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Korean Job Discussion Forums
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| If you work at a Public school, do you desk-warm? |
| Yes |
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73% |
[ 17 ] |
| No |
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26% |
[ 6 ] |
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| Total Votes : 23 |
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K1020
Joined: 20 Jun 2010
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 Posted: Tue Jun 26, 2012 7:35 pm Post subject: Desk-warming, just how common is it? |
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I am wondering just how prevalent is it to require a NET to desk warm according to your collective experiences.
So, public school NETs does your school make you do it?
What kind of school: Elementary, Jr or High?
Location? City, town, village. . .?
How is your relationship with your co-workers/ supervisor?
And, why? Or, how is it justified to you?
And if so what do you do to while away those long and lonely hours?
I know one friend who does, the school just said it was part of the contract and so they would go that way, he gets his booked 2 week vacation but the rest of the time it's him and the security guard. Another teacher I know is not required to. The school sets a schedule during the break, only when everyone is expected to be there is he. otherwise he does a 1 to 2 week camp but the majority or the break is free, last winter he had a month and a half all together. His school said they didn't see the point.
What are your experiences? |
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luckylady
Joined: 30 Jan 2012
Location: u.s. of occupied territories
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| Posted: Tue Jun 26, 2012 7:56 pm Post subject: |
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please be forewarned anyone who replies to this thread with details about your school can very much change the policy for those who may have a better situation than others.
it's happened before and can happen again.
discussing desk warming and whether or not you have to do it literally can get back to those in charge and see that EVERYONE has to do the same thing. |
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ttompatz
Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Location: Kwangju, South Korea
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| Posted: Tue Jun 26, 2012 9:29 pm Post subject: |
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You are paid to be at the school from 8:30-4:30 for 48 calendar weeks in your first calendar year and 46 thereafter (that is the contract you signed).
What difference does it make if you are kept busy doing busy work or just keeping your chair warm while you surf the net. You are paid to be there as a salaried employee. Make the time work for you or pick a new line of work.
If you are fortunate enough to be allowed free time instead of keeping your chair warm then stay quiet about it or you may well find that next year you too are keeping the chair warm with busy work.
If you want to work as an hourly employee then you are in the wrong job in the wrong country. Try retail or fast food back home.
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K1020
Joined: 20 Jun 2010
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| Posted: Wed Jun 27, 2012 8:32 am Post subject: |
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So that's two more for "no I don't desk warm and don't mess up my gig."
Good advise though, post nothing specific about your school. Didn't realize Dave's was such a panopticon --should've.
Poll on pollsters, we all signed a contract and nobody's complained on this line thus far; it's a job info board so we might as well share job info.
If you're so scared of "the powers that be" then post nothing about your great school, they'll make all schools bad; your town, they'll make every where boring; the country, they will make South Korea suck just for you. . .
If you do desk warm share how you keep it productive and fulfilling that is all relevant to the thread. "Shut up" belongs in a different one. |
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randall020105
Joined: 08 Apr 2008
Location: the land of morning confusion...
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| Posted: Wed Jun 27, 2012 10:27 am Post subject: wn? |
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| why not have a private underground discussion where trolls wont get their hands on our valuable opinions??? |
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JustinC
Joined: 10 Mar 2012
Location: We Are The World!
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| Posted: Wed Jun 27, 2012 3:55 pm Post subject: |
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| K1020 wrote: |
So that's two more for "no I don't desk warm and don't mess up my gig."
Good advise though, post nothing specific about your school. Didn't realize Dave's was such a panopticon --should've.
Poll on pollsters, we all signed a contract and nobody's complained on this line thus far; it's a job info board so we might as well share job info.
If you're so scared of "the powers that be" then post nothing about your great school, they'll make all schools bad; your town, they'll make every where boring; the country, they will make South Korea suck just for you. . .
If you do desk warm share how you keep it productive and fulfilling that is all relevant to the thread. "Shut up" belongs in a different one. |
Lesson plan. Lesson plan. Lesson plan. First and foremost.
My PPTs take much more time than I'll spend in a (single) class delivering it - usually over an hour per PPT - in class 10-15 mins to deliver - with a new one for each lesson. Then I'll do PPT games on top of that, at the end of the class(es). Up to an hour (or sometimes more) changing old PPT games' to fit that particular lesson.
I have 8x grade 6s and 6x grade 4s so I get a lot of mileage out of those. They always go down well and all of the classes respond positively to them. The first is a warmer, the game is at the end of class.
After that it's Dave's, Waygook, online newspapers, financial websites, Stumbling etc. Reading online (if I have the time) gets a little monotonous so any other suggestions are welcome. |
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ttompatz
Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Location: Kwangju, South Korea
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| Posted: Wed Jun 27, 2012 7:04 pm Post subject: |
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Heaven forbid, in that "empty time" you may:
i) actually (properly) do your job instead of put in time and then complain about being nothing more than entertainment or a walking CD-player.
ii) engage in continued professional development:
. a) you do have a degree and either you will continue to teach - look to upgrade your skills/credentials or
. b.) will move back into your field - stay current, network, improve your skill set, upgrade your credentials.
