Job Discussion Forums

[wonderingjoesmith]

Has this happened to anyone in the country? How have you dealt with it?

[rogerwilco]

Asked to show up and get oriented with the school and city, or asked to show up and give classes for free ?

Many schools ask you to show up a few days before the contract begins so that they have evidence that you will actually be there when classes start.

I can understand why a school would not want new teachers to arrive the day that classes and the contract begins.

[wonderingjoesmith]

Sorry I meant to show up for the introduction in the classrooms as well as in the office. So, do teachers and their superiors discuss their programs and "orientations" in offices for free and before THE FIRST DAY?

[rogerwilco]

[7969]

You working at a university? If so then your contract probably commenced today, even though it's a weekend. It's normal to have a meeting or two before the term starts just to make sure newcomers know what they're supposed to do, where to go, and maybe have a photo taken or smth like that.

[kev7161]

I do orientation and training at my school during the last week of August every year, both for new teachers and returning ones. The returning teachers are actually paid for July and August (1/2 salary, but still pay for no work at all), but they are the most difficult to actually come and put in an appearance. Each year we have something new going on and this year we had several new things and changes from the previous year.

New teachers need to get settled into their apartments, their classrooms, get their teaching materials, start putting together initial lesson plans and so on, but even then, it's sometimes a struggle to get all teachers to show up.

I keep telling the guy in charge of hiring to draw up a contract from maybe August 25 (not September 1) to June 30 (but returning teachers are already contracted from July 1 to June 30) and to make it mandatory for all teachers to be there, but every year we have the same problems of a couple of missing teachers. Then there is a mad scramble for them to get ready and learn the ropes.

I told our hiring guy to offer new teachers a pay incentive for that extra week and he told me that most companies (or schools?) make the incoming Chinese employee pay for their training!! So I don't know. Technically, if your contract starts on September first, then I think you actually aren't expected to be here until then, but checking in with your hiring party would be nice.

[JamesD]

Kev's got it. Are you going to get off the plane at 7:00 and walk into a classroom at 8?
I'd sure like to get over jet lag, meet coworkers/staff, and learn something about the setup before starting work. (Especially if I've never been in the country before.)

[kungfuman]

My first class is September 3 (tomorrow). I came to the school 5 days ago to make sure all my books were there and to review teaching plans with the two teaching assistants.

Sure, I could show up the first day of class and say "Hello I Am Here, What Exactly Am I teaching Today???" But I think some preparation is better.

It's not really "free" if you are not teaching a class; it's more like getting acclimated to the school and material.

Even though I taught at this school for a month before the summer my classes are different and maybe so are the students.

[teachingld2004]

Don't you want to get to your job a week (if you can) before the job starts?

Don't you want to fix your apartment, clean it, go shopping, look around?

If you come from out of the country, don't you want to sleep for 2 days?

Do you expect to come off the plane (like some one said) and then go straight to work?

Start the new job with a clear head, a relaxed body, and a good attitude.

[wonderingjoesmith]

Yes, I want to, and I do not have such unreasonable expectations. I have come with a clear head and way before the semester. What I was uncomfortable about was the three-day unpaid classroom parade and office meetings about issues that could have been done by phone and via internet. My semester is well outlined and formally prepared.

[7969]

A couple of early meetings isn't a bad idea. If a number of teachers are new then a meeting helps everyone get on the same page easier and faster than sending out a bunch of emails (and some people are notorious for either not checking or pretending they never saw an email, same same for not answering the phone). Plus putting a face to a name is important. We usually have one meeting a year at the start but since we have low turnover here we usually just have a short chat, take a photo and we're on our way. So far this year no mention of such.

[dean_a_jones]