More training at CDI

Because of my MBA, CDI considers me a “third tier” teacher, so they scheduled me for a couple of higher level classes in the summer term. Consequently, I had to go in for more training this week.

It didn’t go well.

On Monday they told me I should go to the CDI main branch in Chongdahm on Tuesday and Wednesday. When I got there the following morning, I realized I didn’t know what room I belonged in, so I asked one of the trainers. He said to go to the class on the third floor.

I did as he said, and sat in on an “Albatross” training session. My name wasn’t on the attendance list, but the teacher said to just put down my name anyway. (Their attendance lists often differ from reality, she said.) From what I saw, it seemed a bit too high for what my school, so I spoke to the trainer afterward.

It turns out that I wasn’t even supposed to be in that class. The first guy that I spoke to – the one who taught the class I was supposed to be in – had told me to go to the third floor because I wasn’t on his list either.

Typical headquarters-field office miscommunication. What I should have done was call my head teacher, but I didn’t think to check my phone for her number.

The next frustration came when headquarters said that because I was a relatively new teacher, I wasn’t able to teach more than one new class. That would have been fine at a larger branch, where I could have gotten two of the same class.

But at my school the schedule wouldn’t have permitted that. There would be one teacher who would fall below their contract minimum number of hours (but compensated at the minimum), and another who would have too many. A cost overrun would result.

So all my efforts to attend training were for naught – I’ll still be teaching the lowest two groups in the summer term.

Oh well. If that’s how CDI wants to allocate its resources, that’s how it goes. I get paid the same no matter what class it is.