Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Prince Frog]

Well, second day on the job and today my final class ends at 11:30am. As I understand it I am contracted to be here until 4:30. I am not complaining, the downtime gives me an oppurtunity to collect myself and plan class exercises. But geez, five hours!? It sort of feels strange having so much time to kill. Is this the norm, and if so, how do most of you fill up the space?

[blunder1983]

Yeah I had 90mins of classes today.

There is plenty to do:

Read
Listen to music/audio books
Play computer games
Plan lessons
Lurk on Daves

This month is nanowrimo so I'm writing my novel at school.

[BigBlackEquus]

You will never have a better opportunity in your life to begin a distance learning program. Get a jump-start on a Masters.

[thursdays child]

Ummmm, i hated all the downtime at first - felt useless and went a little stir crazy... and used to bunk off all the time. But, i've got into the groove now and I'm busy, busy - mostly studying Korean (and of course there's always someone on hand to help me or to be practiced on). I surf the internet endlessly, knit... you know - do stuff!

[Yu_Bum_suk]

I teach my first and only lesson of the day in about an hour. Funny part is that I got a lot more conversational English done with some students while standing around taking photos (one of the reasons another lesson was cancelled today).

And have I finished my lesson planning for tomorrow? Why, of course not...

[ilovebdt]

I found all the freetime a drag too when I first started my public school job. But now I use it to my advanatge preparing lessons etc.

It's true I get more English from my students outside the classroom too.

[livinginkorea]

I wish that my job was like that. More free time is what I would love. I have 28 classes a week and prep for an hour with the co-teacher. I wouldn't mind having a break there as well but then again it's better to be prepared then not. It's test day tomorrow here but I'm sure that they will find something for me to do. They always seem to. Use the foreigner!

[skconqueror]

Same, work 31 classes a week. I get paid almost double my regular salary, but its alot of extra classes.

[JacktheCat]

Ditto,

I teach 32 classes a week this semester for boffo overtime pay. Last semester I was at 35 classes.

The option is open to me to teach as many as 45 classes a week if I so choose.

I like money, but I like what's left of my sanity even more.


Enjoy your free time.

[sarahsarah]

I teach 10 classes a week.

2 Monday, 3 Tuesday, 0 Wednesday, 3 Thursday and 2 Friday.

They're all 50 minute classes. That means less than 10 of my 40 hours in the office per week are occupied by teaching. I think I've got ya all beat in regard to free time.

I wasn't bothered by the excessive free time in the beginning, but as time ticks by the more and more frustrated I get with it.

I've run out of things to do.

[SPINOZA]

Free time is great. I teach a total of 24 per week - 4 of which are 'extra'. The extra classes I enjoy the most because they're smaller and the students are motivated.

How do I kill time? Email family and friends, text my mates in Seoul, surf the net, plan lessons, sit on my ar5e and do f_ck all, talk to my favorite students, answer my colleagues' millionth-and-one question, drink coffee, go for a walk in the countryside near school, go for a big sh_t in my freezing cold toilet, upload pics to my PC, play Street Fighter II, relax in my cushy job that's more cushy than a cushion that's recently won international recognition for how absurdly cushy it is, have a flirtatious giggle with the lovely ladies in the admin office, have a chat to the vice-principal who's a bloody top guy, sneak out of school to pay bills and wire money home at a nearby KB...

[Mr. Pink]

[I_Am_Wrong]

30 classes a week at my public school, half decent overtime. My schedule is tight and decently hard because Monday, Wednesday, Friday I do 7 classes!!!!!! I was given the option to have Saturday classes and then have more downtime during the week but that sounded stupid to me. I'd rather just work harder during the week (even if it means doing more prep at home) then come into school on Saturday.

I still get nice breaks here and there, but they seem to have cut down on the number of cancelled classes immensely. It went from several a week last year to 0 this year. It is nice to get extra days off here and there to for things like the school's birthday, skating trips, trips to Everland, and test days.

[steroidmaximus]

just go for a nice loooong walk in the fall air and come back the next morning.

[SPINOZA]