Job Discussion Forums

[pedrocruza]

There are two sites for Pnets in Hong Kong. One is a Yahoo free site and the other is located at www.pnets.org

The yahoo site generates a few messages each week from possibly six pnets so it is impossible to get an total picture of what its really like in Hong Kong

The www.pnets.org site has 160 members and generates on average 700 reponses each week.

The site is also the social contact point for teachers and is used to advertise the bars and clubs where teachers go on Friday night.

New Nets to Hong Kong can contact lisa at [email protected] for free membership until they commence work in Hong Kong.
After that it costs about $7US for a years membership.
If you are thinking of being a Pnet it is a site you need to visit.

[Paddington]

This seems like a feeble attempt to advertise phonics ball boards to me. Or else maybe to raise sufficient funds to keep the site running. I would recommend the Yahoo site for all Nets - both primary and secondary. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HKNEST/
It has a great deal of interaction and provides a true perspective of working as a Net in HK. Lots of good advice provided and good humour. And it's free and easy to use. From what I've heard the other site that the poster mentioned is slow, suffers constantly from glitches in the system and only actually has about 40 people who are paid members and far less who regularly use it. 700 responses a week??? Sounds dubious. Anyhow, personally I prefer not to restrict myself to a site that is 'exclusively primary teachers'. Almost a racist attitude. Or do I mean elitist? And very boring!

[pedrocruza]

Both the moderator and the President of NESTA are members of the www.pnets.org

The web site was originally sponsored by the EMB through the British Council but canned because Pnets were using it to say what they felt however the site was monitored by the EMB.

It is now sponsored by a private company with no connection to the Pnets employing body.

Only one Pnet has ever been banned from the site because when a $7 voluntary subsciption was introduced this person went back to the free site and then tried through inuendo to destroy the site.
This pnet has been described by other Pnets in less than polite term. Never appears at social events , constantly grizzles on line. We all know the type.

My message was truthful but you appear to want to create doubt in peoples minds.
It doesn't cost them to look and try the site but I find it funny that the site is again attcked in a similar manner to the disgruntled Pnet that is not welcomed on the other site.

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I just want to say how much I appreciate this site and the people who contribute to it. I arrived in Hong Kong 11 months ago with NO teaching resources,(apart from CELTA course notes and what was in my head), and I hadn't taught in a classroom for years. Whenever I've been stuck for an activity idea or needed help, I've received responses here, and that has helped me survive this year.

Thanks,

Lorraine
Date 7/11/2005 by lozdavies




I agree Lorraine, I've enjoyed logging in and reading the banter between NETs, getting the ideas and learning about good websites etc. Have a great holiday everyone!
Date 7/11/2005 5:43:53 AM by Wendy



A big thank you to everyone for your friendship and support over the past 2 years. I hope you all have a great holiday wherever you are going.
I'm looking forward to new challenges and a change of environment but will keep in touch with you all.
Fiona.




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[dandan]

Excellent! Even the different NET chatrooms are slagging each other off. Your incredible interpersonal skills have filled me with the desire to join both your chatrooms so that I can meet more lovely, charming people such as yourselves.

If you can't behave nicely I'll have to send you to the Principal's office or write a letter to your parents.

[pedrocruza]

I will give you $7 ......good thing Dave doesn't charge you to be here...

We are also aware that you log on under different names to pretend people agree with you. Why are you afraid to let people use all three sites available to Pnets. You really have a problem my friend

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Great to see it's all up and running and the chatting is on again. It all adds to the entertainment! Everyone seems to be on their best behaviour at the moment.I guess it's early days yet!
Date 11/22/2004 by fiona




yes Fiona I am a changed man...responsible, caring , dedicated. No more being flippant. My new motto is "Life is too serious to enjoy."
Date 11/22/2004 2:52:33 PM by nomad



Don't you worry, we're just cranking the old site up!
Date 11/22/2004 3:25:00 PM by MsTuffet



I'm choking on your last message Tom
Date 11/22/2004 9:52:22 PM by Virginia



My first English Week is almost over, I've survived, and it's been a big success (well I think so, I don't get feedback) largely due to Treasure Day and the 12 keys, thanks Nomad and the English Week cheer, thanks Wendy. This site is invaluable for sharing and generating ideas, so I will do my bit to let a few more 04 NETs know about it.
Date 12/16/2004 by lozdavies




Well done. If you had done a bad job you'd know about it, so obviously it was great. Have a wonderful Christmas
Date 12/17/2004 9:14:01 AM by rachelc


Thank God this site is back. I missed it and my social life went down hill fast when it was gone. Thanks Nomad for getting it back for us.
Date 12/18/2004 By Marie

[pedrocruza]

Show me in my first posting where I slagged off anyone or any site

[saroq]

I am the PNET that pedrocruza says was banned from the www.pnets.org site. To my knowledge I have not been banned since I log on there and post replies to assist other NETs (and have a whinge somethimes too).

