News from the GEPIK front [merged]

[barbbui]

I received an email from GEPIK today.  See below:
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Hello GEPIK teachers,

I hope that your school year started well and serviving well in this weird weather.

I'm sure that you've heard rumors about decreasing the number of GEPIK teachers.

I'm forwarding the official letter that sent from Gyeonggi Education Office.

And answers of some FAQs that they get.

I hope that this will answer many of the questions that you have.

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Hello GEPIK Teachers,

 
We know that many of you have been inquiring about the recent changes in GEPIK for this year. This email will hopefully clear up some of your questions and will shed light on what's going on with GEPIK.

As many of you have probably heard by now, GEPIK will not be hiring and/or renewing teachers from May 25, 2011 to August 31, 2011. At this point in time GEPIK is working to restructure the program. During this three-month period, we will be working to streamline the program so that starting September 2011 GEPIK contract dates will be aligned. We are aiming to set contract dates for September 1st and March 1st so that the GEPIK structure will be more standardized. We do realize that many of you will be affected by this change, but please understand that we found it crucial to restructure our program to improve GEPIK, not only for the program itself but for our teachers as well.

To explain this situation further, last year (2010), GEPIK reached its highest numbers of teachers. However, from the year 2011, there has been a decrease in the number of teachers in our program. At the same time, during this period of change, it is in the best interest of our program to secure as much funding as we could in order to maintain as many GEPIK teachers as possible.

Again, we hope that this email will help end some of the rumors that have been circulating, and we do apologize for not making this announcement sooner. Below, we have listed some FAQs to clarify and answer some of the questions we have been receiving.

As always, thank you for your support and contribution to GEPIK. We thoroughly appreciate the hard work that all of our teachers have put in for GEPIK.

Sincerely,

GEPIK Coordinators & GPOE

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FAQs:

Q: Will there be jobs available within GEPIK during this 3 month period?

A: There are three places that funds GEPIK teachers:

1.      Directly from GPOE

2.      Half from GPOE and the other half from their respective city budgets

3.      Strictly from respective city budgets

Schools that receive funding STRICTLY from their respective cities will be able to still renew/hire teachers during this period.

 

Q: How stable is my contract? Will my school let me go early before my contract ends?

A: You will get to finish your contract for the full 365 days that you and your school signed on for.

 

Q: What changes will there be after the restructuring of the program?

A: GEPIK is aiming to have all contract dates to start either March 1st or September 1st. We are also planning to send GEPIK teachers to an orientation before they begin working at their schools.

 
Q: How can I found a job with GEPIK in the future?

A: Contact recruiting agencies. We have attached a file with a list of agencies that recruit for GEPIK.

[w4z]

My contract started on the 15th of this march.  Am I basically screwed out of renewal then?  Some schools semesters start on different days.  I don't know how they would coordinate this with so many other schools.

[epinephrine9]

My contract started on the 15th of this march.  Am I basically screwed out of renewal then?  Some schools semesters start on different days.  I don't know how they would coordinate this with so many other schools.

I doubt that you'd be screwed out of a renewal because of that. I'd be more afraid of the school trying to find an excuse to fire you on month 11. 

[Ollie84]

Company buzzwords like 'streamlining' and 'restructuring' are very ominous. They are code for job cuts for workers and bonuses for company owners and higher ups.

Talk of  'standardization' is similarly worrying. It suggests that GEPIK are going to target key markets such as big cities and important areas in the province, to the detriment of poorer areas in need of teachers. Also, GEPIK appear to be trying to create a one foreign teacher fits all category, which isnt actually good for teachers.

The fact that contracts are already not being renewed says it all.

As far as the rest of Korea is concerned, SMOE have already handed their main recruitment over to EPIK, which is another example of standardization in the system.

[Rowanteacher]

Q: How can I found a job with GEPIK in the future?

A: Contact recruiting agencies. We have attached a file with a list of agencies that recruit for GEPIK.

lmao my middle school students could pick up the error there and these are the people in charge of English education for all of Gyeonggi? Tells you all you need to know really 

[solaris326]

A friend of mine received this email today, and my own co-teacher pretty much said the exact same thing to me yesterday....

