Change, Decisions

In my last post I mentioned a meeting of some of the teachers with Mingyu regarding our work schedules. This subject has been causing me and the other teachers a lot of mental anguish the last few weeks.

When I was looking into coming to Korea, I read about how teachers tend to only have to work about 30 hours a week. Koreans work about twice that amount, but presumably teachers don't have to, a) because schools just aren't open that long in a week, b) being away from one's home country causes stress, and having fewer hours helps alleviate this stress, and c) the idea of working less attracts more foreigners to Korea. My contract states that I am supposed to work seven contiguous hours a day, including one hour for preparation. This didn't exactly turn out to be the case.

As I may have mentioned over a year ago, my class schedule started out quite light. I had only 3-5 classes a day for the first six weeks of my contract. Then in March the schedule changed, and I had 6-7 classes a day, stretching from 1:30 to 9:00, with me arriving at about 12:30-12:45. I didn't complain about it or think much of it, because even though it was more than seven contiguous hours a day, I was still technically at work less than I would be in the States. I wasn't too keen on having to take homework home with me for the first couple months before I got more efficient, but it was all new and not too hard, so I didn't make a big deal. I was also getting overtime pay each month for a private class and for two classes that were 60 minutes instead of 50 (equal to an hour of extra work a week).

When the two branches of the school merged in October, because the original one became too small, my two longer classes got reduced to 50 minutes. I lost that hour a week of overtime, AND my classes were rearranged so I got out at 9:20, instead of 9:00. That was kind of shitty--working longer hours and getting paid less. But there was nothing I could do, since I was getting a longer "break" between my afternoon and night classes. Of course the breaks I get aren't really breaks, since I spend most of the time correcting, photocopying, or planning. Each day I really only take a 15 minute break to eat supper and a 10 minute break for a snack.

In January, another private lesson was added onto my schedule, and I now have to critique speaking responses online for students preparing for the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language). I can only do this on the weekends, because I'm too busy at work and too tired after work to do it on weekdays. Leon has it worse. He teaches eight classes a day most days, and is at work from 1:00 to as late as 10:10, and when he leaves at 9:20, he only gets one short break a day, so he has trouble keeping up with correcting.

We recently learned that this is not normal; that in fact, most teachers DO only teach for 30 hours a week. Some of Leon's friends, as well as some people I've spoken to online recently, have all said they go to work, teach, correct, have a break, and leave, all within six hours. When they hear we're at work for 8 1/2 or 9 1/2 hours a day, their jaws drop. Finding this out has made every day more and more grueling.

I have been going back and forth on the decision to make my return to Korea easier and staying with the same company or trying out a new city near Seoul and being able to meet people more easily. I had been leaning towards returning to Kate LA, but when I heard about how screwed we're getting, I started leaning the other way. As great a boss as Heather is, she can't make up for me being exhausted all the time, and bitter that others have it easier.

However, things are starting to look up. We had the meeting with Mingyu, who understands our problem, but can't do anything about it right now. Both Leon and I emailed Heather about our situations. I had been hinting to Heather at the possibility of coming back next year, but I told her I wouldn't be able to stand another year of seven classes a day. They decided to hire another teacher to relieve us each of one class, and to give them an opportunity to create a few more classes. Leon suggested staggering shifts once the new teacher arrives, so we don't all have to be at work for so long. I came up with a template to show Mingyu (who rejected it) and Heather, when she's back from the US, that gives each teacher six classes and one 50-minute break. Shifts are completed in six hours, three teachers start their days during each of the first three periods, and there are more options for class times for students. It's a work of art. I'm hoping Heather will be more open to it than her brother was.

Neither of these things, the new teacher or the staggered shifts, of course will come to fruition until I'm probably on my way out, but I may get some relief before I go, and I'll at least be able to be more sure that I will have a reasonable schedule next year if I come back.

And now, just 13 weeks to go before leaving Korea...