|
Korean Job Discussion Forums
"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Teachers from Around the World!"
|
| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
Easter Clark
Joined: 18 Nov 2007
Location: Hiding from Yie Eun-woong
|
 Posted: Wed Apr 23, 2008 7:54 pm Post subject: GEPIK Contract Amendments |
 |
|
My handler just handed me the amendments that GEPIK has made to its latest contract:
| Quote: |
| If a class has more than 23 students, at the discretion of the Employer, a class may be divided into two separate classes, one taught by the reguar Korean teacher and the other by the GEPIK teacher. |
And
| Quote: |
If an Employee does not fulfill his/her teaching quota of 22 hours per week, the Employer may ask the Employee to teach classes in other subject areas, outside of English, for the remaining hours. |
I told him this is ridiculous, but he said not to worry as this will be a case-by-case kind of thing. It basically just gives the principal more power to screw you if he doesn't like you. |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
Otherside
Joined: 06 Sep 2007
|
| Posted: Wed Apr 23, 2008 8:30 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Don't both parties have to sign/agree to the amendments?
Next month: The pay scale has been amended to reflect current market conditions effective immediatly, level 3 teachers will be earning 1.1mill level 2 teachers 1.2mill etc....
Fortunatly my school is small enough that only 1 of my classes is over 23 students (just, 26 I think) so this won't change anything for me.
How the hell do they expect us to teach another subject? Most of my kids struggle to understand the basic elementary curriculum, now they want me teaching history/geography/cooking?
If for some reason I wind up teaching a history class, I'd probably be on trial for high treason come the end of the year  |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
R. S. Refugee
Joined: 29 Sep 2004
Location: Shangra La, ROK
|
| Posted: Wed Apr 23, 2008 8:35 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Otherside wrote: |
How the hell do they expect us to teach another subject? Most of my kids struggle to understand the basic elementary curriculum, now they want me teaching history/geography/cooking?
|
I think some subjects could possibly be successfully taught by a non-Korean speaker. Possibly math.
Definitely music. I'd love to teach music. My fundamental language of instruction for music is solfeggio, not English.   (And all Korean students I've encountered are pretty well grounded in solfeggio already.) |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
lizzie hong
Joined: 13 Nov 2007
Location: Ilsan
|
| Posted: Wed Apr 23, 2008 9:06 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Otherside wrote: |
Fortunatly my school is small enough that only 1 of my classes is over 23 students (just, 26 I think) so this won't change anything for me. |
Wow, every one of my GEPIK classes are at least 34-38 kids. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Easter Clark
Joined: 18 Nov 2007
Location: Hiding from Yie Eun-woong
|
| Posted: Wed Apr 23, 2008 9:12 pm Post subject: |
|
|
^
My smallest class is 35.
If they ever ask me to teach math I will be fired within a week. 
| Otherside wrote: |
Don't both parties have to sign/agree to the amendments?
|
Presumably that's true. But what can you do? I could refuse to sign but then I would have to find another job. And I like my school. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
R. S. Refugee
Joined: 29 Sep 2004
Location: Shangra La, ROK
|
| Posted: Wed Apr 23, 2008 9:23 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| lizzie hong wrote: |
| Otherside wrote: |
Fortunatly my school is small enough that only 1 of my classes is over 23 students (just, 26 I think) so this won't change anything for me. |
Wow, every one of my GEPIK classes are at least 34-38 kids. |
Mine too. Until a couple of weeks from now when they will be cut in half -- the class size that is, not the children -- then I'll be teaching 18 or less with no co-teacher about as she will be teaching the other half in a different classroom. It'll be a piece of cake compared to 36 in a class. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
agoodmouse
Joined: 20 Dec 2007
Location: Anyang
|
| Posted: Wed Apr 23, 2008 10:32 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| R. S. Refugee wrote: |
| Otherside wrote: |
How the hell do they expect us to teach another subject? Most of my kids struggle to understand the basic elementary curriculum, now they want me teaching history/geography/cooking?
|
I think some subjects could possibly be successfully taught by a non-Korean speaker. Possibly math.
