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Korean Job Discussion Forums "The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Teachers from Around the World!"
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tideout
Joined: 12 Dec 2010
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Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2011 2:17 am Post subject: EPIK "extra" training", online or otherwise.. |
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I found out last week that I, along with a co-teacher will have to do the EPIK online training.
One person I know has apparently refused this "extra" training. Are we getting paid to do this or are we just screwed with an out of the blue requirement that requires more work?
Sorry if I missed a previous post on this
Why do they make teachers go to trainings when the school doesn't support any of the activities or approaches that you get in the training? |
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dbtm
Joined: 24 Sep 2010 Location: ottawa
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Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2011 4:48 am Post subject: |
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you have an easy public school job just suck it up.
your korean coteachers have to sit through bs training seminars all the time. |
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tideout
Joined: 12 Dec 2010
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Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2011 5:10 am Post subject: |
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dbtm wrote: |
you have an easy public school job just suck it up.
your korean coteachers have to sit through bs training seminars all the time. |
Ah, a bootlicker almost any organization would love.
If it made one bit of difference the it would be worth discussing, but no one believes it does. Just more money and time down the drain.
For the spineless "it's all good". |
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dbtm
Joined: 24 Sep 2010 Location: ottawa
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Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2011 2:58 pm Post subject: |
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tideout wrote: |
dbtm wrote: |
you have an easy public school job just suck it up.
your korean coteachers have to sit through bs training seminars all the time. |
Ah, a bootlicker almost any organization would love.
If it made one bit of difference the it would be worth discussing, but no one believes it does. Just more money and time down the drain.
For the spineless "it's all good". |
Well it's not your money (unless your school is making you pay for it in which case Im on your side) and unless you are developing your own curriculum from scratch you have dozens of free hours a month to do this from your desk so it's not your time either. |
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ThingsComeAround

Joined: 07 Nov 2008
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Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2011 10:13 pm Post subject: |
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GEPIK had the same deal last year. All newcomers had to watch an online "orientation" done by some dude with funky argyle vests.
Normally, I'd agree with you but dbtm is correct. What is this new task preventing you from doing, OP? |
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ippy
Joined: 25 Aug 2009
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Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2011 10:38 pm Post subject: |
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Its a requirement of your job i believe. You have to undergo X-hours of training.
You just have to do it. If you dont do it and dont have a valid reason as to why, (we were told) you CANT (not wont) be recontracted.
If its that nonsense we had to do with the online vids, let me tell you, they take about ten minutes a pop, you answer some multiple choice questions on the information (which you can get from the bullet points they list and not the dude whittering on at you for twenty minutes about his jumper).
If you get the answer wrong YOU CAN REANSWER UNTIL YOU GET IT RIGHT!!!
This means you spend about 5 minutes scrolling through for the important info, answering (and reanswering) the questions until you pass the section, then its on to the new section.
At any time after the fourth or fifth vid, you can take the final test. There is a specific passing grade required but youd REALLY have to be an idiot not to hit it. Then its just a case of "watching" the rest of the clips until you hit the 70% mark or whatever it is to "complete" teh course.
It teaches you nothing, youre absolutely right, but the point is to cover OTHER peoples backs, not yours at the end of the day. You are a "trained" assistant teacher now! youve done a whole 70 hours of training! and even though most of that was utterly useless, the only thing people care about is that youre now trained, and thus hit the qualification to assist in teaching.
So dont get all annoyed because its a waste of time. Just jump through the hoop, get it done when you can, and carry on safe in teh knowledge that next year you can help explain to another NET just how pointless it is to fight it and that they should just get it done because its not really something youd want to pick a fight over. Someone ordered someone who ordered someone who ordered your boss' boss, boss, to tell your boss' boss to tell your boss to tell you to do x-hours of training or not to be let back in the classroom. You telling your boss that you arent going to do it is going to be a gigantic storm in a tea cup since even if they tell their boss, their boss is just going to tell them to tell you it has to be done and thats all there is to it.
