Job Discussion Forums

[chastenosferatu]

This is actual classroom teaching hours.
I would like to see how we stack up...

[Minhang Oz]

Clarify please- do you mean teaching only,or all other tasks as well;marking,prep. etc?

[Bertrand]

[Roger]

Add to the low numbers of teaching hours in China the absence of the need to travel to and from your place of work; well, this is not always the case, but it is the case for almost all that work at public schools and universities (where pay and workloads are the lowest).

I have to commute, and that is a big put-off sometimes. I put in 16 periods, but in actual classroom time that is only 8 hours (as I work in a kindergarten with periods only lasting up to 30 minutes). It is easy to fit these eight hours into 5 mornings. I have all afternoon and evening off.
I accepted a job training adults at a private company. I work there 9 hours a week. The commute takes one hour per 3-hour lesson block; the block is divided into two halves straddling a half-hour supper time. Thus, I spend 13.5 hours a week, and receive 9 hours worth of salary.
What can you do during a limousine ride? Not much, actually. And when I return, I am often pooped. I come home at 8 p.m., time to go to the library and read newspapers. By 10 p.m. I am back home, and even more pooped.
Next morning I get up before 6 a.m.

[davis]

I work as few hours as possible. I don't overly prepare because I've found that the class I prepare for may be changed without prior notice. I am contracted for 18 hours per week but I only have 16 classes at 40 minutes per. Mostly afternoons and I like it fine...so far

[yaco]

I am contracted for 16 hours per week but work 14 hours.

I know foreign teachers from neighbouring colleges who are contracted for 16 hours per week but working little as 8 hours pw.

This does seem to be an inefficient use of resources !!!!!

But this is China !!!!!!!!!

[Egas]

I do about 20 hours a week face to face teaching. But I work at an international school, so I have at least 5 hours of prep time, five to ten hours of marking, 2 hours of meetings, lunch duty, parent meetings, constant report writing, 20-30 emails a day to process, special after school activities... it goes on and on. Total work is probably about 50 hours a week.

Then I have study for a PhD on top of that which occurs in the taxi/bus (90mins a day), and in the evenings. All up I put in 60-70 hours a week, solid. I have no breaks, except maybe 15 minute lunch breaks. Time is too precious for that.

I study Sunday, all day, but usually take most or all of Saturday off.

The upside of working at an internationnal school (besides great pay) is the holidays - probably around 15 weeks a year, paid. In Taiwan I worked my butt off for a bushiban, around 50-60 hours a week for a little over US$1000, and got no paid holidays. I had 1 1/2 weeks off in 14 months. I just burnt out. When I told the boss I needed a holiday he refused me, saying the parents wouldn't like it. I had to resign. I wonder if the parents liked that?

[Bertrand]

[quote="Egas"]
Then I have study for a PhD on top of that which occurs in the taxi/bus (90mins a day)...

"...have to..."???????

[hubei_canuk]

First lesson in contracts:
Do not sign a contract for "HOURS".
Sign for "teaching periods of 45 min in length".
Or else watch a contract of 16 hours turn into 24 periods by the smiling snake..... um er excuse me ..smiling um ...intake person.

[arioch36]

Last year 30 hours a week, tons of money. This year, 12 hours at my uni, 4 hours at the school down the road. I would have taught at "the #1 high school in Henan" across the street, but they kept lowering their offer.

Went to one of their parties (they are flush with money, Chinese teachers all have laptops) I hold my nose and drank their Bai jiu. Vice Director puts his arm around me, practically sits on my lap, breathing heavily in my ear with breath so intoxicated it's Practically dripping drunkenness. " My good friend", he purrs in my ear. I have been to a strip bar twice in my life. He reminded me of that, except the girls had better breath. We agree on a price. They ended up wanted to pay 60 yuan per hour for the privelege of talking to 50 of their students. After all, they are the #1 high school. So now they have some teacher from Nepal, the students I met tell me, and no one can understand her.

OOps, wrong post, should go on you know you are in China if...

Pains me to agre with any point of Mr Canuckle, or even admit he has a point, but if any new teachers....don't fall for the scam of 20 hours at a high school, when what they mean is (forgive my math) 24 40minute periods