Being late for school... repercussions?

[Yu_Bumsuk]

Who exactly is going to see you at Homeplus? Are other citizens going to look at you and say "Why isn't he at school?"

in my experience  yes, citizens have asked that question. during my first round of winter desk-warming, my VP and i came to an agreement that i could leave after we had lunch. afterward, i went to the 당구장 and the room owner was perplexed how i could be there in the afternoon on a school day. then, just two saturdays ago, i went to get a haircut at my regular place, and the owner was confused how i could be there, since saturday school hadn't finished.

If parents of some of your students see you strolling about during work hours then they may complain since it is their taxes that are paying your salary.  It happened to me last year.  I had to leave school early to go to the hospital to have my physical done for immigration.  On the bus there I saw one of my students with her mother.  My co teacher told me that the mother called to Principal wanting to know why I wasn't at work.  Of course I had a legitimate reason for being away so nothing came of it but if the school had let me go home for no reason then it could have put the Principal in an awkward position.  According to my co-techer she is one of those mothers that likes to complain about everything.

I swear that some of you live in a parallel universe where almost everything's the same except Koreans are this bizarre race who love nothing more than to go out of their way to make life difficult for foreigners. People who know who I am see me around town during school hours all the time - like at least every week for the past six years. My barber's my ex-student's father. My student's mother runs the Family Mart (where I'm going to go get cigarettes in a few minutes), my ex-students work at Paris Baguette, etc. I'm sure I've been spotted by thousands of people who know who I am outside school during school hours and no one has ever complained about it. Is there some province of Korea where the people are really just that nosy and stupid?

[b of nc]

Who exactly is going to see you at Homeplus? Are other citizens going to look at you and say "Why isn't he at school?"

in my experience  yes, citizens have asked that question. during my first round of winter desk-warming, my VP and i came to an agreement that i could leave after we had lunch. afterward, i went to the 당구장 and the room owner was perplexed how i could be there in the afternoon on a school day. then, just two saturdays ago, i went to get a haircut at my regular place, and the owner was confused how i could be there, since saturday school hadn't finished.

If parents of some of your students see you strolling about during work hours then they may complain since it is their taxes that are paying your salary.  It happened to me last year.  I had to leave school early to go to the hospital to have my physical done for immigration.  On the bus there I saw one of my students with her mother.  My co teacher told me that the mother called to Principal wanting to know why I wasn't at work.  Of course I had a legitimate reason for being away so nothing came of it but if the school had let me go home for no reason then it could have put the Principal in an awkward position.  According to my co-techer she is one of those mothers that likes to complain about everything.

I think that this story and some posts on this site prove my theory:

'There are a-holes everywhere! They come in all shapes, sizes, colors and creeds. They may have the same background as you or a different perspective but the important thing is they are A-holes who like to make everyone elses life as miserable as their own! Don't let them pull you down!!' 

[hankmcmasters]

dear trolls

i'm not whining, i just don't understand it, the being on time to waste time, that.  i'd rather just have the whole day off.
and actually, i didn't know i'd have to waste so much time at this job, otherwise i probably wouldnt have taken it.
i do study korean, plan lessons, and have movie marathons at work during deskwarming season.  but the time i spend showering and walking to school adds up to about an hour.  that's time that i'd rather spend doing something that benefits everyone.

dont be mistaken, i'm happy with my job, with my life here, all of it.  its just that it could be better if this one thing changed

xo

[flips]

I swear that some of you live in a parallel universe where almost everything's the same except Koreans are this bizarre race who love nothing more than to go out of their way to make life difficult for foreigners. People who know who I am see me around town during school hours all the time - like at least every week for the past six years. My barber's my ex-student's father. My student's mother runs the Family Mart (where I'm going to go get cigarettes in a few minutes), my ex-students work at Paris Baguette, etc. I'm sure I've been spotted by thousands of people who know who I am outside school during school hours and no one has ever complained about it. Is there some province of Korea where the people are really just that nosy and stupid?

i just offered a couple of personal experiences to provide alternatives to the poster's assumption. the two koreans, who are my friends, weren't bothered and they didn't complain. they were just confused and concerned enough to ask me why i wasn't in school.

[koreaimhere]

I work in a public school and used to work in a Hagwon, been late to work in both places a few times, never been in trouble or reprimanded for it :) These things happen! If I came to school late every fews weeks then I'd expect to be told off though.

[bryn22]

I can't stand those people who piss and moan when someone else gets a better deal than them. They are making other people better off with no benefit to themselves. That is the definition of stupidity.

I have to totally disagree with you. Why should you get a better deal than me when we were both hired to do the same job and are being paid the same salary?

