Class Loss
When I used to teach English at institutes here in Korea, I generally was allowed only one week of vacation in a year. The worst part was that there was no choice as to when I could take it. The school would shut down for a week in the summer and all employees were then considered to be on vacation. So when I went freelance, one of the things I was looking forward to was the freedom to take my vacations as I please. In reality, it doesn’t quite work that way.
Taking a two- or three-day trip now and again isn’t an issue. But anything longer can become problematic. I have a set of what I consider core classes that I have been teaching for a year or more (I’ve been teaching members of one particular family for around 8 years). I have great relationships with the people involved in those classes, so if I tell them I plan to take two or three weeks to visit my hometown, they have no problem with it. My agent is cool about it too, as are the class members I have through him (whom I’ve been teaching now for over three years). The problem arises with the other classes.
At any given time, I’ll have one or more classes which are relatively new. While I may be on good terms with the people involved, it takes time to establish a strong relationship. Especially so when the people managing the class aren’t the students (as in the case of parents). If I take off for two or three weeks, there’s a risk of losing these classes. My job performance is irrelevant. They haven’t been with me long enough to feel any sense of loyalty toward me. If something interesting comes up while I’m gone, my class is expendable.
True, classes cancel now and again even while I’m not away. I’ve posted before how my schedule goes through cycles. But it’s a given that any time I take an extended vacation, I can expect to lose one or more classes upon my return. This is based on experience. And last month’s trip to the States was no exception.
I returned to Korea last Wednesday. By Friday, I had lost three classes. One I had started teaching in January and was supposed to continue until April. They didn’t bother to inform me that the class was canceled. I had to hear it from the housekeeper when I showed up at their door Friday morning. No big deal, since it was a temporary class anyway. I was asked to take a “break” with two other classes (one I’d been teaching for around five months and the other for four). Usually that means I’ll never hear from them again. I won’t hold my breath, anyway.
In all, my monthly income is down by around $1000 USD. That bites, as it means I have to curb my spending a good deal in order to meet my monthly savings target. New classes always come along eventually, but deciding whether and when to take a trip to the States is never easy.