They calculated my vacation down to the minute. They calculated 2 days worth medical checks in my vacation time. There is nothing I can do to change what they messed up.4 days 4 hours and 20 minutesSo I have to go in on a monday. I told them I'll be leaving the country on the saturday before.Asked if they could spare me a vacation day.They refused and said if I wanted to leave early they will deduct 70,000 won off my paycheck.UGH.
What exactly is the EPIK coordinators job description?It seems like they just shrug and say "every school is different" whilst everything in the POE goes to shit.
Quote from: Jennipennypie on July 16, 2015, 12:08:55 pmWhat exactly is the EPIK coordinators job description?It seems like they just shrug and say "every school is different" whilst everything in the POE goes to shit. "Damage control resulting from inept governmental decisionmaking" sounds like a fair description, I'd say.If you're in the same POE as I am (and I believe you are), our coordinator's had a lot of sh!t dumped on her plate over the last year and a half. I know she seems important because she's pretty much the highest ranking person we have contact with at the POE, but it's pretty safe to say she's actually pretty low down on the totem pole over there. Chances are if there's something you need help with and she can't help you, it's literally that: She can't help you. Us NETs probably expect way more of her than she's actually capable of delivering, and though our frustrations are obviously justified these days, I think she gets more flack for it than she deserves.
Hearing my name over and over in conversations in the office. After they've finished talking, no one has the courtesy to tell me what they were talking about.When I ask; "oh it's nothing".Does this annoy anyone else? It's so rude in my opinion. If it's a short chat then fair enough but when I hear my name over and over again in a five minute conversation and then get no explanation, it really winds me up.
Quote from: Mister Tim on July 16, 2015, 12:40:05 pmQuote from: Jennipennypie on July 16, 2015, 12:08:55 pmWhat exactly is the EPIK coordinators job description?It seems like they just shrug and say "every school is different" whilst everything in the POE goes to shit. "Damage control resulting from inept governmental decisionmaking" sounds like a fair description, I'd say.If you're in the same POE as I am (and I believe you are), our coordinator's had a lot of sh!t dumped on her plate over the last year and a half. I know she seems important because she's pretty much the highest ranking person we have contact with at the POE, but it's pretty safe to say she's actually pretty low down on the totem pole over there. Chances are if there's something you need help with and she can't help you, it's literally that: She can't help you. Us NETs probably expect way more of her than she's actually capable of delivering, and though our frustrations are obviously justified these days, I think she gets more flack for it than she deserves. I agree with the first line. I don't think most of us expect her to change anything, we know she can't.However we are just asking for some information (on a mass level rather than individually). Information she can access and we can't. It's been nothing but radio silence since all this went down. Us NETs probably expect way more of her than she's actually capable of delivering, and though our frustrations are obviously justified these days, I think she gets more flack for it than she deserves.Yes I can agree with this. It just seems like lately when we do voice our frustrations we get a shrug or a sarcastic response....I don't know, some understanding or even an apology (not personally, but just a general sorry this is happening) would be nice. I'm not saying she is a bad person here, but isn't it her job to send out info to us? Information we are having to get via Facebook and the grapevine instead. I think we've definitely been lucky with her but right now it feels like she is just leaving us all to flail and panic about what is happening....so it feels good to rant about it.
