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verseinu
Joined: 25 Mar 2009
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Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 10:08 am Post subject: only 25 'working' hours per week @ a hagwon? |
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I have been offered a job with a hagwon and everything so far seems good/reasonable regarding the contract. Though there is one point I question. I have been told the 'teaching hours' per week is 25 and the 'working hours' per week is 25. The recruiter has told me that I am only required to work (be at the school) for 25 hours each week. The salary is exactly like a comparable job with a 40hr work week.
I am wondering if there may be some hidden strings, does this sound familiar to anyone?
Is it common place to work less than a full work week at a hagwon? |
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AgentM
Joined: 07 Jun 2009 Location: British Columbia, Canada
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Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 11:28 am Post subject: |
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25 hours sounds about average. By "working hours" they mean hours you'll actually be teaching, they will likely require you to do what's referred to as "deskwarming" by the teacher's here. Basically be at work for a number of hours in addition to teaching, time when you're supposed to be prepping for class, writing lesson plans, etc. |
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verseinu
Joined: 25 Mar 2009
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Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 1:49 pm Post subject: |
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I assumed too that I would be doing some deskwarming, but it sounds like I am to start at 1pm and am finished by 6pm. To me this sounds too good to be true.
Does anyone else have a job where they are only required to be at the school for 5 hours a day? |
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DCJames
Joined: 27 Jul 2006
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Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 2:12 pm Post subject: |
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You might be thinking you'll be teaching 25 40-minute classes. That's wrong. You'll be teaching MANY MANY more. In fact, you'll problably be teaching over over 30 40-minute classes that add up to "25 hours of teaching time".
Hogwons are ALL the same, I'd be suspicious of hogwons that claim they're different. |
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lifeinkorea
Joined: 24 Jan 2009 Location: somewhere in China
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Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 2:30 pm Post subject: |
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Deskwarming is usually for public school jobs. At a hagwon, they usually don't want to see you at the school unless you are supposed to be there to teach.
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The salary is exactly like a comparable job with a 40hr work week. |
I have never seen a job offer in Korea for ESL teachers with 40 hours in it at the usual salary.
I suggest you get your schedule from the school. Find out how many classes you have to teach in the morning and how many in the afternoon. Make sure you have this established. The hagwon will then play games with you and shift classes around. Each time they make a change say "NO!", even if it is a change you want.
You want to make sure the original schedule is ALWAYS recognized. If you don't, the hagwon will change a class each week and before you know it, you will have split shifts up the wazoo. You will have to be available 12 hours a day, within short distance of the school. |
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Juregen
Joined: 30 May 2006
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Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 3:35 pm Post subject: |
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DCJames wrote: |
You might be thinking you'll be teaching 25 40-minute classes. That's wrong. You'll be teaching MANY MANY more. In fact, you'll problably be teaching over over 30 40-minute classes that add up to "25 hours of teaching time".
Hogwons are ALL the same, I'd be suspicious of hogwons that claim they're different. |
Some are different |
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DCJames
Joined: 27 Jul 2006
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Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 3:47 pm Post subject: |
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Juregen wrote: |
DCJames wrote: |
You might be thinking you'll be teaching 25 40-minute classes. That's wrong. You'll be teaching MANY MANY more. In fact, you'll problably be teaching over over 30 40-minute classes that add up to "25 hours of teaching time".
Hogwons are ALL the same, I'd be suspicious of hogwons that claim they're different. |
Some are different |
No. |
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verseinu
Joined: 25 Mar 2009
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Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 3:59 pm Post subject: |
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DCJames wrote: |
Juregen wrote: |
DCJames wrote: |
You might be thinking you'll be teaching 25 40-minute classes. That's wrong. You'll be teaching MANY MANY more. In fact, you'll problably be teaching over over 30 40-minute classes that add up to "25 hours of teaching time".
Hogwons are ALL the same, I'd be suspicious of hogwons that claim they're different. |
Some are different |
No. |
I am suspicious of anyone who says anything is 'ALL the same'. Ya, you can generalize to a certain degree but there will always be an exception to the (so called) rule. |
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zipper
Joined: 22 Jul 2009 Location: Ruben Carter was falsely accused
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Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 4:02 pm Post subject: |
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It sounds like a job that was posted for Gangneung City. Is it BBES? Those are nice hours, and I have heard that the kids are fantastic.
I don't know why that hagwons are so crazy about working their teachers for a minimum of 30 hours, besides generating money. Most countries except Japan and Korea offer their teachers 25 hrs and below which is reasonalble; allowing teachers much needed rest, more preparation and quality time to get out and enjoy some espects of the culture. 30 hours just burns me out after 4 months or so. |
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Big Mac
Joined: 17 Sep 2005
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Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 4:12 pm Post subject: |
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In my experience, hogwans usually ask you to be at the school one hour before your first class so that you can prepare. That is usually stated in your contract though. I think it is a reasonable request.