If you subscribe to the theory that you pick your battles wisely, you should realize that this wouldnt be one youve got any chance of winning. |
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ssuprnova
Joined: 17 Dec 2010 Location: Saigon
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Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2011 12:15 am Post subject: |
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Yes indeed, woe is you... with the paltry 4 weeks vacation a year and another 2-4 weeks of deskwarming, how could you ever find the time to do an online training course? |
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tideout
Joined: 12 Dec 2010
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Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2011 12:52 am Post subject: |
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Things come around - thanks for your response and I'll try to address your question which goes with a post or two above yours.
I realize that there's an image out there that all public school teachers are slipping into comas while desk warming. In fairness, this was the case with another public school job I had so I get the perception. This is not the case this round and for what it's worth, not the case with several other teachers in my district I've talked with prior to this.
Deskwarming is few and far between so this "training" will be on my own time. I won't go into all of the details for obvious reasons but suffice it say it has something to do with massive inefficiency and communication problems. I'll leave it there.
Ippy - Thanks for taking the time to read the post for its intention and rspond the way you did. I really appreciate it as well as some insight into
what's actually going on there. Humor appreciated as well and I'll pass on the "news" next year as you suggest.
After talking with another more knowedgable (than me) NET today, they agree that this is nothing more than a cover everyone's butt exercise.
Sorry to see there are so many people out there who are apparently bitter about not having a public school job. |
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nathanrutledge
Joined: 01 May 2008 Location: Marakesh
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Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2011 1:34 am Post subject: |
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To give a bit more info on Ippy's post - it's not a job requirement, it's the law. They passed a law that went into effect within the last 2 years or so that says that PS teachers must have 60 hours of training per year (I believe it's 60). They count the overnight trips as time, so if it's 24 hours of your time, then it's 24 hours of training. The online stuff is part of it too.
So yeah, if you don't do it, you're going to lose your job. |
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tideout
Joined: 12 Dec 2010
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Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2011 2:31 am Post subject: |
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nathanrutledge wrote: |
To give a bit more info on Ippy's post - it's not a job requirement, it's the law. They passed a law that went into effect within the last 2 years or so that says that PS teachers must have 60 hours of training per year (I believe it's 60). They count the overnight trips as time, so if it's 24 hours of your time, then it's 24 hours of training. The online stuff is part of it too.
So yeah, if you don't do it, you're going to lose your job. |
NR. Interesting post and I appreciate you flushing out more details on it. It's all news to me as the say. I hadn't heard any background info on this when notified recently. |
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runthegauntlet

Joined: 02 Dec 2007 Location: the southlands.
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Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2011 11:20 pm Post subject: |
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nathanrutledge wrote: |
To give a bit more info on Ippy's post - it's not a job requirement, it's the law. They passed a law that went into effect within the last 2 years or so that says that PS teachers must have 60 hours of training per year (I believe it's 60). They count the overnight trips as time, so if it's 24 hours of your time, then it's 24 hours of training. The online stuff is part of it too.
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Per YEAR?!
So you'll have to redo the course each year or they have different levels?
Haven't heard this at all and it doesn't make sense. I don't have to do the Seoul orientation/online thing that comprised the 60 hours that I had to do my first year...
In addition, my Seoul orientation that lasted SIX days did NOT count as 6x24 hour, it counted as 30 hours.
Then I had to do 2x15 hour online courses.
Not sure you have all the facts, here. |
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nathanrutledge
Joined: 01 May 2008 Location: Marakesh
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Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2011 11:49 pm Post subject: |
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runthegauntlet wrote: |
nathanrutledge wrote: |
To give a bit more info on Ippy's post - it's not a job requirement, it's the law. They passed a law that went into effect within the last 2 years or so that says that PS teachers must have 60 hours of training per year (I believe it's 60). They count the overnight trips as time, so if it's 24 hours of your time, then it's 24 hours of training. The online stuff is part of it too.
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Per YEAR?!
So you'll have to redo the course each year or they have different levels?
Haven't heard this at all and it doesn't make sense. I don't have to do the Seoul orientation/online thing that comprised the 60 hours that I had to do my first year...
In addition, my Seoul orientation that lasted SIX days did NOT count as 6x24 hour, it counted as 30 hours.