Oh, and at a PS you get 4-6 calendar weeks (18-25 working days PLUS 2 more additional weeks if you stay longer than 1 year) per year of vacation time .. not 2 (like your average hagwan monkey).
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andrewchon
Joined: 16 Nov 2008
Location: Back in Oz. Living in ISIS Aust.
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| Posted: Wed Jun 27, 2012 7:36 pm Post subject: |
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| I desk warm and I am at a rural elementary. My salary is paid by the city hall and they want their money's worth. Bastards also took away extra 5 days of holiday for rural school. My summer camp budget is zip. I told them no money, no fun. They shot back: no fun, no money. Say that again for winter camp. |
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cj1976
Joined: 26 Oct 2005
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| Posted: Wed Jun 27, 2012 7:55 pm Post subject: |
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| I was fortunate enough to never deskwarm in my 5 years in public schools. The reason I never did it was probably because I never mentioned it. Had I asked my co-t about it, she would have made a quick phone call to HQ and came back with the inevitable yes. Every summer and winter, I did my camp as requested and went home after. I never once brought up the D word. |
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NYC_Gal 2.0
Joined: 10 Dec 2010
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| Posted: Wed Jun 27, 2012 8:25 pm Post subject: |
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| ttompatz wrote: |
Heaven forbid, in that "empty time" you may:
i) actually (properly) do your job instead of put in time and then complain about being nothing more than entertainment or a walking CD-player.
ii) engage in continued professional development:
. a) you do have a degree and either you will continue to teach - look to upgrade your skills/credentials or
. b.) will move back into your field - stay current, network, improve your skill set, upgrade your credentials.
Oh, and at a PS you get 4-6 calendar weeks (18-25 working days PLUS 2 more additional weeks if you stay longer than 1 year) per year of vacation time .. not 2 (like your average hagwan monkey).
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1. Some "hagwon monkeys" (that term is a joke, because there are plenty of qualified teachers who choose the hagwon route) get 4 weeks of vacation (with renewal) that they can choose at their leisure. Yes, my boss lets me choose when I take my summer and winter vacation.
2. It's hard to lesson plan or study and when you're wearing a full-length parka, gloves, hat, scarf, and knee boots and still freezing your butt off in a drafty, ice-cold classroom. |
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3DR
Joined: 24 May 2009
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| Posted: Wed Jun 27, 2012 9:24 pm Post subject: |
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| NYC_Gal 2.0 wrote: |
| ttompatz wrote: |
Heaven forbid, in that "empty time" you may:
i) actually (properly) do your job instead of put in time and then complain about being nothing more than entertainment or a walking CD-player.
ii) engage in continued professional development:
. a) you do have a degree and either you will continue to teach - look to upgrade your skills/credentials or
. b.) will move back into your field - stay current, network, improve your skill set, upgrade your credentials.
Oh, and at a PS you get 4-6 calendar weeks (18-25 working days PLUS 2 more additional weeks if you stay longer than 1 year) per year of vacation time .. not 2 (like your average hagwan monkey).
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1. Some "hagwon monkeys" (that term is a joke, because there are plenty of qualified teachers who choose the hagwon route) get 4 weeks of vacation (with renewal) that they can choose at their leisure. Yes, my boss lets me choose when I take my summer and winter vacation.
2. It's hard to lesson plan or study and when you're wearing a full-length parka, gloves, hat, scarf, and knee boots and still freezing your butt off in a drafty, ice-cold classroom. |
Some is one in a million. I'm glad you've found an awesome hagwon, but please stop talking about it as if it's the norm. |
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NYC_Gal 2.0
Joined: 10 Dec 2010
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| Posted: Wed Jun 27, 2012 9:29 pm Post subject: |
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| 3DR wrote: |
| NYC_Gal 2.0 wrote: |
| ttompatz wrote: |
Heaven forbid, in that "empty time" you may:
i) actually (properly) do your job instead of put in time and then complain about being nothing more than entertainment or a walking CD-player.
ii) engage in continued professional development:
. a) you do have a degree and either you will continue to teach - look to upgrade your skills/credentials or
. b.) will move back into your field - stay current, network, improve your skill set, upgrade your credentials.
Oh, and at a PS you get 4-6 calendar weeks (18-25 working days PLUS 2 more additional weeks if you stay longer than 1 year) per year of vacation time .. not 2 (like your average hagwan monkey).
. |
1. Some "hagwon monkeys" (that term is a joke, because there are plenty of qualified teachers who choose the hagwon route) get 4 weeks of vacation (with renewal) that they can choose at their leisure. Yes, my boss lets me choose when I take my summer and winter vacation.
