Job Discussion Forums

[Sonnibarger]

What do you make of this section in the contract? Is it similar to most in China?
d) Only after the rearrangement of lessons, the employee is able to enjoy the privileges of main religious holidays. If in the case of any conflictions between religious holidays and working days as set by the Peoples� Government, then the employee must abide by the arrangements set by the Government for work and rest.
The contract is from a Government school, with a good reputation.

[clark.w.griswald]

[HunanForeignGuy]

To the OP,

I have never, ever seen such a wording in any contract since I have been in China...but who knows?

Usually, either they forbid religious activity outright, or they permit it "in moderation" (my current contract) or they simply give Christmas Day off to the FT's.

[7969]

[Mpho]

Yes, this sounds like an unusual wording to be in a contract. I work here in Xinjiang Autonomous Region and our contracts all have religious clauses in them about holidays. We (supposedly Christian westerners) are allowed two days for Christmas (covers Christmas and Boxing Day) while the other ethnic minority students and teachers get paid holidays as follows: 3 days for Animal slaughtering day, 1 day for fast-breaking festival and one day for water splashing day.

Other minority areas, get other days for different minorities.

Mpho

[11:59]

OP, although I know this will come as something of a shock to you, I have to be the one to inform you that the term 'holiday' as employed in Mainland China is somewhat euphemistic at best, and downright deceptive at worst. 'Holidays' in China are not so much holidays (in the Western sense of the expression) as more instances of timetable rescheduling, and, for reasons unknown, FTs in China accept this ridiculous state of affairs as if there was nothing odd, peculiar, or unusual about it. If, for example, there is a 10-day holiday and some point of the year, then any days during that period that would have been worked had it not been a holiday have to be made up at some point after the said 'holiday'.

[tw]

[waxwing]

I would give them a lot of credit for making it explicit.
Strictly speaking, legally, they don't have to. But many teachers will complain anyway.
One thing that often needs careful clarification in many contracts is how much you will be paid for holidays (e.g. spring festival). It could be full pay, no pay or partial pay, but make sure you know. The contract might say you are entitled to a holiday, which to a teacher back home would mean paid holiday, but here that's not usually the case.

The key is to try to avoid making assumptions about arrangements, because you'll often find yourself disappointed if you do.

[kev7161]

[clark.w.griswald]

[vikuk]

Don't worry about a couple of days at Christmas or Easter - worry about what kind of school you'll be working at - because if you're going to work at a mill - well kiss summer and winter holidays goodbyieeee (these are peak periods for the white monkey farms - more work than ever) - if you're going to work at some sort of public institution then you may get 3months of paid holiday (1 month winter, 2 months summer) during which you can sip your c0cktails while watching the mill workers lumber off to work!!!

[kev7161]

Government, school, whatever. Where many schools are lacking is that they don't effectively explain the switcheroo and wait until it actually happens and the FTs get pissed about it and it's a "problem" that could've been prevented if they had only explained it before contract signing.

[clark.w.griswald]

[Sonnibarger]

Thanks for the feed back everyone. I signed the contract today!

[Brian Caulfield]

When I first got here my employer would tell me about the days I had to make up because of holidays . I still don't understand why they call it a holdiday if you must make it up? I told them was that I am Jewish and can't work on Saturdays . It worked.