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VTC condones plagiarism, falsifies attendance records

 
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Dude Love Japan



Joined: 29 Nov 2006
Posts: 111

PostPosted: Tue Oct 11, 2016 3:18 am    Post subject: VTC condones plagiarism, falsifies attendance records Reply with quote

During the induction period I attended the nine new teachers in my cohort were repeatedly and unequivocally told to have low expectations of students and not to push them, Pygmalion Effect be damned.

-At age thirty-five I was the oldest one. To my knowledge every single other teacher was in his or her twenties and had no teaching qualification whatsoever (at the time I had a Cambridge CELTA and I was and remain an HK EDB PNET candidate).

-There was a flaming homosexual student in one of my classes, akw. He repeatedly made sexually suggestive comments to me in front of the entire class, even after I asked him to stop. I said I didn't appreciate his jokes and he said verbatim "I'm not joking." I emailed VTC admin about this repeatedly and they said they conducted an investigation and found my claims of sexual harassment to be false. I repeatedly emailed and asked for evidence that they conducted an investigation and they couldn't provide any. Approximately a year later I dealt with akw at the Equal Opportunity Commission and he swore under oath that he hadn't even been informed of any complaints. I believe him.

-Later, akw and a classmate arrived in time for class, swiped their attendance cards and left immediately. This was terribly brazen and disrespectful. They returned twenty minutes later (there's a fifteen-minute grace period). I told them I knew what they were up to and that I'd alter their attendance records after class. akw said "F___ you" to me. I asked him to retract his statement. He refused and started crying. I asked him to leave three times and he refused. I went upstairs to ask for help from a supervisor, FM. He told Kinwa that he could stay, he didn't gave to apologize and that he'd be marked present for class. I asked FM for help and instead he profoundly snubbed me in front of my students.

-At the last staff meeting I attended, presumably in reference to the previously mentioned event, AC unequivocally told a room full of teachers to do nothing when students abused VTC's meaningless Class Attendance System.

-FM asked me to falsify attendance records so that students who ought to fail would pass.

-The boss of my department was AC. She started at IVE Chaiwan at the same time as I did. She hadn't taught for the twenty previous years and her husband was a former VTC employee (she got her job through nepotism).

-During one class students were supposed to submit an assignment at the beginning of class (it was homework). Two attached were submitted at the end of class, both were "written" by students sitting together and one student handed both to me. I'm not concerned that they're similar in content but rather what I just said about them and most of all that they have countless errors in common. The handwritten one was obviously a copy of the typed one. I showed them to seven peers who all agreed that they were plagiarized. I expressed my strong suspicion of plagiarism to AC. She yelled at me and said I didn't understand the requirements of the assignment and that I'd made a false accusation of plagiarism. I was floored. FM concurred with Anna. I can't prove this. However, I have it in writing from my miserable reporting Office MC that the assignments weren't plagiarized. Also, I emailed VTC and even the EDB repeatedly to explain why they didn't think the assignments were plagiarized when they obviously were. The EDB kept giving me evasive, non-committal answers. VTC would respond to my email without even addressing the issue at all. Both parties know about this situation very well.

-I passed the probation period of six months. About two weeks later AC offered me an absurd settlement in violation of the terms of my employment contract. I refused to sign it because I didn't agree with it, to which she replied "Signing something doesn't mean you agree with it," an asinine statement.

-when all this transpired I was an MATESOL student and it was VTC policy to reimburse staff 50% of costs for professional formation. I strongly believe I was bullied in an attempt to make me quit and then fired because

a. They didn't want to reimburse me half of tuition costs (they did try to swindle me out of my severance, after all)

b. They didn't want to be bothered with a teacher who stirred the pot by naively enforcing attendance requirements

c. They didn't want to be bothered with a teacher who stirred the pot by treating the students like adults and encouraging them to do their best. I treated them like young adults and wanted them to succeed. But in a personal conversation with FM he said "They're kids." Also, AC observed one of my lessons toward the end of my employment. The grand sum total of my feedback was one sentence in the hallway immediately afterward. She said "I can see that you're trying to do what we told you to do but you're teaching at too high a level." what the Hell is teaching at too high a level and what was her evidence of this? Again, Pygmalion Effect be damned. The other supervisor who evaluated my class with her, CC, gave me no feedback whatsoever.

