Over half of South Korean kindergarten teachers unable to use sick or family leave

A recent survey reveals that more than half of South Korean kindergarten teachers were unable to utilize their entitled sick leave or family care leave over the past year. The study, conducted by the Korean Teachers and Education Workers' Union (KTU), surveyed 2,278 teachers from public and private kindergartens.

According to the findings, 52.6% of respondents, totaling 1,199 teachers, reported not taking any health or family care leave. This figure is notably higher than the 26.1% who stated they had no reason to use such leave. The survey was prompted by recent incidents highlighting the difficult working conditions for kindergarten teachers, including the death of a teacher who worked while ill with the flu.

The primary obstacles preventing teachers from taking leave were the difficulty in securing substitute teachers, cited by 31.5% of respondents. Additionally, 25.6% felt pressured by their supervisors or the organizational atmosphere, while 22.9% were concerned about increasing the workload for their colleagues.

“

When my child was sick at kindergarten or school, I asked family or friends to look after them. As a kindergarten teacher, I felt a responsibility to care for the children in my class more than my own child, but the bigger reason was the difficulty in finding substitute teachers and the pressure from administrators.

Beyond leave policies, the survey also shed light on broader issues affecting teachers' rights and well-being. A significant number of teachers experienced difficulties with administrative tasks, such as excessive documentation and mandatory photo submissions for mobile notifications. Many also reported facing unreasonable demands from management and a lack of institutional support when dealing with complaints.

To address these challenges, the KTU is advocating for several measures, including the establishment of a pool of full-time substitute teachers for kindergartens, stricter guidelines and oversight for administrators, and a more robust system for handling complaints. They also called for the transfer of administrative duties to dedicated offices and the introduction of after-school care coordinators.

“

This situation is not limited to health and family care leave. Any leave, such as annual or sick leave, cannot be taken comfortably by teachers when needed in reality.