Alcohol banned at GEPIK orientation

[mryogurt892]

GEPIK is banning it for a good reason, a large amount NET come to korea and handle the new situation by getting drunk all the time. Ive seen it time and time again in my 1.5 years being here.

[ame]

You don't find it demeaning?

We're even supposed to get a permission slip if we want to leave the facility.

[mod edit - insult]

[OThePestO]

Good, they need to ban it in more places. Boohoo, poor you, you cannot drink for 2-3 days. Why do you get treated like children? ......because you act like it! Not trying to generalize, but you all know the type of people we are talking about.

[frisbee649]

I definitely think that this is a good thing.  At the orientation I went to, too many people were drunk.  One guy was so drunk that he went off on the GEPIK coordinator.  Extremely unprofessional and uncomfortable.  Unfortunately, too many people were not taking the orientation seriously. 

Honestly I have heard this is one of the reasons there is a move to reduce foreign teachers.  Because there are usually more crime issues with foreign teachers.  I am sure a lot of these crimes have happened under the influence.

Just my two sents.   

[frisbee649]

*cents..

[natale_laplante]

I think it's a good thing too. At the EPIK orientation there were too many people going out and getting drunk every night and showing up late or half-dead the next morning at the lectures. I know no one wants to sit through lectures all day, but getting drunk the six days we were there was immature and unprofessional.

[Epistemology]

Yeah, out of all of the possible things to be worried about during a GEPIK orientation such as

1)  Will the lectures be useful?
2)  Outside of the lectures, can I get other practical tips?
3)  Will my sleeping accommodations be adequate?
4)  Will the food be good?

The question of being allowed to drink alcohol ranks way up there.   All those other concerns are trivial in comparison.   Especially since the orientation will be a whole 2 or 3 days.   Hardly anybody can stand to do without alcohol for 3 days right?

You don't find it demeaning?

We're even supposed to get a permission slip if we want to leave the facility.

No one ever gives a permission slip. they will let you come and go as you please. thats just a formality they need to add in so the government can say to the rabidly xenophobic media that they are doing something.

[CellarDoor]

No, I guess I don't find it demeaning. =\  Dunno--it is what it is.

Granted, I've only been here for 7 weeks, and you've been here for 2 years (if I remember right, OP), so I'm actually looking forward to the networking opportunity.  Maybe some of the seminars will be silly, but hey, that'll give us Waygooks something to laugh about in our alcohol-free evenings, right?

I'm sort of glad for the guidelines too, as other posters have said.

[hunterst]

I think it's funny due to Korea's own drinking culture.  If they wanted the new people to get a taste of Korean work culture they should do a whole section on how to drink with the Korean teachers, how to pour out soju, how to turn away, etc.  It'd probably be one of the more useful lectures.

[justanotherwaygook]

I think it's funny due to Korea's own drinking culture.  If they wanted the new people to get a taste of Korean work culture they should do a whole section on how to drink with the Korean teachers, how to pour out soju, how to turn away, etc.  It'd probably be one of the more useful lectures.

My point exactly.

[ISangHae]

I don't think it is a good reason.

1- difficult to enforce. I've been on trips off site where we stopped and drank, and another orientation where one guy had a car, took man won from each of us and came back with plenty of booze (two big bottles of Cass/Hite for each) This happened AND the convenience store on site happened to be selling alcohol also.

2- other recreational suggestions are not made. People come to these things to learn, but they don't want to be bored out of their minds. GEPIK could organize some team building/game activities to keep us busy in large groups and together- instead they offer a movie night/ game room suggestions which lets the group splinter off and find trouble

[justanotherwaygook]

I don't think it is a good reason.

1- difficult to enforce. I've been on trips off site where we stopped and drank, and another orientation where one guy had a car, took man won from each of us and came back with plenty of booze (two big bottles of Cass/Hite for each) This happened AND the convenience store on site happened to be selling alcohol also.

2- other recreational suggestions are not made. People come to these things to learn, but they don't want to be bored out of their minds. GEPIK could organize some team building/game activities to keep us busy in large groups and together- instead they offer a movie night/ game room suggestions which lets the group splinter off and find trouble

To be fair, they keep us pretty busy; the schedule runs about 11 hours on the full day.  We won't have a lot of free time.

[elzoog]

Yeah, out of all of the possible things to be worried about during a GEPIK orientation such as

1)  Will the lectures be useful?
2)  Outside of the lectures, can I get other practical tips?
3)  Will my sleeping accommodations be adequate?
4)  Will the food be good?

The question of being allowed to drink alcohol ranks way up there.   All those other concerns are trivial in comparison.   Especially since the orientation will be a whole 2 or 3 days.   Hardly anybody can stand to do without alcohol for 3 days right?

You don't find it demeaning?

Maybe, but I find it even more demeaning to be in the same group of people (i.e. native teachers) who would have a thing like this be their primary concern.

