RANTING/VENTING MEGATHREAD 3.0

Well, I understand the 8 hours a day, official line, but I think the plot has been lost along the way.

We are compensated for the stress and hassle of having to travel to rural schools, but the P and VP have the discretionary power to allow their foreigner to return to their main school or to simply leave the school at a time that will allow their foreigner to catch the hourly bus at a "reasonable" time (it costs them NOTHING).

When you have things better than others, you need to keep your mouth shut (hopefully all know that).

If my P or VP were treating me poorly, I don't know...

It would make me feel like they were NOT interested in getting the "best" out of me ;)

Considering all of the cuts that have been made and the reductions, etc. one would think they would seek to utilize these free perks to retain people that they would like to keep around.

Is this an obvious sign that they do NOT want you?

Ugh.

Enjoy your weekend all!  Sun is out and air is in the green level :)

Who knows, but it does mean I'm that much less motivated both at the school and to get out of town immediately afterward.

Which, right now, is completely eating me alive in terms of feeling isolated.

Who knows, but it does mean I'm that much less motivated both at the school and to get out of town immediately afterward.

Which, right now, is completely eating me alive in terms of feeling isolated.

Clicked on your profile and it says you are living in Sangju right? One of my friends lived there for 2 years and she said it was the best time ever, there were a few foreign teachers but mostly they hung around with the young Korean population who spoke surprisingly good English. I know at the time she said she really had to put herself out there in order to meet people but once she did she had a great time.

I know this isn't great advice but I guess you have to really really make an effort to meet people there. I hope it gets better and this gives you a little hope!

The hallways have gone deathly quiet. I had a class due to start one minute ago... yet again it is clear that the waygookin has been left out of the loop. I want to be thrilled, however I know that this will just mean the first period, and then it will be back to grind, and one of my grade 5 classes will be a lesson ahead of the other. Three years here and still haven't come to terms with Korean surprises.

Can North Korea cool it? The second last thing I need is a devalued won.

Not sure If I understand the OP on this issue, but when I used to go to my travel school on Fridays (not my main school), I would finish at 1:50 in the afternoon.

Did I stick around?  No. I would bounce.

Usually, I would go back to my main school to tidy up and finish prepping for Monday, but there were other times, when I would simply go home or get a head start on my weekend.

Are they saying you need to stay at your travel school?

That is nuts.

Teach your classes and go.

I can't leave my satellite schools til day's end. Today, for example, I'm here til 5:20 because clock off is 4:40, but the bus home is hourly, 20 after.

I'm provincial, though.

at least you get paid an hour of non-teaching overtime every time you are at that school then 

Whaaaat?

How do I go about getting this money?
Not that I need to make my administration any more tense with me. We get along well enough but it's a working relationship at best. I've had to put my foot down a couple of times now and don't wanna stir the pot too much.

Also, apparently one of the lunch ladies at my school wants me to teach her son conversational English on weekends... Luckily my coteacher mediated and told her no since I am not actually in my town on weekends.

When did the schools in the provinces start being so ridiculously punitive towards their foreigner staff?

It sounds like things have really turned for the worse out there.

Yep. Dummies who had it good - schools letting them out early, go home for lunch, etc - got mouthy about it on social media and others who didn't have it as good got angry. Now, you can't cross the street to get a coffee without registering it in NEIS because "insurance" reasons.

Who knows, but it does mean I'm that much less motivated both at the school and to get out of town immediately afterward.

Which, right now, is completely eating me alive in terms of feeling isolated.

Clicked on your profile and it says you are living in Sangju right? One of my friends lived there for 2 years and she said it was the best time ever, there were a few foreign teachers but mostly they hung around with the young Korean population who spoke surprisingly good English. I know at the time she said she really had to put herself out there in order to meet people but once she did she had a great time.

I know this isn't great advice but I guess you have to really really make an effort to meet people there. I hope it gets better and this gives you a little hope!

Thanks, I think I might have to. I've had a few Koreans reach out to me this weekend and I'll make a better effort on my end. The foreign teacher group is just hard to coordinate here. That said, I did recently get a running and occasional dinner partner from one of the other teachers, so that'll be occupying my weekdays more.

The big problem is all of my best friends live in Busan and I'm probably not doing myself any favors by going there every weekend.

at least you get paid an hour of non-teaching overtime every time you are at that school then 

Whaaaat?

How do I go about getting this money?

You can't, unfortunately: the school isn't requiring you to stay that extra time. They would argue that you should just get yourself some transportation.

     Which isn't a bad idea: get yourself a crappy old 50cc scooter for a 3oo,ooo won and save yourself an hour of waiting around time. They're also a heck of a lot of fun, if you dont mind risking life and limb in local traffic. 

The hallways have gone deathly quiet. I had a class due to start one minute ago... yet again it is clear that the waygookin has been left out of the loop. I want to be thrilled, however I know that this will just mean the first period, and then it will be back to grind, and one of my grade 5 classes will be a lesson ahead of the other. Three years here and still haven't come to terms with Korean surprises.

Yea same here.  Three years and it still annoys me like you wouldn't believe.

It's one of the reasons why I neither consider myself an actual teacher, nor this an actual teaching job.

at least you get paid an hour of non-teaching overtime every time you are at that school then 

Whaaaat?

How do I go about getting this money?

You can't, unfortunately: the school isn't requiring you to stay that extra time. They would argue that you should just get yourself some transportation.

