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RiverMystic
Joined: 13 Jan 2009
Posts: 1986
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 Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2012 2:04 am Post subject: |
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| Opiate wrote: |
| RiverMystic wrote: |
If you are interested in career and self-development take jobs that are harder, require more responsibility and that push you. Otherwise you'll end up a middle-aged has-been with no life choices, as happens to so many FTs in China. There's nothing wrong with hard work. Of course, hard work in itself is not enough. I merely suggest you keep developing new skills.
I work office hours of about 45 hours a week, and do probably another 20-40 hours of my own work/business. (e.g. today, besides 9 hours in the office, I spent an hour on a book I'm writing, about four hours preparation on a TED talk I'm about to give, and an hour of related reading). Of course I work in Hong Kong, where you are expected to work hard. |
Congratulations on your achievements both now and in your future.
I plan to spend my rather abundant free time enjoying my life with my wife and family. I'll gladly be considered by some to be a 'has-been'. I'll smile all the way to my grave without a regret.
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Just as well, too. Otherwise my post might have pressed your buttons. |
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ecubyrd94
Joined: 25 Aug 2011
Posts: 77
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| Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2012 3:43 am Post subject: |
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| I don't know if it is the norm or not, as I only have experience at two different positions (both of which were roughly 40 hour work weeks). There is a huge difference between the 2 as far as compensation and vacation goes, however. I'm quite content at my new 40 hr a week job. I can live with 20 forty minute classes per week and the extra office hours knowing that I enjoy the students, have good co-workers, the pay is pretty good, and we only work around 185 days of the year. |
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RiverMystic
Joined: 13 Jan 2009
Posts: 1986
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| Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2012 1:49 pm Post subject: |
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| There are rewards for those who bother to work hard and smart. Not that there is any rule that you have to. I now earn well over US$100 000 a year with 10% tax, get 10-11 weeks holiday, and probably only work an average 3-4 actual hours of school work a day (out of 8 1/2 at the office), and the rest I spend on my own projects. In the past I have worked up to 12 hours a day jobs (as DOS), but won't do it again. |
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naturegirl321
Joined: 04 May 2003
Posts: 9041
Location: home sweet home
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| Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2012 3:31 pm Post subject: |
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| RiverMystic wrote: |
| I now earn well over US$100 000 a year with 10% tax, get 10-11 weeks holiday, and probably only work an average 3-4 actual hours of school work a day (out of 8 1/2 at the office), and the rest I spend on my own projects. In the past I have worked up to 12 hours a day jobs (as DOS), but won't do it again. |
AS an English teacher in China? |
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Zero
Joined: 08 Sep 2004
Posts: 1402
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| Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2012 5:08 pm Post subject: |
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| RiverMystic wrote: |
If you are interested in career and self-development take jobs that are harder, require more responsibility and that push you. Otherwise you'll end up a middle-aged has-been with no life choices, as happens to so many FTs in China. There's nothing wrong with hard work. Of course, hard work in itself is not enough. I merely suggest you keep developing new skills.
I work office hours of about 45 hours a week, and do probably another 20-40 hours of my own work/business. (e.g. today, besides 9 hours in the office, I spent an hour on a book I'm writing, about four hours preparation on a TED talk I'm about to give, and an hour of related reading). Of course I work in Hong Kong, where you are expected to work hard. |
Totally agree. I am in pretty much the same situation, except I make closer to U.S. $200,000 and I'm on the mainland. I am in a small city but I can't complain since they pay for the housing and the cost of living is low. I was about to become, as you said, middle aged with no options. I had to get a CELTA and read some of the "Stuff for Teachers" material here on Dave's in order to progress. I teach 14 hours a week and I don't do prep, but when I'm on the job I work hard. |
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RiverMystic
Joined: 13 Jan 2009
Posts: 1986
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| Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2012 1:49 am Post subject: |
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| Zero wrote: |
| RiverMystic wrote: |
If you are interested in career and self-development take jobs that are harder, require more responsibility and that push you. Otherwise you'll end up a middle-aged has-been with no life choices, as happens to so many FTs in China. There's nothing wrong with hard work. Of course, hard work in itself is not enough. I merely suggest you keep developing new skills.
