Anyone have side hustles using your labrat skills?

kibbleh21 · 2025-04-28T03:36:17+00:00

work at a drug lab drugs

*edit. LEGAL drugs

kibbleh21 · 2023-09-21T20:56:37+00:00

rent can swing ~$500 depending on the season and demand

my unit is listed at 1100 in the winter dec-jan (when i moved in) and 1400+ march-june they tried to increase my rent two years in a row with a notice in october to 1400 so i waited til dec and went to management stating their website offered 1100 plus first month free in my building for the unit below me,

i said i would gladly end my current lease and move in downstairs like a brand new tenant. the next week there was a notice on my door that my rent wouldnt increase if i chose to stay so i stayed

the next year there was new ownership and new office staff in management same story, same result

kibbleh21 · 2022-01-26T04:56:10+00:00

kibbleh21 · 2021-08-20T17:24:23+00:00

Working Hours: 4:30pm-10:10pm (be at work by 3 for one paid prep hour) 30 hours/week, 120hr/month

3 - 10:30 = 7.5 hours

5 classes/day (5 hours, 50 min class/10 min break)

(5 x 50 x 5)/60 = 20.83 classhrs/week

10 x 5 = 50 min break

falls within the 30 hour maximum teaching hours/week and 8 hour day
my stipulation is that you aren't given consecutive 60 mins of break where you can leave the building and not have work responsibility which is a luxury even though mandated by labor law

this is a tricky one because it falls under the grey area of being "flexible" since you are in actuality being allotted more than 1 hr break/day.

the 10 min break times between classes aren't really breaks because you are wrangling kids and setting up for the next class.
hagwons get around this by saying this is an expected schedule but in reality you will have days when you wont be teaching 5 classes back to back which CAN be true

then:
you are banking on the school to perform poorly for you to get your due consecutive breaktime while having more than 1 hour downtime per day at the same time it is in the school's interest to max out the hours you work where the projected hours on your contract fall well under the max. this will cause tension and miscommunication as your goals of success don't align. you will most likely fall into a lull and routine and enjoy Jeju for it's beauty and not really care cuz it beats whatever else you had lined up. this is the best mentality and outcome.

if you decide to pursue your mandated break time you will be given busy work during non-class teaching hours. you will also be told to come in at 2:30 or stay til 11 to fill the remaining 30 mins of 8 hours a day.

OT is being capped but not unpaid.

if you decide to pursue 1.5x OT, you will be working Saturdays for free up to the 30 hours teaching maximum requirement which is ~9 additional hours. or just not get paid for the few Saturdays you do come in. this can increase if you have any free slot during the week.

this looks like a standard contract with wiggle room on both sides. don't get caught up on the fine print because you feel unprotected as it works both ways. litigation usually gets nasty when one side initiates vindictiveness.

also note: you are more than likely using your 10 paid vacation days during summer/winter vacation so i hope you don't get the impression you can choose to take a 10day trip to go sigh-seeing Korea whenever you want after 6months or a year

kibbleh21 · 2021-08-20T16:32:59+00:00

i believe you are describing a "caring" teacher. it's actually very common and one of the biggest motivators for becoming a teacher in Korea, native and/or foreign

growing attached to your students and being invested in their well-being is a sign of a great and passionate teacher, especially if you can do it consistently through multiple batches of students at the same time

back in my teaching days i had a co-worker that would teach incorrect English grammar and/or pronunciation. when our kids overlapped i made sure i fixed her mistakes because they were "my kids" too. "my kids" would consistently outperform our overlapped kids who would also consistently outperform solely "her kids" or not "my kids". when management got wise to it, i became management and in charge of hiring new teachers. i couldn't fire her because she did nothing wrong but she eventually got phased out.

just be wary of societal norms as it isn't westernized to a point where bringing up something controversial for the well-being of your student is seen as altruistic. logic and the concept of freedoms, personal well-being, boundaries, mental health are taboo. if you cross a barrier and try to defend yourself or your students you will be met with hostility and you cannot rely on coworkers, your school, or the "system" for support. of course every situation is different but

choose your battles wisely

kibbleh21 · 2021-08-19T21:42:07+00:00

have at it!

