Pregnant now what?

[grajoker]

I do not know how to tell the school ,will they be angry, have friends of yours gone through this experience and how did the school take it, very anxious.

[Jeff619]

Public school? There is a clause in your contract that gives you maternity leave but I'm assuming you want to go home? I think they'd be understanding given the situation. Just let them know soon so they can make preparations for your departure/leave.

[tails]

Congratulations! Well if you and your partner are returning home then tell the school as you would any company when you get pregnant!  If your partner is Korean it makes the situation a bit more difficult, you will need to add up the pros and cons of each country.  My friends sister was pregnant in Korea (she is Korean) they have these cool long term hospital like places where the mother and child can stay in the early stages of the child's life.

[Rusty Shackleford]

What is the best outcome you can imagine in this situation? I'm not sure why you would care how the school would feel about the whole thing.

[w4z]

Congrats!
I'm not sure where you are from, but if you are from America, I suggest staying here.  Having a baby in the states can cost more than 20k$.  Here you have insurance and are given 3 month maternity leave.  Financially, it's a good decision.  However, being with family during these times is quite nice.

Your school can't do anything.  If you are still under contract when you have the baby, they have to grant you maternity leave.  You may not get re-signed, but who cares.  Also, if they're going to be mad at you for having a baby, tell them to shove it.

[Yu_Bumsuk]

How much longer do you have in your contract? If you're contract is up soon you could be facing a very difficult situation. Do you have any coworkers in whom you can confide?

[Cereal]

On the other hand, if you want to stay and re-sign with your school, and you are nearly finished your contract, and you are still in the early stages of your pregnancy (not showing), finish your contract and re-sign. Then when the time is nigh, take your maternity leave.

[Jumpman Jr.]

I'm not really sure what you are anxious about?
Why don't you want to tell your school? People DO get pregnant, wouldn't they be happy for you?
It's hard to tell why you are anxious in your situation from your post.

[Jeff619]

I'm not really sure what you are anxious about?
Why don't you want to tell your school? People DO get pregnant, wouldn't they be happy for you?
It's hard to tell why you are anxious in your situation from your post.

Could be a lot of things.  Principals and directors here are notorious for only caring about getting the work done regardless of the employee's personal circumstances.  We've heard so many stories of people being refused sick days.  Pregnancy is much more serious and requires a lot of time off and it wouldn't surprise me that there are principals out there who will be upset about it.  I'm certainly not saying that's the right attitude but we can't deny that it happens.  Also, we don't know about the OP's circumstances?  Is she married?  If not, it may cause issues with the principal and coworkers in general as that's very looked down on here.  Again, I'm not saying that's how it should be but unfortunately that's how it is here.  Pregnancy is a huge life changing even and I'm sure there are tons of things to be anxious about.  I'm a guy so I'm not going to pretend I understand it all but I can certainly understand the OP is anxious.

Being pregnant in a foreign country without family around would be really tough.  I hope everything works out well for you, OP.

[Mark van]

If you give notice that you want to go home (break contract) then you will lose your severance and airfare so if I were you (hehe I can't get preggies) then I would try stay to the end or strike a deal with your school regarding all the monies owed to you.

[Jeff619]

If you give notice that you want to go home (break contract) then you will lose your severance and airfare so if I were you (hehe I can't get preggies) then I would try stay to the end or strike a deal with your school regarding all the monies owed to you.

I broke my contract early because it ended in April but they could not renew due to the budget cuts.  So, they allowed me to break my contract on the last day of February so that I could more easily find another job.  Anyway, I was paid my severance on a prorated basis.  A friend of mine was also paid his severance though he broke his contract two months early.  I know the contract says you'll lose the severance but I think it's up to the school.  For a case like this I'd think the school would go ahead and pay so it's something to ask about.  By the way, my friend and I got the severance but we did lose out on the airfare.

[Lolin]

I'm on the same boat as you. I was super anxious about telling my school but I told them anyway as soon as I found out. Long story short, the VP caught me off guard and I didn't lie.  I don't know what your school situation is but if it's not ideal, I say just wait until you re-sign then break the news to them.

[Jumpman Jr.]

I'm not really sure what you are anxious about?
Why don't you want to tell your school? People DO get pregnant, wouldn't they be happy for you?
It's hard to tell why you are anxious in your situation from your post.

Could be a lot of things.  Principals and directors here are notorious for only caring about getting the work done regardless of the employee's personal circumstances.  We've heard so many stories of people being refused sick days.  Pregnancy is much more serious and requires a lot of time off and it wouldn't surprise me that there are principals out there who will be upset about it.  I'm certainly not saying that's the right attitude but we can't deny that it happens.  Also, we don't know about the OP's circumstances?  Is she married?  If not, it may cause issues with the principal and coworkers in general as that's very looked down on here.  Again, I'm not saying that's how it should be but unfortunately that's how it is here.  Pregnancy is a huge life changing even and I'm sure there are tons of things to be anxious about.  I'm a guy so I'm not going to pretend I understand it all but I can certainly understand the OP is anxious.

Being pregnant in a foreign country without family around would be really tough.  I hope everything works out well for you, OP.

Don't get me wrong, I wasn't trying to say that there was nothing to be anxious about (although I understand why you could have thought that after reading my post).

I was trying to say that I couldn't understand what specifically she was so anxious about because her post was so vague. Depending on a lot of different factors that she didn't mention (when she started her contract, if she's planning to go back home at some point soon, if she wants to go back home because she is pregnant now, if she was planning to renew at the same school, if she is working for a hagwon, if so, does she get maternal leave, etc...) it could be very different.

