Signing On for Another Year
You now know and understand all the inner-workings of your school. You know your students by name and know their abilities and their weak areas. You have a year's experience teaching the school's textbooks and you've already dealt with homesickness, developed a taste for kimchi-related foods, learned how to get around by yourself, and figured out at least the major culture differences. You are not as likely to hop a plane at the first sign of trouble. In a way, the school as a lot invested in you and unless you were a terrible teacher or you and your boss don't see eye-to-eye on anything--they'll really want you to renew your contract. However, now that you have more experience, you know more of what you really want. If you are considering staying, you need to begin negotiating a new contract. This should be done at least three months before your current contract ends so that if no agreement can be reached, your boss has time to find a replacement. This is common courtesy and should be done even if you can't stand your boss. Don't worry about yourself. You can find a new job easily. Some things to ask for are: ***Saturdays off (if you've been working them) ***Your own apartment (if you don't already have it) ***A raise ***Vacation time on days you name Obviously you shoul not ask for ALL of these things. Just ask for what is really important to you. If your boss speaks limited English and your Korean isn't that great yet, get a friend to help you. It's probably better not to ask anyone connected to your school. Another thing to consider is that with a year's experience under your belt, you are now eligible to work in a lower-rated university or junior college. If you want to find a new job, be sure to tell your current boss that you will be leaving.