Korean Job Discussion Forums

sadguy · Joined: 13 Feb 2011

it's muggy and humid as hell and i'm sticky all over but they refused to turn on the AC saying that the temperature is fine. are your schools just as crazy?

Italy37612 · Joined: 25 Jan 2010 Location: Somewhere

Our AC came on last week. However, this required excessive harassment of the administrators by most of the teachers. What really got me was that they turned on the AC in their offices but not in the classrooms. That really pissed me off.

eamo · Joined: 08 Mar 2003 Location: Shepherd's Bush, 1964.

Koreans think it becomes cool enough when it rains to turn off the aircon. Sometimes it is. Sometimes it isn't.

jonpurdy · Joined: 08 Jan 2009 Location: Ulsan

Shorts and sandals to school as a protest. Make sure the administrative staff sees you.

furtakk · Joined: 02 Jun 2009

my class has been at a crisp 21 degrees since the end of may. i turn it up if the students complain that it's too cold.

thegadfly · Joined: 01 Feb 2003

I control the AC in my own classroom -- that was one of the few non-teaching related necessities I held out for when looking for a position -- AC in the apartment, AC that I control in the school or classroom....

I keep my classroom at 22 C (which is about as cold as I seem to be able to get it -- not a hardship by any means, but I keep my home at about 20 C when I am there), and my students have learned to bring a jacket/sweater/extra shirt, just like they bring their notebooks...just a fact of life in Mr. thegadfly's classes....

sojusucks · Joined: 31 May 2008

GEPIK sent out a memo instructing GEPIK schools to limit AC for the foreign teachers. They sent it two weeks ago. It has nothing to do with costs. That's all I've heard from a "friend", so far. Will post more when I hear more.

NYC_Gal 2.0 · Joined: 10 Dec 2010

At my old (public) school, I requested the AC be turned on. It was on in one wing, but the admin people hadn't turned it on in mine, saying that the other wing faced south, so it was hotter. Then they said that even the principal and vice principal were in the same wing as I was, and they didn't have it. Later, I had to bring something to the VP in his office, and he had his own personal AC running. I then told the admin people that I was very tired and my "condition was poor" from the heat, and that I should go to the hospital. The AC was on within 5 minutes, but I still went to the hospital that day just to make clear that I wouldn't work in that heat again. We had no more AC issues after that, and I was still renewed for a second year.

Icewontolla · Joined: 08 Dec 2010

Not willingly...

But walk by the owners desk and holy shit it's winter over there. I guess she gets hot talking on the phone all day.

TheUrbanMyth · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Location: Retired

I have my own English classroom ( which is in another building separate from the main school). It has its own A/C which is manually controlled.

One of the perks of teaching at rural schools...they don't tend to hassle you as much about such things..

ah nothing like a balmy 18 degree temp to keep you cool. Cool

ThingsComeAround · Joined: 07 Nov 2008

^^ I wish that were the norm, Urb.

My school is completely nuts. Last year I had my own class, however the AC was only turned on after multiple parents complained. After that, my coteacher would turn the AC on and open the windows Shocked

Fast foward to this year, we haven't had AC on until this week (officially). In the English 'theme park', moms come and visit to run class so they bitched at the admin for it being to hot (rightfully so) however the classrooms had to deal with the fan.

Swampfox10mm · Joined: 24 Mar 2011

We have aircon control in all of our classrooms once the temperature goes above something like 23, I think. They are computer controlled. They also are programmed to shut off every hour, in case they are forgotten and left on (not a bad idea, but annoying when you are teaching).

Our aircon is also our heater (one of those in-ceiling Samsung things), but won't heat until someone in charge flips a switch and/or the central computer allows it. In the offices, everyone purchases those electric heaters, which probably end up costing the school tons in heating costs!

some waygug-in · Joined: 25 Jan 2003

[quote="ThingsComeAround"]^^ I wish that were the norm, Urb.

My school is completely nuts. Last year I had my own class, however the AC was only turned on after multiple parents complained. After that, my coteacher would turn the AC on and open the windows Shocked

Some of my co-teachers did this too. I wonder what they are thinking.

Fox · Joined: 04 Mar 2009

walter235 · Joined: 07 Apr 2011 Location: korea

Nope, they won't turn on the AC until after the 1st of July for whatever goofy Korean reason it is.