RANTING/VENTING MEGATHREAD 3.0

this is hilarious. demartino is obviously at school, deskwarming, bored out of his mind, which is why he's able to write entire essays about how we should be licking the salty ajeosshi balls of our amazing korean overlords for blessing us with the opportunity of teaching rude, spoiled, entitled kids that don't give a crap, with coteachers who actively try to sabotage us, at schools that actively try to make our lives as difficult as possible every step of the way.

Not at school. I don't teach at schools anymore. Moved on up. 

Calls kids rude, spoiled, entitled. Complains about having to follow his contract and come in and watch Netflix for 8 hours a day as part of his pay.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LG4hOjJ9tEs

My co-workers were horrified that I said I am not only leaving this school, but Korea in the near future. If that horror was in the slightest bit genuine, you would think that they would have my best interest at heart by being just a tiny bit flexible in allowing me to have my full 24 days off and to not have to come in for 4 useless days. This is not a feeling of entitlement. This is just showing the tiniest fraction of goodwill.

Are you entitled not to come in on those days? No. So why do you have the expectation that they should do this for you?

You've used government regulations as the reason why I had to return for 4 days. These regulations didn't seem to affect a friend who had 24 days off in a row.  They didn't seem to be in effect when I was here on a previous sojourn, and my school even tagged on spring vacation onto my holidays so I'd get a month off. My point is, that is a weak argument given that other schools don't make their teachers come back and split their vacation.

Yes, other schools are willing to accept the risk. That is to be appreciated, not expected.

My take on it is this; ignorance. Most Koreans have never been in our situations, and, as a result, have no idea what it's like to be abroad for any length of time. ( I know: no one is forcing me to be abroad - I beat you to it, sorry) They are ignorant at my school. Pure and simple. They don't have the necessary mental facullties say to themselves: "Oh,  Mr CJ only gets to see his family once a year, maybe he doesn't need to come in and desk warm for 4 days. Let let him have his full 24 days off as that's the right thing to do. Perhaps he'll stay as he's OK."

Lots of Koreans have spent time abroad.

Now, if it's your allotted vacation time in your contract, you have every right to it. If it's not, you don't. It's really that simple. Be happy you aren't teaching camp. You could have a total ass of a principal who would make sure you had something to do during those 4 days.

Clearly you've never worked a job in your life where your boss made sure you were working every minute of your shift.

So speaking of ignorance of situations, you obviously have been lucky enough not to work such jobs. If you had, you would kick up your heels at the thought of getting paid money to sit around and do nothing.

Like seriously, can you imagine complaining about that to somebody working some job where they have to do constant back breaking labor for hourly pay? People around the world would kill to have a job where they sat at a desk watching Netflix and made decent money.

What's the fascination with doing back breaking work? Are we labourers now?

FYI, I took a year off from study to pick fruit, work in a factory and do all manner of hard shit to fund my travels abroad. Man, who do you think you're talking to here? Some brat who's never done a thing in his life?

As usual, you're playing the devil's advocate. I won't be drawn into it. There is no justification for dragging someone from abroad back to Korea to desk warm for 4 days and then release the NET for another 10 days.

I took a cab to work today because I had a bunch of materials that I needed to take with me.

Got to school, paid the fare... then realized I hadn't brought ANY of my shit with me. #DUMBASS#STUPIDSHIT#FAILTARD

I took a cab to work today because I had a bunch of materials that I needed to take with me.

Got to school, paid the fare... then realized I hadn't brought ANY of my shit with me. #DUMBASS#STUPIDSHIT#FAILTARD

Do you mean you left the materials in the cab, or left them at home?

I took a cab to work today because I had a bunch of materials that I needed to take with me.

Got to school, paid the fare... then realized I hadn't brought ANY of my shit with me. #DUMBASS#STUPIDSHIT#FAILTARD

Do you mean you left the materials in the cab, or left them at home?

Left at home.

I stepped out, checked to make sure my door was locked, then was all like, "Okay, now to call a cab so that I can get my stuff to school."

Did not occur to me that I wasn't holding anything. 

