What plans do you have for this summer vacation? Last October, the Web site Albamon, which mainly introduces and gives information on part-time jobs, surveyed university students. It showed that their first plan for this summer vacation is doing a part-time job. Keimyung students might have the same plan. Therefore, the Gazette would like to introduce special part-time jobs and the facts which workers have to know before starting work.

● Unusual Part-time Jobs
Special part-time jobs are popular because if people do them, they can earn money and get special experiences which they can’t get in everyday life.
- Camp staff
Working as a camp staff member for a week or a month, camp staff can earn much more money than other part-time jobs. Nowadays, there are many boarding camps for learning English. The staff participate in the camp leading and caring for children. They direct the programs and stay with the children.
Most camps are usually held during vacation. They recruit camp staff and teachers 2 months before the camps. The staff are usually selected by a document screening process and interview. If you want to be a camp staff member, you should have sociability and teamwork to get along with people of various ages and countries. Of course, English ability is important because the staff live with foreigners and children. If you are interested in becoming a camp staff member, visit the Camp Korea Website (www.ck.co.kr)
-Beach Lifeguards
Rescue workers are indispensable people on the beach. People who have a life-saving qualification or water sports license can apply to become lifeguards. You can get room and board and social insurance.

-Wake-up Call
Nowadays, people who can’t wake-up early in the morning are increasing. There is a wake-up call job for these people. Wake-up call workers provide various services like today’s weather, wise sayings, poetry readings, and morning news. The most important thing in this job is calling more than two times at regular intervals until customers wake up. The job kills two birds with one stone because you can earn money and also you have to wake up early.

● Things you have to know about part-time jobs

1. Minimum wage
You have to know about the minimum wage law to get fair compensation for your work.

Applicable Period: 2011. 01. 01 - 2011. 12. 31
Minimum Wages: hourly wage 4,320 won
3,888 won (during the training period)

2. Employment contract
You should make a contract for a stable part-time job because employers sometimes change their minds about pay or working conditions, so you have to make the contract and keep it. If you want more information, visit the National Assembly of the Republic of the Korea Website http://likms.assembly.go.kr/law and read the Labor Standards Act.

3. Bad part-time jobs
You should apply for part-time jobs after researching whether the workplace is safe or not. There are workplaces which demand money so you should be very careful.

4. Prepare for a rough deal
Many employees are treated unfairly, but it will be helpful if you learn about the ways to cope with a rough deal. You can report the unfair treatment to MOEL (the Ministry of Employment and Labor) through the Internet or by visiting the ministry directly. You can get counseling through calling or sending a text message to 1544-1350. If you want more information, visit the MOEL Website http://www.moel.go.kr.

You won’t worry about unfair treatment if you know these things. The Gazette wants Keimyung students to gain experiences that they will never forget and enjoy their work.

-Job Interviews

● Sohn Hyun-joo
Dept. of European Studies

1. Please introduce your job.
I am work for a clothing store downtown. My role is to assist managers in operating the store. Usually, I work as a cashier and arrange products and clean up the store.

2. Why did you start your part-time job?
I wanted to raise money for traveling. I opened an installment savings account after I got this part-time job. Also, I thought working at a clothing store is interesting.

3. What are the attractions of your part-time job?
The most attractive thing is meeting a lot of people. I also can buy clothes at a discount price.

4. What kind of difficulties do you have in your job?
I am really tired physically and also have much stress from customers. While some customers are nice and friendly, I am embarrassed sometimes by unreasonable demands from customers.

5. Do you have any special or funny episode?
When I was a cashier, I had to serve a foreigner. I explained the exchange and refund system of my store with my awkward English. After a while, he spoke to someone by cell phone in fluent Korean. I was really embarrassed and shy.

6. What have you learned from your part-time job?
I got positive thinking! I learned that everything depends on me. I just try to always smile. Most customers ignore my greeting, but there are some customers who return my greeting pleasantly. I am really happy when a customer returns my greeting.

● Kim Sae-rom
Dept. of European Studies

1. Please introduce your work.
I’m working at McDonald’s as a manager. I check the ingredients used in hamburgers and cooking utensils. I also play a staff management role.

2. Why did you start doing a part-time job?
After the Korean Scholastic Ability Test, I wanted to earn money by myself. I joined McDonald’s as a part-time worker. At first, I was unfamiliar with everything. I worked enthusiastically and more steadily than any other person. As a result, I got promoted to manager. Now, I am earning enough money to make a living by myself.

3. What are the attractions of your part-time job?
From housewives to students, there are many staff from all age groups. Therefore, I can meet many people who have lots of experiences. The active atmosphere is one of the attractions. Any person can be promoted regardless of academic ability or age. They just need sincerity.

4. What kind of difficulties do you have in your job?
Because most of the staff are students, there is a shortage of labor in the exam period. Ironically, there are more customers in the same period. During the exam period, we all are tired mentally as well as physically. Above all, it is really difficult to deal with a stubborn customer. Nevertheless, I feel satisfaction when I handle a customer with success.

5. Do you have any special or funny episode?
Whenever I work, I encounter funny or special moments. Instead of a mother who needed to go to the toilet, I had to take care of her baby for a moment. Thanks to many episodes, I can handle everything with a positive attitude and have many experiences during my part-time job.

6. What have you learned from your part-time job?
I learned lots of skills for managing staff. For example, calling their names makes the employees feel good. I think these skills are really useful in life. There are many difficult situations in work. Nevertheless, I try to remember the lessons I learned.