Site Search:
 
Speak Korean Now!
Teach English Abroad and Get Paid to see the World!
Korean Job Discussion Forums Forum Index Korean Job Discussion Forums
"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Teachers from Around the World!"
 
 FAQFAQ   SearchSearch   MemberlistMemberlist   UsergroupsUsergroups   RegisterRegister 
 ProfileProfile   Log in to check your private messagesLog in to check your private messages   Log inLog in 

Rate my hagwon workload on a scale from 1-10 (venting)

 
Post new topic   Reply to topic    Korean Job Discussion Forums Forum Index -> Job-related Discussion Forum
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
arod204



Joined: 16 May 2014

PostPosted: Fri May 23, 2014 5:45 am    Post subject: Rate my hagwon workload on a scale from 1-10 (venting) Reply with quote

Please tell me if this workload is standard and I am being a bitch, or if it is actually rough.

Arrive 3 weeks before the end of the semester.

Last foreign teacher had let all the marking for the entire semester build up, and in my first week I am left with an entire elementary schools worth of work books to grade. About 5-20 lines per story, 8 stories to garde per book, with 120 students.

First week:

So about 900+ small-medium book summaries to grade.

They also want me to prepare vocab definitions for next semester, they want me to define about 1500 words.

When the teacher I am taking over for left, they deleted his files. The files that said where he was in the ciriculum, what books go with which class etc.

I'm expected to know everything exactly despite this being deleted and come up with perfect lesson plans for each of my 27 classes per week and write them up.


It was a little bumpy at first, but I worked hard as hell and did all the marking. This week was a fresh start. This is what I do on a normal week now:

tl;dr

Grade the other 2 Korean elementary teacher's classes work books, as well as my own. Their work books, + book reports, + my own classes book summaries for grades k-6:

about 250-300 pages of Korean elementary book reports + summaries to mark a week
+
27 classes a week






Oh and to top it all off, after grading almost 800 pages of stuff over the past week and a half (arriving an hour early, staying up to 2am-3am grading) instead of a thank you, they gave me a write up for leaving class to photocopy some stuff because a kid forgot his book.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
ttompatz



Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Location: Kwangju, South Korea

PostPosted: Fri May 23, 2014 6:41 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

A work week is 40 hours long (defined by labor law)

27 of those hours are in class.

You have 13 hours left to prep, mark, etc.

What doesn't get done doesn't get done.

If they don't like it they can find a new teacher.

China is a short hop away.

.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Stan Rogers



Joined: 20 Aug 2010

PostPosted: Fri May 23, 2014 7:36 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Its midnight in Korea and......
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
EZE



Joined: 05 May 2012

PostPosted: Sat May 24, 2014 3:47 am    Post subject: Re: Rate my hagwon workload on a scale from 1-10 (venting) Reply with quote

arod204 wrote:
Oh and to top it all off, after grading almost 800 pages of stuff over the past week and a half (arriving an hour early, staying up to 2am-3am grading) instead of a thank you, they gave me a write up for leaving class to photocopy some stuff because a kid forgot his book.


You're probably doing more work than 95% or more of us on E-2 visas. Throughout most of your post, I was really hating the teacher who left you that mess and was sympathetic toward the school, feeling the previous teacher left them in a bind and they were piling work on you because they really had no other good alternative. I was about to post that you got dealt an undesirable hand, but should just play the hand you were dealt and make the best of it...

...until I got to that last sentence in your post. It was such a total plot twist, like something out of a really great novel.

That was such a pure, unadulterated insult by your school that it reveals a lot about what has been going on there. I don't think they deleted his files, I think he deleted his files as a parting "f--k you" to the school. While it's possible he may have been lazy, if he deleted his files, it's more likely he let the book reports pile up as another layer of his revenge. Since he was a foreigner and so are you, they're taking their frustration of him out on you. And they may have been just as bad to him for him to react in such a way.

It sounds like a horrible place to work. Being assigned a lot of work is acceptable, but their unprofessional conduct makes a midnight runner perfectly justifiable. It's undoubtedly what I would do after the next payday, if I was in your shoes. If you're a revenge enthusiast and need an extra paycheck or two, you could just do what he did. Let the work pile up for months and leave.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
denverdeath



Joined: 21 May 2005
Location: Boo-sahn

PostPosted: Sat May 24, 2014 4:14 am    Post subject: Re: Rate my hagwon workload on a scale from 1-10 (venting) Reply with quote

arod204 wrote:
Please tell me if this workload is standard and I am being a bitch, or if it is actually rough.

Arrive 3 weeks before the end of the semester.

Last foreign teacher had let all the marking for the entire semester build up, and in my first week I am left with an entire elementary schools worth of work books to grade. About 5-20 lines per story, 8 stories to garde per book, with 120 students.