Hello GEPIK Teachers,
 
We know that many of you have been inquiring about the recent changes in GEPIK for this year. This email will hopefully clear up some of your questions and will shed light on what's going on with GEPIK.
As many of you have probably heard by now, GEPIK will not be hiring and/or renewing teachers from May 25, 2011 to August 31, 2011. At this point in time GEPIK is working to restructure the program. During this three-month period, we will be working to streamline the program so that starting September 2011 GEPIK contract dates will be aligned. We are aiming to set contract dates for September 1st and March 1st so that the GEPIK structure will be more standardized. We do realize that many of you will be affected by this change, but please understand that we found it crucial to restructure our program to improve GEPIK, not only for the program itself but for our teachers as well.
To explain this situation further, last year (2010), GEPIK reached its highest numbers of teachers. However, from the year 2011, there has been a decrease in the number of teachers in our program. At the same time, during this period of change, it is in the best interest of our program to secure as much funding as we can in order to maintain as many GEPIK teachers as possible.
Again, we hope that this email will help end some of the rumors that have been circulating, and we do apologize for not making this announcement sooner. Below, we have listed some FAQs to clarify and answer some of the questions we have been receiving.
As always, thank you for your support and contribution to GEPIK. We thoroughly appreciate the hard work that all of our teachers have put in for GEPIK.

Do we have any hope of changing this decision made by GEPIK?!?!?!  This is probably one of the most absurd things I have seen come out of GEPIK.... My contract is up in July and I really don't want to leave my school, but I really can't afford to wait until September to see if I can get my old job back.......

[GEK]

I understand the frustration from teachers who will have contracts end outside of the hiring season. 

However, you can't really blame them for trying to streamline the hiring process.  It's actually a smart move on their part and totally out of line with the business model in Korea (they have a plan!). 

Pick up a hagwon gig and wait it out until they start hiring again if you don't want to go home?  Change districts-->Incheon, SMOE, that other one? Your contract is up in July?  Hiring is in September?  Take a break. 

I've noticed that in Incheon, a lot of public schools are hiring Korean teachers who failed the "National Teachers' Exam" to teach conversational English.  Their effectiveness is another topic.  It's just something that is happening.  Someone is tightening purse strings and that's not necessarily a bad thing.

[cruisemonkey]

Your contract is up in July?  Hiring is in September?  Take a break.

It'll take longer than that to assemble all the required documents and get them notarized/apostilled.

[Yu_Bumsuk]

Sept. 1? So teachers will arrive a week or more after the new term has started, go through some BS orientation, and actually start working two to four weeks after school has restarted? Pure government Klogic.

[pippo11]

Not to mention any teacher that decides to resign during their contract.

Will the next native teacher only be given a contract for the remaining amount of time? Will the school just go without a native teacher until the next start date? Doesn't really solve the problem in my eyes.

[ame]

Your contract is up in July?  Hiring is in September?  Take a break.

It'll take longer than that to assemble all the required documents and get them notarized/apostilled.

Start now.

[Canonite]

I apologize if this is a stupid/newbie question...but does this affect EPIK teachers in Gyeongsangnam-do province?

[sophos]

I understand the frustration from teachers who will have contracts end outside of the hiring season. 

However, you can't really blame them for trying to streamline the hiring process.  It's actually a smart move on their part and totally out of line with the business model in Korea (they have a plan!). 

Pick up a hagwon gig and wait it out until they start hiring again if you don't want to go home?  Change districts-->Incheon, SMOE, that other one? Your contract is up in July?  Hiring is in September?  Take a break. 