2. It's hard to lesson plan or study and when you're wearing a full-length parka, gloves, hat, scarf, and knee boots and still freezing your butt off in a drafty, ice-cold classroom. |
Some is one in a million. I'm glad you've found an awesome hagwon, but please stop talking about it as if it's the norm. |
It's certainly more than one in a million. I know several in my group of friends alone.
I also know a handful of great hagwons in my local area. They just aren't the ones advertised on job sites, so don't seem to be more than a random lotto winning. It's a word-of-mouth thing, but there are far more than you think. Sure, not the norm, but not as rare as you seem to think. |
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3DR
Joined: 24 May 2009
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| Posted: Wed Jun 27, 2012 9:41 pm Post subject: |
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| NYC_Gal 2.0 wrote: |
| 3DR wrote: |
| NYC_Gal 2.0 wrote: |
| ttompatz wrote: |
Heaven forbid, in that "empty time" you may:
i) actually (properly) do your job instead of put in time and then complain about being nothing more than entertainment or a walking CD-player.
ii) engage in continued professional development:
. a) you do have a degree and either you will continue to teach - look to upgrade your skills/credentials or
. b.) will move back into your field - stay current, network, improve your skill set, upgrade your credentials.
Oh, and at a PS you get 4-6 calendar weeks (18-25 working days PLUS 2 more additional weeks if you stay longer than 1 year) per year of vacation time .. not 2 (like your average hagwan monkey).
. |
1. Some "hagwon monkeys" (that term is a joke, because there are plenty of qualified teachers who choose the hagwon route) get 4 weeks of vacation (with renewal) that they can choose at their leisure. Yes, my boss lets me choose when I take my summer and winter vacation.
2. It's hard to lesson plan or study and when you're wearing a full-length parka, gloves, hat, scarf, and knee boots and still freezing your butt off in a drafty, ice-cold classroom. |
Some is one in a million. I'm glad you've found an awesome hagwon, but please stop talking about it as if it's the norm. |
It's certainly more than one in a million. I know several in my group of friends alone.
I also know a handful of great hagwons in my local area. They just aren't the ones advertised on job sites, so don't seem to be more than a random lotto winning. It's a word-of-mouth thing, but there are far more than you think. Sure, not the norm, but not as rare as you seem to think. |
Exactly...word of mouth...the majority of people are applying from overseas or they just don't have those connections and end up with crap hagwons. |
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matthews_world
Joined: 15 Feb 2003
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| Posted: Wed Jun 27, 2012 11:31 pm Post subject: |
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What's wrong with deskwarming?
The best part of it is actually being able to save on utility bills by using someone else's electricity.
Vacation period is usually rainy here in the summer time, cold and snowy in the winter, anyway.
Just bring some movies, TV shows, e-books etc. when everything is done.
The big issue is, due to the cancellation of Sat classes, NET's who re-signed their contracts in March and have a shorter summer in which to take their bonus vacation. Many an NET is losing face with their schools by bringing up the issue - sometimes circumventing the chain of command and thus, some are getting fired.
Lucky for those of us who chose to renew in Fall. |
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Weigookin74
Joined: 26 Oct 2009
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| Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2012 5:19 pm Post subject: |
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| matthews_world wrote: |
What's wrong with deskwarming?
The best part of it is actually being able to save on utility bills by using someone else's electricity.
Vacation period is usually rainy here in the summer time, cold and snowy in the winter, anyway.
Just bring some movies, TV shows, e-books etc. when everything is done.
The big issue is, due to the cancellation of Sat classes, NET's who re-signed their contracts in March and have a shorter summer in which to take their bonus vacation. Many an NET is losing face with their schools by bringing up the issue - sometimes circumventing the chain of command and thus, some are getting fired.
Lucky for those of us who chose to renew in Fall. |
Teachers have been fired?? You mean non renewed?? They must have screamed and yelled and really made a fuss about it. I assume they wouldn't have been fired jsut for mentioning it once or twice and then moving on.
I desk warm during vacations. Until recently I was expected to do camps the whole time at different schools and be kept busy. But am in a bigger town. Was allowed to go home early in the afternoon because the schools didn't want to have us around and teachers didn't want to stick around.
But generally, the more rural the area, the higher likelyhood of going home and doing no deskwarming or no camps. The bigger the city and maybe closer to Seoul, the more likely you are to be stuck with desk warming or even more camps.
There's always exceptions to these rules. Generally, in bigger cities, there's more to do. In rural areas, it extremely boring wth nothing to do and lots of (o(k blocking by the locals if you want to date K girls, plus English is not widely spoken or understood. This is especially true outside of Gyeong-gi do and farther away from Busan. So, if you desk warm, but are in a city with things to do and an active social life, don't complain. Every situation is different. A buddy of mine in a rural area has tons more free time than me, but is way more bored than I am. I'm not prepared to move there just to get some slackness. I'll stay in the city.... |
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