Korean Job Discussion Forums

[smjstevens]

I'm working at a hagwon in Gumi, and on Monday the roads were iced over, so my boss cancelled school for the day. Now he's telling me that I have to work on Saturday to make up for 'having Monday off'. I already have plans for the next several weekends and told him I was willing to teach extra hours during the week to make up for the snow day, but he's insisting that I work a Saturday as well.

My contract specifically says:
a. During the term of this Agreement, the teacher should work in cooperation with the Supervisor or Director from Monday through Friday, and during special events.
b. Teachers will be required to attend some special events throughout the year (Workshops, graduation ceremony, etc.), which may fall on a Saturday. Teachers do not receive additional compensation for these days.

To me, this sounds like special events means specifically planned events that I would know about well in advance. A snow day would not generally fall into that category, and otherwise I think Monday through Friday are my only obligations.

Before I play the contract card, what do you think? Should I be having to work an extra Saturday for having a snow day on Monday or should I refuse on the basis of my contract?

[lost at sea]

I have to do the make up on Saturday and I don't have any special event notice in my contract and my contract states Mon-Fri only.

I think this is a battle we may be able to win but may not be worth winning. Just give up and save the hate.

[adventurrre]

give it up... play the contract card and you probably won't get what you want AND your coworkers will like you less

[yingwenlaoshi]

If you can't work that day, he should find a substitute. If you do work, it's overtime. If he's not even offerring overtime, he's a moron.

[PatrickBateman]

HA.

I have to work Saturday AND Sunday because of the snow.

Not to mention we're working 10 hours a day for the month of January.

100 hours in 10 days straight without overtime or compensation....

Lovely.

[nena]

Same thing happened to me. .. Well, all of the workers at my hagwon. Totally sucks, but we can't get around it due to our contract. Some people may get overtime pay if they were already at the school when the classes got canceled, but I won't be one of them.

[wesharris]

[lifeinkorea]

If you like the school, I would just enjoy the day off and work on Saturday. It's not like the school could have commanded mother nature to stop snowing.

In the end, the school has how many parents complaining their child lost a day's worth of lessons compared to just you complaining if you don't want to work Saturday. I would be doing what the school is doing so I didn't have to deal with the parents.

[Durtee]

The problem here is that hagwons are a business. It's that plain and simple. The parents pay for (I think 20 days a month??) and if the school closes for a day then the parents want some of their money back. So, the owner just does a weekend makeup calss which is nothing for the hagwon owner because he/she still ends up with all the money. AND it's not like hagwons are regulated by the government and they follow the laws anyways

So yes it sucks, but that is life at a Korean Hagwon. Just enjoy the snow day as best you can and suck it up on the weekend

[yingwenlaoshi]