Unusual Work Which You Can Do at the University

Most Students who are studying in university usually meet up with a friend, and spend lots of time enjoying their hobbies or eating together. They work a part time job or receive pocket money from their parents for covering these kinds of expenses. The university or government can grant a scholarship for people who work a part time job at their university.

These scholarships are divided into two types. One type is from Korea Student Aid Foundation. The purpose of this scholarship is to provide various job experiences for students to enhance their ability to work which in their major and to give an equal chance for all students to focus on their study. The other scholarship is from the university. They pay money for simple jobs like receiving a calls. Most work in university is a desk job. But there are few people whose work is unusual. Among these, we met Seung-jinwoo (23 years old, department of special education) who is working as an energy keeper and Lee-Hyeonu (25 years old, department of mechanical engineering) who is working as a vegetable garden keeper.

Q: How did you find this work information and who do you work for?

Lee: The financial department at the university manages my schedules and work. I worked a desk job before in the financial department and one of the coworkers recommended me as a vegetable garden keeper when I quit the desk job. That’s where I got the information from.

Seung: First of all, energy keeper is a combination of labor policy and energy policy from government. I cannot say where I get money from exactly because this is government policy but my dean and teaching assistant recommend this job to me. I work in the facility department at the university.

Q: What is your main work?

Lee: I’m an assistant of managing national property. There are many people who cultivate vegetables on campus. I manage these regions and do not allow them to cultivate.

Seung: My main work is checking and managing the aisle light during the day and classrooms where someone uses the heater by oneself.

Q: It is quite hard to check how many hours you work. How do they check it out?

Lee: My department requires written oath which is a promise that they never cultivate again. My work time is approved when I submit it to my department. But the contents in written oath contain heavy fines like 10,000,000 won so some people don’t want to sign. Then I just get their number and submit it to my department.

Q: How long do you work for and how much do they pay for you?

Lee: I worked 60 hours a month and 15 hours a week before the schedule was changed. Now I work 55 hours for a month and 14 hours a week. My hourly wage is 8,000 won.

Seung: My maximum time is 2 hours a day and 40 days from 12^th of November to 25^th January with my partner. My hourly wage is 8,000 won.

Q: How do you feel about your unusual work?

Lee: I met more than 10 elder people and some of them are uncooperative. They just disregard me sometimes when I was trying to say that you cannot cultivate here. I got stress from time to time when I met them again. Moreover, walking around this spacious campus to check out these days is so cold and raining but the hot season made it so hard to keep checking.

Seung: I fill with pride whenever I see the aisle or classroom light off. Many people are interested in our work and participate to save energy since we work as an energy keeper.

He wears an clothes that say “energy keeper”

The view on the campus

박준호  micheen12@naver.com

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