Job Discussion Forums

vikdk · Joined: 25 Jun 2003 Posts: 1676

Christmas day (especially if it falls on a Sunday) must be the ultimate monkey test for the FT - your employer makes you work this day and has no respect for your personal considerations - well go to work eating a banana

TexasHighway · Joined: 03 Dec 2005 Posts: 779

According to the Chinese government, foreign experts are entitled to two days off for Christmas (or other holidays depending on religion/nationality). Print off the following link (it is in Chinese) from the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs and show your boss item 17. Good luck! http://www.safea.gov.cn/content.php?id=12742267

yi_tiao_lu · Joined: 19 Oct 2005 Posts: 3

I work for the inner mongolia agriculture university. My contract says that i get a day off for thanksgiving and 2 days off for christmas.
now on thanksgiving, i had to remind them of the holiday and i got the thursday off. actually, 2 of the 4 teachers here got the day off. i don't know why the others didn't have it off.
now i'm asking them which days i will have off for christmas, 2 before the weekend, 2 after the weekend or 1 before and 1 after. We do not work ever on saturday or sunday, and we were told we don't work on saturday or sunday.
soooo, i am expecting for them to tell me which days we have off. in my mind, it better not be the saturday and sunday we have off normally. i'm looking for a 4 day weekend.... Mr. Green

anyone care to speculate what will happen?

yi_tiao_lu · Joined: 19 Oct 2005 Posts: 3

oh, i also think it is important to follow the contract. what does ur contract say about certain days?

andyscott84 · Joined: 02 Nov 2005 Posts: 115

I'd say that since it is on Saturday and Sunday then those are the two days off. Bad luck that it's on a weekend, but next year it won't.

Chris_Crossley

The staff at my school will have Monday, December 26 and Monday, January 2 as days off in lieu of Christmas Day and New Year's Day.

However, get this: we are reportedly going to be given Tuesday, January 3 as a holiday as well. Sounds great, except (and this is where the logic falls down) that we "might" (according to Head Office) have to work the following Saturday as a "make up" day because, according to the higher-ups, "it's an official government holiday", meaning, I think, Monday, January 2.

It's yet to be confirmed officially, but, really, they might as well not give us the extra day off if it means having only a one-day weekend next weekend as a consequence when we do not normally work weekends! Sad

yi_tiao_lu · Joined: 19 Oct 2005 Posts: 3

i was just informed, that our Christmas holiday will be the 2 days off before the Christmas weekend.
and sooooo, a 4 day weekend!!! Mr. Green

Pepsi-Bones · Joined: 03 Oct 2005 Posts: 33

As a teacher - properly qualified and experienced- I expect to be treated properly and with respect. That means a) decent accommodation, b) decent wages c) decent terms and conditions and d) decent holidays.

I find it very odd the number of people on this website who are gung ho about "going native". If you swallow the bull about "this is China" and therefore you must accept low wages and no holidays - you will not only be had but you will be treated with contempt.

Get real and get professional please.

If you are serious about your profession (teaching) and have the proper qualifications you should insist on being treated professionally.

Teachers in the West get at least 10 weeks paid vacation a year. I am not interested in excuses that "this is China" and it can't happen here. It has to - if China is even interested in becoming a Second Rate player on the International Stage. If it wants professionals China will have to start offering professional packages and hire proper Foreign Experts.

Hell. I'll be celebrating Christmas in China. Why ? Because in the West, Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists and Taoists celebrate their heritage, traditions and beliefs - and hey - if that means them having a few days off their treadmills - all the better for it.

vikdk · Joined: 25 Jun 2003 Posts: 1676

Pepsi-bone, blasphemy - didn't you know us ol' FT's are trying to rekindle the spirit of Scott of the Antarctic - any more of your talk and you'll be pummeled by a TESOL blizzard - this life can only be enjoyed if professional martyrdom is your goal!

Seriously - I do think we have to make a few �wee� concessions because we're in China, but of course preserving our professional integrity is vital if we are to make any real advances in this country. Being duped into working on a Sunday - be it Christmas day or not is an insult to any real teacher.

KarenB · Joined: 20 Sep 2005 Posts: 227 Location: Hainan

Texashighway is correct -- the SAFEA guidelines do stipulate 2 days off for Christmas, and the schools should honor the government guidelines for foreign teachers.

In certain circumstances, the date that the holiday is celebrated DOES make a difference. For instance, if the FT was planning on attending church that Sunday morning for the special Christmas services, that's not something he would be able to do later. Or if a lot of the other FTs in town were getting together for a special dinner or something, then he'd miss out.

And yes, Chinese in other countries do get Spring Festival off -- not the whole week or month, but usually 1 to 3 days, depending on the country. (I usually spend Spring Festival in Thailand, and they get 3 days off there).

I've never had any problem with being off work on Christmas. However, the problem I have had is schools expecting us to put on a Christmas program on Christmas Eve or Christmas day (like I really want to spend my holiday entertaining other people), or students trying to invite themselves to a strictly family and/or FT Christmas dinner. I'm happy to host or go to parties or help the students put on a Christmas program ealier in the week (currently, we're working on a production of Dicken's "The Christmas Carol" scheduled for the 22nd). But Christmas day is the one day of the year when I want to be just with my family or other foreigners.

Voldermort · Joined: 14 Apr 2004 Posts: 597

Within our school we will not be teaching as such on Xmas day, but the students will be having a Christmas party. We are required to work with the students to prepare for this but are not forced to take part or to even go. Other from this our winter holiday starts on the 23rd December.