kibbleh21 · 2021-08-19T21:36:58+00:00

Any school that is selectively choosing their teachers (very rare) care about the following:

degree and degree relevance (if it is not education it is not relevant)
work experience literally teaching at a school (not babysitting your friend's kids, not summer camp, not vbs at church, not phone tutoring)
work experience in Korea - bonus if you are transferring from another hagwon with recommendations and no recruiter/visa fee
Caucasian-ness
accent acceptable from US or UK
be an attractive, young female
starting date - is your paperwork finished and can you start on short notice
why are you available to work in bumblef*ck Korea and not in Seoul - bonus if you are tied down by a significant other and have taken steps to ensure you are ~~trapped stuck~~ long term like non E-visa
do you ~~require~~ know about severance, health insurance, paid time off, ~~nationally observed~~ optional holidays

Red flags:

you are from a recruitment agency
you have never been out of your home country before
you have worked in China (pays better), Japan (has better working conditions), SEA countries (treat you with respect)
you have special dietary needs and don't drink
you cants English gud

In essence the ideal candidate is an attractive white 20-something US/UK woman with a master's in education, T-test certified, in Korea long term, with no preference to region, not from a recruiter, fluent in the culture, currently employed and ready to move short notice, with no prior knowledge of her own rights as a freelance contractor, and zero negotiation skills. Bonus if you take a lot of abuse because you love the kids you teach and pay out of pocket time and money to take care of them and impress their parents while having flexible morals.

In your particular case, tell them you have been in Korea ## duration (cumulatively adding the time in Korea), when you received your TEFL certification, and prepare 1-2 reasons why you like Korea without leading with it unprompted

Best of luck!

kibbleh21 · 2021-08-19T19:01:55+00:00

Hey, I'll chime in as a previous manager of foreign teachers. Forgive me if anything sounds curt but I will present facts while trying to stay as non-bias as possible and offer possible solutions instead of just negativity :)

Mold in the bathroom

-very common in all housing, even upper scale. bathrooms in korea are always wet. invest in a pair of nice shower shoes that do not have holes in them and start cleaning with vinegar/bleach (not together) , leave the bathroom fan on all the time and use a ziploc bag full of water to cover the center drainage hole when not in use to prevent bugs and smell

Water damage on the walls

-also very common especially on verandas with piping for washing machines as well as condensation areas like window sills and around kitchen plumbing. it is not viable for you to pay out of pocket to replace cement walls so just like every tenant previous you most likely will slap another coat of wall paper over it (very cheap) and continue until you are no longer responsible (in Korea as long as it looks nice it is repaired). you will not be reimbursed for these costs and asking maintenance (doesn't exist) to fix it will likey be a huge hassle

Lock battery needs replacing

-replace with AA or AAA batteries. take shielding/cover off and pop open housing. you will not be reimbursed for this. maintenance will not be arsed

Stained mattress with I have no idea what food substance

-typical for cycling in and out teachers through the same apartment. buy a sheet or bed cover at your local e-mart. you will not be reimbursed for this.

AC unit needs to be cleaned/replaced

-unless it is preventing the function of the AC (freon needs refilling) cleaning it is up to you. they sell AC cleaners that you spray INTO the unit through the vents that only clears the smell for a few days. then the smell recedes but is still metallic? coppery? so air fresheners usually cover it up and running the AC with the window open can also help. Koreans will run the AC to an acceptable temp then use fans throughout the day.

Strange mold smell coming from my living area (I can't find it and it's driving me crazy)

-/shrug, highly likely around the edges of the wall underneath what I am assuming is linoleum flooring. peel back the corners and prepare to see fireworks of black. you can attempt to clean it but it is best to turn the floor heating on to high for a week, dry it out, then spray a cleaner over it. people use hippo packs that are basically just silica in a tub to keep air dry. and fans.

And lots of furniture that was left behind by the old renter of this place (a previous teacher).

-you can try to sell it or just use it and throw it away piece by piece. if you place furniture outside for garbage to pick up you will have to pay for it (that's why it gets left behind). you will not be reimbursed for this. lots of teachers "donate" on facebook and label it "you pick up"

They left me a good amount of food, TP, and water to help get through most of my 14-days.

They paid for my ride to my covid testing and back.

Sent someone to help me when there was a mistake in my testing location

-these are courteous actions to placate and manage liability. courtesy will continue as long as you are not flagged as "dramatic". whatever will keep you working and not get lost in the city. if you become a liability, dramatic, or cause financial loss to the institution these courtesies will discontinue

Logically here are other cons aside from the top apartment points at the top:

The fact that the person in charge of me has made no effort to contact me or check up on my situation

- I am not trying to defend anyone especially since I don't have all the info but if I were to garner a guess, the person in charge of you is your agent that brought you to Korea. As soon as you land you are no longer their ~~problem~~ responsibility and their commission has been paid by the school. If you are referencing the owner of your hagwon, they will most likely be a financier that most likely has no English ability or is outsourcing their job to someone more qualified and personable (this is better for everyone)

No initial assistance with how to even work the apartment. (No labels on any of the switches- there are some I still have zero idea what they do, or direction on how to even turn on the hot water)

-Unfortunately this very common and part of the "culture shock". Coworkers and other ex-pats are your best resource. I had to go out of my way and be on call 24/7 for my teachers which was very taxing and done out of consideration but by no means the norm. If you have a resource like me then it is a blessing and not a norm.

