Fixed-term teachers prohibited from homeroom and official positions... Parental leave and miscarriage leave allowed

Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education Revises Contract Teacher Operation Guidelines... Implements Level 1 Qualification Training

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] From now on, fixed-term teachers at frontline schools in Seoul will not be assigned to high-responsibility positions such as head of student guidance. Parental leave, previously only allowed for regular public officials and educational public employees, will also become available to them.

On the 11th, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education announced that it has sent an official letter to schools at all levels, prohibiting the appointment of fixed-term teachers to supervisory positions with heavy responsibilities in principle, and encouraging that their work assignments not be less favorable compared to regular teachers.

According to the revised "Guidelines for the Operation of Contract Teachers in Public Schools," starting from the new semester, the Seoul Office of Education will, in principle, prohibit the appointment of fixed-term teachers to supervisory positions at frontline schools. This is due to concerns that fixed-term teachers under contract relationships are often burdened with excessive work. Last year alone in Seoul, 52 fixed-term teachers held supervisory positions, and among them, half (25 teachers) served as heads of the Student Guidance Department, responsible for the School Violence Countermeasures Committee, which is considered the most undesirable task by teachers.

The Seoul Office of Education will prioritize regular teachers for both supervisory roles and homeroom teacher positions. However, if it is unavoidable for fixed-term teachers to serve as homeroom teachers, it will be limited to those who either wish to do so or have at least two years of teaching experience and are contracted for more than one year.

The treatment of fixed-term teachers has also been significantly improved. According to Article 19 of the "Act on Equal Employment and Support for Work-Family Balance," fixed-term teachers with children aged 8 or younger or in the second grade or below of elementary school can apply for parental leave for up to one year per child if necessary for child-rearing.

Special leave available to fixed-term teachers now includes "miscarriage or stillbirth leave" and "pregnancy examination leave." Previously, only condolence leave, women's health leave, maternity protection time, childcare time, infertility treatment leave, and child care leave were permitted.

The guidelines have been revised so that fixed-term teachers receive the same support as regular teachers in cases of infringement on educational activities and protection and incident handling arising from accidents during educational activities. The restriction on the 14th salary step, which applied to fixed-term teachers expecting to receive public official pensions, will also be lifted.

Additionally, the Level 1 qualification training, previously conducted only for regular teachers, will be available to fixed-term teachers starting this year. Consequently, fixed-term teachers will have equal opportunities to improve their job skills and can receive salary step increases upon obtaining Level 1 qualifications after completing the training. The education office expects about 400 fixed-term teachers to undergo qualification training sequentially starting this summer vacation.

The education office also allows the health examination report issued by the National Health Insurance Corporation to replace the physical examination certificate previously required again when fixed-term teachers are re-contracted or have their contracts extended at the same school. The physical examination costs range from 30,000 to 50,000 KRW per session.

The hiring and contracting procedures for fixed-term teachers have been simplified. To reduce the burden of various documents schools must handle, the number of pledges and confirmations required during fixed-term teacher recruitment has been minimized. The mandatory public recruitment announcement, previously required for hiring fixed-term teachers for three months or more, has been changed to apply only when hiring for six months or more, reducing administrative workload caused by frequent announcements.

A Seoul Office of Education official said, "Through this guideline revision, we expect not only improvements in the treatment of fixed-term teachers but also a reduction in school workload."