I did not try to damage the site through innuendo or in any other way. I simply committed the sin of posting on the free PNET yahoo site a message titled "Is anyone out there?" I did this because it was one of the many times that the www.pnets.org site was inaccessable for unknown reasons. I said that personally I didn't mind the yahoo site and that I may have been locked out of or banned or kicked off the www.pnets.org site (I don't remember exactly) for not paying the HK$50 to join.

I didn't mean anything by this (which I tried to explain online and by email to pedrocruza) but I was subjected to a barage of foul mouth comments from him for daring to suggest that the www.pnets.org site wasn't reliable. By the way the site has not been accessable for at least 3 days in the last week or so. 700 posts a week?! I doubt it very much and active membership in the numbers he suggests ... not likely! Yes I have no time for NESTA. Early on in my contract I posted asking for help from other NETs regarding a situation at work. The replies I received from NESTA committee members were of no assistance and made fun of my situation. Basically it was clear that I was on my own and that to me isn't the response I expect from an organisation I paid money to join and which claims to represent NETS in Hong Kong. Yes I never go to social events. I have a young child to look after and I didn't know that I was required to attend social events. I was under the impression that I was allowed to do what I liked with my free time. If I am to be publicly criticised for this then I think pedrocruza you've been in Hong Kong too long and are thinking like a Hong Kong Principal.

By all means join all of the sites. The free PNET Yahoo site isn't as active but is becoming more so as more people are joining and I find it more useful when I post a message and want a serious reply. But also join www.pnets.org, US$7 isn't that much but the site does suffer from all of the problems Paddington says it does and yes like me you may get your head kicked in on line by some NET because you're not like him. Oh yes, that was a big, big, big problem don't ever use the words "may have" because the PNET in question knows all and he knows that you didn't actually mean "may have" he knows you actually had an evil plan to destroy the www.pnets.org site because you have nothing better to do with your time or your life.

Make sure you also join http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HKNEST/ it's a very useful site.

And I don't use any other name on line saroq is it.

[Paddington]

Wow! I think I must have hit a nerve with Pedro.
What happened to your phonicboard avatar, Pedro???? Finished advertising????
I must say, I did get the impression that there was some 'innuendo' in your original posting that maybe the Yahoo Pnet site wasn't worth bothering about. But I guess I was wrong hey!

[shmeagain]

Wow - got to agree with dandan here...it must've been a long year, huh guys?



I don't think I can join either group as I'm not on the EMB wishlist - although I pretty much teach for them.

There's a lot of anger here though. I thought if you're earning zillions with weeks/months off every year you'd be happier about your situation and get along better with other teachers on the same system.

Then again, I haven't taught elsewhere so maybe it's like this in other countries as well and I'm just naive?

Enjoy your holidays - you need them/deserve them.

[pedrocruza]

Just receive a heavy email from Nomad. Ok I will stick to the facts.

OK No one has ever been banned from the Pnets website.

People were booted off by a person who was able to access the data base and did not want to see the site work. Was caught, threatened with legal action. They apoligised and said they would not do it again

There was no inuendo about the hkpnets site other than it was not used as much as the pnet site. (see figures on the site)

First time I have ever heard of HKnest...what about the site called allnets.


The Pnet site is more widely used by Pnets ( see figures on site)

Saroq has posted 62 messages since he was "kicked off" (see figures on site)

A poll was organised by the moderator of the Hkpnets site to see if pnets wanted to remain with free sites or move to revised BC site (they voted for the BC site)

Site is not restricted to primary nets (see archives)

in pnets the p stands for professional, playful, pig headed etc what ever you want

There are 151 registrations of that 109 are active including banned pnets (see figures on site)

[shmeagain]

Pedrocruza count me in! You have mail!!!!



......sorry dandan