Korean Job Discussion Forums

[pangaea]

I know people who work for EPIK generally get more vacation time than people who work for hakwans. What I need to know is how much and when. Is there guaranteed vacation time at certain times of the year? I have heard that the vacation varies because sometimes teachers are required to teach camps or go warm a seat all day in school when all the students are on vacation. I really want to know if I would have enough time to come home over Christmas if I arrive to teach in August and if there are any other longer vacations during the year.

[cruisemonkey]

The number of days you get for official EPIK holidays vary widely depending on location/to whom you apply. In general, holidays must be divided between the two periods your school(s) do not have regular classes (these are commonly called school 'vacations' and should not be confused with your holidays). The actual dates of school vacations vary from school to school, but in general: winter - end of December to beginning of February; summer - middle of July to end of August.

What you are rquired to do during the 'school vacations' varies widely from school to school/district to district and depends largely on your principal. You will most likely be required to teach some sort of English Camp for at least some (and perhaps all) of the time you are not on your official holidays. You may or may not, be required to 'desk warm' when there is nothing to do... it depends on you principal.

It is highly unlikely you will be going home for Christmas because most schools do not start their 'winter vacation' until after Christmas. Christmas is a one-day holiday in K-land (and as with all statutory holidays, if it falls on a weekend you do not get another day off 'in liew').

[pangaea]

That's fine. I don't necessarily need to be home over Christmas. I just want to be able to go home 1-2 times per year. Are teachers guaranteed to get at least some vacation time? I definitely don't want to be teaching camps all through the breaks.

[dean_burrito]

With SMOE you will get 21 days. That does not include weekends. So basically that is one month and one day. Some people can take it all at once while others cannot.
I believe GEPIK is similar if not the same. You are guaranteed to go home at least once a year since they buy you a round trip plane ticket. Unless you have pressing matters at home I'd recommend doing something a little more adventurous with your vacation time. When would you have another chance to go to the Phillipenes, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Japan, China, etc?

[RufusW]

The vacation time will be in your contract, so, yes, it's pretty much guaranteed with EPIK. As long as you want holiday during the school break you should definitely get it.

[Aelric]

I have a question about this as well. Specifically, being in a school with no camps, I got two months off for this winter. I figure the same will happen in summer. As far as I know, I haven't spent my vacation days in this time, but I'm not bloody sure on that measure. Will I be able to get my time off on when it's not summer or winter breaks or is that something that just doesn't seem to happen.

I ask due to a week long event that I regularly attend each year that happens to fall during the first week of school after summer break.

[blonde researcher]

I saw that EPIK changed the 2009 vacation to 3 weeks from 14 days in 2008 contract. This looks like it is now 21 calendar days, not 21 work days. Seems deceiving as it is only one more work day - 15 work days .

"Article 14 (Paid Leave) ① Employee shall be entitled to a vacation period of a total of twenty-one (21) calendar days during the Term of the Employment set forth in Article 5 hereof
Employees working in a school system shall have vacation for ten (10) calendar days during the summer and eleven (11) calendar days during the winter recess respectively;"

[cruisemonkey]

The sample 2009 contract on the EPIK website used to read 21 calendar days and has now changed to 18 work days.

WTF is going on?... (at least it's getting better not worse).

[oldtactics]

[oldtactics]

[Robot_Teacher]

I got 35 calendar days in my EPIK contract. According to other teachers in my county, you get free days or weeks in Winter and late Summer on top of your offical vacation, but you don't travel on that unofficial free time as you might be called on. You also receive class cancelations so it's not constant nonstop exhausting action.


I only wish we had a week in the Spring like right now as that's the time to go be a shutterbug.

[cruisemonkey]

Aelric,

Let me get this straight... you get four months a year off during winter and summer school 'vacations'; and, in addition you want to take your 'official' holidays when regular school is in session?

You have balls man... BALLS!

[Draz]

[vonnegutjr]

21 calendar days to me means 21 working days. They are on the calendar. I would be a fool to ask for Saturday and Sunday off.

[Aelric]