My co-workers were horrified that I said I am not only leaving this school, but Korea in the near future. If that horror was in the slightest bit genuine, you would think that they would have my best interest at heart by being just a tiny bit flexible in allowing me to have my full 24 days off and to not have to come in for 4 useless days. This is not a feeling of entitlement. This is just showing the tiniest fraction of goodwill.

Are you entitled not to come in on those days? No. So why do you have the expectation that they should do this for you?

You've used government regulations as the reason why I had to return for 4 days. These regulations didn't seem to affect a friend who had 24 days off in a row.  They didn't seem to be in effect when I was here on a previous sojourn, and my school even tagged on spring vacation onto my holidays so I'd get a month off. My point is, that is a weak argument given that other schools don't make their teachers come back and split their vacation.

Yes, other schools are willing to accept the risk. That is to be appreciated, not expected.

My take on it is this; ignorance. Most Koreans have never been in our situations, and, as a result, have no idea what it's like to be abroad for any length of time. ( I know: no one is forcing me to be abroad - I beat you to it, sorry) They are ignorant at my school. Pure and simple. They don't have the necessary mental facullties say to themselves: "Oh,  Mr CJ only gets to see his family once a year, maybe he doesn't need to come in and desk warm for 4 days. Let let him have his full 24 days off as that's the right thing to do. Perhaps he'll stay as he's OK."

Lots of Koreans have spent time abroad.

Now, if it's your allotted vacation time in your contract, you have every right to it. If it's not, you don't. It's really that simple. Be happy you aren't teaching camp. You could have a total ass of a principal who would make sure you had something to do during those 4 days.

Clearly you've never worked a job in your life where your boss made sure you were working every minute of your shift.

So speaking of ignorance of situations, you obviously have been lucky enough not to work such jobs. If you had, you would kick up your heels at the thought of getting paid money to sit around and do nothing.

Like seriously, can you imagine complaining about that to somebody working some job where they have to do constant back breaking labor for hourly pay? People around the world would kill to have a job where they sat at a desk watching Netflix and made decent money.

What's the fascination with doing back breaking work? Are we labourers now?

FYI, I took a year off from study to pick fruit, work in a factory and do all manner of hard shit to fund my travels abroad. Man, who do you think you're talking to here? Some brat who's never done a thing in his life?

As usual, you're playing the devil's advocate. I won't be drawn into it. There is no justification for dragging someone from abroad back to Korea to desk warm for 4 days and then release the NET for another 10 days.

You're not the one in charge. You are only looking at things through your own SELFISH lens.

Look at it from your bosses perspective- If he does this favor for you, then he has to do it for everyone. And if he goes lax on people in this xase, what about other cases? What if something happens to you? He will have to pay as well. Are you going to make things right for him if something happens? The boss has dozens of staff with varying egos, personalities, and demands. He has to balance those.

Bottom line: Stop looking at this through your own selfish perspective.

YOU SIGNED THE CONTRACT. STOP BEING MAD BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T GET SOMETHING THAT SHOULD BE APPRECIATED, NOT EXPECTED.

I took a cab to work today because I had a bunch of materials that I needed to take with me.

Got to school, paid the fare... then realized I hadn't brought ANY of my shit with me. #DUMBASS#STUPIDSHIT#FAILTARD

Do you mean you left the materials in the cab, or left them at home?

Left at home.

I stepped out, checked to make sure my door was locked, then was all like, "Okay, now to call a cab so that I can get my stuff to school."

Did not occur to me that I wasn't holding anything. 

I say, view it as a "treat yo-self" day treat. That way, it feels less frustrating and annoying. 

Left at home.

I stepped out, checked to make sure my door was locked, then was all like, "Okay, now to call a cab so that I can get my stuff to school."

Did not occur to me that I wasn't holding anything. 

I say, view it as a "treat yo-self" day treat. That way, it feels less frustrating and annoying. 

I bought some cake from a nearby bakery to make myself feel better. xD

My co-workers were horrified that I said I am not only leaving this school, but Korea in the near future. If that horror was in the slightest bit genuine, you would think that they would have my best interest at heart by being just a tiny bit flexible in allowing me to have my full 24 days off and to not have to come in for 4 useless days. This is not a feeling of entitlement. This is just showing the tiniest fraction of goodwill.

Are you entitled not to come in on those days? No. So why do you have the expectation that they should do this for you?

