Korean Job Discussion Forums

depth · Joined: 01 Feb 2008

hi all,

if any of the forum experts could please advise,

is lunch time at kindy/elementary hogwans your own free time to leave the school or do most hogwans require you to stay and prepare and eat lunch with students?

thanks for any responses

Smile

Krokodil · Joined: 02 Aug 2009 Location: Daegu, S. Korea

Our work day starts at 2pm, after the kids have had their lunch elsewhere. Most days the director has food brought in and the teachers eat together around 6:00; on busy days, we get sandwiches brought in from Crown Bakery and eat them at our desks. We never eat with the children.

depth · Joined: 01 Feb 2008

sorry, am looking for feedback from hogwan workers who start before 12:30pm, ie the ones who have 30-60mins lunch at the same time every day

thanks in anycase Krokodil

blackjack · Joined: 04 Jan 2006 Location: anyang

husky · Joined: 22 Mar 2008

I have to sit and have lunch with the 6 year old kids. I don't enjoy it much to be honest, at lunch time the kids just want to chill out and relax while they eat lunch and not be stressed about a foreigner trying to talk English to them. At least I don't have to eat lunch with the 4 year olds.

Carla · Joined: 21 Nov 2008

not at my current hagwon, it doesn't start until 2:30

before, I was at one, and i was free to leave or stay or do whatever i wanted

eventually i just started helping out with the group that used my classroom because it helped out the korean teacher and the kids got to eat faster, and i had nothing else to do, BUT that was my choice, noone ever asked me to

msluckychucky · Joined: 02 Jul 2009

at my school lunch is from 12-12:50. The homeroom teachers have to stay and help hand out lunch but afterwards is their free time. I don't have a homeroom and always leave for lunch, usually it involves going and sitting in the park just to get out of the building. One homeroom teacher was requested by her co-teacher that she not leave. I guess it's up to your school and co-teacher, or what your job actually is at the school.

Chris2007 · Joined: 20 Mar 2007

If they require you to be with the kids during lunch time you may want to seriously reconsider the job. My first hagwon required us to serve the kids lunch in the classroom and eat with them. And if course if the kids wanted second or third helpings we had to get that for them too. We also had to get them to clean up and then make sure they brush their teeth. We had a lot of help from the Korean teachers but after 4 morning kindergarten classes the last thing we wanted to do is have lunch with the little monsters.
Oh, and lunch was 40 minutes - then we had to go upstairs for a 20 minute "circle time" which was a song/dance period. SUCKED. These are the kinds of things they don't mention in the contract. So find out beforehand and prepare to run away.

cincynate · Joined: 07 Jul 2009 Location: Jeju-do, South Korea

It all depends if it is included in your work time. I am paid for 8 hours a day, and I am here from 9-5, which means I'm being paid for lunch time. If they aren't paying you, then you can do whatever you want. If they are paying you, then its up to them.

CPT · Joined: 25 Mar 2007

If it is a big concern, talk to one of the foreign teachers at the school before you sign. If you ask the people running the school, they may mislead you, or say it is optional, when it really isn't.

At the school I'm at now, we have to eat lunch with the kids, which includes serving. At my last school, we didn't have to.

I don't think it's that bad, really. Get a free lunch (not the best quality, but sometimes can be legitimately good....other times downright horrific), sit and eat with them, then do nothing while they *beep* around with lego or other toys for the rest of the time.

kirsi · Joined: 29 May 2009 Location: dongtan

the other teachers stay with the kids so i eat alone and then i play farm town on facebook

isthisreally · Joined: 01 Sep 2007

We had this very issue come up at my hagwon before. Luckily we had a guy working there that was sort of oblivious to social conventions and would fight for ever ounce of free time.

It came down to this, lunch was optional and free. They wanted us to be there, but we didn't have to be.

The guy basically told them if they wanted him to be there (since it wasn't in the contract) they had to pay him. At that point the school just gave up and said it was optional for foreign teachers.

wakingup · Joined: 20 May 2009

At my school, we don't have to, thank goodness. Personally, I'd never work somewhere where I had to ride the bus with the kids every morning or eat lunch with them. I know many people who have to do both those things.

I show up, I teach the lesson, play around with them a bit, and that's that.