I've noticed that in Incheon, a lot of public schools are hiring Korean teachers who failed the "National Teachers' Exam" to teach conversational English.  Their effectiveness is another topic.  It's just something that is happening.  Someone is tightening purse strings and that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Take a break? Where? Back in England, my home country where I have no apartment, no job and there is a serious recession going on. Most of my friends back home are losing their jobs at the moment so not sure that my chances of picking up a bit of work while GEPIK "streamline their hiring process" are going to be particularly good. Like another poster said, if you end up waiting on the off chance of getting rehired by your school again in September, you'll have to find all the your visa documents again and go back through that expensive process of apostillisation all over again.

I don't see how it makes sense personally? So they want everyone to start at the same time. And they want to hire people fresh out of college with no teaching experience or qualifications because they're cheaper and (more malleable) if what we were told at GEPIK orientation is anything to go by. What's going to happen a few months into the new hiring period? Some of the new Sept 1 people are going to leave then you'll have people hired outside of Sept 1 and March 1. Or are GEPIK just going to ban school's from rehiring outside of Sept 1 and March 1. All seems like penny pinching BS to me or at the very least just the usual incompetence. GEPIK get to save on 3 months of wages and deny people their extra 2 weeks of  vacation for renewing. End of.

[wafflebunny]

Okay.

So please some one help me with this. 

I am currently working in Daejeon and my contract at my school ends THIS AUGUST. I am not going to plan to renew because I would like to move to the Seoul/Incheon area to work. However, when am I expected to apply for a job with GEPIK? Does this mean I would have to go home for a couple of months then come back? I'm confused. I gotta talk to an expert. All I know is that if I can go home for a month or two then I guess that would make my mama happy because I could go to my brother's little ol' funky wedding.  Bottom lime, I really need to know what I would have to do from now until my contract is up if I want to change provinces.

[ISangHae]

Doesn't make a lick of sense.

Dain Bae keeps her job, yet teachers that work can't keep theirs?

[QTEE]

Like Wafflebunny I too am confused
my contract runs out on the 1st of Sept can I predate my renewel if they want me back
or what these GEPIK people dont know if they are arthur or martha
hhhmmmm I really wouldnt like these people running a whole country thats for sure

[misspigeon]

Thanks for posting this!

I work in Suwon and apparently we're paid 100% by City Hall. There's a conference/meeting today for the KTs that my co-teacher is going to with the intention of finally getting some concrete answers from them. Hopefully she'll come back with good news tomorrow!

[peasgoodnonsuch]

Honestly, I don't blame them for trying to streamline and save a buck.Perhaps I can feel this way because I have a march contract. That said, I am really sorry for all the people thrown into chaos because of this.

For those of you worried about the gap, I recommend this: get a summer-termed job at a hagwon (there are plenty) or use some of your savings/severance to chill in SE Asia, maybe take a better language course like CELTA to up your chances for a job. Get your paperwork for the September hiring term ready NOW. It's only just about April, so there's plenty of time if you're switching schools. Otherwise, see if your school with give you a "delayed" renewal. You can sign the paperwork but, the start date will say Sept. 1st. Honestly, I don't know if this last option is possible, but I'd ask.

Also, ask what sort of funding your school uses to pay for you. If the gap between contracts is only a couple of months, perhaps the school can pay for you on its own for that time and then get GEPIK money starting in September?

I wish all of you the best of luck, and I'm sorry this is happening!

[mackattack]

My coteacher mentioned that since the gov't is instating a free lunch program for all public schools, province and city budgets are hard pressed to fund it.  Money has to come from somewhere, and i guess native English teachers are on the cut list.

[pyeager]

My co-teacher has been really concerned by all this and talked to his friends at our local education office. According to him, and an email from my GEPIK coordinator, they want to scale back the program. His education office contact told him that there would be no high school foreign teachers and only about one foreigner for every two middle schools in our city. This information, if it's even accurate, only applies to our city.

Anyway, I think everything is still up in the air. I'm actually surprised they told us this far ahead of their May 25th contract freeze. I can understand why they want to streamline the hiring process and give a decent orientation to new arrivals, but I don't see why when those of us who renew attend another one of those ridiculous conferences matters. In my opinion, freezing hiring during that time is a way for them to thin us out a little bit so they don't actually have to make as many decisions about who stays and who goes.