You've used government regulations as the reason why I had to return for 4 days. These regulations didn't seem to affect a friend who had 24 days off in a row.  They didn't seem to be in effect when I was here on a previous sojourn, and my school even tagged on spring vacation onto my holidays so I'd get a month off. My point is, that is a weak argument given that other schools don't make their teachers come back and split their vacation.

Yes, other schools are willing to accept the risk. That is to be appreciated, not expected.

My take on it is this; ignorance. Most Koreans have never been in our situations, and, as a result, have no idea what it's like to be abroad for any length of time. ( I know: no one is forcing me to be abroad - I beat you to it, sorry) They are ignorant at my school. Pure and simple. They don't have the necessary mental facullties say to themselves: "Oh,  Mr CJ only gets to see his family once a year, maybe he doesn't need to come in and desk warm for 4 days. Let let him have his full 24 days off as that's the right thing to do. Perhaps he'll stay as he's OK."

Lots of Koreans have spent time abroad.

Now, if it's your allotted vacation time in your contract, you have every right to it. If it's not, you don't. It's really that simple. Be happy you aren't teaching camp. You could have a total ass of a principal who would make sure you had something to do during those 4 days.

Clearly you've never worked a job in your life where your boss made sure you were working every minute of your shift.

So speaking of ignorance of situations, you obviously have been lucky enough not to work such jobs. If you had, you would kick up your heels at the thought of getting paid money to sit around and do nothing.

Like seriously, can you imagine complaining about that to somebody working some job where they have to do constant back breaking labor for hourly pay? People around the world would kill to have a job where they sat at a desk watching Netflix and made decent money.

What's the fascination with doing back breaking work? Are we labourers now?

FYI, I took a year off from study to pick fruit, work in a factory and do all manner of hard shit to fund my travels abroad. Man, who do you think you're talking to here? Some brat who's never done a thing in his life?

As usual, you're playing the devil's advocate. I won't be drawn into it. There is no justification for dragging someone from abroad back to Korea to desk warm for 4 days and then release the NET for another 10 days.

You're not the one in charge. You are only looking at things through your own SELFISH lens.

Look at it from your bosses perspective- If he does this favor for you, then he has to do it for everyone. And if he goes lax on people in this xase, what about other cases? What if something happens to you? He will have to pay as well. Are you going to make things right for him if something happens? The boss has dozens of staff with varying egos, personalities, and demands. He has to balance those.

Bottom line: Stop looking at this through your own selfish perspective.

YOU SIGNED THE CONTRACT. STOP BEING MAD BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T GET SOMETHING THAT SHOULD BE APPRECIATED, NOT EXPECTED.

Nice try. I won't be drawn in. It's bullshit to any sane person. Other schools allow the full 24 days off, that is, the school's with sane VPs.

yeah, it amazes me how much power principals have in korea. there seems to be no office of standards dept (or whatever it's called), and they can literally do anything they want without repercussion.

Nice try. I won't be drawn in. It's bullshit to any sane person. Other schools allow the full 24 days off, that is, the school's with sane VPs.

Those VPs are willing to assume the risk and might have different relationships with you and different histories with previous teachers and different factors to consider.

You aren't even aware of the factors that went into this decision, yet you're judging your VP for the decision they made.

Again, STOP BEING SELFISH.

Nice try. I won't be drawn in. It's bullshit to any sane person. Other schools allow the full 24 days off, that is, the school's with sane VPs.

Those VPs are willing to assume the risk and might have different relationships with you and different histories with previous teachers and different factors to consider.

You aren't even aware of the factors that went into this decision, yet you're judging your VP for the decision they made.

Again, STOP BEING SELFISH.

Those VPs care nothing but their own position. They don't give a sh!t about anything or anyone else. They just do what they need to do, to cling to their power in their nice cushy position.

yeah, it amazes me how much power principals have in korea. there seems to be no office of standards dept (or whatever it's called), and they can literally do anything they want without repercussion.

