Korean Job Discussion Forums

[TangerineDream]

Seriously, I just need some advice from people that do split shifts because I am about to leave Korea soon due to how much split shifts suck. I have to wake up at 5am every morning M-F to get to class at 6:30 and then I am off in the afternoon for a few hours and teach at night for another 4 hours. I don't get home till 11pm and then I have to already be up at 5am to teach again.

How do I stop from going insane? Every morning I wake up, I feel like this is a horrible nightmare.

I knew before going into the contract that I would be doing split shifts, so the blame rests squarely on my shoulders.

[Isehtis]

I'll be working split shifts in Korea as well, similar hours.

I've worked split shifts before on much, *much* worse hours and once you get the hang of it it becomes easy.

It's all about managing your sleep, and some people find that much harder than others. You have two 'windows' for sleep, one between 11 and 5 and one in the day time.
Instead of getting one eight hour stretch of sleep you need to learn to split this between two four hour stretches.

It can be difficult getting into this routine but easy once you're actually there it is completely natural. Some people find it easiest to get into with sleeping tablets until they've learnt the routine.


Set your phone with four alarms, one telling you to sleep in the day time and then the other to wake up in the day time, and the other to sleep at night and then to wake up at night.

At first you'll need to keep to this at the weekends as well, just until you get into the routine.


Go to sleep when the alarm tells you, wake up when it tells you.

Force yourself to do this without exception for a fortnight and then it'll become second nature.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyphasic_sleep

Polyphasic sleep is like ultimate-sleep, a number of very short but deep 'naps' throughout the day can get you down to only needing 2-5 hours sleep each day while remaining fully refreshed.


If you scroll further down that wiki, it has information on Biphasic sleep as well.




I've suffered from insomnia all of my life, so over the years I've explored a number of different avenues in sleep management.

[Wishmaster]

Glad I had enough sense to never accept split shifts...even when I was a newb. Split shifts suck. I have known people that have done them and there energy was just always sapped all the time. It took the weekends for them to recover. Damn, glad I work such a slack schedule(4-9 pm) and can get up around noon every single day, with plenty of time to watch the football games, baseball playoffs, etc.

Your options? Ask for a release letter and see if they will grant it. I doubt your schedule will change. You accepted the conditions, so you are kind of screwed. It is not a bad enough situation where I would recommend a run. I suggest you just suck it up, finish your contract and next time just get a slack job similar to what I got because there are plenty of them out there.

[Sector7G]

[misher]

I'm currently on a 7-11AM 6-10PM split. I also attend Korean language class from 130-530PM. Even though I'm paid by the hour at a pretty good rate this is the first and last time I will ever attempt such a thing. Even if I weren't studying Korean I would still have no life.

Splits suck period.

[lifeinkorea]

Depends on the workload. Prepare morning lessons (for the next day obviously) before your evening classes. Then you can auto pilot the mornings.

[shifty]

My first job in K was split shift. In retrospect I liked it a lot and wouldn't mind something again along similar lines.

It was 6.30 am class and the school was entirely close to apartment, so it was just matter of hopping into some clothes and hastening there.

With ne'er an overseer about and clandestine access to the copier, one could arrange matters to advantage for the arvey/evening classes; we're talking 'word searches' and the like.

Copious use of the copier for 'extramural' matters was also a pleasing aspect.

I thrived on the discipline of being forced to go straight to sleep after the day was done and not commit to activities such as recreation with soju.

However, in the case of the OP the situation is wholly different. Getting up at 5 am after an 11pm homecoming is totally unacceptable.

The only bright side the OP has to hand, is that mosquitoes and noise can be largely discounted as the typical Korean nuisance factor.

[Skipperoo]

Kudos to all you, there's absolutely no way I could handle a schedule like that for an entire year.

[Isehtis]

It might be a sign of the changing job market or might just be a coincidence, but all of the jobs I was offered (Through different recruiters) Were split-shift.

[Louis VI]

IT IS EASY TO AVOID SPLIT SHIFTS ALTOGETHER!

I have never taken a hagwon job where there are kindy classes or adult classes, as they involve morning and evening work. I have always stuck to afternoon hagwons, the typical 2 or 3 to 8 or 9 work schedule. These are the kind of hagwon where the boss doesn't show up until noon (two previous hagwons had bosses who regularly didn't get up until noon, as I learned by waking them up by calling at 11am over little things).

Get yourself an elementary school aged hagwon with at most a few middle school classes and you'll be set. Ask if there's high school classes because if so that could mean late night or weekend classes. I avoid those jobs as well.

Better to choose the kind of workplace conducive to your interests and habits thn to try and change the behaviour of the boss and the job conditions.

[youtuber]

Why do split shifts?

The hours suck and Korean adults suck.

I have no idea why everyone thinks teaching adults is the bomb.

[lorenchristopher]

Splits do suck. I did them in a different country and so I knew to stay away from them when I came to Korea.

No real advice on how to stay sane or make them easier to deal with. I worked splits for a year and gradually became more and more insane...lol. I never felt like I was really off work and could relax. In the day while you're off you're thinking "Crap, I have to go back in X amount of hours". At night you're thinking "Crap, I have to wake up so early tomorrow".

[TangerineDream]

[northway]

If anything, you're more likely to do split shifts working in Taiwan.

[Pa Jan Jo A Hamnida]

Sounds like the YBM grind.