RANTING/VENTING MEGATHREAD 3.0

No one forced me to take a holiday abroad, but seeing family once a year is pretty much normal when living abroad.

Going home to see your family is not a right. It is what you chose to do with your vacation time. You can't be upset with your school because they "only" gave you 14 days to visit your family (which in fact is not what they did- they gave you 14 days vacation time and then 10 days as they were contractually obligated to do).

I had NO CLASSES in these 4 days.
This is a very ignorant thing to do.

SCHOOL WAS IN SESSION!!!

Why oh why did they split my holidays by bringing me back from abroad for 4 effin days of deskwarming!!!! 4 days!!!!  I mean, I did absolutley nothing in those 4 days. Zilch!!!! The kids were eating pizza and watching movies but I had to come back as I had to "work".

Absolutely you had to be there. We're not talking 4 days when school wasn't in session and there were no camps. You had students coming to school as part of the school calendar year.

Sorry, you have zero leg to stand on. This job doesn't exist to provide you a travel experience and time off with family. Your purpose for being here is not to explore the world. Your purpose here is to fulfill the terms of your contract and that means being at work during the school year.

Other NETs can have the full 24 days off, so the insurance argument is crap.

Other VPs chose to do that and assume the risk. They can do that. They will also suffer the consequences if something goes wrong.

YOU CANNOT BLAME SOMEONE FOR NOT WANTING TO ACCEPT RISK TO THEMSELVES.

This is NOT about insurance; it's pure bureaucracy and zero ability to step into someone else's shoes.

AGAIN, YOU ARE THE ONE NOT STEPPING INTO SOMEONE ELSE'S SHOES.
YOU ARE THE ONLY LOOKING AT THIS THROUGH YOUR SELFISH PERSPECTIVE.

You don't even realize how you are selfish and how you are failing to step into someone else's shoes.

No one forced me to take a holiday abroad, but seeing family once a year is pretty much normal when living abroad.

Going home to see your family is not a right. It is what you chose to do with your vacation time. You can't be upset with your school because they "only" gave you 14 days to visit your family (which in fact is not what they did- they gave you 14 days vacation time and then 10 days as they were contractually obligated to do).

I had NO CLASSES in these 4 days.
This is a very ignorant thing to do.

SCHOOL WAS IN SESSION!!!

Why oh why did they split my holidays by bringing me back from abroad for 4 effin days of deskwarming!!!! 4 days!!!!  I mean, I did absolutley nothing in those 4 days. Zilch!!!! The kids were eating pizza and watching movies but I had to come back as I had to "work".

Absolutely you had to be there. We're not talking 4 days when school wasn't in session and there were no camps. You had students coming to school as part of the school calendar year.

Sorry, you have zero leg to stand on. This job doesn't exist to provide you a travel experience and time off with family. Your purpose for being here is not to explore the world. Your purpose here is to fulfill the terms of your contract and that means being at work during the school year.

Other NETs can have the full 24 days off, so the insurance argument is crap.

Other VPs chose to do that and assume the risk. They can do that. They will also suffer the consequences if something goes wrong.

YOU CANNOT BLAME SOMEONE FOR NOT WANTING TO ACCEPT RISK TO THEMSELVES.

This is NOT about insurance; it's pure bureaucracy and zero ability to step into someone else's shoes.

AGAIN, YOU ARE THE ONE NOT STEPPING INTO SOMEONE ELSE'S SHOES.
YOU ARE THE ONLY LOOKING AT THIS THROUGH YOUR SELFISH PERSPECTIVE.

You don't even realize how you are selfish and how you are failing to step into someone else's shoes.

Have you ever had yourself checked for autism? Just saying.

Article 14. (Paid leave). If the requested vacation period intereferes with the smooth operation of the programming of the school or institute, the Employer and the Employee shall negotiate an altenative vacation date(s) during the vacation.

I had no classes; therefore, my absence in no way affected the smooth running of the school.

As I've said several times, other schools allow their NETs to have their winter holiday without the need the come back.

The decision was based purely on a look at the calander. This had nothing to do wih risk. Stop talking about risk. I was allowed out at lunchtime to go to the shops last week without the need to enter my absence from the school into the computer system. There was risk in this, but luckily at least the head teacher has a little sense and flexibility.

I've never experienced this level of stupidity and bureaucracy anywhere in the workplace apart from Korea, and, for the record, I've done the rounds in Asia. This is really something else.

Talking about being selfish and stepping into someone else's shoes in this context is simply beyond me. What planet do you live on?

This had nothing to do with risk. Stop talking about risk. I was allowed out at lunchtime to go to the shops last week without the need to enter my absence from the school into the computer system. There was risk in this, but luckily at least the head teacher has a little sense and flexibility.