Personally, I wanted to leave the facility not because I wanted to get drunk, but because I wanted some good pizza.   Although I suppose you could make the argument that I should have the right to do that, I figured that raising a fuss about such a thing wasn't worth it.

[wafflebunny]

Good, they need to ban it in more places. Boohoo, poor you, you cannot drink for 2-3 days. Why do you get treated like children? ......because you act like it! Not trying to generalize, but you all know the type of people we are talking about.

Ummmmm...wow. lol

[justanotherwaygook]

Yeah, out of all of the possible things to be worried about during a GEPIK orientation such as

1)  Will the lectures be useful?
2)  Outside of the lectures, can I get other practical tips?
3)  Will my sleeping accommodations be adequate?
4)  Will the food be good?

The question of being allowed to drink alcohol ranks way up there.   All those other concerns are trivial in comparison.   Especially since the orientation will be a whole 2 or 3 days.   Hardly anybody can stand to do without alcohol for 3 days right?

You don't find it demeaning?

Maybe, but I find it even more demeaning to be in the same group of people (i.e. native teachers) who would have a thing like this be their primary concern.

Personally, I wanted to leave the facility not because I wanted to get drunk, but because I wanted some good pizza.   Although I suppose you could make the argument that I should have the right to do that, I figured that raising a fuss about such a thing wasn't worth it.

It's not MY primary concern.  My primary concern is about getting work done and trying to get some positive experiences (professionally) to take home from this.

My secondary concerns regard the standards of the orientation, arrangements etc.

I guess you could say this is a tertiary concern, but it's one that sticks out because it seems that this is turning into a situation of babysitting the NETs.  I understand why they're doing it (past orientations).  I lament the fact that people couldn't (and, honestly, would almost certainly continue to) handle themselves as adults.

Another reason I heard, as alluded to in a blog post I found about the one this past October is so that the Anti-English Spectrum folks don't get hold of any photos.

[Vagabond]

I don't think this should be a major concern for anyone going on the orientation course this week. It's not like we're short of opportunities to drink on any other day while teaching in Korea.

I'm not sure what the orientation will be like in Seoul, but during the EPIK orientation last month (with GEPIK teachers attending as well) they weren't very strict about the rules. There were a few of us who would leave during lunch to get something else instead of cafeteria food for lunch, some who'd go during dinner too. And in the evenings once classes were done, the majority of attendees would leave to drink or party off site. About 50% stuck to the curfew and others, occasionally myself included would come back at about 3 in the morning... without anyone kicking up a fuss.
Just be reasonable and don't give them a reason to be forced to "discipline" you.

I'm not saying use this as a guide for your actions, but consider that perhaps they will be flexible. Your not going off to a prison camp after all. It's just an opportunity for teachers to share ideas, maybe learn something new and perhaps make some friends. Enjoy it, the foods good for the most part, accommodation quite comfortable and it's a week away from school which you get payed for.

[NZ4Life]

so to all the "teachers" who think orientation (or korea in general) is some sort of frat party, let me express my utter hatred and contempt for you, your general unprofessionalism, and your inability to exercise proper conduct where it calls for it the most. [mod edit: removed vulgarity] some of us actually like it here and want to stay longer.

[jonpurdy]

So many things to say...

Frankly, I'm with the camp that believes there shouldn't be any restrictions. All the new teachers are adults and presumably can control themselves. Curfews and alcohol bans definitely makes one feel like a child (and perhaps people will act more like children if that's how they are treated).

For those who show up late the next day or appear hungover a written warning could be given. Three warnings could result in being fired For those who get totally inebriated and cause a scene, fire them and send them back home immediately. This would weed out the bad apples fairly quickly.

Furthermore, if this sort of binge drinking and partying is such a problem every single orientation, perhaps GEPIK (and other MOE/POEs) should be looking at the quality of people they hire. Increase the requirements (at least a certification) and you'll weed out a decent number of people who are only here to party and replace them with people who actually have interest in teaching.

[Yu_Bumsuk]

If one of the following situations should occur, you will be expelled from the orientation and your school will be notified:

1.   If your attendance at the orientation is negligent.

2.   If you do not adhere to the GEPIK Orientation Guidelines or the
dormitory rules.

3.   If you drink alcohol and/or are caught in possession of any
alcohol.

4.   If you are found gambling or engaging in any type of
violence/abuse/loose conduct and/or behavior.

     5. If you do not follow the instructions required for the orientation
program.

LOL that's great. Pretty well our entire staff would have been sent home had that applied to our last school 'workshop'. One night ended with me literally dragging my coworker away from a drunken brawl with a bunch of strangers.

[grajoker]

we took a drive to the venue and it is beautiful , very peaceful  ..people go there to unwind and i want to suggest to teachers going there to act in a professional manner because many families go there as well and they will check out the  waygooks who come to teach  their kids! Is it so much to ask to behave yourself ?