Topics: Sick Days

The standard allotment of sick days given to foreign teachers at a hagwon (private academy) is 3 days for the whole year. They don’t last long if you are very ill even once. But it can be very difficult to take them at all.

Koreans have a different view of illness and missing work. They aren’t given any sick days at all, even when foreigners in the same position have them. They are expected to be at work even if they are extremely ill. Only hospitalization and major surgery would be good enough excuses for being absent. So many people here think that having 3 paid sick days is very generous.

Because of this ideal, when you call in sick, they are very reluctant to accept your reasoning. They will usually try to talk you out of missing the day using Korean reasoning (?) and guilt. If these don’t work, as with my first illness, I was told my director was coming over to get me and take me to a doctor. It was under the guise of helping me to get well, but I knew she wanted proof that I was actually sick. And she got it.

I was only able to stay home and rest because the doctor told her that I needed to do so. The second time I was sick, I went to work for several days so they could witness my downward spiral. Once they were convinced, it was them who told me to go home. I hope that they learned that I don’t just pretend to be sick. If I am truly too sick to work, and need to rest to get better, that’s when I will use my sick days, and not before.