Job Discussion Forums

Wicked Stepmother · Joined: 01 Dec 2016 Posts: 49

At my university, we are told we are getting a three day holiday: April 29, April 30 and May 1. However, seeing as we don't work Saturday and Sunday, to my mind, this is a one day holiday: May 1. Even worse, we are expected to make up the classes lost on this 'holiday'.
Is anyone at a university getting May 1-3 as a holiday? And do you have to make up the classes later?

doogsville · Joined: 17 Nov 2011 Posts: 924 Location: China

We haven't had official word yet, but we'll probably have the same holidays. I'm not sure about the make up though. Usually you have to make up the days that are tacked on to the official holiday to make it a three day holiday. For instance Qing Ming was the 2nd, 3rd and 4th, but the official festival day was the 4th, so we had to make up the classes that would have fallen on the 3rd, the Monday in that case. The official May Day holiday is the 1st though, which is the Monday and so you should only have to make up any classes that you would have taught on the 29th and 30th. Has your uni actually told you you have to make up classes that you would have taught on the 1st of May? It may be that only teachers unlucky enough to have classes at the weekend will be expected to make them up.

eihpos · Joined: 14 Dec 2008 Posts: 331

At my university, we don't have to do make up classes for May 1st. I guess as it is an official holiday. For Qing Ming, on the other hand, I had to do make up classes on the previous Saturday for following Monday, which was off. Bearing in mind, Tuesday was the actually Qing Ming festival, not Monday so I guess that was fair enough. I would have though that shouldn't have to make up classes for May 1st!

Non Sequitur · Joined: 23 May 2010 Posts: 4724 Location: China

Make up days catch newbes unawares and especially Qing Ming as it falls so soon after school starts. Make up days are a way of opening up useable holiday time for students to travel home. The train journey for one student was 26 hours each way.
QM is usually not used for major journeys home as the kids have literally just arrived.
What irks me about makeup days is the late announcement. Ask a reliable class monitor as they generally have a good idea and have actually booked their tickets. Time and Date have a China calendar and the red marked days indicate that you can expect some kind of timetable work around.