Korean Job Discussion Forums

CustomX · Joined: 25 Aug 2004 Location: Seoul

some jobs seem to be offering crazy hours like 9-7 or 10-7:30. though you only teach 30 hours/week, i see some contracts that require you to be at the school for 50 hours. what are u supposed to be doing those other 20 hours? to those who worked a schedule like this, do you get burnt out at the end of the day? i've been trying to hold out for a 2-9 or 3-9:30 type position, though they are quite rare. i could breeze through a 6 or 7 hour shift, 10 is pushing it

Wangja · Joined: 17 May 2004 Location: Seoul, Yongsan

I'm not a teacher so teaching hours generally look utopian to me.

Typically, I work 07:30 to 19:00 weekdays and 08:30 to about 16:00 Saturdays but I do earn a bit more than 2.1 million per month, so I guess it's fair-ish.

And yes, most evenings I am pretty tired ...

oneiros · Joined: 19 Aug 2003 Location: Villa Straylight

For two months of the year, I work from 10-9. At the end of the month, I feel like a zombie. I can't imagine working a shift like that for a full year.
If you're trying to get a job teaching adults, though, you're most likely going to wind up with a splift shift like that.

peppermint · Posted: Tue Nov 09, 2004 6:35 pm Post subject:

That would be a great shift for an adult school actually. 6:30 am to 9:00pm is the norm.

nrvs · Joined: 30 Jun 2004 Location: standing upright on a curve

Check out a post I made about this last month.

I thought that those hours were the only ones out there, but presently I'm working from 4-10pm Monday-Friday for 2 million. Finding this job was perfect timing, as I was starting to get discouraged with my job search.

I'd pass on those jobs, unless you need immediate employment.

Dawn · Joined: 06 Mar 2004

Working hours are certainly a consideration, but I wouldn't necessarily rule out a job solely because of the hours. I've been teaching roughly those hours (9:30-7:30) for the past two years and will soon start a third year with the same schedule at the same school. Would I like a shorter work day? Sure! But I'm more concerned with work environment, curriculum, housing, location, pay, etc., and when it comes to those things, my current job would be a tough one to beat. Plus, an extended schedule doesn't necessarily mean you have to spend 50 hours a week at school. Many schools will group teaching hours so that you have a segment of classes, followed by a long break, followed by another group of classes. At my present job, I live close enough to school to go home for a couple of hours between morning and afternoon classes. At a prior job, I used the between-class break to go shopping, run errands, go to the gym, catch up on e-mail, etc.

sistersarah · Joined: 03 Jan 2004 Location: hiding out

yeah, dawn is right, it's not so bad....i mean, as long as your not teaching straight through from 9-7:30.

my last contract i worked 10-5:30 with a 2 hour break at lunch! not bad...during my break i did my banking, shopping, or whatever....right after work, eat.

now i teach 3-8:30 .... good hours too. but thing i don't like about it is having to eat late. i hate eating around 9 oclock.

Paji eh Wong · Joined: 03 Jun 2003

I used to teach 9:30 to 7:30. I wasn't a teacher, I was a babysitter. I don't recomend it.

just because · Joined: 01 Aug 2003 Location: Changwon - 4964

When i worked in advertising I worked somedays 7:30 in the morning until 10:30 at night.

Granted that wasn't everyday and a lot of it is brainstorming and drinking coffee.

The hours I get here are heavenly. 6 hours a day max.

I know we complain but if i had those hours in Australia I would have felt very lucky.

discostar23 · Joined: 22 Feb 2004 Location: getting the hell out of dodge

when I first arrived I was teaching 9:30-7:30 with one hour break from 10-11. I was exhausted. Now its not much better but my tuesdays and thursdays are shorter. You get really tired

Son Deureo! · Joined: 30 Apr 2003

Yes, I used to work 10-9 every day, kindie in the morning, elementary in the afternoon, and stressed out middle school brats in the evening. I never had a break that was longer than an hour and a half, so I didn't have any time to do anything. Swiss cheese all the way. Add a half hour walk each way and it was a really looooooong day. Since teaching kids is so stressful, I found each and every day I worked at that hogwon to be a walking nightmare. It got to the point where the other teachers and I ganged up on the boss and threatened to quit if he didn't get another teacher to lighten our load.

Ironically, I work a similar schedule now, but it's adults, so I don't really mind it so much. The classes are stress-free, and even kinda fun to teach. Plus the hours are blocked a lot better, so I usually have a 4 or 5 hour break in the middle of the day. I live a 5 minute walk from the school, and there's plenty to do in the neighborhood, so it's not hard to actually use the time between classes.