I hate this shit. I'm 32 and I've been here for 5 years. I don't need to be held and asked if I can cross the street by myself.

This had nothing to do with risk. Stop talking about risk. I was allowed out at lunchtime to go to the shops last week without the need to enter my absence from the school into the computer system. There was risk in this, but luckily at least the head teacher has a little sense and flexibility.

I hate this shit. I'm 32 and I've been here for 5 years. I don't need to be held and asked if I can cross the street by myself.

YOU SIGNED THE CONTRACT! Stop being selfish and entitled. I don't know, people sign contracts and expect to be able to grab a kimbab oacross the road without entering all of their details into a computer system. What's next? Flushing toilet paper instead of putting it in the nasty overflowing bin? Sheesh!

There's an Olleh store on every corner, but for some reason I have to go aaalllll the way back to Gangnam to end my contract. I have an egg that I have to pay off (since I'm cutting the contract a year short), but you'd think I could pay for that at any shop. I might jump into an Olleh store near here and see if I can cancel it, just in case the employee my coteacher talked to was mistaken.

There's an Olleh store on every corner, but for some reason I have to go aaalllll the way back to Gangnam to end my contract. I have an egg that I have to pay off (since I'm cutting the contract a year short), but you'd think I could pay for that at any shop. I might jump into an Olleh store near here and see if I can cancel it, just in case the employee my coteacher talked to was mistaken.

Yeah, I don't understand the way they have this kind of thing set up, either, but it's true, many businesses (especially cell phone businesses) restrict certain transactions so that they can only be done at certain locations (being described as "main" branches). Could be a law, could be some kind of policy meant to guard against something shady, could be they only want certain trained employees to have access to that kind of information and will only provide that kind of training to certain branches, I've got no idea.

When I bought my new phone, there was literally only one KT store in my entire town where I could go to get a new SIM card for it, and since that particular store was NOT open on weekends (wtf?), I had to take a taxi right after work to get there before it would close. Took me three ****** days to finally make it on time, lmao.

those phone shops are always open on weekends, but you can't even buy a phone on the weekend!
seems completely nonsensical, both in terms of policy and why they're even open..

those phone shops are always open on weekends, but you can't even buy a phone on the weekend!
seems completely nonsensical, both in terms of policy and why they're even open..

Is it still the policy that they can’t activate phones on weekends?

those phone shops are always open on weekends, but you can't even buy a phone on the weekend!
seems completely nonsensical, both in terms of policy and why they're even open..

Is it still the policy that they can’t activate phones on weekends?

yeah. why is that?

those phone shops are always open on weekends, but you can't even buy a phone on the weekend!
seems completely nonsensical, both in terms of policy and why they're even open..

I agree that the whole "shutting off the activation servers over the weekend" thing is outdated and silly. That said... if you already have service with the company, you can buy a new phone over the weekend (so long as it doesn't need activated). I just did this a few weeks back. I'd been using the same phone since 2014 and decided that it was time for an upgrade.  All they really have to do in that case is swap the sim cards. So I'd imagine that is the kind of thing they're open for on the weekends.

I just needed to vent about my "desk-warming" situation....

Now I already knew I was going to have to sit at school when the students were still on holiday. I had made a plan to work on some lessons and watch a few movies. I was even looking forward to desk-warming! However, I was dead wrong. The whole school building is under construction which means I can't be in my office. I thought they would move me to another office but instead I am in a small room in the cafeteria with no desk, no chair, and no INTERNET, completely alone. (I am using my phone data as I type) You would think for desk warming there would AT LEAST be a desk to warm, right? My body is already in pain from sitting on the floor these past few weeks. As for lessons, we are getting new books so I cant plan anything, and without internet there is little entertainment. I have already finished a novel, and will soon be starting the sequel. I knew desk-warming could be a bit boring, but I didn't think it could be this bad.

Thank you for reading my rant. 

I hate this shit. I'm 32 and I've been here for 5 years. I don't need to be held and asked if I can cross the street by myself.

Obviously, you've never managed people. You give them an inch and they'll take a mile. First it's to the bank for 5 minutes. Fine. Before you know it, it's to have lunch for an hour.

Also, the risk being assumed isn't by you, it's by your supervisor (can you guys stop thinking only about yourselves?). They are the ones who face consequences as well and YOU don't have the ability to fix that. Now, most of them are fine enough and think nothing of it and let you go on anyway. But you cannot blame other people for refusing to accept greater risk to themselves.

