There are a lot of ambiguities with that. I was told that my extra classes---2 English clubs a week, 1 teachers' workshop, 1 kindergarten---would not be counted toward my teaching hours, but that I would be paid extra for them. I was told this is how it works for the Korean teachers, too. (This came up after I realized they weren't paying me overtime, despite having me booked for 25 classes a week). I was also told that my kindergarten class wouldn't be counted as a teaching hour because I agreed to do it . . . first of all, I don't remember any such conversation, and secondly, I doubt I would have agreed had I thought I was volunteering for it.
I don't want to start nickle-and-diming people, or making a stink over what amounts to a small amount of money anyway (overtime rates are quite low). Besides, there are countless examples of teachers, principals, administrators, and parents treating me to dinner, or snacks, or a ride here or there. My relationships with people don't revolve around money, and I don't want to fit the stereotype of the petty foreigner.
That said, I was still pretty pissed off at my county when all of this went down. They've screwed up in a number of their most basic functions---housing, scheduling, airfare remittance---and I was quite upset at their flippant attitude toward my schedule, and for their refusal to pay me for the extra classes I've taught.
I said my relationships don't revolve around money, and I really don't want my coworkers to get the impression that I'm a miser counting 10,000 won notes. But, a big part of my relationship with the county does revolve around money . . . chiefly, they're supposed to pay it. (As I'm in the Regional program, my relationships are pretty convoluted . . . multiple bosses, yet no one is really in charge). I haven't been paid for my extra classes yet, and I'm curious to see if I'll get paid for them next week. Because this all put me in a tricky situation, I'm definitely going to bring up this issue first thing when I start a new contract. All of us, and all of those responsible for us at our work, ought to have a basic understanding about the wording of the contract, and what our contract involves. Again, I don't advocate whipping out the contract at every little thing, but since in our culture it represents a sign of trust (and trust is important for our Korean handlers), it's a good idea to figure out what's expected of you and what you can expect of others.
