Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Skippy]

Well the public school year starts next week. Coming in is some changes. I hear that many public elementary and middle schools are now strictly Monday to Friday. Or course with that change comes parents not wanting little Minji or Minsoo hanging on the weekend. So they will love some extra Saturday classes.

Of course with the ever present Korean Condition aka last minute planning, constant changes, language barrier, details and memos not mention, and low level psychic ability of waygooks. I am soon expecting to see an influx of whining, complaints and problems to arise here on Dave's and other Korea EXPAT Teacher centric places.

IE

My boss is threatening to fire me unless I work Saturday! OR
I agreed to work Saturday for more money but they refuse to pay the extra! OR
Why are all my schools asking for Saturday now?


Well my boss broached the subject (in his limited English) that Saturdays are a problem. Now I am not against doing some Saturday work, done it before years ago. Just I want fairness and consideration (Well Mr. Skippy worked 3 Saturdays this month like we promised here is a nice 4 day long weekend. Plus a little extra pay will be nice. But of course I shall expect the standard stubborn Korean management style to come. Why because we say so! and promises made and broken.

So I think the next few weeks are interesting.

Well Waygooks and Expats, I formally announce "Let the games begin!" Let at 'em.

[YTMND]

Yea, these next 2 months are going to be very interesting. They are just trying to get by until new leadership takes over in Korea, which I understand is next year. Then, we might see some stability and direction.

[big_fella1]

Any employer demanding you work Saturdays is just demanding that you report them to the Labor Board, National Tax Service, National Health Insurance Commission and the National Pension Office.

Any hagwon trying this work on Saturdays nonsense isn't going to be in business much longer.

Game on, lets see them destroy their own industry.

[ontheway]

The problem with lack of planning flows from each organization and individual to the next - since the first one didn't plan nor announce any plans in advance, the affected parties can't plan and may not know that they need to plan.

Many government (pubilc) schools will end Saturday classes - some, maybe all, at the elementary level - but most haven't announced yet just what they will do.

Will they end all Saturday classes, or still hold them occasionally? Will they add extra afternoon hours to make up for the lost hours on Saturday? (Although unnecessary since most public schools have wasted all the Saturday time under the belief that this was extra time anyway.)

In the end, some schools and some grade levels will study later in the day on weekdays as a result of dropping Saturdays. Others won't.

Some government High Schools have already announced that they won't be ending Saturday classes, that could change too, but right now they plan to continue Saturday and Sunday classes.

But few schools have notified parents with their actual plans. So, some parents are beginning to plan for the changes, but most have not.

Most hogwans are aware that changes will be coming, but are unable to plan since the changes are unknown. If the students can't come to early classes, they will have to change class schedules. If classes begin later in the day they will have to study later at night or add weekend class hours - but they haven't heard from parents yet because the parents haven't heard from the public schools yet because the teachers and principals in the public schools either haven't decided yet, or haven't bothered to send out notices or because their plans are in flux and they aren't sure.

So, in the weeks following March 2nd there will be a scramble as parents realize that they can't attend certain classes in their various hogwans and have to change their kids' schedules.

Parents know that the only real learning that happens in Korea happens at hogwans or at home, so they will scramble to keep all of their kids classes going. They will notify the various hogwans - the real schools in Korea - and they will begin rescheduling the classes and students. The rescheduled classes will affect other classes and other schools in a continuing succession of changes until each student and each school can arrive at a new schedule that fits everyone.

Nearly all parents want to have more family time on the weekends and would prefer that their children attend hogwans during the week and not on the weekends - especially Saturdays - but some will accept that if it's the only way to obtain the necessary education to make their kids competitive in the public school standardized testing system.

Public schools are really meaningless here beyond test scores - with the end goal being to maximize their scores on the standardized university admission test.

Ending Saturdays at public (government) schools is good for Korean children and families. Reducing the total hours spent at the government schools would help even more. Less time wasted in government schools will increase the hours available for children to actually learn by studying at hogwans, at home, doing homework and still leave time for play and more time to spend with their families.

[duke of new york]

Don't these people have contracts that specify Saturdays and Sundays are not part of your work schedule? Then all they have to do is say no. Say you have plans, you take Korean classes or gayageum lessons on Saturdays or something.

[ontheway]

[YTMND]

I don't see what the big deal is. Teachers 1 and 3 work Tuesday to Saturday, Teachers 2 and 4 work Sunday to Thursday. If the school has many students, then probably all 4 would work on the weekend and teachers would get 2 weekdays off instead.

If the school doesn't have many students, then perhaps they don't need teachers in the middle of the week (or they could just hire 3 teachers). Talk to them about this before signing the contract. Find out the days you get off and make sure they are consecutive.

[Airborne9]

All the foreigners worrying about "what if they make me work Saturdays" Life is so hard and unfair. In 80% of cases they will just get your less paid Korean co workers to come in on Saturdays.

[big_fella1]

[comm]

[Unposter]

My understanding is that public schools cannot have "required" classes on Saturday. They can have "after school" type classes, though.

The high school where my wife works will offer extra classes on Saturday which students may pay for and in which teachers will be paid.

My guess is that just as afterschool programs were designed to reduce dependence on hakwons, weekend "after school" classes will be developed as well.

Interesting enough, at my wife's school, outside hakwon instructors (Korean) were brought in to teach after school classes. As a general rule, the students much prefered their Korean teachers to the outside hakwon teachers because the students thought their public school teachers were more knowledgeable and better teachers.

Anyway, the demand for Saturday classes at hakwons may be less than expected. Much will depend on what the local schools do and the quality of the teachers at those schools.

[duke of new york]

[YTMND]

[big_fella1]

[YTMND]