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nfTkorea
Joined: 22 May 2010
Posts: 1
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 Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 11:58 am Post subject: NET Vocational Training Council (VTC) |
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You may hear various opinions about the VTC. I'll tell you a fact. I came with a group of 21 NETs. At the end of the contract, 6 remained.
15 out of 21 left. Judge for yourself. |
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razorhideki
Joined: 19 Jan 2010
Posts: 78
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| Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 1:27 pm Post subject: |
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Any details, however brief?
I've never taught in HK but I just recently went through(unsuccessfully)the NET application process, which has to be the *bleeeeeeeeeeeeeep* ingist application procedure in all of E. Asia-and I'm bit of a long timer in this part of the world. |
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Smokey Dando
Joined: 19 May 2010
Posts: 19
Location: HONG KONG
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| Posted: Wed Jun 02, 2010 1:47 am Post subject: |
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It is very interesting how few comments there are about the Vocational Training Council NET programme. I may or may not have worked there in the past.
The pay is ok but there is no living/housing allowance that PNET and SNETs receive. Instead you are forced to live in the company housing. Of course you have a choice to find your own place but it will not be financed in any way. So in other words you need to take a massive cut in pay to have any freedom/privacy/control of your own life. The holidays are ok and there is a so-so annual bonus.
The real dealbreakers are the moronic students, the jokes that they call their courses, the mountains of meaningless administrative work, outrageous demands on your own time to invigilate examinations and so forth and worst of all, the management. |
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oxi
Joined: 16 Apr 2007
Posts: 347
Location: elsewhere
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| Posted: Thu Jun 03, 2010 3:56 am Post subject: |
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Interesting to read the thoughts above. When I was going through the NET application 3 years ago (and much fun that was) I heard that VTC was the next best thing.
Have things gone downhill lately, or I just heard wrong initially? |
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Serious_Fun
Joined: 28 Jun 2005
Posts: 1171
Location: terra incognita
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| Posted: Thu Jun 03, 2010 1:09 pm Post subject: |
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| The VTC has a horrible reputation among the teaching community here. |
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Joshua2006
Joined: 04 Jan 2010
Posts: 342
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| Posted: Fri Jun 04, 2010 12:57 am Post subject: |
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Useful to know...
Do they have part time staff as well or is it only a full time gig? |
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Smokey Dando
Joined: 19 May 2010
Posts: 19
Location: HONG KONG
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| Posted: Fri Jun 04, 2010 1:38 am Post subject: |
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| Serious_Fun wrote: |
| The VTC has a horrible reputation among the teaching community here. |
Yes they do have a dreadful reputation. I agree. However, in all fairness education across all of Hong Kong is a disaster. This begins in primary schools and is continued through to the secondary sector.
The VTC is no better or no worse than most places in Hong Kong. You need to keep in mind that language education is not the focus of the students enrolled in Diploma/High Diploma courses. The students study a wide range of vocational subjects ranging from business admin, IT, construction, fashion, tourism and many more. The schools for tourism and fashion are quite good. The new Design Institute will open in September and it may be the best in Hong Kong.
For us as language teachers the real disaster are the courses. They believe in 'vocational English' which in my opinion does not exist unless the language learner already has a certain competence in the target language. Most students here studying with VTC do not have this competence. Teachers find themselves mostly preparing students to pass assessments that are set at a level which is too difficult for them. The students are generally mindless, lazy and have no abilility to engage in critical thought. They are generally okay kids at heart but the courses and the students just don't match up. There are many more problems but it would take me days to explain it. Essentially very, very little language learning/teaching takes place. For teachers this is extremely frustrating and disheartening leading many to resign.
In regard to Oxi's question - no it has not become worse. It is more or less the same but that was never good to begin with. To work for VTC you need to become uncaring and robotic. You need to leave your logic at the front door and just suck up the pain in order to receieve the benefits, ie, nice enough salary, housing and holiday time. Perhaps I paint a bleaker picture than it really is but the VTC really will suck the life out of you. I just don't think there are many places in Hong Kong that are much different. |
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razorhideki
Joined: 19 Jan 2010
Posts: 78
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| Posted: Fri Jun 04, 2010 2:53 am Post subject: |
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Appreciate the comments, Smokey.
Just curious: without "outing" yourself, are you teaching in HK now and if so, with whom are you employed? |
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Smokey Dando
Joined: 19 May 2010
Posts: 19
Location: HONG KONG
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| Posted: Fri Jun 04, 2010 3:06 am Post subject: |
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No problems Razor H. Well, yes I am in Hong Kong. I have to be careful because if I say too much my employer will definitely come after me. Based on my previous postings I think if you take a guess about where I am employed, your guess will most certainly be correct.
The VTC actually have a department called something like External Relations. One of the things they do is scour the internet for negative postings about the VTC. I know it sounds ridiculously paranoid but it is true. Mind you they are mostly concerned with what students and potential employers of students are saying. Staff of the language discipline and in particular NETs are very low on the food chain here. However, the VTC has a tremedous fear of negative publicity.
I would like to tell you about the devil of a women who is in charge of the Language Discipline but she is so nasty I truly do believe she will try to hunt me down if I say too much. |
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razorhideki
Joined: 19 Jan 2010
Posts: 78
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| Posted: Fri Jun 04, 2010 3:25 am Post subject: |
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| Yeeeeesh! Sounds like Koreans love their barbarian teachers in comparison! |
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Joshua2006
Joined: 04 Jan 2010
Posts: 342
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| Posted: Fri Jun 04, 2010 5:18 am Post subject: |
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| I work with Koreans and they are all pucka people - however, I am not sure the same could be said for the ones I left behind in Korea.... |
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Serious_Fun
Joined: 28 Jun 2005
Posts: 1171
Location: terra incognita
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| Posted: Wed Jun 09, 2010 10:42 am Post subject: |
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| Smokey Dando wrote: |
| The VTC is no better or no worse than most places in Hong Kong. ... I just don't think there are many places in Hong Kong that are much different. |
You are referring to tutorial centres, language mills, etc.
I'd say that most primary and secondary schools are much better than a gig with the VTC! 
 Hong Kong is not the place to be without qualified teacher status! |
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Smokey Dando
Joined: 19 May 2010
Posts: 19
Location: HONG KONG
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| Posted: Thu Jun 10, 2010 1:00 am Post subject: |
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Actually no Serious Fun. I would say that working at the VTC is actually about the same as working in a primary or secondary school. How bad it is depends on which campus you are allocated to. The money is similar and so are the troubles you may experience. Working at the VTC can not be compared to a tutorial centre in any way. The salary, conditions, working hours and even the students are vastly superior. I would compare it to working for a crappy university. Don't get me wrong, I don't want to defend the place. However, it is just not in the same league.
By the way - are you suggesting I am not qualified? I can assure you I am. |
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Serious_Fun
Joined: 28 Jun 2005
Posts: 1171
Location: terra incognita
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| Posted: Sun Jun 13, 2010 11:43 am Post subject: |
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| Smokey Dando wrote: |
| By the way - are you suggesting I am not qualified? I can assure you I am. |
oh no -- nothing directed towards you. I post that statement every once in a while on this forum in order to inform those considering a move here. I have met too many people who are being ripped off because they were desperate to work in HK.
thanks for your reply re: VTC. |
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