Korean Job Discussion Forums

Ya-ta Boy · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: Established in 1994

This is a problem that everyone here has faced. Wake up with a bad cold or the flu or something truly serious. What can you do?

The reality of the situation is that hakwons have promised to provide a service to their customers and if the customers don't get what they pay for--20 classes a month--they get upset and take their business elsewhere. That means rescheduling classes, which doesn't really satisfy anyone.

So, here is one solution:

a) A hakwon sets up a substitute teacher service and hires X number of substitute teachers. (The hard part is finding a hakwon director with vision, but they do exist.)

b) The sick teacher calls them and is billed for the day's teaching and taxi fare.

c) Sick days are removed from contracts.

This system would eliminate people taking unwarranted sick days. It would also allow teachers to arrange long weekends when they want.

Grotto · Joined: 21 Mar 2004

thats pretty stupid.

why would I want to pay for a substitute teacher and their travel costs? It is the hogwan owner who makes the money and they are the ones who should be responsible for all costs.

Here are some realistic solutions.

1. Hogwans pull their collective heads out of their butts and realise that people get sick.

2. Allow people to substitute legally(IE get rid of the need to get permission from immigration to work at a second location)

3. Hogwans could offer a discount off of the next months fees if the FT missed more than one day due to sickness.

zappadelta · Joined: 31 Aug 2004

I have to agree with Grotto for the first time, that is pretty stupid.

peppermint · Posted: Mon May 09, 2005 5:02 am Post subject:

Considering public schools ( well, the one I work at anyway) doesn't hire subs unless the teacher will be out for an extended period ( like a death in the family or something) why would a hagwon do that?

rapier · Joined: 16 Feb 2003

Usually, you exhaust your sick days, then have to use up your holidays.. stress, overworking, filthy air pollution etc ensures that you get very few real holidays to do what you want.

Working out, cutting back on smokes and getting a good nights sleep sure is necessary to keep you in form here.

Ya-ta Boy · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: Established in 1994

Hanson · Joined: 20 Oct 2004

Just exactly who would these "replacement teachers" be, I wonder.

I mean, what, set up an agency of temps? Is that what you mean? In your 'plan', you say:

turtlepi1 · Joined: 15 Jun 2004 Location: Abu Dhabi, UAE

Grotto · Joined: 21 Mar 2004

well first of all everyone is entitled to 3 paid sick days per year by Korean law.

If you dont use those sick days shouldnt you get a bonus?
If your contract states X amount of sick days you should either use them or be rewarded for not using them.

In running any business there are risks and rewards. As the hogwan owner reaps all of the rewards of the business they are also responsible for all the risks.

For some insanely stupid reason you want to hold the FT responsible for any and all costs. Now if the FT is hit by a car and spends a month in the hospital you think that they should also have paid for the replacement FT.

Ya-ta boy grasp your neck firmly with both hands and pull your head out of your ass.

paperbag princess · Joined: 07 Mar 2004 Location: veggie hell

korean law, korean schmlaw.

crazykiwi · Joined: 07 Jun 2003 Location: new zealand via daejeon

Homer · Guest

Subs would be a good idea but how would it work?

I suppose teachers would have to register on some sort of subs list. However, teachers being here on a full-time contract basis, how would they be available for subbing unless their schedule let them.
Also, why would they want to sub if they were already working full time?

Obviously you cannot make a pool of subsititutes out of illegal teachers so that makes the whole idea complex.

It would however solve the issue to some extent.

Finally, since we are hired on contract, you are tied to the contractual clauses regarding sick days. If your contract states you have 6 for the year then, after 6 days off come out of your pocket unless you have sickness insurance. This is par for the course for many contract workers here and back home.

You cannot compare to teachers back home as they are permanent and part of a teachers union.

turtlepi1 · Joined: 15 Jun 2004 Location: Abu Dhabi, UAE

Son Deureo! · Joined: 30 Apr 2003

A few years back there were a couple of kyopo guys trying to set up just that very thing, a substitute service. They came to my hogwon pitching the owner on the idea, they seemed to be canvassing the neighborhood (in Bucheon). It seemed like a good idea at the time. I tried calling their number about 6 months later, and no answer. I assume they went out of business.

I still think it's a good idea, though.

turtlepi1 · Joined: 15 Jun 2004 Location: Abu Dhabi, UAE

My boss would have loved a service like this.
Though I am not sure he would have been proactive enough to sign-up for it. When I told him I was taking my 14 days (including weekends) so it fell over the holidays he lost his mind. Not so much from the point of view he didn't want me to go, but that the "hagwon" mothers would lynch him without a foreigner for that long.

In the end he gave me the time off but he would have jumped at a service like that and it wouldn't have strained our relationship.