Deskwarming FAQ/Thread [MEGA THREAD]

I stay in my air conditioned office....and I just cleaned all the hair wrapped around the wheels of my chair....

Who here doesn't get take vacation days during the summer and have to teach 22 hours a week?

Just one more week of this...

Who here doesn't get take vacation days during the summer and have to teach 22 hours a week?

Just one more week of this...

What? No holiday days at all? How is *that* according to contract???

Or do you mean no deskwarming? Seems like fewer teachers are forced to endure this every year, which isn't really a bad thing. I'd much rather be productive than sit around and wonder why I couldn't be doing all this nothing from home...

Anyone here ever come in to school just to show their face, maybe leave your backpack behind and then leave and then come back toward the end of the day to say goodbye?

I've really been testing the waters with this and either a. people just don't care or b. they don't get paid enough to "babysit" me during desk warming hours. Guess I'll just take a whole day off tomorrow. 

I used the back entrance to leave and go to the bank for a good two hours. I dont think anyone noticed. ^ ^

My school doesn't have a back entrance. What it does have are cameras at the front and a security guard that makes sure only teachers go in during work hours. T.T

@Ajahya ~ my school has got all that crap too but usually security ahjoshi is either sleeping or MIA and as for the cameras no one's really watching them. I used to just step off the grounds to have a smoke, and when security dude was there I would walk right by him, do the bow and nyonghaseyo and march out like it was completely normal for me to be leaving the grounds. Eventually smoke breaks turned into coffee shop or bank trips. Nobody said anything. Just test the waters before you take a whole afternoon off lol

@antmar ~ yes, all the time 

It also helps to get their good sides. Always say hello, and a cold Popsicle in the summer or hot coffee in the winter go a long way. They probably don't care anyway, but if they do, I am sure they will begin to let it slide.

Anyone here ever come in to school just to show their face, maybe leave your backpack behind and then leave and then come back toward the end of the day to say goodbye?

Along with napping on the counters in my classroom, this is my favorite school strategy.

Anyone here ever come in to school just to show their face, maybe leave your backpack behind and then leave and then come back toward the end of the day to say goodbye?

Along with napping on the counters in my classroom, this is my favorite school strategy.

I'm supposed to be desk warming all this week but I haven't even bothered turning up at all. No one has said anything

Hi there,

I'm a new teacher and have only just started at my school (two days ago)

My elementary school is still on vacation right now so no teachers are in apart from me and a chinese teacher. So technically I am desk warming however I have not received any information about lesson planning, curriculum or schedules as I haven't even seen my co-teacher yet!

I'm at a loss as to what to do?

I've created a presentation for a first class to introduce myself with a game or two (just in case on my first day of teaching I'm suddenly thrown into it) but I've been briefly told I'll also do English town which I wasn't aware until I arrived here and I'm really not sure what they involves or whether I should be preparing for that too for my first lessons.

Any advice would be great. I don't like not knowing why my schedule next week will be. The chinese teacher says there is nothing to do when I ask her.

Hi there,

I'm a new teacher and have only just started at my school (two days ago)

My elementary school is still on vacation right now so no teachers are in apart from me and a chinese teacher. So technically I am desk warming however I have not received any information about lesson planning, curriculum or schedules as I haven't even seen my co-teacher yet!

I'm at a loss as to what to do?

I've created a presentation for a first class to introduce myself with a game or two (just in case on my first day of teaching I'm suddenly thrown into it) but I've been briefly told I'll also do English town which I wasn't aware until I arrived here and I'm really not sure what they involves or whether I should be preparing for that too for my first lessons.

Any advice would be great. I don't like not knowing why my schedule next week will be. The chinese teacher says there is nothing to do when I ask her.

This happened to me when I moved schools. Its annoying but sometimes it works out like that.

Do you have an English Classroom? Try to find a copy of the English books or teachers guides for the English books then you can find some lessons/Activities on here in advance. You wont know your grades etc but it doesn't hurt to start randomly downloading stuff.

or start to plan your adventures around Korea.

Anyone here ever come in to school just to show their face, maybe leave your backpack behind and then leave and then come back toward the end of the day to say goodbye?

Along with napping on the counters in my classroom, this is my favorite school strategy.

I'm supposed to be desk warming all this week but I haven't even bothered turning up at all. No one has said anything

Yes. We often feel like we're being monitored a lot more closely than we actually are. I feel like in most cases if nearly everybody else is out of the office and you're the only chump around, nobody is going to ask questions as to your whereabouts and likely they won't even notice your absence.  Of course if you ask anyone whether it's cool to cut out early or not, they're going to go with the safest answer ("No.") for fear that your deviant behavior might be traced back to them.

That said, couldn't "deskwarming" be rephrased as "curriculum development"? Did all of your lessons in the past year go perfectly? Is there no way to improve or update your materials? Is there really no valid reason to be at school during that time? I don't want to be a wet blanket (or repetitive if others have made this point before me*), but I'm sure there's some way to use your time productively at work even if you're the only one there. If not, is it really so bad to be stuck in your office with some time on your hands? If so, try cutting out early

*It turns out I was being repetitive.  Here's the very first post from this thread:

Why do we have to deskwarm?

Nobody knows, but NETs aren't the ones who do--Korean contract teachers deskwarm, as well.
Tenured teachers (they rotate) deskwarm, too, as do the principal and VP.