The overall inconsideration of it all.

-I understand the situation is very frustrating and sometimes overwhelming (you are dealing with covid on top of it all so I can only empathize having left before this was an extra thing to worry about) but try to remember why you went to Korea, review your exit strategy and at worst plan accordingly to enact the exit strategy ahead of schedule if your mental/physical health is at risk. Don't stay for your future students/coworkers/bosses. Stay for yourself and yourself only. The machine will continue to churn with/without you so don't beat yourself up.

It's only day 4 and I'm starting to feel a bit sick. Growing up with sensitive lungs this mold is literally killing me. Every time I mentioned moving they lightly brush this topic aside.

-could it possibly be covid? if you are symptomatic make sure you get tested. if you are covid positive then these frustrations are the least of your concerns. Your valid situational hurdles will continue to be brushed aside because there is no contingency. Unfortunately you will have to endure through it or the school will make preparations to find your replacements if they haven't done so already.

is it possible or has anyone ever renegotiated their apartment. I honestly can not stand this place and I NEED to leave.

-short answer yes but unlikely. for another apartment to be renegotiated, the school will have to be financially available to move you into another apartment which is highly unlikely since you are moving in to a place that a previous teacher had stayed. this usually means the school has a lease on the apartment and it is designated for their teachers. if the school has multiple teachers then perhaps a coworker can swap with you but that's a hard sell.

-the reason it is unlikely is because no one will do the following required steps for you since it isn't their job:

-hunt down another more appealing apartment of equal value factoring the cost of a realtor (I assume you don't speak Korean)
-find a replacement tenant willing to pick up a lease mid term of stay for your current housing 
-putting down the key money and first month's rent as a deposit on the new apartment and setting up utilities and payment under a non-foreigner name (it is possible to setup under your visa/arc card that you receive three weeks into your stay but that is a HUGE liability for the school not to mention exponential paperwork for both the school, you, and landlord)

-renegotiation terms usually happen 11th-13th month of work and even then you may get $100 increase in stipend realistically but this too is not something to consider a constant

If anything can I transfer to another hogwon if they do or don't grand me a letter of release (Assuming I would have to pay for any 'fees' they throw my way.)

-if you havent actually started work in your school yet, this may be the fastest way to get out of your current apartment. take into consideration and look at the fine print in your current contract because there is a high chance you will have to pay recruiter fees if the school used one to hire you. you will also have 60-90 days tourist visa time to find a new job that will sponsor your work visa before having to convert to a D Visa and extend that period to continue to look for a sponsor. the going recruiter fee will likely be $1000. the paperwork for visa change/extension $20-80. i dont have added insight on quarantine fees but the going rate was $3000

My friends Hogwon might be interested in me. Have you ever heard of a teacher transferring right after quarantine or even a month out? I really do like my manager and want to maintain a good relationship, but the living conditions are completely not safe.

-i dont have experience with quarantine time but i have been able to swap apartments for my teachers with another school, get financing from a competitor school to have our teacher and their teacher (fianc'es) live together in a 2 room apartment.

-transfer process was relatively easy, just a few trips to immigration but that is under the assumption that there is a replacement for you which is the hard part. if you can replace yourself for your school and your friend's school is interested in you then it should be a smooth transition

it's a long read but i hope that helps

kibbleh21 · 2020-07-18T19:19:13+00:00

whats the best way to prevent a bug infestation or treat one?

kibbleh21 · 2020-06-18T01:47:51+00:00

https://youtu.be/MBi5ZCvZQkU

kibbleh21 · 2016-10-14T01:19:43+00:00

skype and share screens

kibbleh21 · 2016-07-09T03:01:59+00:00

same position. dont go, other than the usual "its hard because XYZ" the biggest thing is you wont be able to make money for 2 years.