Some hogwans will hold you to the one hour rule and others will be more flexible with it, especially if you show that you are well-prepared anyway.
For the person who suggested that you get a schedule and stick to it no matter what...I don't think that is a good way to go about it. Things change at a hogwan. Classes get cancelled. It is sometimes necessary to move things around or ask that you agree to some change in the schedule for business reasons and for practicality reasons. I think there is a need for a foreign teacher to recognize this and be willing to be somewhat flexible about those sorts of things. If you aren't flexible, I guarantee you will not be on good terms with your boss.
That being said, there are times when hogwans can be ridiculous about changing the schedule every day, every hour and at the last possible minute. That can be annoying and that would be when I would put my foot down and tell them no. But to just blindly refuse any changes to your schedule with no flexibility at all is very bad advice. |
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DCJames
Joined: 27 Jul 2006
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Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 4:15 pm Post subject: |
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verseinu wrote: |
DCJames wrote: |
Juregen wrote: |
DCJames wrote: |
You might be thinking you'll be teaching 25 40-minute classes. That's wrong. You'll be teaching MANY MANY more. In fact, you'll problably be teaching over over 30 40-minute classes that add up to "25 hours of teaching time".
Hogwons are ALL the same, I'd be suspicious of hogwons that claim they're different. |
Some are different |
No. |
I am suspicious of anyone who says anything is 'ALL the same'. Ya, you can generalize to a certain degree but there will always be an exception to the (so called) rule. |
LOL. In Korea, there are no exceptions. The sooner you find this out the less disappointed you'll be. |
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lifeinkorea
Joined: 24 Jan 2009 Location: somewhere in China
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Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 4:17 pm Post subject: |
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Quote: |
It is sometimes necessary to move things around or ask that you agree to some change in the schedule for business reasons and for practicality reasons. I think there is a need for a foreign teacher to recognize this and be willing to be somewhat flexible about those sorts of things. If you aren't flexible, I guarantee you will not be on good terms with your boss. |
In the end, YES, change. However, before then, NO. Everytime they make a change, you make it apparent that you are doing it cause you are flexible. That puts you on GOOD GOOD TERMS.
If you just say, "ok, boss" , "Whatever you say boss", "Anytime boss", they will see that and take advantage of you. What I am saying is don't make it out to be a regular thing. If you work with other foreign teachers, find out what they want as a base set of rules. That way, when the boss tells one of you to do something stupid, it won't be the new guy who gets screwed. |
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verseinu
Joined: 25 Mar 2009
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Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 4:27 pm Post subject: |
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zipper wrote: |
It sounds like a job that was posted for Gangneung City. Is it BBES? Those are nice hours, and I have heard that the kids are fantastic.
I don't know why that hagwons are so crazy about working their teachers for a minimum of 30 hours, besides generating money. Most countries except Japan and Korea offer their teachers 25 hrs and below which is reasonalble; allowing teachers much needed rest, more preparation and quality time to get out and enjoy some espects of the culture. 30 hours just burns me out after 4 months or so. |
I have to ask - what is BBES?
I think the hours a great, It also isn't a problem for me to do the needed prep. I'm just worried that I am being told I only need to work from 1-6, but when I get there it 1-6 actually means 1-9. |
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zipper
Joined: 22 Jul 2009 Location: Ruben Carter was falsely accused
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Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 4:37 pm Post subject: |
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If it is BBES, talk to their current teacher. As far as I know, you go in and teach five classes per day, and go home to your little traditional single house. Even if it isn't BBES, you should try and contact their current teacher or get an e-mail address of their former teacher... |
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lifeinkorea
Joined: 24 Jan 2009 Location: somewhere in China
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Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 4:39 pm Post subject: |
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Quote: |
I'm just worried that I am being told I only need to work from 1-6, but when I get there it 1-6 actually means 1-9. |
That's usually how it goes. Also, don't assume that 1-6 schedule will stay 1-6 with "modifications". It could be totally flipped around. I had the same kind of schedule (a little later), then after a 2 months they scheduled me 9am-2pm. Another one split what looked like a great schedule at first into 3 hours in the morning, 2 hours in the afternoon, and 2-3 hours in the evening. The only good thing about it was I got Fridays off.
So, I told both hagwons, if I wanted morning classes I might as well work at a public school. That's what I am doing now, and even though I don't like mornings, I am done at 4:30pm. They don't play games with the hours. |
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