In December 2014, I got married in Korea.  My family wanted to have a celebration around Christmas time back in England.  My school said it was ok to take the honeymoon and have an extra week off at the end of December, and to enjoy myself with my family.  My wife's principal said 'No!' as he said she has to take it the week after the wedding, with no exception.  No amount of conversation from senior teachers at that school made him budge.  So we had to cancel any form of celebration because of him.  What made things worse were that two other female teachers asked for a similar thing moving their honeymoon which he was fine with.  A coont of the highest order.

this happened to me. got married, principal wouldn't move the (preliminary) date of camp, so i could go on my honeymoon. it literally had not been planned at all; no parents told about it or anything. even the vice principals kept asking him to please change it so i could go. kept saying no, for no real reason than being a dick (i was told multiple times, there was no reason not to change it).

i ended up just booking it anyway, and said you can either fire me or change the dates of camp. in under 5 minutes, i was told "changing the dates of camp is no problem".

this was only one of the many shitty things he did in the 6 months i was there. cunt.

Nice try. I won't be drawn in. It's bullshit to any sane person. Other schools allow the full 24 days off, that is, the school's with sane VPs.

Those VPs are willing to assume the risk and might have different relationships with you and different histories with previous teachers and different factors to consider.

You aren't even aware of the factors that went into this decision, yet you're judging your VP for the decision they made.

Again, STOP BEING SELFISH.

No. The decision was made as a result of looking at the calendar. Four days of classes, so you have to come back and desk warm. Idiotic. Stupid.

Again, STOP BEING DEVIL'S ADVOCATE AND HAVE SOME COMMON SENSE!!!

No. The decision was made as a result of looking at the calendar. Four days of classes, so you have to come back and desk warm. Idiotic. Stupid.

Again, STOP BEING DEVIL'S ADVOCATE AND HAVE SOME COMMON SENSE!!!

Where's the common sense in the VP taking on risk to help you out when you could fly the coop and owe him nothing?

Only an idiot would do that without some kind of personal connection or establishment of trust.

Welp, I tried to keep this from happening, but I should've known it'd be in vain. Another thread ruined. Cheers, guys.

No. The decision was made as a result of looking at the calendar. Four days of classes, so you have to come back and desk warm. Idiotic. Stupid.

Again, STOP BEING DEVIL'S ADVOCATE AND HAVE SOME COMMON SENSE!!!

Where's the common sense in the VP taking on risk to help you out when you could fly the coop and owe him nothing?

Only an idiot would do that without some kind of personal connection or establishment of trust.

Flying the coop with 8 weeks left on a public school contract in which I will be owed upwards of 10 million Won...... righhhht! I don't think I even register on the VP's radar. I'm 99% certain the decision was made by the head English teacher after looking at the school's calendar. Stop with the insurance angle; as mentioned, other teachers have had the full 24 days off.

Flying the coop with 8 weeks left on a public school contract in which I will be owed upwards of 10 million Won...... righhhht! I don't think I even register on the VP's radar. I'm 99% certain the decision was made by the head English teacher after looking at the school's calendar. Stop with the insurance angle; as mentioned, other teachers have had the full 24 days off.

Look, I don't know what to tell you. You signed the contract. You agreed to be there. You have ZERO right to complain. If I was your boss I'd try to work something out, but if I couldn't and there was some issue where you had to come in and desk warm and you still complained, I'd hand you a bucket and a tooth brush.

You are getting paid decent money to sit in a chair and watch Netflix. How in the world can you whine and moan about that?

You are getting paid decent money to sit in a chair and watch Netflix. How in the world can you whine and moan about that?

Because it's time and money being wasted.
We see it, and our coworkers definitely see it. We're not at fault for any of this, obviously, but others look at us sitting around doing nothing and can't help but note what a waste of resources we are. This reflects poorly on us, and can influence how others judge the NET programme in general.
    Why in the name of all that's holy would people want to throw money into a programme that is paying folk to binge-watch netflix or whatever? If I were a Korean teacher, these deskwarming periods would definitely cause me to question the worth of the NET programme.

     I, personally, would much rather be working during this time. Or, barring that, send me home with reduced pay. Or heck, just send me home *with* pay: out of sight, out of mind. Forcing NETs to deskwarm is the Ministry of Education messily cutting its own throat insofar as their foreign teacher policies are concerned.

So I remembered to bring my stuff to work today.

But now I'm finding out that some of my crafting "equipment" has been damaged, and I've lost all motivation to get any work done today.

This is destiny because it's Friday, and I should have known better.