Definitely music. I'd love to teach music. My fundamental language of instruction for music is solfeggio, not English. (And all Korean students I've encountered are pretty well grounded in solfeggio already.) |
I disagree. I can't imagine how illogical it would've been to have been taught math by a Spanish speaking native in my high school in America. There's no point to it because what Spanish would we have picked up? Plus, minus, equals? Outside of class, how would those words have served us more than a Spanish language class?
If we taught math to Korean students in English, they'd pick up little more than mathematics language, and be just as lost as anyone who's taken an engineering class at M.I.T., or Caltech, from a speaker who doesn't speak any English. You'd be in class, thinking ''wow, my guidance counselor was an idiot for making me take this class." |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
ED209
Joined: 17 Oct 2006
|
| Posted: Wed Apr 23, 2008 10:55 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Great! All the unspoilt kids who want to study English come with me. The rest of you sleepy stone-heads go with the KT.
I hope I get asked to teach Korean. Or even better, ethics. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
mrsquirrel
Joined: 13 Dec 2006
|
| Posted: Wed Apr 23, 2008 11:04 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Wonder if it's a fireable offense not signing an amendment to a GEPIK contract.
What happened to the law about not teaching alone? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
TheUrbanMyth
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Location: Retired
|
| Posted: Wed Apr 23, 2008 11:13 pm Post subject: Re: GEPIK Contract Amendments |
|
|
| Easter Clark wrote: |
My handler just handed me the amendments that GEPIK has made to its latest contract:
| Quote: |
| If a class has more than 23 students, at the discretion of the Employer, a class may be divided into two separate classes, one taught by the reguar Korean teacher and the other by the GEPIK teacher. |
And
| Quote: |
If an Employee does not fulfill his/her teaching quota of 22 hours per week, the Employer may ask the Employee to teach classes in other subject areas, outside of English, for the remaining hours. |
I told him this is ridiculous, but he said not to worry as this will be a case-by-case kind of thing. It basically just gives the principal more power to screw you if he doesn't like you. |
Which would give result to all kinds of amusing scenarios...
Me: "2+2=5"
Admin: "WHAT?"
Me: "Hey, I told you I can't teach math...."
Or cultural sensitivity:
Me: "When you see a foreigner walking down the street, you must leave him or her alone. Do not say "hello" or anything else. Just go about your business and leave them be." |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Dome Vans
Guest
|
| Posted: Wed Apr 23, 2008 11:19 pm Post subject: Re: GEPIK Contract Amendments |
|
|
| TheUrbanMyth wrote: |
| Easter Clark wrote: |
My handler just handed me the amendments that GEPIK has made to its latest contract:
| Quote: |
| If a class has more than 23 students, at the discretion of the Employer, a class may be divided into two separate classes, one taught by the reguar Korean teacher and the other by the GEPIK teacher. |
And
| Quote: |
If an Employee does not fulfill his/her teaching quota of 22 hours per week, the Employer may ask the Employee to teach classes in other subject areas, outside of English, for the remaining hours. |
I told him this is ridiculous, but he said not to worry as this will be a case-by-case kind of thing. It basically just gives the principal more power to screw you if he doesn't like you. |
Which would give result to all kinds of amusing scenarios...
Me: "2+2=5"
Admin: "WHAT?"
Me: "Hey, I told you I can't teach math...." |
Haha!
"Ok kids, today we are going to learn how copper + water = butter"
"Wow, great lesson everyone, next week, don't miss it, we'll learn why crabs love Motown above all other music genres."
"I said I couldn't teach science!" |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
yeremy
Joined: 05 Nov 2007
Location: Anywhere's there's a good bookstore.
|
| Posted: Wed Apr 23, 2008 11:30 pm Post subject: Contract 101 |
|
|
When you sign a contract with GEPIK, SMOE or EPIK, that's the contract you work with. To the best of my knowledge, no one can legally in Korea amend or change the contract without your permission. In other words, you have to sign off on the changed amendment to your contract. I went through a change to a contract with a ps principal and I refused to sign until I understood, after which, I agreed to sign it. I didn't have to sign it and my principal and co-teacher at the time could not force me either.