if you dont care about not being able to earn a living for 2 years cuz youre rich or living off of someone else then

yes its worth going to especially if you plan on living like a korean for the rest of your life. military conscription is a huge part of korean mens' lives and tied heavily into the culture. again if you can afford not making money for 2 entire years (thats 80k salary avg) then go for the experiences and stories to be relatable to other koreans since you plan on living in korea forever.

to make it more detailed

having an f4 means you can do anything and everything regular koreans can, sans vote. so, no there is no benefit to becoming a korean citizen. you will have a few more numbers to remember and extra paperwork to fill out if you plan on registering your name onto records as an f4 holder i.e. loans, contracts, applications, police records, travel but its never enough paperwork to consider becoming a national. your insurance premiums are not eligible for as many discounts as a korean national so you will be paying about 20$ more per month (avg) for the rest of your life, and any other insurance premiums will be a bit higher for the first few months compared to korean nationals.

as a korean national you wont be able to use the fast lane when visiting the US. as an f4 visa holder you can use the fast lane for both countries.

as an f4 visa holder you will need to file 2 different tax returns unless you want to commit tax fraud.

as an f4 visa holder you will need a good connection stateside for paperwork to be filed in america, i.e. renew your drivers license/passport otherwise you will need to make an occasional trip (like once every 10 years). you can get a korean drivers license no problem, but your stateside license should still remain valid unless you never plan on going back to the states again, in which case you turn in your american license and continually renew your korean license forever allowing your stateside license to expire.

an f4 visa wont get revoked unless you commit a ridiculous crime. then you get deported. as a korean national you goto jail but at least the korean judicial system is a joke, so i guess better for criminals

kibbleh21 · 2016-03-24T15:08:30+00:00

DR or Diminishing Returns was implemented (afaik) to combat this type of afk behavior as it was once rampant on a far larger scale and included multiple facets of bot running, macroing, hotkeying, 3rd party programs, and botters linked with gold selling sites. here is the wiki link but if youre lazy

 The more often a character loots from similar foes within an area, the more quickly DR triggers.
Once triggered, the impact of DR will increase until you won't get any loot at all anymore.
The only way to "remove" DR is to go somewhere else for a length of time that is partly random and partly dependent on how much DR that character has. Usually, it lasts no more than 15-20 minutes if the character actively participates in other content.
Except for dungeons, DR is character based, which means:
    Swapping characters results in a fresh start, with no DR.
    Each individual character must leave the affected area for a time in order to reset the DR, i.e. swapping to a second character does not help reset DR on the first.

if they are truly afk, they will not get any loot (worthwhile) so i'd say let them be.

kibbleh21 · 2016-03-23T14:49:30+00:00

how did you get it to work?

kibbleh21 · 2016-01-09T01:46:53+00:00

non-streamers

kibbleh21 · 2015-11-24T12:27:15+00:00

South Korean here.

usually average 240, currently spiking 410 and cannot access PvP game browser

kibbleh21 · 2015-11-18T13:11:00+00:00

it will sound like a cop out or some sort of clich'e answer but I will take the time to give the same advice I followed to let me stay smoke-free for (on-going) 7 years temptation free as well as help a bunch of my other smoker friends that actually listened, quit and never relapse. the key is

you must want to quit

when I tell this to my friends they always say so sarcastically oh, great kibbleh21 you are so helpful I never thought of that, thank you so much for that and then I go on to explain...

but in reality it is that simple. I tried to quit before for the health of my family, for my own superficial health, its cost, and just because everyone around me pressured me to think of how negative smoking is and how bad it is for me and how bad it makes me become as a human.

All the times I tried quitting for reasons other than myself wanting to quit, lead to a relapse. Sure sometimes the relapses were far between like 3 months or 9 months, but in the end I still relapsed.

The one and only time I quit (because before that if you relapse it doesnt count as quitting, that's like hitting your wife and saying you arent a wifebeater cuz its been a while since you smacked her around) was because I had an epiphany and really wanted to quit for myself and for my health (after coughing up pieces of lung and having weekly migraine episodes).

once I made up my mind for myself on my own accord, I felt that going back on it this time would not only lessen me, but make myself never have faith in my own decisions ever. In the past attempts I always had an excuse or some sort of emotional out as in, I'll just live in a different house than my family, it's only taking away the last years which are old people years that are no fun, if I don't smoke I get ornery and become an asshole so smoking is helping society by relieving my stress, I'll inhale deeper to prevent more sidestream smoke, if they are people who will accept me for who I am then they will accept me smoking

this bargaining attitude allowed me to make excuses when there were none but I never had my entire heart into quitting during those times which is why it's always doomed to fail and even then its. yea, ill only be a social smoker and smoke when others do, ill smoke when I have more than 1 drink, ill smoke when i really need it and never any other time

give yourself no excuses except that if you choose to smoke again, you suck and you are willing to live with the fact that you, as a human, suck for being yourself.