I wanted to help, but it was hard to give advice if I didn't know specifically what her issue is.
For example, if she JUST started working last month at a hagwon that offers no maternity leave...
Or if she's been working at the same school for 2 years less a month and has a maternity leave clause in her contract.

[schuettl]

Yes, if you can provide more info Grajoker, we can provide more insight.  But for now, all I can tell you is the one experience I've had...

I met a girl during EPIK orientation my first year in Korea (been here 3) and we became good friends.  She lived about 20 minutes away from me and we worked in a rural area in Gangwondo.  She worked at a middle and high school.  She became pregnant about 6 months into her contract.  She was scared to tell her school, but started to take several sick days because of morning sickness, doctor's appointments, and other things.  Eventually, she had to tell her school because she was taking too many days off, but they were pretty cool with it.  No one talked to her much about her pregnancy and she wasn't really close with anyone at her school so there wasn't much discussion about it, but every time she asked for time off they gave it to her.  I got so jealous and thought it was a bit crazy because she took so much time off with weak and lame excuses... they never questioned her.  It seemed like the school kind of just gave up on her and let her do whatever until her contract was over.  Then she went back home to the states (being about 6 months preggers).  I don't know if that's what happens to most, or if it's rare or whatever, but that's all I know about being preggo in Korea.

[Jeff619]

I'm not really sure what you are anxious about?
Why don't you want to tell your school? People DO get pregnant, wouldn't they be happy for you?
It's hard to tell why you are anxious in your situation from your post.

Could be a lot of things.  Principals and directors here are notorious for only caring about getting the work done regardless of the employee's personal circumstances.  We've heard so many stories of people being refused sick days.  Pregnancy is much more serious and requires a lot of time off and it wouldn't surprise me that there are principals out there who will be upset about it.  I'm certainly not saying that's the right attitude but we can't deny that it happens.  Also, we don't know about the OP's circumstances?  Is she married?  If not, it may cause issues with the principal and coworkers in general as that's very looked down on here.  Again, I'm not saying that's how it should be but unfortunately that's how it is here.  Pregnancy is a huge life changing even and I'm sure there are tons of things to be anxious about.  I'm a guy so I'm not going to pretend I understand it all but I can certainly understand the OP is anxious.

Being pregnant in a foreign country without family around would be really tough.  I hope everything works out well for you, OP.

Don't get me wrong, I wasn't trying to say that there was nothing to be anxious about (although I understand why you could have thought that after reading my post).

I was trying to say that I couldn't understand what specifically she was so anxious about because her post was so vague. Depending on a lot of different factors that she didn't mention (when she started her contract, if she's planning to go back home at some point soon, if she wants to go back home because she is pregnant now, if she was planning to renew at the same school, if she is working for a hagwon, if so, does she get maternal leave, etc...) it could be very different.

I wanted to help, but it was hard to give advice if I didn't know specifically what her issue is.
For example, if she JUST started working last month at a hagwon that offers no maternity leave...
Or if she's been working at the same school for 2 years less a month and has a maternity leave clause in her contract.

I hope I didn't sound snarky.  That wasn't my intention at all. 

[mycalmiles32]

No idea how far along you are, but it has been my experience that most wait until they are past their 3rd month to tell their employer, Korea or otherwise. Others wait until they start showing to break the news.  I agree that it does depend on when your contract ends and your marital status. It is possible to not let your pregnancy interfere with your school responsibilities.  Most of the OB/GYN's have office hours on Saturdays so you would never have to leave work to go to your appointments. If you would take maternity leave and then return to finish out your contract, I think your school's concern would be what you plan on doing with your baby while you are at school. I would have all of that information ready to share with them to ease their minds before telling them.  I am not sure where you are located, but if you are near Daegu, I can certainly recommend the best hospital for you that has Saturday hours and an English speaking staff. Good Luck!

[Kajun]

Just check your contract and see what it says.
I've been in Korea for a while. My family and I first came right after I graduated college in 2008.
Then, it was just my husband, my son and I.
While I was working for a hogwan, I became pregnant with my daughter.
We ended the contract early, so I could have the baby in the US.
We came back to Korea when she was three months old and have been here since.
I now work for a public school and they have maternity leave.
Your employers should be supportive and if they aren't, you need to focus on your health.
Feel free to e-mail me if you need to talk.

[nikita36]

My wife and I just had a baby 2 months ago so I have some recent experience with this.  That being said, this is definitely an instance where every school's response will be different.  In my wife's case, she told the school right away.  She has a great relationship with her co-teachers and administration and they were immediately supportive.  The sooner you tell them the longer they will have to get used to the idea.  It states plain as day in the contract that you are allowed 3 months maternity leave (2 months paid) and really there is nothing they can do about it.  In the meantime you can work your butt off and try to ensure your co-teachers you will do everything in your power to make their lives easier when you are gone (ie make lesson plans and games in advance).  Maybe a good idea is to bring it up with your co-teachers first in order to gauge how the news will be recieved.  Most importantly, don't stress out about it, being pregnant should be an amazng experience.  If you have any questions about hospitals and procedures feel free to send me a message, and congratulations!

[grajoker]

I told the school and they expressed kind words of congratulations to me, the reason why I was nervous is that I renewed in March and was not sure whether or not they would be unhappy with the news.

[peasgoodnonsuch]

Hey,

It's all been said and done, so I have nothing much to add. I just wanted to recommend this blog to you. You may find the posts and info on it helpful or at least interesting.

http://msleetobe.wordpress.com/tag/giving-birth-in-korea/