First week:

So about 900+ small-medium book summaries to grade.

They also want me to prepare vocab definitions for next semester, they want me to define about 1500 words.

When the teacher I am taking over for left, they deleted his files. The files that said where he was in the ciriculum, what books go with which class etc.

I'm expected to know everything exactly despite this being deleted and come up with perfect lesson plans for each of my 27 classes per week and write them up.


It was a little bumpy at first, but I worked hard as hell and did all the marking. This week was a fresh start. This is what I do on a normal week now:

tl;dr

Grade the other 2 Korean elementary teacher's classes work books, as well as my own. Their work books, + book reports, + my own classes book summaries for grades k-6:

about 250-300 pages of Korean elementary book reports + summaries to mark a week
+
27 classes a week






Oh and to top it all off, after grading almost 800 pages of stuff over the past week and a half (arriving an hour early, staying up to 2am-3am grading) instead of a thank you, they gave me a write up for leaving class to photocopy some stuff because a kid forgot his book.


As Ttompatz said, 40. The hakwons I used to work at had 30 teaching hours. Thankfully, the grading/paperwork at those places was minimal. If I were u, I'd just circle(or check to make it seem more authentic "western-style") a bunch of crap in each workbook at random w a big red pen. Cut ur work time to 25% regarding that crap. Anyone challenges you on it? Tell em, you did ur best but are too tired because there is too much grading required...that is, you r up till 3am, and that means that u dont get adequate sleep to teach the students to the best of ur ability.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
DosEquisXX



Joined: 04 Nov 2009

PostPosted: Sat May 24, 2014 4:42 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Wait. They made you do all of the work that the Korean teachers were supposed to do?

This won't be the first time they pull this crap on you. Time to gtfo
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Who's Your Daddy?



Joined: 30 May 2010
Location: Victoria, Canada.

PostPosted: Sat May 24, 2014 5:20 pm    Post subject: Re: Rate my hagwon workload on a scale from 1-10 (venting) Reply with quote

arod204 wrote:
Last foreign teacher had let all the marking for the entire semester build up

When the teacher I am taking over for left, they deleted his files.


I suspect they are lying to you; that he refused to do both of them.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Lucas



Joined: 11 Sep 2012

PostPosted: Sat May 24, 2014 5:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
The files that said where he was in the ciriculum, what books go with which class etc.


That is not a typo!
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
arod204



Joined: 16 May 2014

PostPosted: Sun May 25, 2014 1:57 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

DosEquisXX wrote:
Wait. They made you do all of the work that the Korean teachers were supposed to do?

This won't be the first time they pull this crap on you. Time to gtfo


We teach the same students, I grade their work from my speaking classes, and my debating and writing classes, and then I mark the stuff the students do in their writing structure classes, and the book reports from the other teachers classes. I don't think they really mark anything tbh.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
cabeza



Joined: 29 Sep 2012

PostPosted: Sun May 25, 2014 4:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

You are not being a bitch. At all.
They are taking the piss. If I were you I would do something about it.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
J Rock



Joined: 17 Jan 2009
Location: The center of the Earth, Suji

PostPosted: Thu May 29, 2014 11:47 am    Post subject: Re: Rate my hagwon workload on a scale from 1-10 (venting) Reply with quote

arod204 wrote:


Oh and to top it all off, after grading almost 800 pages of stuff over the past week and a half (arriving an hour early, staying up to 2am-3am grading) instead of a thank you, they gave me a write up for leaving class to photocopy some stuff because a kid forgot his book.


I dont think I've graded 800 pages in my entire 6 year illustrious teaching career combined. There is no way I would stay up until 3am grading papers, hell, I wouldnt even stay up until 3am if a hot girl even promised to sleep with me after she went to the bar!

I would say something to them before they try and get over on you any more then they already have.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Hokie21



Joined: 01 Mar 2011

PostPosted: Thu May 29, 2014 9:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

How some of these hagwons are able to stay in business is beyond me.

I teach 13-15 hours a week......the rest is office/desk time.......it's insane what some of you guys are asked to put up with.

Get out dude.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Display posts from previous:   
Post new topic   Reply to topic    Korean Job Discussion Forums Forum Index -> Job-related Discussion Forum All times are GMT - 8 Hours
Page 1 of 1

 
Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum


This page is maintained by the one and only Dave Sperling.
Contact Dave's ESL Cafe
Copyright © 2018 Dave Sperling. All Rights Reserved.

Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2002 phpBB Group

TEFL International Supports Dave's ESL Cafe
TEFL Courses, TESOL Course, English Teaching Jobs - TEFL International