Before you sign on the dotted line...

  Teaching lately has been a little harder than usual because I'm so tired all the time now. I took on Dawn's schedule because it meant that I would be able to leave earlier and maybe do stuff in the evening that I was previously too late or tired to do. The trouble is, that this new schedule is more jam-packed that a can of sardines and some places of Korea have very short business hours (both the banks and post office close at 4pm and are not open on weekends. Despite harping on this issue of having to work on the weekends back home, it's more than a little inconvenient for me). I am currently teaching for three consecutive hours with a short break in between, then going for another 3 hours before my next break. With only five minutes breathing space between classes and conversation lessons in each class, my throat is always sore.
  The new schedule highlights for me some of the major problems of working in Korea as a guest teacher. Although it's a good idea and has many benefits, and I am considering a second stint here not too far in the future, there are some very real issues that need to be considered.

• Hours of teaching: Technically, your contract may state that you cannot work for more than 6 hours per day (or 30 hours per week) and that you may have to remain at your school for no more than 9 hours per day (contracts are different, so this may or may not be the case). Why? I have no idea why this is. It creates a very strange scenario in which I've heard that some teachers literally sit at their desks with nothing to do for the remainder of their time at the school. This is if you have a curriculum. However, if you do not, you are left choosing whether to use your non-working hours for creating and prepping lessons (thus adding to the total number of hours that you work in one week, for which you are not paid over-time), or arriving unprepared to your classes. Which leads to my second concern.
• Attitude towards teachers: In some cases, you may be at maximum working hours and have no periods to prepare lessons except for breaks. You need to choose whether this is something that you will do. Some teachers will choose to leave the school during these breaks and run errands or what-have-you. Some teachers are not allowed to leave the school. But if you're not paid for that time, that time is yours, right? This is where the written word rubs up against tradition. Koreans are very hard-working people and their work ethic is more strict than Westerners are used to. We interpret what we sign to mean that we have some free time and that we are our own free people to make our decisions. However, directors have a lot of say in what you can do in your free time and may request (read: demand) that you stay inside. You can choose to speak up, but that has very subtle, indirect consequences. You may be written up, ignored in the future, or, at the extreme, fired. The truth is, that directors hold most of the cards, but it's also difficult to say how each scenario will play out because each workplace is so unique. The problem is that our contracts may look deceptively simple, and so you may not negotiate or know how to before you make the decision to come. Remember that your contract does not cover everyday scenarios and that recruiters are only recruiters. So, how can you stand up for yourself?
• Resources: Advocates and interpreters on worker's behalves are difficult to locate, and the odds are almost always stacked against you if you have a problem at your workplace. How to find an English-speaking lawyer, or government service? You are not given this information at your arrival, and so you have to be dedicated in finding this out or traveling to your embassy to ask for help. If your director is contacted to ask about issues at work, their position and word is more likely to be respected than their employee's. Even though you are the draw that brings parents to the school, you may have very little bargaining power. But your employer can make you redundant and request that you leave your abode immediately without any repercussions, if things just don't work out.
• This means that you are reliant on the expat community and the relationships you form with other foreigners for help and advice. Make friends, build up trustworthy acquaintances, and make sure you can fall on that net in difficult times when you are lonely, have concerns, or need a place to crash.

  What this means, practically speaking, is that you are in a different country with different standards and expectations of conduct and work behavior. You are a guest, and as such, have the rights and privileges accorded to guests. But you have to follow the rules of the house or you'll wear out your welcome.
  So, it is up to you to use your college education to ask all the right questions and find out all the pertinent information even though you hope you will never need it.
  But most importantly, observe the culture and as far as possible without surrender, acculturate yourself. I've read somewhere that people are more likely to be welcoming to you if you at least attempt to speak their language. This means trying to understand and honor their culture, too. Learn the manner (and not just the language) in which they communicate with each other, so that you can mimic it and speak with them. This is a win-win situation for both sides, but most especially for you. You are not only learning to speak another language, but you are learning how to communicate effectively in that language and culture.
  In observing the Korean teachers, there is something to understanding that many Asian cultures, like most other group-oriented cultures around the world, rely on indirect communication in order to preserve harmony amongst group members (this is something that's also true for Hispanic culture). Communicating your concerns in this way (as opposed to storming in with full-loaded barrels) will earn you a lot of respect and will be more effective in getting your concerns across and hopefully creating change.
  However, and I'm thankful for this, the one thing that I've become better at during my time here in Korea is at developing patience. Sometimes, things won't go my way. Sometimes, it may take a while for things to change. Sometimes, I may be bone-tired and brain-tired at the end of the day. But I have decided that I am learning and developing critical skills that are making me a better professional and person.