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SMOE orientation question
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MollyBloom



Joined: 21 Jul 2006
Location: James Joyce's pants

PostPosted: Sat Sep 04, 2010 8:05 pm    Post subject: SMOE orientation question Reply with quote

I worked for SMOE for a year and took a different job after my contract ended. I already attended the orientation. If I am hired for next year, do I need to revisit the painful week of festivities all over again?
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Swampthing



Joined: 10 Jun 2010

PostPosted: Sat Sep 04, 2010 11:38 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Officially, the answer is yes, but if you talk to someone higher on the food-chain than the Pak, I think you can get an exemption.
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drama_addict



Joined: 30 Aug 2009
Location: Seoul

PostPosted: Sun Sep 05, 2010 2:27 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Even if you're forced to attend, just sneak out in the evenings.

It'll make the whole experience more tolerable.
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MattAwesome



Joined: 30 Jun 2008

PostPosted: Sun Sep 05, 2010 3:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

what? they told me that if you attended that orientation already you are exempted.
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Bibbitybop



Joined: 22 Feb 2006
Location: Seoul

PostPosted: Sun Sep 05, 2010 4:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Knowing about orientation and having experienced it, why don't you go again and act like a prison mule. You can expose secrets to getting out of the compound, sneak in alcohol and sell it for 5x the retail price, charge 1,000 KRW per minute for newbies to use your phone at night after curfew, and sell black market forks and western snacks.

I've been considering being on the supply side of this kind of scheme for over a year now. PM me if you want to become one of my orientation mules.
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Seoulio



Joined: 02 Jan 2010

PostPosted: Sun Sep 05, 2010 11:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Swampthing wrote:
Officially, the answer is yes, but if you talk to someone higher on the food-chain than the Pak, I think you can get an exemption.



No

Offically the answer is NO. You attend one orientation, and you are exempt from any further one.
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lovebug



Joined: 29 Apr 2009

PostPosted: Mon Sep 06, 2010 12:22 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

drama_addict wrote:
Even if you're forced to attend, just sneak out in the evenings.

It'll make the whole experience more tolerable.


my boyfriend's friend and 2 other new SMOE recruits snuck out last month and were fired.

i would definitely recommend NOT sneaking out. it seems like they're getting harsher these days. we can argue all we want about how lame the orientation rules are, but SMOE/EPIK do have the final say, and it's a shame to see anyone go home before they even get to meet their school.
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Xuanzang



Joined: 10 Apr 2007
Location: Sadang

PostPosted: Mon Sep 06, 2010 2:35 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

drama_addict wrote:
Even if you're forced to attend, just sneak out in the evenings.

It'll make the whole experience more tolerable.


Sneaking out if it's held at the Hyundai torture..ahem Learning centre in Yongin is pretty pointless.
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working title



Joined: 20 Apr 2010

PostPosted: Mon Sep 06, 2010 3:23 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Xuanzang wrote:
drama_addict wrote:
Even if you're forced to attend, just sneak out in the evenings.

It'll make the whole experience more tolerable.


Sneaking out if it's held at the Hyundai torture..ahem Learning centre in Yongin is pretty pointless.


Yeah, the Hyundai Higher Learning Center is AT LEAST a 25 minute walk to the nearest bodunk, in the sticks, town.

SMOE keeps it that way so there are no distractions. I see there point.

At least you were able to drink at the adjossi-owned corner mart outside the main gates. And the food at the HHLC wasn't too bad either.
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MollyBloom



Joined: 21 Jul 2006
Location: James Joyce's pants

PostPosted: Mon Sep 06, 2010 7:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Seoulio and Swampthing have different answers; why do you stand behind your official answers? Did you hear from/ask someone at SMOE?
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nomad-ish



Joined: 08 Oct 2007
Location: On the bottom of the food chain

PostPosted: Mon Sep 06, 2010 7:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

yeah, the SMOE orientation was very painful. i was originally looking forward to it for the networking, but in the end, there were so many pissed off people being cooped up all day in that compound that the networking wasn't great anyway.

also, if they don't want/let people off the compound, they could at least prepare some decent korean food! the cafe food was pretty bad and that little shop inside only sold junk food.
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NYC_Gal



Joined: 08 Dec 2009

PostPosted: Mon Sep 06, 2010 7:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Give them some strict dietary requirements (no white rice, no meat [including seafood], no salt, no whatever you like) and feign weakness unless you get it.

Or sneak out. I don't know how the security works on the SMOE orientations, but EPIK says that if you aren't in the building by 1am, you're stuck out until 5am. We just crashed at a jimjilbang and came back with Quiznos for breakfast. Smile
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nomad-ish



Joined: 08 Oct 2007
Location: On the bottom of the food chain

PostPosted: Mon Sep 06, 2010 7:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

NYC_Gal wrote:
Give them some strict dietary requirements (no white rice, no meat [including seafood], no salt, no whatever you like) and feign weakness unless you get it.

Or sneak out. I don't know how the security works on the SMOE orientations, but EPIK says that if you aren't in the building by 1am, you're stuck out until 5am. We just crashed at a jimjilbang and came back with Quiznos for breakfast. Smile


there wasn't much "security," just the warning that we'll be fired from SMOE if we got caught sneaking off.
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sluggo832004



Joined: 04 Sep 2010

PostPosted: Mon Sep 06, 2010 7:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Teacher in-services are even worse in America. lol


You never get used to them. Its 8 hours of power point and perfect world scenarios.
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Seoulio



Joined: 02 Jan 2010

PostPosted: Wed Sep 08, 2010 8:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

MollyBloom wrote:
Seoulio and Swampthing have different answers; why do you stand behind your official answers? Did you hear from/ask someone at SMOE?


Jon pak confirms it
SMOE head office confirms it
District offices confirm it.
the 15 teachers I perosnally know who took a break for a year and just returned last month confirm it.

The definition of an orientation it "to orient" you with Korea and teaching for SMOE.

NOt really possible to orient someone on the same thing twice.
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