Site Search:
 
Get TEFL Certified & Start Your Adventure Today!
Teach English Abroad and Get Paid to see the World!
Job Discussion Forums Forum Index Job Discussion Forums
"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Students and Teachers from Around the World!"
 
 FAQFAQ   SearchSearch   MemberlistMemberlist   UsergroupsUsergroups   RegisterRegister 
 ProfileProfile   Log in to check your private messagesLog in to check your private messages   Log inLog in 

Lots of summer jobs...
Goto page 1, 2  Next
 
Post new topic   Reply to topic    Job Discussion Forums Forum Index -> United Kingdom
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
SueH



Joined: 01 Feb 2003
Posts: 1022
Location: Northern Italy

PostPosted: Mon May 12, 2008 12:21 pm    Post subject: Lots of summer jobs... Reply with quote

But why do all the ads depress me...

Here's an example: after a long list or teacher responsibilities the ad states:
"Whilst every effort will be made to give teachers some free time each teaching day for lesson preparation and some free leisure time throughout the working week, the needs of the students both in and out of class must come first." Not very encouraging, is it? Doesn't the company have some responsibilities to staff adequately? Reading the sub-text in all of them is not very reassuring. They remind me of that poem:
'Thou shalt not kill,
Nor shall you strive,
Officiously to keep alive'

What's the EFL equivalent, I wonder?
Anyway, I have decided to look for a summer crewing job, as the pay is better.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
spiral78



Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash

PostPosted: Mon May 12, 2008 5:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Wow. I'd NEVER want to teach anywhere where needs of students outside of class are more important that my own time/responsibilities/etc.

That's going to engender some prima donna students, without doubt!
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
SueH



Joined: 01 Feb 2003
Posts: 1022
Location: Northern Italy

PostPosted: Mon May 12, 2008 7:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks Spiral, a slightly more refined reaction than my own which was the very British and succinct, but quite expressive 'bo**ocks'. It's the complete absence of any limitation on their expectations that gets me. They obviously don't rate preparation and I suspect they don't value your need for enough leisure time to sleep either.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Kootvela



Joined: 22 Oct 2007
Posts: 513
Location: Lithuania

PostPosted: Tue May 13, 2008 10:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I just had a phone interview with one of them last week. I applied as a teacher and their interviewed me as a mind-reader. Questions ranked in 'Why do you think parents send their children to a summer camp in England'?, 'What do you think parents expect?', 'What do you think parents....'. Now I feel qualified to consult about parents state of mind, queries welcome.

No question was aksed how would I teach this or that tense, classroom management issues, a situation to which I should react as a teacher, contract issues, etc. All I had to do was tell what parents think as if I were an idiot.

ODD Shocked
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website Yahoo Messenger
FatFreddieFoxx



Joined: 17 Apr 2008
Posts: 24

PostPosted: Tue May 13, 2008 4:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

One important thing to remember here, and lolwhites will put me right if I'm not, is that THE HOURS THAT TEACHERS SPEND ON NIGHT-TIME SUPERVISION MUST BE REMUNERATED - or paid for, if you prefer.

So, if it's your turn to stay on site and be available for the kids if they wake up for any reason during the night, you can include the hours in your weekly total.

Then, if you add up ALL the hours that you have worked, and BEEN AVAILABLE FOR YOUR EMPLOYER (that means the night-duty supervision, plus any other standing around looking mean), and divide them by your weekly salary, (or is it the reverse?!?) you should not be getting an hourly rate that is less than the minimum wage.

Let's imagine you're getting paid 240 quid a week, plus the usual bed and board. If you're working and/or on duty for 60 hours a week, your hourly rate will be a mighty FOUR QUID - less than the minimum wage!

IN THAT CASE, YOU CAN GO AHEAD AND SUE YOUR EMPLOYER.


So, enjoy your summer this year!
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
lolwhites



Joined: 29 Jun 2005
Posts: 158
Location: France

PostPosted: Wed May 14, 2008 1:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

EL Gazette ran an article on this but the link seems to be down. What it said was that any time you are at your employee's disposal counts as "working hours" for minimum wage purposes. So keep a tally on your hours and contact the Minimum Wage Unit if your weekly wage/weekly hours comes to less than �5.52. I'm not sure whether board and lodging can be counted or not but the Minimum Wage Unit or your local CAB should be able to advise.
http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/index/life/employment/rights_to_pay.htm#NationalminimumwageNMW


Finally, employers must give paid holiday, or, at the end of your contract, pay you the equivalent for however long you were working. Statutory paid holiday for a five day week is 24 days/year, i.e. 2 days for each month you were working. If they claim to include it in the basic salary, they are breaking the law.
http://www.elgazette.com/index.cfm?action=2&more=1&id=155
http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/index/life/employment/holidays_and_holiday_pay.htm

More advice about your employment rights here:
http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/index/life/employment/employment_factsheets.htm
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
TheLongWayHome



Joined: 07 Jun 2006
Posts: 1016
Location: San Luis Piojosi

PostPosted: Sun May 25, 2008 1:56 am    Post subject: Re: Lots of summer jobs... Reply with quote

SueH wrote:
the needs of the students both in and out of class must come first."

