Job Discussion Forums

[klei]

Just some quick questions to all those working in Japanese universities:

How do academic calendars typically work with the April-March school year? Can you give a basic run-down of the year? When are breaks usually scheduled? How busy do you find yourself during exam-prep periods (i.e., when there are no classes, but students are studying for exams)? Are you typically expected to come to work/stick around during non-class periods that are not explicitly designated as vacation (i.e., is your total "vacation time" more than the aggregate of official 休業 --kyuugyou)?

Thanks for your help!

-Klei

[gaijinalways]

If you're part-time, generally the vacation breaks are from mid July to mid or late September and from mid January to early April. Many English language teachers don't give exams during exam periods, but it depends on the departments/classes and university policies. In one university department, I have to give an exam during the exam period once a year. Other than that, once the last class is taught, only the grading and the other paperwork remains (until lesson planning starts).

[taikibansei]

Full-timers typically get August, March, half of September, the last week in December, and the first week in January off. Keep in mind that meetings and/or committee (including entrance exam) work will cut into your breaks. Otherwise, you don't have to be on-campus during these times.

I personally have never been at a Japanese university with "exam-prep periods when there are no classes"--ironically, the only place I've worked at with such a policy was a university in the States!

[Glenski]

taikibansei has been in university work in Japan far longer than me. I'd still like to add my own perspective and experience.

Aside from what he wrote about vacations (pretty much an average, yup), my own school requires that we show up during the scheduled summer and winter breaks unless we take paid days off or arrange to work at home. It is an honor system to work at home, of course. No Big Brother watches over us.

So, for all of August and September, I have summer break from teaching, but I'm in the office unless I take the paid time off (and I get 3 days off just for summer, in addition to the ones that come out of my 20 per year; same thing in winter break).

Like taikibansei, I don't understand the concept of an "exam prep period". At my uni, we are expected to write our own exams for our courses whenever we have the time. The last day of each course is just one week before the exam for that course. No rest for the weary, unless you are one that recycles old exams or that doesn't even have a final exam. I know some teachers just use attendance to grade students.

How busy one is will depend on what you fancy doing. I have classes to prepare simply because of changing curricula, and that means selecting textbooks and writing syllabi (and preparing listening or reading materials for select classes). I also have to write an entrance exam or two, due in September, so that will keep me busy a little. On top of all that, I try to keep up on things happening at the professional organizations to which I belong, and prepare for meetings involving them, but that is my own initiative. Your own university may be looking for you to publish (or not), so it's up to you to "keep busy" when you aren't teaching.

One of my co-workers is off to Thailand with a few teachers and students as part of a special program from our university, so he will be working there for 2 weeks. He also had to take part in an international conference held at our university just after final exams ended (and running a week or so). These two items are unique to our university, but perhaps other unis have similar responsibilities for teachers.

Our staff meeting group actually had the luxury of voting on whether to hold a monthly meeting in September. We opted for the day off.

[gaijinalways]

Sorry taikibansei, I forgot to include the New Year's break as that is during a semester, but of course us part-timers take that off as well. few times had to work on Christmas, which of course is not a holiday here, but still most unis finish earlier, just one I work at likes to finish late every year!