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Epik_Teacher
Joined: 28 Apr 2010
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 Posted: Wed Jul 21, 2010 5:11 pm Post subject: Another Fun Day Desk Warming................ |
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| This is So much fun. One other teacher, the VP and me. No students, no other teachers, nothing. I guess EPIK changed the rules, now I get to sit from 8:30 to 3:00 for the rest of the summer. This is my 4th contract with them......AND MY LAST! |
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Senior
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
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| Posted: Wed Jul 21, 2010 5:22 pm Post subject: |
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| The assisstant English teacher at my school has to desk warm, and I don't. And she is Korean! So they can be illogical towards their own kind. |
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NYC_Gal
Joined: 08 Dec 2009
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| Posted: Wed Jul 21, 2010 5:32 pm Post subject: |
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| You're lucky that you get to leave at 3! |
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salgichawa
Joined: 18 Mar 2010
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| Posted: Wed Jul 21, 2010 5:37 pm Post subject: Re: Another Fun Day Desk Warming................ |
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| Epik_Teacher wrote: |
| This is So much fun. One other teacher, the VP and me. No students, no other teachers, nothing. I guess EPIK changed the rules, now I get to sit from 8:30 to 3:00 for the rest of the summer. This is my 4th contract with them......AND MY LAST! |
Hi There,
I am impressed you made it through 4. I am leaving after 3. |
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air76
Joined: 13 Nov 2007
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| Posted: Wed Jul 21, 2010 5:48 pm Post subject: |
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| Senior wrote: |
| The assisstant English teacher at my school has to desk warm, and I don't. And she is Korean! So they can be illogical towards their own kind. |
There are millions of Koreans across this nation deskwarming....at schools, offices, factories, everywhere!
Deskwarming is hardly something forced only upon English teachers....it is the policy across the board.
I honestly have no idea what half of the people at the university are doing for these 2 months. I have gone into the office now and again to use the printer and people just seem to be milling about, drinking coffee and chit-chatting. The English department assistant, who has other duties, but mainly helps out the English professors with this, that, and the other...literally won't get one day off this entire summer...she is new and doesn't have any vacation time for a year...so although all of the professors are gone, most of them out of the country...she still has to sit there for 2 months, every day, 9-5...doing??? Hmm....Cyworld anyone? I mean, surely she has some work to do, but 320 hours worth? Hardly. |
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SpaceGhoster
Joined: 20 Jul 2010
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| Posted: Wed Jul 21, 2010 5:59 pm Post subject: |
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If you do something productive with the time, it's going to go much faster and you'll get some sense of accomplishment from it at least.
Write a book or some music, research the trip you're taking once you vacation actually comes, work on one of your hobbies, do something. Remember that no matter what job you do next, it's not going to be nearly as easy as you have it here. I would love to find a job back home that pays $600 a week to sit at a desk and work on whatever I wish.
If you're always waiting for the next thing, you're gonna miss out on a lot of time you wish you could have back in the end. |
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Epik_Teacher
Joined: 28 Apr 2010
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| Posted: Wed Jul 21, 2010 6:06 pm Post subject: Re: Another Fun Day Desk Warming................ |
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[quote="salgichawa"]
| Epik_Teacher wrote: |
Hi There,
I am impressed you made it through 4. I am leaving after 3. |
EPIK goes thru cycles. It started in 1996 as a Korean version of the Jpanese JET program. It got worse after the 1997 crash and lots of teachers got screwed. They reformed it, and it went downhill again. The current EPIK is the 3rd or 4th incarnation of the original and it is going downhill again. You can tell where EPIK is by watching the how the contracts and rules change. More legalistic and more chicken shit about rules.
With the market crash coming this fall, I don't see them spending much for it in the future. They probably have funds allotted for the 2011 year, but I bet it gets sharply cut after that. If for no other reason than it's huge expense and so-so results.
Last edited by Epik_Teacher on Wed Jul 21, 2010 6:43 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Epik_Teacher
Joined: 28 Apr 2010
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| Posted: Wed Jul 21, 2010 6:08 pm Post subject: |
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I guess this rant makes me realize that I REALLY, REALLY need a vacation from Korea. Lately, little things are starting to get to me and I'm ready to explode at the slightest provocation. I've been here straight since 2000 and have only left Korea 3x in the last 10 years. Maybe I'll head home for a week or two.