Then I had to do 2x15 hour online courses.
Not sure you have all the facts, here. |
Like I said, I THINK it's 60 hours. It might have been a bit less, but I KNOW that teachers are required to do training every year, and that the BS meetings count as training. Luckily for me, I jumped ship for greener pastures and didn't have to go and learn hanguel, or talk about Korean culture (did you know that Koreans don't like Japanese!?!?) for my training....
There are lots of things that can count for training, and if you're not having to do any of them, count yourself lucky - your co teacher is probably marking stuff down for you. Or not telling you so you'll get canned later... Who knows?  |
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tideout
Joined: 12 Dec 2010
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Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2011 12:26 am Post subject: |
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nathanrutledge wrote: |
runthegauntlet wrote: |
nathanrutledge wrote: |
To give a bit more info on Ippy's post - it's not a job requirement, it's the law. They passed a law that went into effect within the last 2 years or so that says that PS teachers must have 60 hours of training per year (I believe it's 60). They count the overnight trips as time, so if it's 24 hours of your time, then it's 24 hours of training. The online stuff is part of it too.
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Per YEAR?!
So you'll have to redo the course each year or they have different levels?
Haven't heard this at all and it doesn't make sense. I don't have to do the Seoul orientation/online thing that comprised the 60 hours that I had to do my first year...
In addition, my Seoul orientation that lasted SIX days did NOT count as 6x24 hour, it counted as 30 hours.
Then I had to do 2x15 hour online courses.
Not sure you have all the facts, here. |
Like I said, I THINK it's 60 hours. It might have been a bit less, but I KNOW that teachers are required to do training every year, and that the BS meetings count as training. Luckily for me, I jumped ship for greener pastures and didn't have to go and learn hanguel, or talk about Korean culture (did you know that Koreans don't like Japanese!?!?) for my training....
There are lots of things that can count for training, and if you're not having to do any of them, count yourself lucky - your co teacher is probably marking stuff down for you. Or not telling you so you'll get canned later... Who knows?  |
This sounds pretty spot on with what i've been hearing. Some people have apparently just said that they didn't want to do it and there's no repercussion with the school - no problem. Other people have run the gauntlet so to speak. It may have nothing to do with the individual teacher - just who's on top of things administratively at your location. |
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runthegauntlet

Joined: 02 Dec 2007 Location: the southlands.
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Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2011 10:56 pm Post subject: |
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nathanrutledge wrote: |
Like I said, I THINK it's 60 hours. It might have been a bit less, but I KNOW that teachers are required to do training every year, and that the BS meetings count as training. Luckily for me, I jumped ship for greener pastures and didn't have to go and learn hanguel, or talk about Korean culture (did you know that Koreans don't like Japanese!?!?) for my training....
There are lots of things that can count for training, and if you're not having to do any of them, count yourself lucky - your co teacher is probably marking stuff down for you. Or not telling you so you'll get canned later... Who knows?  |
Yeah, you 'know' alright. Just like you 'know' that overnight counts as 24 hours, etc., etc.
I'll just go ahead and say that you don't actually 'know' then, and are just throwing random stuff out there for whatever inane reason you have.
Think you're really mixing up a few different things here that you might want to figure out before pushing your 'haha, you guys are taking it while i'm in a better place' agenda. |
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runthegauntlet

Joined: 02 Dec 2007 Location: the southlands.
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Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2011 11:01 pm Post subject: |
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tideout wrote: |
Other people have run the gauntlet so to speak. It may have nothing to do with the individual teacher - just who's on top of things administratively at your location. |
What's that supposed to mean? I do everything requested and don't get on message boards whinging about it.
You might want to try doing the same. Or you can just stick your thumb in your mouth and call everyone who actually, you know, does their jobs without reaching out to anyone with a sympathetic ear "spineless bootlickers'.
I will say that I've recently found out that I have to go watch another foreign teacher teach an open class.
Not sure if that's training for me or them, but it sounds like it should be quite interesting and I'm looking forward to it.
Proceed with your asinine comments.....now. |
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