I guess my issue with this line of thinking is that while I agree it's unfair, the only thing complaining about it is going to do is ruin it for the ones that do get perks. It's like saying, "If I can't have an extra day off then I'm going to do everything I can to make sure NO ONE can." That's the only thing that comes of someone complaining about this stuff; the complainer's situation doesn't change but at least he dragged everyone down to his level.

So what if some people have schools that don't mind them being late? If the principal is breathing down your neck about punctuality, you'd better be early tomorrow. He's your boss and that's your situation. Stop comparing your situation to others who may have gotten a better deal. Who cares? Worry about yourself, not just when it comes to being a NET but as a general life lesson. You're going to have a lot bigger problems in life if you can't get past, "But it's not fair! Johnny's boss lets him leave early and mine doesn't!" Forget about Johnny. Focus on you.

Also, just because someone doesn't have to deskwarm doesn't mean they have it better than you. I have to deskwarm during exams but I have other perks that I know some other teachers don't get, like free food and awesome, caring coteachers. Should someone go complaining to the Education Office that if they can't have experienced coteachers, neither should I? Afterall, we're getting paid the same. Why should I have it any easier?

Life in unfair, and that's that. It's childish for someone to try to worsen everyone else's situation so that they can feel better about their own.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! As the victim of such sabotauge by "friends" in my small community, I am sending smiles your way! If one job is different from another, it absolutely does not give anyone the right to drag others down in the name of "fairness." Principals have a lot of power here; every teaching job will be slightly different. If someone get paid more or gets more vacations, it is possible that their job is more difficult in different ways.

[Koradian]

I'm sorry, but when people say, "Why do people have to RUIN IT for others?"

In actual fact, chances are, if you get perks that others don't, like not having to deskwarm, it's already ruined for those who turn to complaining.

So I feel for those who don't have it as good as others and I think they have every right to complain.

[Koradian]

What's wrong with wanting to be treated the same as other foreigners in teh same position?

[Koradian]

People are trying to improve their own lives... not ruin others.... you just can't see it that way.

[Koradian]

Just looking out for #1.

[flasyb]

I'm sorry, but when people say, "Why do people have to RUIN IT for others?"

In actual fact, chances are, if you get perks that others don't, like not having to deskwarm, it's already ruined for those who turn to complaining.

So I feel for those who don't have it as good as others and I think they have every right to complain.

So you complain to the relevant authority and those who you feel have been treated differently/better get their situation changed and have to put up with the same crap that you do. You actively make their situation worse and you think that's a good thing? "It's already ruined for those who turn to complaining" so why not ruin it for everybody else? Just leave it be and if you can't do that then leave your job and list the reasons. Making someone else's job worse by complaining to those higher up about their "perks" is a pathetic act. If everybody thought, "I have it bad so why can't everybody else have it just as bad as me?" we'd all be having work related nightmares. Maybe that's just what some people want...

[Yu_Bumsuk]

What's wrong with wanting to be treated the same as other foreigners in teh same position?

You're not in the same position, mate. Did you spend a month looking for your job when you were already in Korea and visit three schools to decide which one looked like the best choice (taking one that may have resulted in a longer period of unemployment)? Did you go through a lot of hassle quitting a bad job in Korea so you could find a good one? Have you spent six years developing an excellent working relationship with your school, doing them all sorts of non-contractual favours, which include working on Saturdays? Has your main CT been to your parents' place and stayed at your sister's place in your home country and taken your parents around when they came to visit Korea?

No?

Then you are not, in fact, in the same position as me even if our piles of paper that get us our visas known as contracts may look identical.

[flasyb]

Just looking out for #1.

No you're not. You're looking at other people and whining about how good you think they have it. Forget other people and actually look out for #1. It might change the negative outlook on life you seem to have.

[GrenWhit]

What's wrong with wanting to be treated the same as other foreigners in teh same position?

In point of fact, you shouldn't be treated the same as me because we are neither the same person, nor in the same position.  If you disagree with that, head back the the page on which you said you took off early without permission and felt guilty until your co's finally told you it was ok.  I don't do that.  Also onsider that your perception of justifiable absence may be different than your bosses' even if they say it's ok after you've already done it for awhile.    Now consider that they just may be able to figure out your 'look out for #1' attitude and not feel any obligation to do that for you.

Finally, how would you honestly feel if I now turned around and moaned to the POE/MOE that other NETs leave when classes are done instead of at leaving time and it affected you negatively?  Because let's face it, how many times has that line of complaint worked favorably for NETs?

