but I guess my contract isn't with the schools, but with the company that finds teachers (this is how it's done in this particular area of Korea).

[TheUrbanMyth]

[stickybrit]

It's pretty difficult to find one of those glorious public school jobs, isn't it? Especially with SMOE out of the question.

C'mon, good job! I need yew!

[mzeno]

I went through two or three of those contracts with my recruiter and then I found one that I liked at Parkenglish.com that has most of the things your looking for. Under "Teachers Lounge" on their Home Page, click on "Basic Contract". I sent that to him and he used it. Hope that helps.

[Jammer113]

Even if you get sick days, will you be able to use them? Contracts are negotiable. You can strike stuff out. Anything that starts undermining the law, like not paying proper taxes/pension would make me really really suspicious. Something like not having a western bathroom, I'm not going to worry about (unless that means not having a sit-down toilet). Something like no A/C would be a deal breaker for me... but I also realize it might be a deal breaker for them, if it requires them to spend a lot more for an apartment.

January 'intensive courses' sounds like hagwons with a rush of students during summer and winter vacation. It's actually something I'd want to see in a contract, because it would also then include how they're going to pay me for those intensive courses. The courses themselves are a business necessity.

Something like the 'ten minutes late' rule, I'd negotiate over, telling them it made me feel like they didn't trust me, or didn't respect me as a professional or some such, as nice a way as I could put it. I say this all with the caveat that I've never negotiated a change in my contract.

Edit: mandatory overtime is pretty common and understandable in a constantly fluctuating business. Just make sure that you're ok working the maximum amount every week. If they can force you to teach 35 or 40 hours per week as necessary, you might get burned out really quickly.

[ontheway]