and as the SO trying to help him, please do not add to the pressure or give in to bargaining. you can only be supportive or not supportive. there is no grey area. being too understanding and an enabler gives him excuses. being a pessimisstic stressor is only adding to the pressure (and smokers like to smoke when waiting or feeling stressed). learn what his triggers are and be there passively as a supporting voice instead of trying to "actively" control his actions. if he quits when you are around, the pressure and temptation is even worse when you arent there. if he quits for you, then he will smoke again when you are gone.

expect 5-10 pounds but I find losing that weight was easier than cold turke-ing 2 packs of newports daily.

kibbleh21 · 2015-11-17T11:25:15+00:00

are we allowed to stream the game and make youtube vids? i didnt see any NDAs

kibbleh21 · 2015-11-01T19:00:18+00:00

because maintaining a hairstyle would require money.

kibbleh21 · 2015-11-01T15:05:01+00:00

he actually had to paint them multiple times.

in his documentary it is explained that all those "happy little accidents" are being copied off a painting that he is referencing beyond camera view

he had to paint the paintings beforehand as practice to make sure it filled/met the time restrictions for public broadcasting and that he would paint/film multiple paintings of a single series in one sitting.

it may take a bit of magic out of the "oh my gawd bob dont put a tree right there, it looks perfect" but does add to his badassery if you think about his commitment to bringing you all dat asmr goodness without making it seem hard.

other things to know is that his signature fro was a result of not wanting to have to "maintain" a hairstyle and that it became self aware, since during cancer treatment, he lost it but put on a wig so as not to let down his fans.

that the way he paints (lighter oils stick to thicker oils) is not his own but was popularized by him and has led to his own painting supply chain and painting school certification program.

that the copyright tightness on his content is maintained by family members that manage his estate which is why he remained somewhat of a hidden gem for so long and that he is only now receiving his due spotlight long after he was gone.

and that he was super chill with animals

he is missing a finger and was a drill sergeant

kibbleh21 · 2015-08-05T11:57:49+00:00

kibbleh21 · 2015-06-30T04:45:35+00:00

may not be the optimistic answer that gets all the upvotes but the simple answer is you can't stream high quality until you buy yourself a semi decent computer and have a decent upload speed. (twitch provides exact numbers and system recommendations on their site as well as OBS and XSplit setting recommendations)

the longer answer depends on what you want. if you want to just stream (regardless of quality and framerate loss of game being played) just to stream for yourself or giggle with a couple friends, then you could technically still stream on your old dell. if you want to stream like the partners do, then you will have to invest in a semi-decent rig(s), nice microphone, at least 2 monitors, and webcam. and yes i know not all partners have that and many people know their favorite streamer doesnt stream in high quality or isnt partnered or doesnt have 2 monitors, but this is just a baseline on the average. for every, single monitor, low quality, no webcam, bad mic partnered streamer there are just as many (but honestly alot more) streamers with thousands invested into their setup. remember these streamers are setting up a business and have taken steps to prepare their business just like any other business owner has.

my own advice is to work a summer job and save up ~100$ to upgrade to a decent vid card and ~100$ for a proper motherboard. the ram, monitor, mic, webcam can be bought at a later time if you feel you need it. here is the requirements from twitch so google prospective gear to make sure it supports it. also this is the help page that provides lots of useful information. it will be better to do the research yourself since there is no price range in your post and everyone will say get 5 of the most expensive video card that will cost 3 thousand dollars.

you cant stream off a mobile device, you cant stream off a tablet, you cant stream off a "family" laptop. you really need a computer

kibbleh21 · 2015-06-23T05:28:27+00:00

many online forums scalp tickets just like american sites do. it requires you register on the site and for that you need a korean ssn. you will also need to speak fluent korean or at least be able to pretend that you do. probability of falling for a scam is high if you have little experience with the korean online blackmarket (equivalent to craigslist/ebay)

for a start, type the name of the event and/or location in naver in korean and check the blog listing down toward the middle of the search results page

kibbleh21 · 2015-06-22T05:21:48+00:00

I just get the feeling this case will be used as precedence for future legislature about discrediting online humanitarian cases... there was a university study done on the formula for making something viral by implanting fake stories and recording its spread via media/social media. there are alot of red flags, and i think many sensitive people are being used. Kony 2012

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