Winter Camps and Holidays

Just wondering a few things about winter camps and vacation days.
I work in Seoul so I get 21 days vacation. My school says I have to take 16 of these vacation days this winter after my winter camps. I am not complaining really just wondering if this is normal. I wanted to take 11 days the winter and 10 during the summer. I thought that I had read somewhere that this was how it would be distrubuted, but I could be wrong.

Also, my winter camp is 3 weeks long and full days. Are winter camps normally 8:30 - 4:30 and then I have desk warming for 2 weeks from 8:30-4:30. Again, just wondering because I have heard/read that usually the camps and desk warming are half days - like 8:30-12:30 or something like that.

Any answers/comments/knowledge on this topic would be greatly appreciated. Thanks ^^

You should be able to choose your vacation time.  If you don't want to take 16 days off during the winter, don't.  As long as your vacation days don't interfere with camp, your school shouldn't have a problem.

As per school hours - it can vary greatly by each school.  Some schools make their teachers desk warm all day, others just half a day, and some teachers don't desk warm at all.  It depends on the P and VP from each school. 

Camp is normally 3 weeks, so that sounds about right.  Teaching full days does not.  If you teach over 22 hours a week, you are entitled to overtime.  So if you are teaching more than 22 hours during camp, make sure you get your extra pay.

Just from personal experience, my first camp here was a district camp at my school, so I had to stay later everyday "organizing." If your is the district camp, this may be why.  My next camp was much easier as it was just for my school. 

(I'm also with SMOE.  But really, it varies by school.)

If you have to be at school the whole time, but don't teach over your allotted teaching hours, there's not a whole lot you can do.  You can ask your main CT to explain it better to you. 

Thanks for the information Bittens5. I e-mailed SMOE to ask about the 16 days to see if my school can actually make me take 16 days during the winter.

Hi, they cannot force you to take so many days in winter. There is enough time during the summer vacations for you to do camps and take your 11 days, so don't let them bully you.  You are required to do 3 camps but there is nothing in your contract to say you have to do three, just you have to do camps.

My main co teacher tried to convince me to use my vacation days when students are writing exams, even though everyone leaves around 1.  At least in my district, I think teachers are encouraged by the school board to try and persuade us to use up our vacation days as conveniently as possible. 

Last summer i was scheduled to have two weeks vacation and two weeks camp over a four week hiatus from class. My main co teacher got in trouble for not having me teach 3 weeks camp and I ended up teaching 40 hours of camp in a single week so that it would balance out. 

If you teach in a middle school or high school in Seoul the summer break may only be 4 weeks.   

There is no rule in your contract as to the number or hours that you must spend at camps. It just says you have to do camps, so if you are entitled to your vacation, take it.