Job Discussion Forums

[basiltherat]

Here goes.
My boss has just asked me to find another teacher, as we are desperately short of teaching staff at the present time. Naturally, I said I would try to; either locally or from abroad.
Now though, I am beginning to regret saying I would.

As teachers, I'd suppose that most of us have that sympathetic, sensitive and always-willing-to-do-what-I-can attitude and streak in us. After all, people with an attitude problem don't or shouldnt be in this gig at all.
My boss is a really good guy, all in all, and I admire and respect him a lot for his rather hands-off approach to what I do here. In fact, I wish all my bosses had been like this guy.

However, this morning he kinda irked me a bit when he asked me if I cud find a new trainer. Over the past 3 weeks my contact training hours have risen from 22 to 41. Yes. That's 41 ! Whenever he said "Basil, Do you think you could manasge another group ? " I said "Yes, of course" (Aaaargh ! I wish that sympathetic and sensitivity in me would evaporate !). While I am (per contract) obliged to do 30 contact hours a week, I kept saying "Yes,Yes" as he asked me to do more and more.

What's wierd about this is that I am in no way worried about having to quit or be dismissed from this job for insubordination or whatever. In the past, I had always assumed that I was agreeing to do more and more work because of the fear of being fired, sacked etc. Strangely, this does not seem to be the case. I just keep doing it. Of course, I should tell him to shove it but, well, ... I just cant seem to.

Assertion in the classroom is no problem, but when it comes to the boss, all that assertiveness goes down the toilet.

Also, I'm basically running the training centre here myself with some help from a very willing secretary and nice caretaker. The amount of work is now overwhelming me. OK, there's money to be had from all this work but, I am asking myself whether its all woth it.
Any others have this problem ?

MOD EDIT
frustratingly
basil

[Ben Round de Bloc]

I can empathize with you. A co-worker and I have discussed this topic more than a few times. Why is it so difficult for some of us to say, "No, I really can't do that," when asked to take on more than we can comfortably do? I suspect maybe it's that we are too conditioned to being team players.

My situation has been one of being asked to teach more hours per week than I feel comfortable doing. There's nobody else willing to teach a 7:00 a.m. class. There's nobody else available who can teach an advanced class that ends at 9:00 p.m. Are they going to fire me if I don't accept the extra hours? Highly unlikely. Are the few extra pesos in my pay check worth it to teach those extra hours? Not really.

If I understand correctly what you've written, Basil, it seems like your boss is doing you a favor in this case. It sounds like a new trainer would take some of the work load off of you. Since you've been running the training center by yourself, your boss is giving you the chance to choose a new co-worker in the training center. A new trainer would work with you in the training center, not replace you, right? I think that letting you find a new trainer would be a better option than having your boss pick up someone from the street and then tell you, "Here's the new trainer I've hired. Work with him/her."

[Guy Courchesne]

Do good work and what do you get? More work...

You should sit down with the boss and have a professional and polite conversation about the problem, before it gets to you and manifests itself in other ways.

I think that if you are valued enough by the establishment, the boss, then your thoughts will be heard especially if you offer solutions. I've been pushed and pushed to do more work during busy periods, often on weekends when I could have said no. I try mention alternatives if I see them, and my employer seems willing to trust my opinion, so I get to solve problems instead of trudging though them on longer hours.

[basiltherat]

[Will.]

Hi Bas
Why don't you ask him how long you have to keep doing the extra hours for... when he asks why, let him know that it is cutting into yur private teaching hours and costing you money. He will understand that.
On the other hand he might offer you better pay to keep doing the extra hours, or find a teacher himself, solution all round.

[spidey]

Maybe it's time to renegotiate your contract from "teacher" to "teacher/trainer." This should send a strong message to your boss. It will also give you an opportunity to make more money and get recognized for the extra work that you are doing.

Good luck

S

[Deconstructor]

This thread sounds like a group therapy. How about this vent? I mistakenly gave my DOS my cell number and he wouldn't stop calling me about every small detail that happened at work even after I asked him not to because it was costing me arm and a leg. When I turned it off, he got pissed and let me know that not turning the cell on would cost me more than the cell bill.

What would you do at this point?

[Guy Courchesne]

[Deconstructor]

[quote="Guy Courchesne"]

[Ben Round de Bloc]

[Deconstructor]

[Guy Courchesne]

I've was inspired purely by Decon's medical issues, I'll have you know.

[Deconstructor]

[Ben Round de Bloc]

[Guy Courchesne]

Strategic vaguery. That's an Appleton TESOL trick.