What irks me at the moment is how come I am almost a quarter century old, I am no longer studying, and I still don’t have what people will call a “steady job.” It’s not a laughing matter actually. No, I am not unemployed. But being a temporary teacher is not counted as a “steady job.”
Because firstly, you are operating only on a contract basis. Your term of service can be terminated at any time either by a decision of the Pejabat Pendidikan Daerah, or when the vacancy is no longer available (e.g. a permanent teacher is drafted in to take your place, or when the teacher you're replacing comes back to resume his/her duty after an extended leave).
And secondly, you don’t get paid promptly. You only get paid approximately 3 months after your contract ends. E.g. if you have a contract to work as a temporary teacher for 3 months, you’ll get paid 3 months after your contract ends. That’s equivalent to a 6-month wait of working without pay. You start working in January, you stop working in March, and you only get paid in June.
On the bright side of it, you’ll get a lump sum of money once they pay up. But on the dark side of it, it’s hard to explain to people around you how come you are always broke even though you are already perceived as a working adult. People can easily misunderstand you for being a super kiam siap miser.
Of course I wish I can be upgraded to a permanent status in Convent Green Lane. The school wishes that I can stay on too. But the decision is not in my hands, nor in the school’s hands. Everyone from the batch of 2006 is still waiting for our posting.
I checked my scholarship contract with Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia. It says by 12 months upon completion of my course, I am supposed to serve the government for 4 years. If my interpretation of the clause is correct, if I don’t get hired by the government before the 12 months are up, counting from the day I finished my final exams, then I am a free agent. I reckon I can feel the thrill of being courted by private institutions by May 2007.
What frustrates me now is, I can’t even start build my own life as long as I am stuck in this limbo. It is not as though I have no other option other than wait for the government to throw me some breadcrumbs. I’m half hoping that I won’t get my posting, so I can be free to start building my life where I want it. I actually have quite a few options in my hands:
1. Lecture in private colleges, e.g. KDU, Disted Stamford, TARC, IPG, etc. There are ample private colleges in Penang. I can try for a position in the academic staff for foundational courses.
2. Work in Kumon. I’ve personally visited a Kumon Center and talked with a regional boss. I’m impressed and much in agreement with Kumon’s objectives and aspirations. They pay reasonably well too. I can take up MBA while I’m at Kumon, and work my way up to become a branch manager one day.
3. Take up a job in Tanjung Tuition Center, the biggest and most established tuition center in Penang. The center has an opening for me, courtesy of my father’s colleague who is a share holder and branch owner of the center. I have turned down the offer to work there so far, because of the limbo I’m in. Becoming a full-time tuition teacher in several centers is not a bad idea anyway.
4. Take up a Masters in Education, or in any field related to Education through a distance learning program, while I continue teaching temporarily on contract basis. And try my hand in a teacher’s training college after I’m done.
Actually I don’t see why I should be groveling at the government’s feet. If they don’t hire me, I have all to gain and nothing to lose. It’s a win-win situation for me whichever way it goes, but not so for them. If they hire me, then good. If they don’t hire me, then I’ll thank them for their generosity in giving me a free university education worth RM26,000. As for them, they will have to forfeit 4 years’ worth of service from me.
So you tell me… When I go to the interview with the Kementerian Pendidikan, at whose court is the ball in? I say, “You just take your pick and save me the bureaucratic nonsense lah. It’s not as though anything I say for formality’s sake is going to influence your pre-determined decision based on policies that I don’t wanna know. Either hire me, or leave me alone just a little bit longer. You only have 6 months left until I’m a free agent. So if you wanna hire me, I suggest you do it today.”
Power encounter. 14th November 2006.
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12 comments:
If you impress them in the interview, I'm sure they will hire you. However, if you don't intend to be hired by them.. it's really quite simple to flunk the interview. :)
I thought the school has the power to make recommendations to the Kementerian? They expressed that they want you to stay but maybe you could urge them to take it a little bit further by 'jomming' (booking)you first!! Hopefully you can stay in Penang!!
You seriously think the interview really makes a difference meh? C'mon, it's a civil service "interview". They're all Calvinists. All of them!
The school definitely can pull strings to get me to stay in CGL, provided if I get posted in Penang in the first place. However, they are not powerful enough to override the Kementerian's decision to determine which state I end up in.
The school will be writing a letter on my behalf for the Kememnterian's Human Resourse Department. It's more like a plea than a demand. A feeble attempt, but at least it's worth a try.
I'm so tempted to mess it up on purpose. See who's got the real power! Hahaha...
Q: Who is our current Education Minister?
A: Oh... Hisham-whatsisname-Mudin la... I think he has a balding problem. And a managerial problem as well.
:)
Well the ball in in your park Joshua. It's whether you want to kick it out, keep it close or let someone snatch it from you. Oh.. yeah.. you can puncture the ball too if you so choose to!!
Anyway, do you know you were talking about your future big boss? He's someone who has a reputation of not being supportive of us Chinese but I reckon he still has directed that the teaching jobs must go to those who are abled. You can't keep a good man down, can you?
