Job Discussion Forums

[chromium]

hello,

Everyone on this forum probably knows more about working in China than I do, so wanted to ask for your opinions.

I've been offerred a job at a uni in Dalian for 11,000, on campus living, flights, etc.

the contract is for 25 teaching hours/wk.

From what I've read on different posts, this seems a rather high number of hours. However, I've also read that many of the jobs out there are 8000, which obviously this offer is more than.

What would some of you veterans say about this offer?

Thank you all for your help

[zactherat]

how many office hours, extra duties and holidays? what type of classes?

[kimo50]

Thats a lot of teaching sessions. I wouldnt want to teach 25 hrs a week. Need to know the big picture tho.....office hours, English corners, etc........ For comparison I teach 12 hours a week for 12,000 RMB.

[JoeThePlumber]

[kimo50]

Actually I teach AP courses. Whether you think its true or not doesnt concern me terribly.

[Miles Smiles]

If your apartment is paid by the school, and you aren't teaching more than two subjects, it's acceptable (just acceptable, not great) provided that every other condition related to your employment is acceptable (provided with teaching materials, easy access to PAID copy facility, good class room conditions with AV equipment, no commuting to another campus).

You don't mention office hours. If the school throws in office hours, that tips the scale toward unacceptability.

Twenty-five one-hour periods can wear you out pretty fast, especially when one must create his own material, grade tests for multiple classes, walk a half a mile to a class on his campus or (worse) commute to a second campus. I'd look for something else in any case.

[chromium]

Thanks people for the posts.

Regarding some of the above:

I will only be working in one bldg, so no classroom commutes

Here is what the contract says about working hours. It does not specify any specific number of office hours and the wording does not make it an actual obligation.

"You will be required to teach Chinese students studying at our Joint campus for up to 25 hours per week. The rest of the working week, as Full Time employee, you will be expected to spend the time preparing the lessons, assisting students with enquiries or additional help, setting assessments as well as undertaking other related administrative tasks. During the exam period, you will be required to spend those hours marking student work and providing feedback."

The parts indicated outside of actual teaching would be expected in any teaching job, so I would expect to prepare lessons, etc. But, still there is no mention of obligatory "office hours"

I guess that's a good thing

Thanks again

[Kiwi303]

"Full time" "on campus working" sounds like 40 hour + working week stuck on the school grounds to me. not attend and teach class and then wander free until next class...

[Zanada]

IMO its way too much. This isn't Thailand.
+ ''assisting students with enquiries'' + ''as well as undertaking other related administrative tasks''
Beyond your working hours you are expected to stay there for the better part of the day.
Take the paycut and go with something more reasonable.
You can supplement. Perhaps not to the degree of obtaining the same amount but you you'd have the advantage of being in control.

25! Jeez-Louise is anyone logging that many in-class hours?

[Trevor Wadlow]

I would be very careful with this. I note the contract says 'Assisting students with enquiries'. I had this at my recent post. Wed and Fri afternoon were supposedly reserved for lesson preparation. Students would indeed turn up for 'assistance'. This means, "Can you read this, can you help me with this?" They would turn up in droves and the afternoons would disappear, leaving me exhausted. Often I went into the office on a Sunday afternoon, just to do my prep.

Note: my contact hours were 19 and a half hours. With 25 I think I'd have had a nervous breakdown.

My advice? Avoid it.

[kev7161]

And don't forget, if you have "25 teaching hours", you could well have 30+ classes a week. If each class were, say, 45 minutes, that could be the equivalent of 33-34 classes! That's a lot of frickin' classes per week.

[Denim-Maniac]

[JoeThePlumber]

[roadwalker]

[roadwalker]