Korean Job Discussion Forums

[JulieAnne81]

...with the same company?

I'm particularly interested to hear from people who work/have worked at hagwons, or for after school companies in public elementary schools, for that amount of time.

I won't go into to detail about my situation right now, but I'm also wondering, on top of the vacation time you've gotten, what are some other benefits you have, or had, in your job...

[nicwr2002]

The most amount of vacation time was the standard 5 days off in the summer and 5 days off in the winter for working at a hagwon 2 years. I had to work Saturdays for 8 months just so they would let me take my summer and winter vacations at one time so that I could go home.

[fustiancorduroy]

When I made my third contract this year, my hagwon let me take 6 days off consecutively, though they weren't paid days off. But still, teachers can't normally take time off outside of specified vacation days, so I got something better I guess.

[Threequalseven]

Public schoolers have it plush compared to us hagwoners, especially down here it Jeollanam-do. In one year, I've had three 5-day weekends (Chuseok, New Years, and "summer break") and that's it, compared to the PS teachers here who get two months off straight (unless they're doing camps) along with longer summer breaks and better holidays year round. It's pretty ridiculous that the hagwons won't make at least make one 5-day weekend a full week off, so then we'd have 9 days off to do something interesting... as if those Monday and Tuesday classes will make all the difference.

Side note: After my girlfriend and I told our boss we wouldn't be renewing our contract because we want to go home for Christmas, he offered us the time off for vacation and said he could possibly give us 2 months off (unpaid of course) if we renewed our contract. Naturally, given our situation living where we live and so forth, we declined. But we were certainly surprised by the offer.

[seoulsucker]

So far this year I've had a total of 23 weeks off. Yes, you read that right...23 weeks off. All of January, all of February, all of July, all of August, plus other random days (the last two weeks of this month, for example) for festivals, tests, holidays, etc.

The longest break has been the summer break. From June 16th until August 26th.

[Lucas]

I had 8 weeks off in the winter last year.

Fingers crossed 7 weeks this winter.....

Always nice to escape Korea in the depths of winter!

[JulieAnne81]

Lucas and seoulsucker, where do you work? Sounds too good to be an after school program or hagwon...

[wings]

I get 2 weeks at Christmas and 13 other non-red days a year which are given between our sessions, sometimes just 2 days, sometimes 5. I can also take 2 months off a year unpaid, either together, or separately.

[JulieAnne81]

Where do you work, wings?

[Beeyee]

I'm getting three months off this winter.

Edit: I work at a hagwon.

[PRagic]

The posters with 2+ months off in the summer and in the winter, plus ample other holidays, are working for universities. Some universities have included unpaid (or poorly paid) 'camps' or 'cafes' into their contract terms, and that bites into the semester breaks. Still, if you're looking for free time, it's tough to beat a decent university gig.

Having said this, the price of poker has gone up. While there are a few instructors quietly holding on to their positions with just a BA under their belts, the trend is for university English instructors to have a minimum of an MA. The uber competitive and professional teachers out there, the ones who always get the job offer if they apply, have the MA in addition to a CELTA and DELTA plus multiple years of university level teaching experience.

But, hey, it's a great gig if you can get it.

[rainman3277]

[Zyzyfer]

Second year at current job and the contract was straightened up a tad. I get 21 days, 15 are "optional".

[3DR]

I had 3 weeks off this summer because I used my renewal vacay time. I'm on the last contract that had us EPIK people getting 2 weeks of renewal vacay.

So I used that, plus 5 days of my regular vacation time which still leaves me with 13 for the winter. The downside is that since they didn't do camps because of my vacay, they're gonna make me do more this winter.

[mayorhaggar]