     Which isn't a bad idea: get yourself a crappy old 50cc scooter for a 3oo,ooo won and save yourself an hour of waiting around time. They're also a heck of a lot of fun, if you dont mind risking life and limb in local traffic. 

If you don't have a licence / can't drive, then you are required to stay that extra hour. I'd argue for it myself, as I can't drive.

Kayos,

Are you sure your "boss" clearly understands your situation?

If they did, surely they would let you catch the earlier bus.

If they do, but don't, have you asked why the hostility toward you?

at least you get paid an hour of non-teaching overtime every time you are at that school then 

Whaaaat?

How do I go about getting this money?

You can't, unfortunately: the school isn't requiring you to stay that extra time. They would argue that you should just get yourself some transportation.

     Which isn't a bad idea: get yourself a crappy old 50cc scooter for a 3oo,ooo won and save yourself an hour of waiting around time. They're also a heck of a lot of fun, if you dont mind risking life and limb in local traffic. 

If you don't have a licence / can't drive, then you are required to stay that extra hour. I'd argue for it myself, as I can't drive.

No.
"Required"?
Please.

I'm curious...if your school is out at 4:40, how are the other teachers leaving?

Why not pitch in for a ride along or something?

That used to be pretty SOP for anyone working rural...at least to get you closer to your main school or home (not door to door).

Not sure If I understand the OP on this issue, but when I used to go to my travel school on Fridays (not my main school), I would finish at 1:50 in the afternoon.

Did I stick around?  No. I would bounce.

Usually, I would go back to my main school to tidy up and finish prepping for Monday, but there were other times, when I would simply go home or get a head start on my weekend.

Are they saying you need to stay at your travel school?

That is nuts.

Teach your classes and go.

I can't leave my satellite schools til day's end. Today, for example, I'm here til 5:20 because clock off is 4:40, but the bus home is hourly, 20 after.

I'm provincial, though.

at least you get paid an hour of non-teaching overtime every time you are at that school then 

Whaaaat?

How do I go about getting this money?
Not that I need to make my administration any more tense with me. We get along well enough but it's a working relationship at best. I've had to put my foot down a couple of times now and don't wanna stir the pot too much.

Also, apparently one of the lunch ladies at my school wants me to teach her son conversational English on weekends... Luckily my coteacher mediated and told her no since I am not actually in my town on weekends.

the point is that you don't actually get this money. what you say to that school is that since the bus leaves at 4:20pm (i assume), they need to let you out early or pay you extra overtime since you have to stay late. arrange to come in earlier at 8:20am if you have to.

they won't want to pay you the overtime so just use it as leverage.

technically you aren't actually entitled to that money but the school probably doesn't know that.

kobayashi's idea to come in earlier to be able to leave earlier is a good one.

I have done that before, and a teacher at my current school does the same thing (he comes in an hour earlier and leaves an hour earlier).

Again, this isn't costing your school anything.

So apparently it has a lot to do with the culture of that school (I'm seen as a lax worker by the other staff by leaving early). Luckily, my co understands that and seems to appreciate the work I put into my lessons. And the flip side is, according to her, we both arrive early (7:55 bus gets there before 8:20) and I get to work immediately (printing lesson shit for the day, etc.). Any day the VP or P isn't there, I can attempt to leave discreetly.

I'm gonna take everyone's advice and gently start pushing for a better working condition on that day.

Luckily this is only a one day a week problem as my main school is 5 minutes away by bike and I'm OK with arriving at 8:10 ish and leaving at 4:30 since I use that time to plan. MY other two rural schools I get rides and it works out about right.

Kayos,

Are you sure your "boss" clearly understands your situation?

If they did, surely they would let you catch the earlier bus.

If they do, but don't, have you asked why the hostility toward you?

I'm not the one in this situation. I said, if I were in the OP's situation, I'd argue for it.
1 of my schools let me leave early to catch the bus, my other makes me wait, but someone gives me a ride home, in exchange for talking / helping them with their English during the ride.

at least you get paid an hour of non-teaching overtime every time you are at that school then 

Whaaaat?

How do I go about getting this money?

You can't, unfortunately: the school isn't requiring you to stay that extra time. They would argue that you should just get yourself some transportation.

     Which isn't a bad idea: get yourself a crappy old 50cc scooter for a 3oo,ooo won and save yourself an hour of waiting around time. They're also a heck of a lot of fun, if you dont mind risking life and limb in local traffic. 

If you don't have a licence / can't drive, then you are required to stay that extra hour. I'd argue for it myself, as I can't drive.

No.
"Required"?
Please.

The original situation was: rural school, after school class makes them miss the bus, has to wait for an hour after school's finished to wait for the next bus. If you are like me and can't drive, and if one of the Korean teachers won't give you a ride (However, this wasn't mentioned by the OP, I don't think), then you are "required" to stay/wait for another hour to get the next bus.
I'd argue that it is required if I were in this situation, I'd fight for over time pay for this, if they wouldn't be willing to let me finish early to catch the bus closest to the finishing time.

I'm curious...if your school is out at 4:40, how are the other teachers leaving?

Why not pitch in for a ride along or something?

That used to be pretty SOP for anyone working rural...at least to get you closer to your main school or home (not door to door).

My most rural school is a boarding school. A lot of the Korean teachers there don't finish until around 7 - 8pm Monday - Thursday; on Friday's they finish really early though, around 1 - 2pm.
My other rural school finishes at 4 40pm, but a lot of the teachers don't start leaving until 5 - 520pm.