Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Canucksaram]

Anyone else going away this weekend to attend an EWAS training seminar?

Anyone else pissed about how poorly things are being organized, and about the fact that the training is unpaid?

I've got a friend working for a hagwon franchise called EWAS ("English With A Smile") and this weekend there's a "mandatory" training session being held somewhere just outside of Seoul.

Employees, both Korean and non-Korean, are expected to spend their entire weekend undergoing this unpaid training. The training is scheduled to run until 11 PM Sunday night, after which time attendees must bus it back to Seoul -- and most folks have to teach the following morning at 9 AM.

Training begins Saturday morning, and all attendees must bus it to the training site, necessitating a 5 AM or 6 AM wake-up time in order to arrive at the in-Seoul meet point to board the bus.

One night's accomodation (Saturday night) is being paid for by the training session organizers. Other costs are out-of-pocket, AFAIK (perhaps meals will be covered, but my friend didn't say).

Trying to get direct, straight answers from one of the "Little Bear Lake" story book writers (either Joel Tal or Gadi Bossin; I forget what name my friend mentioned; "Little Bear Lake" is a series of EFL material used at EWAS) was like trying to pull teeth from a grumpy bear. "Dodgy" doesn't begin to describe the vibe emanating from him, I was told.

Anyway, I'm curious about whether anybody else is going away on this training session, and what you think about it. My friend is still undecided about whether they will show.

Were I in my friend's position, I'd go for the first day and then, at a public moment when one or more of the organizers were fielding questions, ask questions like these:

1. Why is this training unpaid? Why are the organizers not putting folks up for the night on Friday so that an ungodly Saturday wake-up can be avoided?

2. Why is the training taking place out of Seoul? Was it really necessary for us to travel so far?

3. Why is the training going so late on Sunday night when so many attendees have to work early the next morning?

4. Did the organizers not feel that attendees were worthy of the respect and consideration that properly-organized, planned, paid training would have signified, and do the organizers really feel that the attendees are going to be all that receptive to the training, given all the negative issues surrounding it?

[Derrek]

I'm not sure, but this sounds a lot like a "Membership Training" trip, or what Koreans call, "MT."

MT's are nothing more than weekend drinking parties and social events -- Korean style. It's a sort of company bonding thing, and often the director shells out a lot of cash (or as little as possible) to pull one off. To be honest, they're not my cup of tea. They may have some dorky gameshow-style fun events -- and there will be TONS of alchohol and raw fish for everyone.

I actually have some memorable experiences from them, though -- like the time when I worked for Bambini, and ended up the only single guy on the MT with about 30 women -- save for a bus driver or two. The girls got so drunk, and my boss ended up hitting on me and my married co-worker in front of EVERYONE! Also, a really drunk, and ultra-hot, early 20s co-worker -- who speaks NO English -- jumped on the couch and suddenly began spooning with me (for about 4 seconds, until her co-workers shrieked and pulled her away).

That is what I've experienced.

Ask the Koreans and find out if this is really a training event, or just an "MT," which is really like a big party. There may or may not be any actual "training" involved. They just call it that. The problem here is that the Koreans probably assume you understand what an "MT" is. You don't. I didn't either -- until I went on one.

Oh, and chances are you'll end up sleeping on a floor in a room full of drunk people farting all night.

Be quick to get a blanket, or you'll sleep without one.

[JongnoGuru]

Okay, the OP is correct -- they're not paying teachers for "unpaid time", but you seem to be looking at it all wrong. What they're doing is, they're providing two full days of training at no charge as a benefit to the teachers.

Anyway, from what I hear, attendance is (or will be) required for teachers at all hagwons and schools nationwide, not just EWAS. This is apparently a test-run for is rumoured to become a monthly training programme, compliments of the Ministry of Education (and the Korean taxpayer ).

Derrek seems to be accentuating the negative, but what he describes sounds reasonably accurate in broad strokes.

[schwa]

& way overdue too. A one-weekend-a-month bootcamp for hagwon slackers is perfectly appropriate to help them earn their inflated wages honestly.

[TheUrbanMyth]

[JongnoGuru]

[Ya-ta Boy]