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philogirl81
Joined: 06 Oct 2006
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 Posted: Tue Feb 27, 2007 5:44 pm Post subject: No heat or hot water |
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I work above my school, the plus being that I get to sleep in late. Currently the minus is that I have no heat or hot water. Apparently, having heat and hot water are high standards of living, as the other two foriegn teachers don't seem to mind, and say that I complain only because "I'm an American". WTF???
I've asked the school to fix it, but the reply is that nothing is wrong, and that I just need to reset it. So, I reset the hot water and heat, and it works for five minutes, and then I need to reset it again. I've been told that it's getting warm soon, so I don't need heat, and I can take a shower in the public bath that's in my building.
Am I crazy for expecting heat and hot water? I know that I am not in America, but WTF??? I thought Korea was a first-world nation??
I'm afraid that if I say that I won't teach until the hot water and heat is fixed that the school will just fire me. I have been here for 41/2 months, and would lose out on my airfare here and my 'deposit'. I've decided that no amount of money is worth no heat or hot water, so I am going to not teach if this is not fixed, after I get back from vacation on March 5th.
Does anyone have any suggestions on how to deal with this situation? Is it possible to file a complaint with the labor board or any other agency? |
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gsxr750r
Joined: 29 Jan 2007
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| Posted: Tue Feb 27, 2007 5:46 pm Post subject: |
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Give notice and get the heck out.
That place is obviously one of the worst. You can do better.
Ugh... awful. |
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ilovebdt
Joined: 03 Jun 2005
Location: Nr Seoul
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| Posted: Tue Feb 27, 2007 6:15 pm Post subject: |
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Do you have an oil or gas heating system?
If you have oil it maybe that the oil is ruuning low, so it needs refilling, which when I had it was about 100,000-150,000 per tank.
If this is the case your school may be too stingy to cough up for some oil.
It is not acceptable for you to have to shower in cold water.
I also suggest you take a person from your school to your apartment and show them what happens when you reset the system as they suggest.
Another option would be if you have a Korean friend who could come and have a look at it and call a repairman on your behalf who could then confirm with your school what is happening re your hot water.
ilovebdt |
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jinju
Joined: 22 Jan 2006
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| Posted: Tue Feb 27, 2007 6:18 pm Post subject: Re: No heat or hot water |
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| philogirl81 wrote: |
| I work above my school, the plus being that .... |
This is a sentence I thought would never get uttered. Theres a plus to living above your school? |
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hubba bubba
Joined: 24 Oct 2006
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| Posted: Tue Feb 27, 2007 6:39 pm Post subject: |
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You might have to actually take them there and physically show the problem. Maybe they just aren't aware of it. (Maybe...  )
Other than that, get the f out of there.wait two weeks, then give your one oenth notice. That would be six months.
Good luck. |
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philogirl81
Joined: 06 Oct 2006
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| Posted: Tue Feb 27, 2007 6:40 pm Post subject: |
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The plus to living above my school is that my landline "does not work" and they are to cheap to replace it  . The phone is wierd, I 'can't hear' it when they call, but I can hear the phone ring when other people call. And my commute is 1 minute long. Plus, I work from 9am to 8pm, and on my breaks I can go upstairs and take a nap.
God... my school sucks...
I need to stop whining and get out, it's hard, though, because I have not saved up the money that I wanted to with all of the 'deposits' taken out of my first three paychecks.
*Le Sigh*
I think that since my contract says that they will give me 'resenable accomodation' and I find that it is not, that I no longer have to give a twenty day notice. I hope that this is accurate, because I do enjoy the occasional hot shower, me and my 'high standards'. |
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hubba bubba
Joined: 24 Oct 2006
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| Posted: Tue Feb 27, 2007 6:49 pm Post subject: |
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Yeah, some things you just let slide here, some things you go to the mat for.
This is one of those batles you choose to fight. I guarantee you are the only "teacher" that doesn't have hot water, working phone, heat, etc. Ba@tards.
At least you can pick up a cheap electric heater. |
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philogirl81
Joined: 06 Oct 2006
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| Posted: Tue Feb 27, 2007 6:57 pm Post subject: |
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No, my phone works, but not when the school calls... ie... They are just to cheap to find out that I have been lying to them for the past three months...