Quote from: Jennipennypie on July 16, 2015, 01:05:49 pmQuote from: Mister Tim on July 16, 2015, 12:40:05 pmQuote from: Jennipennypie on July 16, 2015, 12:08:55 pmWhat exactly is the EPIK coordinators job description?It seems like they just shrug and say "every school is different" whilst everything in the POE goes to shit. "Damage control resulting from inept governmental decisionmaking" sounds like a fair description, I'd say.If you're in the same POE as I am (and I believe you are), our coordinator's had a lot of sh!t dumped on her plate over the last year and a half. I know she seems important because she's pretty much the highest ranking person we have contact with at the POE, but it's pretty safe to say she's actually pretty low down on the totem pole over there. Chances are if there's something you need help with and she can't help you, it's literally that: She can't help you. Us NETs probably expect way more of her than she's actually capable of delivering, and though our frustrations are obviously justified these days, I think she gets more flack for it than she deserves. I agree with the first line. I don't think most of us expect her to change anything, we know she can't.However we are just asking for some information (on a mass level rather than individually). Information she can access and we can't. It's been nothing but radio silence since all this went down. Us NETs probably expect way more of her than she's actually capable of delivering, and though our frustrations are obviously justified these days, I think she gets more flack for it than she deserves.Yes I can agree with this. It just seems like lately when we do voice our frustrations we get a shrug or a sarcastic response....I don't know, some understanding or even an apology (not personally, but just a general sorry this is happening) would be nice. I'm not saying she is a bad person here, but isn't it her job to send out info to us? Information we are having to get via Facebook and the grapevine instead. I think we've definitely been lucky with her but right now it feels like she is just leaving us all to flail and panic about what is happening....so it feels good to rant about it.Believe me, I understand. The blow from the events detailed in my little rant earlier in this thread about having to leave all my current schools and start at a new batch after summer vacation might've been softened a little if I had had any indication whatsoever that it was something that might be happening, but a casual mention from a coteacher at the start of class was the absolute first I heard about it. Even now that I've heard about it from Coteachers, my handler, and the teacher I'll be replacing at my new schools, I still haven't gotten any word about it whatsoever from the POE. Not an email, not a phone call, nothing. Communication definitely leaves much to be desired.I wasn't really try to call you out or say you're being to hard on her or to stop complaining or whatever, hope I didn't come off that way. This entire past year and a half has been a real sh!t-show in our province, and some teachers that actually stood a chance at being able to renew this coming cycle chose not to, because they were so sick of how things have been going. I just kinda feel bad for our rep, because she's in the middle dealing with shit rolling down from the higher-ups and dealing with our questions and complaints. I don't envy her position in the slightest.
you need to distinguish between the EPIK coordinators and the head coordinators of your MOE/POE. it seems like the person you're talking about above is the coordinator for you MOE/POE. they don't work for EPIK. they work for your MOE/POE. EPIK doesn't pay their salary, and has nothing to do with their position.EPIK is basically a big government recruiting firm that handles the recruitment, training, and to a certain extent, the placement of NETs. EPIK does have coordinators working for them, but what they do is a bit different to what the coordinators at the MOE/POEs do. EPIK doesn't select the MOE/POE coordinators, the MOE/POEs select those themselves.once you've gone through orientation EPIK really has very little to do with you.
The creepy groundskeeper of my school comes into the main teachers office sometimes for coffee but he stands over my shoulder. Almost always. I hope he can read English as he's standing behind me as I type. He could easily walk over to the teacher he's talking to. But instead he chooses to stand directly behind me and snort and slurp his coffee and he smells like dirt. When he's not speaking to the teacher he's watching me. Its really uncomfortable.
Quote from: krissyboo75 on July 16, 2015, 03:13:35 pmThe creepy groundskeeper of my school comes into the main teachers office sometimes for coffee but he stands over my shoulder. Almost always. I hope he can read English as he's standing behind me as I type. He could easily walk over to the teacher he's talking to. But instead he chooses to stand directly behind me and snort and slurp his coffee and he smells like dirt. When he's not speaking to the teacher he's watching me. Its really uncomfortable. $50 says he's checking out your breasts.
Quote from: krissyboo75 on July 16, 2015, 03:13:35 pmThe creepy groundskeeper of my school comes into the main teachers office sometimes for coffee but he stands over my shoulder. Almost always. I hope he can read English as he's standing behind me as I type. He could easily walk over to the teacher he's talking to. But instead he chooses to stand directly behind me and snort and slurp his coffee and he smells like dirt. When he's not speaking to the teacher he's watching me. Its really uncomfortable. My groundskeeper is really creepy too. Every morning when I walk in he starts talking about me to the other teachers in the lounge. EVERY MORNING. Actually ANY time I walk into the teachers lounge, for that matter. Every time I'm visible, he's saying something about me. I can't understand much korean but I understand my name and I understand "pretty"
2. The dozen or so soldiers from the local base who have been allowed off camp. Firstly, why are most of them carrying paper shopping bags from fashion stores or the such? I know the ROK army isn't exactly the French Foreign Legion but let's try not to look like the average soldier's hobby is buying cosmetics and lacy things.
Dear Korea,Why are commercials so effing loud?!?!?Are you insane?...