Wow...I haven't exactly written in what seems like forever. For a while, I just didn't feel like it and then I had almost no time. Finally, something has come up worth mentioning just yesterday. My contract here with English Friends ends this coming January, almost right after the new year. The norm is to renegotiate your contract 3 months before your current one finishes. Well...that 3 month mark passed over a month ago and it seemed as if my bosses would never remember or have extra time to talk with me. I tried one week to set up an appointment and they put it off till the following week, which they promptly forgot about the next week anyway. After that I made them actually pencil in a meeting with me, which we did finally have just yesterday. I really wasn't looking forward to it, as I absolutely "love" bargaining about anything. I remember living in the philippines and having to haggle about the price of almost everything. It took a lot to get me to actually feel like it was even worth arguing about. I know some people get into the spirit of it, but i just find the whole thing more irritating than anything. With that in mind, and knowing how Choi is about money, I wasn't looking forward to having to haggle over my new contract. I did, however, take the time to write down what I optimally wanted and what I would take. Then I had to keep telling myself just to ask for what I wanted and not chicken out and say lower, all the while keeping my cool. I went in with this in mind:

1. 10% raise
2. an extra 5 working days vacation
3. a month off in between contracts

In exchange for these things I was willing to offer to teach kindergarten (which I now have the right to deny) when someone is on vacation and to work up to 36 teaching hours before overtime (it's currently 30 hours).

The good news is that I think I did well, in the end. I stated what I wanted, got pretty flatly turned down, but then with some rational explanations, was able to get some anyhow. I got what the others have all gotten, with a little extra. Oh...that little extra was what really had me smiling afterwards.

I got around a 6% raise, a month off at some point....and 3 extra working days off. Doesn't sound like much, but when you really only get 2 weeks off, including weekends, another half week is just fine with me. Oh, that month off isn't included in the contract either. It's more like an extra free month + a 12 month contract. I don't think I'll be able to actually take that month though until after March, but that part is fine with me.

Now all that's left is for them to actually draft up the new contract, and for me to read it over and sign it...assuming it's all correct.

It's nice having that out of the way. It looks as if I'll be here at least until sometime around Feb 2005. Yeah...long time, but it'll be fine. I'll be able to save up a lot more money too, and then maybe consider grad school.