Korean Job Discussion Forums

[khyber]

Upon hiring, by my EPIK teacher friends, AND at our training session I was told that at EPIK you don't have to work for your summer vacation. You may have it off as you please and you may choose to do a camp. The option is yours to take and refuse.
The contract says one week "but in pratice, it is much more".
So I thought my wife and I would FINALLY take our honeymoon 2 years lter. Ahh yes, a relaxing time and a lollygagging trek through the netherlands and france. Sounds great!
Booked my plane ticket back in april. Got excited. Stayed excited.
Recieved a call at the start of June from my supervisor. "Do you have time this summer." and "I need you to work a camp at....". I explained myself and said that this trip is important. He said he'd consider it but it sounded promising.

Yesterday a mix up at the office and the Englsh speaking teachers had all left. The words "camp" and "when do you go to Europe" are bandied about and I start to stress a bit. The words "yeon su" and "training" occur.
Strange.
Today I am told by my English speaking teacher something along these lines:
"Korean teachers are paid through the summer because Korean teachers work through the summer"
[I asked...but do they really?]
she replies...the predictable
"no not really" and continues:
"at any rate, the office says that you should work here in busan and you should do a camp. But there is no camp for you to do so you must stay here"
[cue confused waygook face]
"However, if the principal says that it is okay for you to go, then you are permitted to go. I also talked to the head of the Elementary schools of the city and said to him that you will go to a teacher training, so you must prepare a report (and gestures with her fingers a full centimetre apart): a big report".
[cue dissmissive eyes]
"At any rate, I will talk to the principal"

Now I had said several times that I would contact my HEAD supervisor and hope that she would straighten out this mess.
My coteacher misunderstood, thinking I was talking about another supervisor and said "All of the supervisors are gone on a teacher training camp".

Now my coteacher is a wonderful woman who does a lot for me. She is an amazing woman.
My principal and I used to get along like gangbusters but, with me not being very talkative (and with volleyball season being over), I think our relationship ain't quite what it used to be. That said, he does seem to be a compassionate, and honest man. During our meeting BEFORE I was working at the school, I had talked with him SPECIFICALLY about this.
me: I need to know about summer vacation
{through a translator of course}
hiim: really?
me: Yes. I will go with my wife on my honeymoon and summer vacation is very important to me. I will do double duty if necessary in the winter but this summer, I must have time off
him: Yes of course. Summer vacation is a vacation. IT's not for working.
me: That's great. I am so glad that this will not be a problem in July.

Big smiles all around.

....sigh....

[K-in-C]

khyber,

I sure hope it all comes together for you and your spouse to get away this summer for a special time.

Sincerely,

Kate

[mack the knife]

Fighting for every goddam inch; that's the story with EPIK/GEPIK.

[John Henry]

Dude, the word "No." Is very powerful.

You must....
No
But Korean teachers...
Ah, sorry, but no.
You must prepare a...
Oh, um...no, I am too busy.

PS...Blake? Obviously not.

[khyber]

[Real Reality]

[Demophobe]

[Steve Schertzer]

Khyber and anyone else in EPIK:

As an EPIK teacher in Pusan, I know for a fact that you DO NOT have to report to your school during your whooping one week holiday. That is a direct violation of the contract. I heard from my district supervisor today on this matter.

One of the big problems this year with EPIK--- besides the whooping one week in the summer and one week in the winter vacations--- is that since February of this year, the Principal of each school has been given a lot more control over our contracts. And so has each district supervisor. In other words, EPIK has become decentralized.

While some Principals and district supervisors will stick to the letter of the contract, and give us a one week vacation, other Principals and district supervisors will choose to interpret the contract more leniently, and give a teacher 3--4 weeks vacation. It now depends on the whim of our Principals and how well we "schmooze", I suppose.

Feel free to check out the "Job related forum" on www.pusanweb.com
There's a lot more information on this there.

Steve.

[khyber]

[mack the knife]

[Roch]