-My second-last evaluation was from MC and FM. It was very clear that I was supposed to get separate evaluations from them. They sat together, spoke during my class, gave me exactly the same score, exactly the same checklist and both said the information on the overhead projector was too small even though it was the second-largest type possible and I'd checked it before class.

I know how preposterous this all sounds but I solemnly swear it's all the truth
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Jmbf



Joined: 29 Jun 2014
Posts: 663

PostPosted: Wed Oct 12, 2016 1:49 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

VTC has a fairly poor reputation already. It's a large organisation so YMMV. Having said that there are plenty of other negative reviews from people who have worked there. Nothing very recent though, so thanks for the update. Hopefully your experience will cause others to think twice before signing up.
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Dude Love Japan



Joined: 29 Nov 2006
Posts: 111

PostPosted: Wed Oct 12, 2016 1:28 pm    Post subject: pls define Reply with quote

YMMV?
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Tudor



Joined: 21 Aug 2009
Posts: 339

PostPosted: Wed Oct 12, 2016 3:46 pm    Post subject: Re: pls define Reply with quote

Dude Love Japan wrote:
YMMV?


'Your mileage may vary' meaning different people may have different experiences of the same thing.

For future reference, 'Google' is a really useful tool for finding out the answers to things.
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joe30



Joined: 07 Jul 2016
Posts: 112

PostPosted: Wed Oct 12, 2016 6:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sounds like you broke the number 1 rule of working in ESL abroad OP. Head down, smile and do as the boss asks even if you don't agree.

Honestly anyone who has worked in Asia for two minutes knows the students are always right and it's best not to rock the boat about stuff like no-fail policies and poor attendance.
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Dude Love Japan



Joined: 29 Nov 2006
Posts: 111

PostPosted: Wed Oct 12, 2016 8:32 pm    Post subject: yep Reply with quote

I expected more at an ostensibly government school. In hindsight I can see I was naive, I never would have thought it would create a stink to enforce attendance rules set out by my employer or that I wouldn't be allowed to throw a student out of class when he was swearing at me, sexually harassing me and brazenly abusing the class attendance system, all in front of everyone. I could see them taking the student's side every time at a language school, never thought it would be like that at a gov't vocational school.
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Kowloon



Joined: 11 Jan 2016
Posts: 133

PostPosted: Mon Oct 17, 2016 12:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yeah the VTC are supposed to be absolutely terrible. Loads of negative stuff crops up on the HK NET facebook page. FWIW I wouldn't let it put you off working at Gov institutions in HK generally. With the experience you have now you're a shoe in for an SNET position. You're probably not quite qualified enough for the more established Tertiary institutions just yet but consider the language centre parts of CityU and Lingnan.
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Dude Love Japan



Joined: 29 Nov 2006
Posts: 111

PostPosted: Thu Oct 20, 2016 12:05 pm    Post subject: reply Reply with quote

Thanks for the info and encouragement. Btw, I've been in the PNET scheme candidate pool for YEARS now and it hasn't done anything for me. I'd love to work in an HK primry school or the two places you mention but it's difficult since I no longer reside in HK. I'd love to still be there working and not causing trouble.
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Dude Love Japan



Joined: 29 Nov 2006
Posts: 111

PostPosted: Thu Oct 20, 2016 3:04 pm    Post subject: SNET Reply with quote

I tried for the SNET scheme and just missed it, missing sufficient observed teaching. If I completed module 2 of the DELTA I'd probably at least get into the scheme.
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Kowloon



Joined: 11 Jan 2016
Posts: 133

PostPosted: Mon Oct 24, 2016 1:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yeah I work as a PNET in HK now. I enjoy it and I like this age group.

