Korean Job Discussion Forums

[ekimswish]

I've worked at an elementary school for a year and a half now. The whole time I've worked here I've had to on occassional step out to go to the bank or handle some other affairs once or twice a month. They've never said anything about it except that I need the principal's signature.

Now, after 3 vacation periods where they did nothing, they tell me that all the time I've used to go outside will be taken off my vacation. I'm only losing a day, but it's the thought that counts.

First of all, it says nothing about this anywhere in my contract, that leaving the school during the day with the principal's permission would count against my vacation. Nowhere in the contract.

Secondly, they never told me about it until now. I think they would have had to have told me BEFORE I went out about the consequences.

Thirdly, they say it applies to all workers in the school, but I think foreigners have a different contract to begin with, AND THEY NEVER TOLD ME OR APPLIED IT BEFORE!

I'm p-o'd, and my friend at another school said he had the same thing happen to him.

Is this happening to anyone else? Besides arguing with GEPIK, is there anything else I can do? Anyone wanna join me in the fight against arbitrary rule applications.

My analogy is it's comparable to deducting money from my salary suddenly because they charge for using the toilet. Sure it's not in my contract, but it's just "common knowledge." That or inviting someone to your house for dinner, and then charging them for the food after it's eaten.

[ticktocktocktick]

My school did this to me, but I was forewarned. I tried to argue it, but it is in the 2010-2011 GEPIK contract. Just slip out without telling anyone if you need to go to the bank, etc. It helps if your school thinks you're a smoker, they'll just assume you've nipped out for a quick smoke, just like the male Korean teachers do. It helps if you do this in the middle of the day.

[ippy]

Or it could be analogous to someone leaving school property during work time to run a personal errand and being reminded later on in the year that this is coming out of your vacation days. Suck it up princess. You went and did your stuff during school time, more than likely much more than a days worth ill bet, and got a small bit of inconvenience for it.

Alternatively you could kick up a massive fuss about it, get your board of education telling you to suck it up because you used your work time to run errands, and have your school not let you go run errands ever again because you created such a fuss about it.
And if its OH SO NECESSARY to do these errands that they require ytou to leave school property while youre being paid, then im sure the last thing youd want is to lose the privilege should you require a trip to the bank next time during school hours.

[nukeday]

oh ippy.

a lot of us sign out (along with three other signatures) any time we leave work early.

if they marked it as "vacation leave" when we did that, all would be clear. it's merely marked as "early leave."

and where is the policy that early leave must come out of vacation leave? why not have it come out of the sick days we're basically not allowed to take?

[ippy]

because they are sick days and you werent sick? Howzat?



PS. i sometimes shudder about you people. Always trying to get the most advantage for yourselves and bend the rules to your own benefit. If you signed out in your little form that required your three signatures and werent at work it was time off. Its not some kind of free perk. Im sorry you thought that, but if you honestly did, thsi must be your first job ever.

[ThingsComeAround]

Use sick days at the end of your vacation, since you are sick of how the job treats you

[AsiaESLbound]

What happened to flex time in a salaried 9 to 5 kind of job? I think it's crappy to not allow any flex time if you work bankers hours. It's typical for salaried professionals and other office workers to dip out to bank or go see a doctor. It simply is an insult to be charged vacation time to go to the bank or doctor. I really would argue the point that banks are ALWAYS closed when you are not at work. Paying a days vacation is a high price to pay to visit a bank or dentist on top of the money you are paying out for these services.

[DeMayonnaise]

Boy your schools are MOD EDIT. If I need to run to the bank or something, I just slip out when I have an afternoon with no classes...

I'm even getting 2 extra weeks of unpaid vacation this summer, because the 6 weeks I took in the winter were over the limit, but my principal still want to let me take a vacation and this was the compromise we reached.

[balzor]

[techno_the_cat]

I just went through the same thing at my school. Luckily, since the hours in question were to go to the doctor I argued that they should be counted as sick days and got around it like that.
I guess all this really means is we're going to be more inclined to sneak out to pay bills than be upfront about it and ask to go a little early.
Is it just me or does that iron rod seem to inch its way higher and higher with each year in GEPIK?

[DeMayonnaise]

I think the point is that it's a dick move on the school. What's it take to go to the bank? an hour tops? And I'm sure the OP never misses class, or at least has them rearranged. And it's only 1 vacation day, so not like it's THAT big of a deal, but come on, don't be a jerk. Typical Korean micromanagement.

[Senior]

Just say "Yea, yea, yea, yea." And take your normal vacation anyway. They aren't going to fire you for missing one day of desk warming. I took two "What are you going to do about it?" days when I couldn't get flights on the day I needed. They re-signed me no problems.

You're probably better doing this than making them lose face by arguing about it (they know full well you are in the right). No face is lost using my method.

[atwood]

It was really a dumb idea to have the one industry that people need to access on Saturdays be the only major industry in Korea to go to a five-day work week.

Using Internet banking is good advice, but that's not without its drawbcks as well.

I'd chalk this up to live and learn and not sign out when you have to go to the bank. The Korean teachers go to the bank, right?

[ekimswish]

[NYC_Gal]