I'm not the only teacher without heat or hot water, my foreign co-teachers are in the same situation, but they're okay with it for some fuc**** up reason. |
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ilovebdt
Joined: 03 Jun 2005
Location: Nr Seoul
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| Posted: Tue Feb 27, 2007 7:06 pm Post subject: |
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| philogirl81 wrote: |
No, my phone works, but not when the school calls... ie... They are just to cheap to find out that I have been lying to them for the past three months...
I'm not the only teacher without heat or hot water, my foreign co-teachers are in the same situation, but they're okay with it for some fuc**** up reason. |
Wow, you co workers must be really desperate to keep their jobs if they are ok with having NO HOT WATER. Sheesh.
ilovebdt |
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pest2
Joined: 01 Jun 2005
Location: Vancouver, Canada
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| Posted: Tue Feb 27, 2007 7:14 pm Post subject: |
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| hubba bubba wrote: |
Yeah, some things you just let slide here, some things you go to the mat for.
This is one of those batles you choose to fight. I guarantee you are the only "teacher" that doesn't have hot water, working phone, heat, etc. Ba@tards.
At least you can pick up a cheap electric heater. |
My hotwater is contingent upon sunlight. It's solar powered. On cloudy days, cold showers. I did absolutely everything I could to get a new apartment. The school board is too cheap to find a nicer place and there just aren't too many places in the small town where I work. I really had to consider seriously about whether or not to stay... I still do hear the word, "taiwan" going through my mind every time I freeze my soul out of my body in the shower... however, I guess what differentiates me from the OP and what keeps me here is that my job is comparatively alot better.... I would have left along time ago if I were in her situation.
Yes, you should fight it. If you cant fight it within the legal framework of Korea, leave and go teach in another country.
Having lived in a few other countries, I really do believe the standard of living relative to people's wealth in Korea is pretty low. People earn a pretty good absolute income here, but they live so badly... staying in small spaces with no AC, heating, hotwater, etc etc... Even in China, where people have alot less absolute income --- about 1/5th-- living conditions are at least the same or even better.... you'd expect Korea to be better but... no.
A funny thing about expats here is they always have this, "just put up with it no matter how bad it gets" attitude. This is not the case in other places. OP: speaking about your colleagues, perhaps they feel that the only way they can make themselves feel better about thier bad situation is to lie to themselves and then you to make you feel worse? |
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lover.asian
Joined: 30 Jan 2006
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| Posted: Tue Feb 27, 2007 7:34 pm Post subject: |
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I think Real Reality might have something relevant to post on this topic.  |
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philogirl81
Joined: 06 Oct 2006
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| Posted: Tue Feb 27, 2007 7:46 pm Post subject: |
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Well, I had a discussion with one of my other co-teachers and I am 'resetting' it wrong. He came and reset it, it worked for twenty minutes (enough time for a shower) and now it is off again. Apparently I cannot operate the system because I am a girl, and this makes it impossible to operate anything Korean. I was, in fact, unable to work on the brakes on my old car (a KIA) becuase it had parts that I could not figuire out what they did.
So, this is all my fault because I was born with a vagina.
Sorry, I am now venting and being obnoxious and I will stop now....
Off to talk to the boss lady... |
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spliff
Joined: 19 Jan 2004
Location: Khon Kaen, Thailand
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| Posted: Tue Feb 27, 2007 8:50 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| I was born with a vagina. |
That's cool w/ me..  |
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Sod_em_and_begorrah
Joined: 20 Nov 2006
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| Posted: Tue Feb 27, 2007 10:04 pm Post subject: Re: No heat or hot water |
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| jinju wrote: |
| philogirl81 wrote: |
| I work above my school, the plus being that .... |
This is a sentence I thought would never get uttered. Theres a plus to living above your school? |
I live above my school-and it has more positives than negatives.
For one thing I have only one neighbour. I used to go out with a girl who lived in a block of cheap apartments and you could hear everything the neighbours did. |
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willneverteachagain
Joined: 17 Dec 2006
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| Posted: Tue Feb 27, 2007 10:09 pm Post subject: |
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ok well, first of all i cant believe that u live above ur school and that u signed a contract that had any type of deposit in it (illegal by the way for a school to be deducting this). What's the deposit for, in case u make overseas phone calls with the phone that doesnt work?
If my heat and hot water stopped working in the middle of winter, guess what else stops working?
Korea is not a first world nation and they never will be, but for ur director to be telling u that, id be outta there pretty damn fast |
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