Anyway, may the Lord give you wisdom and make His will clear in your life Joshua!! Continue to shine for Him regardless of where He sends or hopefully keeps you eventually.
Haha... "those who are abled"? Define "abled" :) When it comes to civil service, does being "abled" matter? From promotions to job appointments, we know that "being abled" is not necessarily the prime factor, no matter how they want to twist and turn it.
Q: Can you tell me some of the isu pendidikan that you know of?
A: Umm... I know of one issue. That issue is you lah! So many cikgu tarak kerja!
You guys mass produce education graduates year in and year out without a proper check & balance. It's only a matter of time before you reach saturation point, isn't it?
The amount of teachers needed are "based on projection," you say. Bah! The issue of unemployed teachers has been there for years. But it has never been a problem... Until a group of disgruntled teachers ambushed Hisham-whatsisname-Mudin after he came out from an unrelated meeting. When the incident made the news, your people were sent scrambling to investigate the statistics.
You guys may as well be firemen la. You go to work only after a fire breaks out.
:)
If only the world is like a computer system, once a job become unemployable and reachs saturation point, we can just flush it out like what we do in systems.Once overloaded with processes just restart or format.Ahh..If only the world is like that, then it would be fun!hahahhaa...then everyone gets their chances to be employed and unemployed.kekeke...
Too bad i ain't someone with power to do that :p
Like you said, Josh, it's the government. The Government thrives on operating in this manner. I don't know why. It seems like there are shortage of teachers, but they aren't doing anything about it.
All I can say is, be thankful you have a job. There are some people I know who don't even plan to work until New Year. Even though the cash comes in a bit late (like what I've experienced before), money is still money.
By the way, you remember Eng Kiat? He's taking over my job at Eureka.
Heyy.
I was just browsing through and I remembered you once thought Free School.
Well, I am now in the Fifth Form already. Why not coming back to Free School?
Hahahaha. It is just a joke. Hope you do well in your profession and all the best.
Daniel_lawbreaker,
Hey, did I teach you in one of my classes before? How have you been doing?
Let me tell you my secret dream. I do wish I can come back to Free School.
But only as Headmaster.
I don't think u have thought me before.
I am doing great. SPM is just round the corner and I cant wait for it to over.
I cant wait to leave the School~!! Much has change now in the school.
I sure do hope to return one day and contribute back, but not as a teacher I suppose.
Return as Headmaster? That is a good thing, the school will be under good hands then.
It has been years we have an old boy being the HM.
But don't u think that it is less unlikely and the chances are pretty slim for a Chinese teacher and an Old Free to return to the Free School as the HM. After all, it is now currently a fully government controlled school.
Ramli made it to PFS as HM because he is the JPN's Pengarah's pet.
My sources say that Ramli's days are numbered. The Pengarah is retiring soon. The Timbalan Pengarah is the Pengarah's arch enemy. And the Timbalan Pengarah may not like the Pengarah's pets.
My sources also say that Ramli is not really that bad actually.
But nevertheless, from July 2006 up to today, a total of 40 teachers have requested for transfer out of PFS. This statistic does not augur well for any HM.
It also goes to show that to try to change things from the bottom up will be foolishness. The only way is to oust him, and change things from top down.
"The only way for evil to prosper is when the good men to nothing."
Time will tell...
Well. Ramli has his plans and ideas.
I very much agree and support his vision but some of them are just to ambitious.
He has his points right on the school and is very brave on pointing the weaknesses but sadly he does not have the right people to implement it.
But yet, I would very much prefer Ramli compared to the previous one "Mario".
At the same time, it would be great to have a HM that really can convey to the students and
And not many students have the mentality like me whereby they dont even care for the school anymore.
Frankly, you dont really encounter many true Frees anymore.
Yes about the transfer, I had heard about that sometime back from our retired yet popular teacher, Mr Khoo Poh Kheng.
Well, it was kinda shocking to hear the news at first. The intake of students next year might drop too.
The intake for year 2006 drop slightly this year because of the new ruling "botak".
And for next year, the extended school hours might be the culprit.
Anyways, I have loads to say.
Do you have msn? add me up aite. daniel.lawbreaker@gmail.com
Wah.. it sounds like PFS really 'koyak' now. You both can look at me with envy.. I got to taste the PFS that was run by a passionate Old Free, Mr Goh Hooi Beng. However, that was for only 2 years.
After him, came all the HM's who wanted to create their own legacy by destroying the heritage of the school... first the demerit system, then the compulsory wearing of the tie for the entire Monday (Mr Ong Teng Chiew never liked this one)and then the military style of running the school like a boot camp!!
40 teachers tendering resignation shows that PFS has been ruined by the imcompetency of the state education board. It's not just a shame to the HM but ultimately a shame to the Pengarah and all his 'kaki's'. When I heard someone comment that my last HM a.k.a Mamak, was better than all the current batches of HM's...I knew PFS was already in chaos and decline. Koyak!!
To the school which I no longer recognise...Kumbaya!!!
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