[Davox]

It's all about the Principal and the Vice Principal...my last pairing didn't mind me coming and going pretty much as I pleased.  The new VP makes me sign out if I so much as look outside the school gate...drives me nuts!

The signing in and out thing just blows my mind - I've heard a few other FTs say they same thing. If I'm not teaching and I want to get a haircut or go to the bank or post office I just go.

It has to do with the legal side of it. If you are off the premises during office/teaching hours without permission and something happens to you then the school is liable.

This sounds made up.

I don't see how it would work. So you are driving to work, you are five minutes late, you get into an accident, the school is liable for your hospital bills?

It doesn't pass the sniff test. It would cause absurdities and you would hear about it all the time. Have you ever heard of what you said ever happening?

It's not YOUR injuries that the school is liable for.  That's not how school liabilities work*.  It's anything YOU do that someone could sue the SCHOOL for....which amounts to anything bad you do outside of the school when you're supposed to be at work.  See, the school has to purchase insurance against such lawsuits, and a stipulation of the insurance is that any teachers and other employees have to be at school (and thus not doing anything sue-worthy in public) during school hours.  They have to purchase separate insurance (or pay extra, or get X number per year as part of their contract, or whatever) for every field trip, too.  If you are not in school when you should be, then not only is there a greater chance that something bad could happen, but if it does, the insurance might not have to cover the costs.  That's bad.  Short answer:  unless you have specific permission not to, you should be safe, follow directions and CYA.  Be at school on time, stay where you're supposed to, do your job, and leave on time.  It's not rocket science, people.
*Where I'm from and as I understand it.  I doubt the situation is all that different at its core here in Korea though.

[Koradian]

Just looking out for #1.

No you're not. You're looking at other people and whining about how good you think they have it. Forget other people and actually look out for #1. It might change the negative outlook on life you seem to have.

I have to come clean. I don't have to deskwarm and I would have no problem having to deskwarm if I was told I had to. I've been here long enough and know the system inside out. I do think you have to look out for your best interests, just as schools do theirs. This is typically worse for hogwons.

I've been through hell and back in this country within the hogwon system. We are lucky have it REALLY good at PS's.

That being said, I don't blame people for complaining... I guess I just understand where they're coming from.

Sorry for stirring the pot for entertainment purposes^^

[Fatsy67]

I can understand being late by mistake every once in a while... it happens. But I'm having a little trouble understanding how some people are taking risks and being late on purpose - AND boasting about it. I was brought up to believe that punctuality is very important. After all, we all moan and complain when our co teachers show up LATE to class, or when we're told we have to do something LATE. It all seems rather hypocritical for me.

So instead of contemplating the reprecussions of being late (on purpose), rather just... don't be late.

This. I can't understand why anyone would wonder why their VP or CoT would be bothered by this kind of unprofessionalism. Just don't be late -- problem solved.

Agree with these two. It doesn't matter what time your classes start or end or how you feel you should be treated. Be at school on time and at the time your bosses want you to be there. Being late to work and bragging about it or simply acting like it doesn't matter is one of the many reasons native speakers have a bad reputation.

[Koradian]

One another note, how about coteachers? Personally, I have 8 coteachers. There are a few who are notorious for not coming to class are there are a few who wander in to clase late. Now, I don't share an office with any of my coteachers so I don't know if they are to school on time everyday, but I do share an office with the Japanese, Chinese, Music, and computer teachers. Some of these teachers are late on a regular basis.

[sarsabf5]

One another note, how about coteachers? Personally, I have 8 coteachers. There are a few who are notorious for not coming to class are there are a few who wander in to clase late. Now, I don't share an office with any of my coteachers so I don't know if they are to school on time everyday, but I do share an office with the Japanese, Chinese, Music, and computer teachers. Some of these teachers are late on a regular basis.

Same here. I wouldn't know if there are consequences for coming in late because 1. I don't do it; and 2. those responsible for me usually roll into school after the first bell has rung and I'm handling the class by myself.

You're better off just not being late. It's unprofessional and the LAST thing the foreign population needs here is one more co-teacher talking about how unprofessional their NSET is. It's a little harder for us to sneak in when we stick out and kids are screaming, "hello teacher!" at you.

[KINwithaG]

I just like to maintain professionalism regardless of whether or not I plan to renew my contract. You are paid to work the full day and it's in your contract. Do what you're hired for.

Imo, arriving late isn't good. The teachers may not say anything because they don't speak English, or they find it impolite to confront you like that. I guess there's more leeway depending on how you perform usually. If you normally get to work 30 mins early, leave 20 mins later, one lateness will and should be forgiven. However if it's periodic, they probably want to find a way to confront you.