Article 14. (Paid leave). If the requested vacation period intereferes with the smooth operation of the programming of the school or institute, the Employer and the Employee shall negotiate an altenative vacation date(s) during the vacation.

I had no classes; therefore, my absence in no way affected the smooth running of the school.

School was in session. You have to be there.

As I've said several times, other schools allow their NETs to have their winter holiday without the need the come back.

Good for them. That's not the official policy. That's an individual negotiation between them and their school. Don't resent your school just because someone else's school did them a favor and yours did not. Favors are to be appreciated, not expected. Grow up!

I've never experienced this level of stupidity...anywher e in the workplace apart from Korea

You mean complaining about getting paid good money to watch Netflix? I agree. I haven't experienced that level of stupidity anywhere else either.

School was in session, but I didn't have to be there. Certainly they made me come in, but my absence would not have affected the smooth operations of the school, so making me come in was just plain BS. End of story.

I wanted the Jays to get a Korean, so it would be on TV. They do so straight after I've left.

School was in session, but I didn't have to be there. Certainly they made me come in, but my absence would not have affected the smooth operations of the school, so making me come in was just plain BS. End of story.

If school is in session and you're part of the staff, you have to be there. End of story. No teacher gets to take vacation during the school term.

School was in session, but I didn't have to be there. Certainly they made me come in, but my absence would not have affected the smooth operations of the school, so making me come in was just plain BS. End of story.

If school is in session and you're part of the staff, you have to be there. End of story. No teacher gets to take vacation during the school term.

I'm a contracted teacher with zero admin to do and no classes. Bringing me back was dumb, ignorant and a waste of time. End of story.

School was in session, but I didn't have to be there. Certainly they made me come in, but my absence would not have affected the smooth operations of the school, so making me come in was just plain BS. End of story.

If school is in session and you're part of the staff, you have to be there. End of story. No teacher gets to take vacation during the school term.

This is verifiably, demonstrably untrue, at least for SMOE employees.  The rule is about, as CJ says, "the smooth operation of the school".   

School was in session, but I didn't have to be there. Certainly they made me come in, but my absence would not have affected the smooth operations of the school, so making me come in was just plain BS. End of story.

If school is in session and you're part of the staff, you have to be there. End of story. No teacher gets to take vacation during the school term.

Not true.  This week, the teachers should be in school, but at least three or four are still abroad.  Exactly the same as CJ's point.  If the school is cool with it, then it's fine.   If they want to be petty, then it's a pain in the ass.  At the decent school, CJ would have been allowed that time off.  The principal/VP have the power at the school.

You're correct, I should have said "should be", not "must".

The point is that while you MIGHT have a case if school wasn't in session, when it comes to those days, getting them off is a BIG favor. It's the kind of favor you can ONLY appreciate and NEVER expect. And you have ZERO cause to be angry.

It's also really crappy to whine about "other people get to take it off, why can't I?" when the other teachers are all teaching. Again, OP is incredibly selfish and can only see his point of view.

Do you think the Korean teachers should be able to take those days off CJ?

School was in session, but I didn't have to be there. Certainly they made me come in, but my absence would not have affected the smooth operations of the school, so making me come in was just plain BS. End of story.

If school is in session and you're part of the staff, you have to be there. End of story. No teacher gets to take vacation during the school term.

Not true.  This week, the teachers should be in school, but at least three or four are still abroad.  Exactly the same as CJ's point.  If the school is cool with it, then it's fine.   If they want to be petty, then it's a pain in the ass.  At the decent school, CJ would have been allowed that time off.  The principal/VP have the power at the school.

You're correct, I should have said "should be", not "must".

The point is that while you MIGHT have a case if school wasn't in session, when it comes to those days, getting them off is a BIG favor. It's the kind of favor you can ONLY appreciate and NEVER expect. And you have ZERO cause to be angry.

It's also really crappy to whine about "other people get to take it off, why can't I?" when the other teachers are all teaching. Again, OP is incredibly selfish and can only see his point of view.

Do you think the Korean teachers should be able to take those days off CJ?

I've said enough here, I'll leave it to the gallery to decide.

I find it ironic that you tell people to grow up, yet you always have to have to final word like the petulant brat that you are.

Cheers 

I was just handed a completely new textbook for my middle school first graders. Not a new edition of the one we were using before, mind you. It's a new book from a completely different publisher.

Classes start Friday. Tomorrow is a holiday. I have to leave early today to go to my appointment at immigration. I've been sitting here doing f*ck all for nearly four weeks. I could've been going through the book, figuring how how to approach the lessons, learning my way around the CDROM and audio/video materials, and they wait until I have three hours of office time left to drop this turd in my lap.

Sigh.