Korean Job Discussion Forums

[bluntedstuntman]

I want to do a camp before I start my contract at a public school in Seoul.

I am expected to be in Seoul for the orientation 19 August but the
camp ends 22 August.

What happens on the first few days of orientation?
is it essential for me to be present those first few days?

im assuming the first few days are just for introducing new recruits to
korea/seoul in which case i would not really need to go seeing as
i spent 2 years living in korea already once upon a time

[jcan]

lol - "initiation".

Gotta be there.

[Slowmotion]

I don't know about the SMOE initiation, but I heard it's very similar to GEPIK's.

You basically get hazed by the old time GEPIK veterans and some of the male GEPIK staff members.

One thing that usually happens is you get blindfolded then the other GEPIK teachers get a bar of soap (or batteries) and put it a sock and beat you down with it until you cry uncle.

That's usually followed putting a premade emblem into a burning fire and them branding GEPIK on your lower back.

This is usually followed by 30 "atomic situps" in front of a drunk ajushi.

[bluntedstuntman]

... and then the headmaster of your school comes to pick you up,

and you are forced to toss his salad, with flawless reach-around,

while humming his favorite super junior tune.

[winterfall]

SMOE Orientation? Yup you've got to go, doesn't matter how much experience you have and its unpaid. Used to be, not anymore. Don't go, you lose your spot unless you have a really good reason. Like you couldn't get a plane ticket, but they will have copies of your Visa on file so they're know if you lied.

You might be able to get out of it, if you've been through the SMOE system before. Don't quote me on that though, email the coordinators and ask

[gyopochris]

I didn't feel the orientation was that beneficial, but in most cases it is mandatory unless you have a damn good excuse.

[Caffeinated]

If it's anything like past orientations you should be okay to arrive on Sunday. Monday is when all the speeches and training sessions start. There will probably be no important events on the first weekend since all the new teachers will be trickling in til Sunday - unless you consider a couple of hours at a shopping mall to be an indispensable Korean cultural experience you must undergo that weekend. I was ticked at the time since I could've used those extra days on something actually useful.

[andriabr]

Lol. I hope they don't do that.