I work office hours of about 45 hours a week, and do probably another 20-40 hours of my own work/business. (e.g. today, besides 9 hours in the office, I spent an hour on a book I'm writing, about four hours preparation on a TED talk I'm about to give, and an hour of related reading). Of course I work in Hong Kong, where you are expected to work hard. |
Totally agree. I am in pretty much the same situation, except I make closer to U.S. $200,000 and I'm on the mainland. I am in a small city but I can't complain since they pay for the housing and the cost of living is low. I was about to become, as you said, middle aged with no options. I had to get a CELTA and read some of the "Stuff for Teachers" material here on Dave's in order to progress. I teach 14 hours a week and I don't do prep, but when I'm on the job I work hard. |
Yes, life is good.  |
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RiverMystic
Joined: 13 Jan 2009
Posts: 1986
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| Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2012 1:51 am Post subject: |
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| naturegirl321 wrote: |
| RiverMystic wrote: |
| I now earn well over US$100 000 a year with 10% tax, get 10-11 weeks holiday, and probably only work an average 3-4 actual hours of school work a day (out of 8 1/2 at the office), and the rest I spend on my own projects. In the past I have worked up to 12 hours a day jobs (as DOS), but won't do it again. |
AS an English teacher in China? |
A special part of China: Hong Kong. I used to work in the mainland. |
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naturegirl321
Joined: 04 May 2003
Posts: 9041
Location: home sweet home
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| Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2012 2:14 am Post subject: |
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| Zero wrote: |
| Totally agree. I am in pretty much the same situation, except I make closer to U.S. $200,000 and I'm on the mainland. I am in a small city but I can't complain since they pay for the housing and the cost of living is low. I teach 14 hours a week and I don't do prep, but when I'm on the job I work hard. |
Wow! I want your job. |
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wangdaning
Joined: 22 Jan 2008
Posts: 3154
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| Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2012 2:28 am Post subject: |
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| RiverMystic wrote: |
| There are rewards for those who bother to work hard and smart. Not that there is any rule that you have to. |
| RiverMystic wrote: |
| I now earn well over US$100 000 a year with 10% tax, get 10-11 weeks holiday, and probably only work an average 3-4 actual hours of school work a day (out of 8 1/2 at the office), and the rest I spend on my own projects. |
Is it just me or does something seem wrong between these two ideas?
I am not calling you a liar RM, but what do you do that is working hard in your other 5 1/2 to 4 1/2 hours a day? The way you have worded it makes it sound like you work 3-4 hours a day and get that pay. Could you explain more? |
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RiverMystic
Joined: 13 Jan 2009
Posts: 1986
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| Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2012 3:53 am Post subject: |
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| wangdaning wrote: |
| RiverMystic wrote: |
| There are rewards for those who bother to work hard and smart. Not that there is any rule that you have to. |
| RiverMystic wrote: |
| I now earn well over US$100 000 a year with 10% tax, get 10-11 weeks holiday, and probably only work an average 3-4 actual hours of school work a day (out of 8 1/2 at the office), and the rest I spend on my own projects. |
Is it just me or does something seem wrong between these two ideas?
I am not calling you a liar RM, but what do you do that is working hard in your other 5 1/2 to 4 1/2 hours a day? The way you have worded it makes it sound like you work 3-4 hours a day and get that pay. Could you explain more? |
Yeah, sure. I have a 45 hour a week job, but am efficient and get my stuff done in 20 hours of work or less. Then I work on my own projects, including in office time. I work at least 12 hours a day, total. Luckily my projects are enjoyable, so its 'fun' work.
I have always worked hard. When I worked in the mainland I always took 40+ hour/wk jobs, even when I was enrolled full-time in my PhD studies. e.g. ewhen I was DOS for a language program in BJ i got into work at 7am. During my lunch hour I studied Chinese with the cute secretary (for the right reasons, of course ). Then, at about 7pm I finished work and went to eat at the restaurant across the road from the uni, where I literally ate while reading for my dissertation. Then I went home and hit the books there, or did some writing. Boy, was that all hard work!
I remember when I was an undergraduate that one of my professors, a Chinese guy, told me that he did his doctorate in NZ, while working full-time. I remember thinking at the time that the guy must be a machine, and there was no way in hell I could ever discipline myself to do that. Ten years later I did exactly the same thing. |
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naturegirl321
Joined: 04 May 2003
Posts: 9041
Location: home sweet home
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| Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2012 6:51 am Post subject: |
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| RiverMystic wrote: |
| Yeah, sure. I have a 45 hour a week job, but am efficient and get my stuff done in 20 hours of work or less. |
I've seen info about this in Scandanvia. Where they're cutting work weeks back to 20 hours or something like that. People are more productive that way.
I personally wish I could teach my 2 hour classes in 1 hour. But I'm pretty sure I'd get fired if I did  |
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