Last edited by Epik_Teacher on Wed Jul 21, 2010 6:42 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Horangi Munshin
Joined: 06 Apr 2003
Location: Busan
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| Posted: Wed Jul 21, 2010 6:13 pm Post subject: |
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| I have to stay the full day. I could sneak out but knowing my luck I'd be caught. I can use the aircon in my room, it's not locked out by the office so it ain't so bad. Got a lot of stuff done. Start camp next week. |
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jvalmer
Joined: 06 Jun 2003
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| Posted: Wed Jul 21, 2010 6:14 pm Post subject: Re: Another Fun Day Desk Warming................ |
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| Epik_Teacher wrote: |
| With the market crash coming this fall, I don't see them spending much for it in the future. They probably have funds allotted for the 2011 year, but I bet it gets sharply cut after that. If for no other reason than it's huge expense and so-so results. |
I think the education authorities will wake up and make it more like JET. Students learning english will take a back seat to making it a cultural program. Or if they were really smart they'd cut it altogether and either keep that cash, for soju, or spend it on their own teachers. |
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Xuanzang
Joined: 10 Apr 2007
Location: Sadang
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| Posted: Wed Jul 21, 2010 6:35 pm Post subject: Re: Another Fun Day Desk Warming................ |
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| jvalmer wrote: |
| Epik_Teacher wrote: |
| With the market crash coming this fall, I don't see them spending much for it in the future. They probably have funds allotted for the 2011 year, but I bet it gets sharply cut after that. If for no other reason than it's huge expense and so-so results. |
I think the education authorities will wake up and make it more like JET. Students learning english will take a back seat to making it a cultural program. Or if they were really smart they'd cut it altogether and either keep that cash, for soju, or spend it on their own teachers. |
A new administration might do just that. |
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SpaceGhoster
Joined: 20 Jul 2010
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| Posted: Wed Jul 21, 2010 6:43 pm Post subject: |
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| Epik_Teacher wrote: |
| SpaceGhoster wrote: |
If you do something productive with the time, it's going to go much faster and you'll get some sense of accomplishment from it at least.
Write a book or some music, research the trip you're taking once you vacation actually comes, work on one of your hobbies, do something. Remember that no matter what job you do next, it's not going to be nearly as easy as you have it here. I would love to find a job back home that pays $600 a week to sit at a desk and work on whatever I wish.
If you're always waiting for the next thing, you're gonna miss out on a lot of time you wish you could have back in the end. |
Thanks for the advice.................wanker! |
Well seriously, you have to do it, why not do something? A full week of facebook browsing and being upset you have to do it would be much more painful. |
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Adobe
Joined: 02 Jul 2007
Location: SK
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| Posted: Wed Jul 21, 2010 6:45 pm Post subject: |
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You're lucky you just have to deskwarm. I've got 22 classes each week for two weeks(my normal load is 17). That is 22 individual lessons a week(I see the same students for 5/6 peroids a day). Then I have camp at another school for 5days(15 lessons).
Altogether for these extra classes(15 students of mixed ability...read 1 who is good at English and 14 who are unmotivated and from the bottom of the barrel) I have to/have prepped over 44 lessons which is more than I will have prepped for my regular classes during my entire contract.     
Some of you got it easy.
Adobe |
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oldfatfarang
Joined: 19 May 2005
Location: On the road to somewhere.
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| Posted: Wed Jul 21, 2010 7:19 pm Post subject: |
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| Adobe wrote: |
You're lucky you just have to deskwarm. I've got 22 classes each week for two weeks(my normal load is 17). That is 22 individual lessons a week(I see the same students for 5/6 peroids a day). Then I have camp at another school for 5days(15 lessons).
Altogether for these extra classes(15 students of mixed ability...read 1 who is good at English and 14 who are unmotivated and from the bottom of the barrel) I have to/have prepped over 44 lessons which is more than I will have prepped for my regular classes during my entire contract.
Some of you got it easy.
Adobe |
I'm in the same boat. But I only prepared an extra 30 lessons for 2 camps. It's obvious that some bright spark has realised that they can squeeze another WHOLE YEAR of lessons from the NET's by making them do (multiple) camps during 'vacations'. Heck, I usually teach 30 lessons a year, and now that's doubled with these summer camps. The number of lessons I will teach this year will further increase with extended winter camps.
Note well, newbies. None of this extra workload is paid. So we're preparing for and teaching double the number of classes for the same annual salary.
PS jobs have gone to heck. I'm outa here contract end (or sooner). |
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Seoulio
Joined: 02 Jan 2010
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| Posted: Wed Jul 21, 2010 7:19 pm Post subject: |
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sigh - yawn
yet again, you have it so rough, being paid to come in and surf the internet or wtch tv, read a novel.
Be thankful that the school isnt saying "okay wee need every book pulled off the shelf in the library, and checked for the proper code"
or "here are 25 different texts that we are thinking of using for next term, please go through all of them and check for grammar mistakes"
or
"we are instituting a new course next year, you need to design the book for us.
ALL Of these things are within your bosses right to do, and all they are doing is saying "come in please and honor your contract"
I am not defending it in general, it would be nice to have something to do with the time other than coming into an empty school,
but for God's sake people you could be back home fighting with bosses to give you a hard hat in a factory, or working 12-14 hour days for no overtime because if you complain you are unemployed and then you are screwed, all this for less than what we make here in Korea AND with a house to pay for.
God the people who are so pathetic they can't just sit at a freaking desk and fill the time is getting really old.
You knew going into the contract how many vacation days you had in that contract. if you are getting them, then pipe down, if you are not AND sitting at a desk for nothing then you can talk.
that's my feelings on the matter. |
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