Job Discussion Forums

Itsme · Joined: 11 Aug 2004 Posts: 624 Location: Houston, TX

If a contract states that there will be a max of 20 hours of teaching per week (100 hours per month) and yet the teacher is expected to be at the school 35 hours a week (140 hours per month)

would you work there for 7000 RMB per month?

What have been your experiences in such situations? What are these, I am assuming to be, office hours like?

Would you prefer to take a job with more money and more hours or a job that allows you more free time?

Tezcatlipoca · Joined: 17 Jul 2006 Posts: 1214

I have worked two 40 hour a week jobs...

One was from 9:30am - 6:00pm with about 8-10 teaching hours per week for 7,000rmb per month (plus 1,500 housing allowance or a company apartment). The lunch break was one hour.

The other is 1pm - 9pm with 18-23 teaching hours per week for 12,000rmb per month. The lunch break is one hour.

The first one I felt underpaid, because I had a supervisor looking over my shoulder every minute of the day and constantly giving me pointless busy work.

The second one isn't bad at all. It's very much like a standard job back home and they don't look over your shoulder. As long as your classes are prepared, you are welcome to relax during the other hours at work.

It all depends on the feel of the office... some can feel very hostile and cold while others are very comfortable.

englishgibson · Joined: 09 Mar 2005 Posts: 4345

OP if a contract states that one has to work up to 20 teaching hours per week, there most likely is a line or two stating that "up to 40 weekly office hours" are expected as well. Wink

Sure that some schools'/centers' managements come to compromises with FTs on those office hours, but then some don't Sad

Regarding those "office hours", I sure would be mad rubbing my employer's back when not teaching, however I wouldn't mind using the "facilities" for surfing the net, reading etc Smile

By the way, that 7,000 monthly (depending on where you are) isn't as bad, is it?

Peace to ya
and
cheers and beers to all Very Happy

cj750 · Joined: 27 Apr 2004 Posts: 3081 Location: Beijing

The higher you go in salary the more hours you are expected to stay there..but with a 40 hour week..I would think that it would call for a bit more than 7000...when an non certified international school on the low end pays around 10000RMB for a 40 hour week...I would think that a 40 hour load should get you around 10k at the least...what I don't go for is this smoke and mirrors game where you only teach 12 but you must stay in the office the rest of the time ...when ever this is presented as a work option to you check and assign a value to the in class hours and the in office hours..what is the pay per hour...that is the real test..but if you realize that you are only making around 45 to 60 RMB per hour ...then it is time to look at that 7000 as indentured servitude...

tw · Joined: 04 Jun 2005 Posts: 3898

My friend in Shenyang is now teaching at a new college that pays him 6000 RMB for 24 hours of lessons a week. He is also required to remain on campus between 7:30am and 4:30pm, Monday-Friday. That's right, NINE FULL HOURS a day. Shocked

I'd like to see how long he can handle this before he starts b*tching.

no_exit · Joined: 12 Oct 2004 Posts: 565 Location: Kunming

I don't mind office hours as long as I'm not being forced to do anything in particular -- no looking over my shoulder and telling me how to plan, thanks. I can prepare lessons, hang out, goof off with other FTs, look up stuff on the internet, and make materials during that office time. I think a teacher should be required to be in the office for at least a few hours a week -- 20 extra hours a week sounds like a bit much, but some jobs do require an awful lot of out of class work (for example, when I was teaching composition class, I graded my students papers carefully and corrected all their mistakes. This took forever, and the prep time for this class every week was more than that of all my other classes combined).

Of course, the more office hours they require of you, the more they should be paying. Higher paying jobs may not require many actual teaching hours, but you'll make up for it by being expected to show up even when you're not teaching.

latefordinner · Joined: 19 Aug 2003 Posts: 973

I'm a professional, I charge for my time.
When I came to China 4 years ago, 20 hours of class time, no office hours, was worth 5,000 for a beginning teacher. Ignoring the added value of experience and the inflationary effects of China's overheated economy, 40 hours shouldn't be worth any less than 10,000.
No_exit: