Korean Job Discussion Forums

[poet13]

Hey.

Schools near me have applied to have me for one day a week at their schools. Not sure for when. I would have thought for next school year, but there is a lot of scrambling going on here right now over this.

Currently I work at two schools. 4 days at one, 1 at the other.

I have no desire to be a dancing monkey at 3 more schools a week.
The idea of wokring at 5 schools a week is to me professional regression, not progression, and more importantly, I think it would be doing to students a disservice.

Is there a maximum number of schools allowed per foreigner? Or, because I have been at my current schools since the beginning of the year, we are partway through our curriculum (I am grading them), do i have a leg to stand on if I politely decline?

[JD1982]

I don't know where you are but down here in the south, when you increase the number of schools you teach, we get 100,000/month allowance per additional school.

I currently teach at two elementary schools and I get 100,000 more. These two school are both walking distance from my apartment.

They also asked me if I wanted to add a third school for additional 100,000, but I refused. It would be pain in the ass. And as the OP said, I'd be like the dancing monkey.

[The Great Toad]

I knew of some EPIK teachers in Jeju who were at 4- 5 a week. Also, in some cases you see one class one time a week so the argument that being at 5 schools is bad for the kids is debatable. Of course this 5 school fling the teacher about does not assist you in meshing with the teachers/students outside of the actual class which is most tof the time spent in the school anyway... (My favorite part was when they would clean the office and I would cheer/boss them about clean up, then hand them my dirty cup.... wow I am an arse....) However unless they changed the contracts since 2006 drastically I would say you can not argue from a legal basis that they are wrong...

Also, I too may return to EPIK as I am a fat silly overgrown clown .... ok I am not quite that large - and it never seemed to interfere with my employment... Ummm oh right but seriously what EPIK spot is best in the South parts I think Busan the best then ....?

Ummm but I say it will be a whirlwind experience for you at one point I was at 3 and a half different sk00ls and it was confusing sometimes - the best was when I ate lunch instead of teaching and they were all mad ha ha well there is such a thing as a schedule but that was in Hanguel...

[poet13]

I like the idea of an extra 100k for each school, though I don't get that now with my second school, so I doubt I would get it for the others.

My issue is that I have a strong rapport with my students, and they are actually learning. They see me every day and I am afforded all the respect a regular teacher receives.

I also dont' really want to teach at a bunch of girls middle schools. Thats just me though. Boys rule....

[Ekuboko]

ha ha.. don't get xtchr started in this thread...

[xtchr]

Haha, someone called?
No time now to do an indepth rant.
I went to 38 schools (24 elementary, and 14 middle schools) each semester, and I got no extra money for this, just the regular salary. Suffice it to say that it was really unbelievably ridiculous, having to go to a different school each day.
The nearest Epiker (geographically) to me had 61 schools.

[JD1982]

[Yu_Bum_suk]

I would be irate if I got shipped out to another school. If I was given no choice I would just show up at the other school with nothing prepared, ask the KTs for their lesson plans and where they wanted me to pronounce something for them. There's more than enough for me to do at my school of 520. Fortunately my school would be just as irate as me. In fact if I were reduced from regular teacher to guest speaker status I would probably be getting my 30 days notice ready.

[Wrench]

It comes down to being a good teacher.. I teach currently 25 hours at two schools but epik changed to 22 hours a week. So now they have a dilema of having to pay me OT for the next contract or geting a new teacher. I know Koreans couldn't give a flying monkeys ass about FT so I don't think they will resign me because I requested the new EPik contract.

I think I am an ok teacher everyone thinks I am great. Whole school likes me and I have a bad feeling I might get stuck at POE this summer because of it.. No good deed goes unpunished.


Best places are Changwon, Gimhae, Massan. Gimhae had a nice 2 month warning about camps. Changwon is a nice city plus you get a provincial allowance of 100k and 100k for being in the boonies sort of speak. Massan has the best pay most massan POE contracts start at 2.4 /2.5 mil

Busan is a craphole for the most part. They have a buggered up POE.. I haven't heard to many good things about publics there.

[poet13]

38 and 61 schools Wow! I can't even imagine that.....but I CAN imagine 1 lesson plan for 6 or 7 weeks.


I want to settle down, and help MY students learn English. I have a great set of professional co-teachers (they even speak English!) who it seems care more about educating than politics. I think they recognize that I am a hi-speed individual and enable me as much as possible. One of the co-teachers sat in on a class today. At the end of the class where we did lecture and then activity, he was kind of blown away. He said, "I can't do that. Not enough energy." He also said he's never had kids so excited about speaking English. I'm not trying to blow my own horn. (yeah, it sounds like it, sorry) I'm saying that's what I demand of me. If they're going to be that excited about learning, then the least I can do is measure up.

If I was hired as a guest speaker, then guest speak I would, and be glad of it. But I was hired as a teacher. I want to teach.

[ChuckECheese]

[poet13]

Yes, I suppose you're right....but I still don't want to be a guest speaker, or an assistant guest speaker....

I found out yesterday afternoon that they may implement this after the summer vacation. My contract finishes in October. I don't know when EPIK presents contracts for re-signing, but if it's after the summer break and I have started this new routine, I may decline to re-sign. My school is not at all happy about it, but they don't have the power to say otherwise. Perhaps if they understand they will lose their teacher...oops, assistant teacher, maybe things will be left as they are...

[bosintang]

In Japan, I was an ALT at a middle-school but twice a month I had to go to an elementary school to teach the 5th grade. (about 80-90 students). I loved it. The homeroom teacher prepared the lesson, I just showed up and taught it. The kids were always excited when I was coming, and it was a refreshing break from my normal job.

Sorry, nothing to do with the OP..just thought I'd share.

[Yu_Bum_suk]

[JD1982]