This just means it's your responsibility to stop randy French teenagers from shagging each other.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
spiral78



Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash

PostPosted: Sun May 25, 2008 6:34 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

A camp counselor or whatever they are called is meant to run interference between randy teenagers? Sounds dangerous.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Kootvela



Joined: 22 Oct 2007
Posts: 513
Location: Lithuania

PostPosted: Sun May 25, 2008 7:37 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

lolwhites wrote:

Finally, employers must give paid holiday, or, at the end of your contract, pay you the equivalent for however long you were working. Statutory paid holiday for a five day week is 24 days/year, i.e. 2 days for each month you were working. If they claim to include it in the basic salary, they are breaking the law.
http://www.elgazette.com/index.cfm?action=2&more=1&id=155
http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/index/life/employment/holidays_and_holiday_pay.htm


What about if you were working only for 3 or 6 weeks, during the summer camp? Are you still entitled to have paid holidays?

Also, do they always hire on standard work contract or they give some freelance contract which does not include paid holidays? Just curious.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website Yahoo Messenger
SueH



Joined: 01 Feb 2003
Posts: 1022
Location: Northern Italy

PostPosted: Sun May 25, 2008 8:23 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I believe they are meant to pay pro-rata for whatever period you work, but somebody may come along shortly to confirm that!
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
SueH



Joined: 01 Feb 2003
Posts: 1022
Location: Northern Italy

PostPosted: Sun May 25, 2008 8:42 am    Post subject: Re: Lots of summer jobs... Reply with quote

TheLongWayHome wrote:
SueH wrote:
the needs of the students both in and out of class must come first."

This just means it's your responsibility to stop randy French teenagers from shagging each other.


..and stuffing socks into the fire-alarm sensors so they could have a smoke in the dorm rooms etc.

We had Activity Monitors for that sort of thing in one school I was at. The younger ones with the older students didn't just Monitor the Activities either!Smile

I taught French teenagers and they weren't too bad apart from the usual national hypochondria. My friend M would have been useless at keeping them apart as she managed to sleep through the most raucous fire alarm I've ever heard. It was only on re-entering the building that we realised, to her chagrin at missing all the firemen!
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
lolwhites



Joined: 29 Jun 2005
Posts: 158
Location: France

PostPosted: Sun May 25, 2008 11:32 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Kootvela wrote:
What about if you were working only for 3 or 6 weeks, during the summer camp? Are you still entitled to have paid holidays?


Yes, or be paid the equivalent. If the latter, they must show it on your payslip and not claim it's included in your regular wage (this is against European law). 3 weeks would entitle you to a bit more than a day, six weeks should be 3 days approx, based on 24 days/year pro rata.

Quote:
Also, do they always hire on standard work contract or they give some freelance contract which does not include paid holidays? Just curious.


If they try to offer some sort of freelance contract to get around employment legislation, your best bet is to get professional advice re the legality of it.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
Kootvela



Joined: 22 Oct 2007
Posts: 513
Location: Lithuania

PostPosted: Sun May 25, 2008 6:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

lolwhites wrote:
Kootvela wrote:
What about if you were working only for 3 or 6 weeks, during the summer camp? Are you still entitled to have paid holidays?


Yes, or be paid the equivalent. If the latter, they must show it on your payslip and not claim it's included in your regular wage (this is against European law). 3 weeks would entitle you to a bit more than a day, six weeks should be 3 days approx, based on 24 days/year pro rata.

Quote:
Also, do they always hire on standard work contract or they give some freelance contract which does not include paid holidays? Just curious.


If they try to offer some sort of freelance contract to get around employment legislation, your best bet is to get professional advice re the legality of it.



I compared it with Lithuanian reality and things here are so:
1. You get paid holidays after you work for several months on a standard work contract and only after 3 months your sick pay is valid as such.
2. Freelance contracts do not include paid holidays, social security or sick pay so practically all teachers in language schools work under this contract. It's work or starve. Since it's a legal way to do things, you can't complain.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website Yahoo Messenger
FatFreddieFoxx



Joined: 17 Apr 2008
Posts: 24

PostPosted: Tue May 27, 2008 4:46 pm    Post subject: Summer Schools in the UK Reply with quote

For the uninitiated, there's a rather illuminating expose of the unparalleled torture of UK Summer Schools here...

http://tefltradesman.blogspot.com/2008/05/summer-schools-in-egland-masochist.html

It's by the infamous Sandy McManus, and is one of my favourites from his many vitriol-laced anti-EFL postings!
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
wulfrun



Joined: 12 May 2008
Posts: 167

PostPosted: Wed May 28, 2008 2:41 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

if anyone has a link, i'm looking for summer work in manchester. available july to sept.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Display posts from previous:   
Post new topic   Reply to topic    Job Discussion Forums Forum Index -> United Kingdom All times are GMT
Goto page 1, 2  Next
Page 1 of 2

 
Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum


This page is maintained by the one and only Dave Sperling.
Contact Dave's ESL Cafe
Copyright © 2018 Dave Sperling. All Rights Reserved.

Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2002 phpBB Group

Teaching Jobs in China
Teaching Jobs in China