Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Scorpion]

This is my fifth public school in Korea. In the previous four schools I always went home early. At my current school I taught my lessons this week, prepared the next day's lesson, then went home. There has never been a problem in previous schools. In fact, in the other schools when I would stay a bit later working on lessons the f/t coordinator or vice-principle would say "why are you here?" or "why don't you go home?" It was just the norm.

Today I get called into the vice-principle's office and reprimanded for leaving early. I have to stay at school until 4:30. I pointed out that never once have I had to do this in the past. He says that at his school he makes the decisions. I said fine, but it's a first for me to have to do the desk warming thing.

Korea, consistency is not thy thing.

[PigeonFart]

Your boss is being a d***. Pure and simple.

Sorry to hear you have to work for a man like that.

[YTMND]

[luckylady]

[YTMND]

[CentralCali]

OP: You're shafted. Or, in this case, you have just been welcomed to the inanity of Managing (Korean-style) Your Foreigner 101. The veep probably couldn't care less how long you are in the building so long as you are upright, sober, and in front of the students during your so-called summer camp classes.

The sad reality, though, is some brain-dead excuse of a fellow foreign English teacher had the bright idea to whine to someone that makes rules which must be followed. What was the whine, you ask? Simple: Why do I have to be at school until 4:30 p.m. when there are no classes, no students, and no Korean teachers?

The answer: Your contract says your working hours are until 4:30 p.m. You are not on vacation. You are not a Korean teacher. And we don't give a hoot that you may be baking (during the summer)/freezing (during the winter). And to ensure that not only are you going to be there until 4:30 p.m., there will be a twice-daily inspection of every blinking school to check for the presence of one teacher, guest, English, native, pissed-off.

You think I'm making this up? Check with your foreigner-handler, on the off-chance the wench actually happens to be there while you are during the summer break. She will have the policy letter. Don't sweat the thing not being written in English--because why on Earth would anything related to English have even one word of English in it?--because all you need to know is the working hours will be written in Arabic numerals: 8:30 and 4:30.

If you're not there for the inspections--yes, plural; one in the morning and one in the afternoon--you will be docked vacation time. Also, don't tell anyone at all that you were permitted to be absent without vacation time at any previous school in Korea. Why? Please. You should already know the answer to this one: the P/MOE absolutely will inspect the previous school's attendance book for the days you were supposed to be there for the entire eight hours and retroactively charge you vacation time.

And this will be done not only to you. Thanks to you asking the question, it will be done for each and every NET in the province.

You may now thank me for this information. And yourself for kissing whatever vacation time you thought you were accruing this year bye-bye.

[Skippy]

Welcome to life. Things are never the same to place to place. You have been lucky for the past few years. Remember the past is past. All that matters is now.

This is an old complaint. One teacher had it great and easy with nice teachers, and no desk-warming. While others had strict desk-warming and ridiculous demands.

You can bitch and whine about it or try to find an alternative. As other people have commented, have you tried going above the vice principal? Or course that can back fire as you can make an enemy.

Have you been playing the game. Like many areas of life have your been keeping up with the game of politics. Have you done the request volleyball games and after-school soju get togethers. Have you built cred and favors. Sometimes there is the back and forth. If not go do some horse trading, give a spare Saturday for some event. Grin and bare some silly speak contest.

Of course you can ignore my advice as I do not teach public school.

Good Luck.

[TheUrbanMyth]

[CentralCali]

[Weigookin74]

You are supposed to be there until 4:30. Some schools will let you go early and not care. Others are worried about the rules. Some local ed office supervisors are anal and will check up while others can't be bothered. If you stay, suck it up and hope for new people next year or roll the dice and move to another school or district. Those are your options. There are times when I had to stay and times I got to go early. I didn't complain because others would have to stay and I'd have to too at another school in the future. So, I brought some movies and "got er' done!"

But I would balk at any school that made you sit there with no heat or air con. That's total BS! But never been a prob for me.

[Who's Your Daddy?]

Some PS are great, some are worse than a hagwon. I once had a terrible school, and I regret not quitting.

[luckylady]

[YTMND]

[luckylady]

[Skippy]