Gil Eun-Young (41), who has worked for 15 years as an after-school instructor at an elementary school in southern Gyeonggi, found herself in a bind with the public sector alternate-day vehicle rule taking effect on the 8th. This spring semester she is teaching five classes at four schools, and on Tuesdays and Thursdays she has to go back and forth between two schools. The school where she teaches on Fridays is also hard to reach by public transportation. Gil said, “Private-car-based ‘mobility’ itself is the key to making a living,” and added, “I cannot stay at one school, so I have to travel among several, and many places have poor access to public transportation, leaving no option other than a private car.”

Woo Jung-Suk (45), who has worked as an after-school instructor in Daegu for 15 years, is in the same situation. She has to get to work, and the only option is a taxi. Woo said, “Even if fuel prices rise, driving my own car is unavoidable, but with the alternate-day rule in force I ultimately have to use alternatives such as taxis,” and added, “With no transport subsidy, days when I travel between multiple schools become far more burdensome.”

On the day the alternate-day vehicle rule for public institutions such as schools took effect, after-school instructors at schools were immediately thrown into confusion. A private car is essential because they teach while moving between several schools, yet they must follow the rule the same as regular faculty and staff. Among after-school instructors, complaints arose that, “We occupy the most vulnerable position in schools, yet responsibilities on par with civil servants are demanded of us.”

After-school instructors must carry the tools and materials needed for each class. Woo said, “When I teach cooking, I carry two ovens and even ingredients; on those days, even if I stack the load like a mountain on a camping cart, I have to go back and forth several times,” and added, “If I lower the quality of the class, it becomes hard to secure a contract for the next semester, so I put up with the inconvenience.” Kim Jin-Hee (42), who teaches abacus in Daegu, also said, “I collect more than 70 workbooks every class, grade them, and return them,” and continued, “A life science instructor carries turtles and fish; an abacus instructor carries dozens of books; a ceramics instructor carries various equipment every time.”

Most schools have no space dedicated to after-school instructors. Park Ji-Eun, national division head of the National School Non-regular Workers Union, said, “Many schools do not allow them to leave their belongings, citing a lack of space or the fact that they are not faculty.”

Standards for applying the alternate-day vehicle rule differ by region and by school, causing greater confusion. This is because education offices have left it to principals to decide whether after-school instructors fall into the ‘faculty’ category.

Some education offices, including those in Seoul and Busan, announced via an official notice on the 7th that after-school instructors are excluded from the rule. However, in many regions such as Gyeonggi and Daegu, clear guidance is still lacking, and standards are being applied differently by school. At some schools, after-school instructors were told, “Come by taxi”, “Bring your materials in a wheeled carrier”.

After-school instructors share information on ‘parking-possible places’ such as inexpensive paid parking lots, along alley walls away from school zones, and parking lots of multi-family housing, and are ‘on their own’ in solving the difficulties.

It is also hard to refuse school directives. Most after-school instructors work on contracts of one year or a single semester. Instructor A said, “I have no choice but to use public transportation because I have to be mindful of the school.” Woo said, “Even if I work at one school for more than ten years, I still have to sign a new contract every year, no different from a ‘one-year outsider’.”

Woo said, “In the past, when the five-day vehicle rotation was implemented as a fine dust reduction measure, I had no parking space and received tickets every week for 40,000 won,” and added, “This is not the first time after-school instructors have been left in a policy blind spot.” Gil said, “For occupations that must use private cars to make a living, realistic exceptions or support are needed when applying policies,” and continued, “Improving treatment at the government level is urgent.”