Things to Do

-lesson plan ahead
-improve your MS Office skills; people in business should focus on Word, Excel, and PowerPoint (finance majors VBA as well)
-keep abreast with your field of study, especially if it's computer related--programming, graphic design, etc.
-brush up on your financial literacy
-brush up on your grammar if necessary
-learn a new skill that may make you more marketable in the job market here or back home
-exercise

i was moving house and jobs (one with no f ucking deskwarming) so i had a lot of things to do....just none of them at school ;)

i was moving house and jobs (one with no f ucking deskwarming) so i had a lot of things to do....just none of them at school ;)

Right. I wasn't directing that at you or anyone in particular.  I know often time is better spent elsewhere~

Yes. We often feel like we're being monitored a lot more closely than we actually are. I feel like in most cases if nearly everybody else is out of the office and you're the only chump around, nobody is going to ask questions as to your whereabouts and likely they won't even notice your absence.  Of course if you ask anyone whether it's cool to cut out early or not, they're going to go with the safest answer ("No.") for fear that your deviant behavior might be traced back to them.

That said, couldn't "deskwarming" be rephrased as "curriculum development"? Did all of your lessons in the past year go perfectly? Is there no way to improve or update your materials? Is there really no valid reason to be at school during that time? I don't want to be a wet blanket (or repetitive if others have made this point before me*), but I'm sure there's some way to use your time productively at work even if you're the only one there. If not, is it really so bad to be stuck in your office with some time on your hands? If so, try cutting out early

*It turns out I was being repetitive.  Here's the very first post from this thread:

Why do we have to deskwarm?

Nobody knows, but NETs aren't the ones who do--Korean contract teachers deskwarm, as well.
Tenured teachers (they rotate) deskwarm, too, as do the principal and VP.

Things to Do

-lesson plan ahead
-improve your MS Office skills; people in business should focus on Word, Excel, and PowerPoint (finance majors VBA as well)
-keep abreast with your field of study, especially if it's computer related--programming, graphic design, etc.
-brush up on your financial literacy
-brush up on your grammar if necessary
-learn a new skill that may make you more marketable in the job market here or back home
-exercise

Just a heads up; last year I thought nobody was monitoring my deskwarming activity and it turned out I was wrong. My supervisor let slip that my CoolMessenger login data was used to tell if I was actually there or not. It was bought up at contract renewal which was worrying, but nothing came of it. These days I deskwarm.

Just a heads up; last year I thought nobody was monitoring my deskwarming activity and it turned out I was wrong. My supervisor let slip that my CoolMessenger login data was used to tell if I was actually there or not. It was bought up at contract renewal which was worrying, but nothing came of it. These days I deskwarm.

I never turned on my messenger during my deskwarming, but I was always in the office. They even called a couple times and I answered. I don't think that's a fool-proof enough system to base things on.

Just a heads up; last year I thought nobody was monitoring my deskwarming activity and it turned out I was wrong. My supervisor let slip that my CoolMessenger login data was used to tell if I was actually there or not. It was bought up at contract renewal which was worrying, but nothing came of it. These days I deskwarm.

I never turned on my messenger during my deskwarming, but I was always in the office. They even called a couple times and I answered. I don't think that's a fool-proof enough system to base things on.

It's not fool proof by any means but it could be considered one indicator.  It can also be shown to be false (eg: I don't log in when it's not a school day but I am at school, but look at my browsing history.... okay, maybe not that).  Mine logs in automatically every time I turn it on in the morning so I would never be questioned.  Actually if they checked they would know I'm usually 40 minutes early to school every single darn day.

The one day the wife suggested "come home, no one will know if you're not there" is the one day the VP invites me to lunch that he is buying.  Yeh, I just deskwarm, it saves potential problems and isn't that bad really.

I can't believe I ever bashed deskwarming. Being paid to do nothing is a beautiful thing.

I don't mind the desk warming. Especially since I can prep stuff for the new teacher coming in for the next year (and work on camp stuff). It's the commute into work in the cold I dislike. I can do all the same things from my warm and toasty home.

Does anyone know the official policy on where we have to deskwarm?

Really not wanting to commute to my visiting school, the past two year in different locations I always stayed at my main school the entire time.

I'm quite sure they won't mind you desk warming at your main school. Days to our alternate schools have to be registered with NEIS as unpaid business trips anyway. At least where I'm teaching.

Does anyone know the official policy on where we have to deskwarm?

Really not wanting to commute to my visiting school, the past two year in different locations I always stayed at my main school the entire time.

From what I know (which may be jack), it's up to your school(s). If your travel school wants you, then I guess you have to go.  Keep in mind, that if you don't go to your travel school for a month then you don't get the travel bonus. Best advice would be to ask your schools.

It's probably up to your schools. Do you ever have days where all your classes for travel school are canceled? Where do you go then?

I stay at my main school, but I know someone who had to go to her travel school even on deskwarming days (apparently there was no office/desk for her at her main school).

Does anyone know the official policy on where we have to deskwarm?

Really not wanting to commute to my visiting school, the past two year in different locations I always stayed at my main school the entire time.

From what I know (which may be jack), it's up to your school(s). If your travel school wants you, then I guess you have to go.  Keep in mind, that if you don't go to your travel school for a month then you don't get the travel bonus. Best advice would be to ask your schools.

When I used to work in a rural area and teach at multiple public schools, I always deskwarmed at my main school -- but as others have said, you should probably ask, as it depends on your schools. Also, yeah, I didn't receive my multiple school bonus during the months when I deskwarmed at my main school and didn't go to my travel schools.