Surely if you applied again now for SNET you would be fine. Can't say I combed through your OP but you completed 1 year at VTC? That would cover it. At the NET induction this year there were some (literally 2 or 3) new SNETs who had been hired directly from abroad so it's not unthinkable. Although I think they had quite a bit of home country experience.
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Dude Love Japan



Joined: 29 Nov 2006
Posts: 111

PostPosted: Tue Nov 01, 2016 4:32 am    Post subject: reply Reply with quote

I applied for the SNET scheme post-VTC and didn't get in. I've got a CELTA but they said I need more observed teaching, such as a B.Ed., PGCE or module 2 of the DELTA. I've also been in the PNET candidate pool for years and not yet been hired for a permanent position and I don't know why but it breaks my heart.
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Kowloon



Joined: 11 Jan 2016
Posts: 133

PostPosted: Wed Nov 02, 2016 12:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sorry to hear about that RE both SNET and PNET jobs.

If you ever find yourself back in HK and looking for a PNET job then PM me and I'll be happy to offer what advice I can.
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Dude Love Japan



Joined: 29 Nov 2006
Posts: 111

PostPosted: Fri Nov 04, 2016 3:03 am    Post subject: justice somewhat served Reply with quote

Among other VTC treachery, I complained about my former boss condoning sexual harassment. It seems she's now in the newspaper and in big trouble for...condoning sexual harassment. This is from the Nov. 2 online issue of Oriental Daily.

【本報訊】職業訓練局(VTC)屯門展亮技能發展中心一名男校工,被指在一二年至一四年期間在中心廁所內多次非禮一名未成年智障男生,有人曾向職訓局殘疾人士職業訓練處處長投訴,但處方竟着男生家長不要張揚及不可報警,男校工提早退休了事。知情者指多名學員曾遭非禮,批評局方縱容包庇,涉事校工逍遙法外,與葵涌殘疾院舍康橋之家原院長張健華涉嫌與院友非法性交後獲撤控無異。職訓局昨回應指,會嚴肅處理及調查事件。
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校工涉非禮智障生 VTC高層未報警 (02/11)
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局方稱正調查事件

知情人士向本報投訴指,涉事男校工在職訓局工作多年,曾獲頒長期服務獎,職訓局殘疾人士職業訓練處處長張蕙君被指接獲投訴不處理,一方面着家長不要報警,同時又安排涉事校工提早退休,以掩飾事件。他又指中心其他學員表示涉事男校工並非首次涉嫌非禮該名智障男生,多名男學員亦是受害者,但之前未有人投訴。

本報曾致電張蕙君辦事處但未有接通。職訓局發言人表示,該局昨日剛接獲傳媒查詢有關投訴個案,局方正嚴肅處理及調查事件。由於事件發生至今已有一段時間,校方現正翻查相關資料作出跟進。

展亮技能發展中心是職訓局機構成員之一,設有三個職業訓練場地,分別在觀塘、屯門和薄扶林。位於屯門豐安街的展亮技能發展中心(屯門)於一九九一年成立,專為十五歲或以上殘疾人士,包括智障、自閉及肢體傷殘等人士,提供職業訓練、就業協助及輔導服務外,亦為學生提供宿舍服務。

身兼立法會福利事務委員會成員的教育界議員葉建源指,若事件涉及非禮等刑事案,受害人及家人應該舉報及報警求助,有關機構亦應進行調查,還受害人一個公道。

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Bozo Yoroshiku



Joined: 22 Feb 2005
Posts: 139
Location: the Chocolate Side of the Force

PostPosted: Thu Jul 20, 2017 5:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

joe30 wrote:
Sounds like you broke the number 1 rule of working in ESL abroad OP. Head down, smile and do as the boss asks even if you don't agree.

If my time in Korea ever taught me anything, it was SNIP: Smile, Nod, Ignore, Proceed.
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