After re-reading the post again, I do think it is more likely that a school will either create more English classes for you, but I really doubt that you'd be teaching subjects outside of English. I would expect that a school may farm you out to a school that has classes but doesn't have a NET to teach them. That's more likely, I think. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
TheUrbanMyth
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Location: Retired
|
| Posted: Wed Apr 23, 2008 11:32 pm Post subject: Re: GEPIK Contract Amendments |
|
|
| Dome Vans wrote: |
| TheUrbanMyth wrote: |
| Easter Clark wrote: |
My handler just handed me the amendments that GEPIK has made to its latest contract:
| Quote: |
| If a class has more than 23 students, at the discretion of the Employer, a class may be divided into two separate classes, one taught by the reguar Korean teacher and the other by the GEPIK teacher. |
And
| Quote: |
If an Employee does not fulfill his/her teaching quota of 22 hours per week, the Employer may ask the Employee to teach classes in other subject areas, outside of English, for the remaining hours. |
I told him this is ridiculous, but he said not to worry as this will be a case-by-case kind of thing. It basically just gives the principal more power to screw you if he doesn't like you. |
Which would give result to all kinds of amusing scenarios...
Me: "2+2=5"
Admin: "WHAT?"
Me: "Hey, I told you I can't teach math...." |
Haha!
"Ok kids, today we are going to learn how copper + water = butter"
"Wow, great lesson everyone, next week, don't miss it, we'll learn why crabs love Motown above all other music genres."
"I said I couldn't teach science!" |
Speaking of science:
"Today's lesson is entitled Why can't Mr Electricity and Mrs Water be friends? Let's find out why!" |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
ttompatz
Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Location: Kwangju, South Korea
|
| Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2008 1:02 am Post subject: |
|
|
| mrsquirrel wrote: |
Wonder if it's a fireable offense not signing an amendment to a GEPIK contract.
What happened to the law about not teaching alone? |
It's in the new contract (on the GEPIK home page). It is the new 2008/2009 contract.
http://cge.ken.go.kr/contents/tbl_e_01_02/main_pds_content.asp?pds_no=20080422162913656995745
(I hope the link works.)
You are NOT required to sign an amendment to your current contract (as in you are free to say NO). They will NOT fire you because of it.
The new clause will be in your new contract come renewal time so be ready for it next summer (or winter as the case may be).
. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
R. S. Refugee
Joined: 29 Sep 2004
Location: Shangra La, ROK
|
| Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2008 1:16 am Post subject: |
|
|
| agoodmouse wrote: |
| R. S. Refugee wrote: |
| Otherside wrote: |
How the hell do they expect us to teach another subject? Most of my kids struggle to understand the basic elementary curriculum, now they want me teaching history/geography/cooking?
|
I think some subjects could possibly be successfully taught by a non-Korean speaker. Possibly math.
Definitely music. I'd love to teach music. My fundamental language of instruction for music is solfeggio, not English. (And all Korean students I've encountered are pretty well grounded in solfeggio already.) |
I disagree. I can't imagine how illogical it would've been to have been taught math by a Spanish speaking native in my high school in America. There's no point to it because what Spanish would we have picked up? Plus, minus, equals? Outside of class, how would those words have served us more than a Spanish language class?
If we taught math to Korean students in English, they'd pick up little more than mathematics language, and be just as lost as anyone who's taken an engineering class at M.I.T., or Caltech, from a speaker who doesn't speak any English. You'd be in class, thinking ''wow, my guidance counselor was an idiot for making me take this class." |
OK. Well, I did say possibly math. And I made no claim to actual experience at that, hence the use of the word, "possibly."
However, I have had some experience teaching music to Koreans with low English ability and I find that very, very doable. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
|
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
