Job Discussion Forums

[jimpellow]

"Next time the school ought to have this ready before having a meeting right before the start of the term. That is their responsibility. "

-Excellent point. Save this is Mainland China where this is almost always an impossibility.

I found that the best way to deal with this(and it happened to me three times in five years) was to simply have a willingness to walk right away and give zero regard to loss of income and future employment prospects in China. Besides salvaging the most valuable asset of all - your self-respect - it really fries the circuitboards of Mainland Chinese, and they miraculously see the light.

"The one who loves least controls the relationship' - provided that you have demonstrated value and truly believe it yourself.

[ghost]

I feel bad for Rioux, and his scenario is familiar to me, because I was misinformed about dates for the October moon cake short vacation, which is usually a few days vacation, but with planning can be as long as 7-9 days, for some teachers.
Luckily had a compassionate Academic Director, and was able to make up a few classes.
The person who alluded to teachers with nice attitude getting more in return gave sage advice.
Also, in the big picture, foreign lecturers in Chinese unis. usually have the advantage of getting away earlier compated with Chinese colleagues, due to not having to attend tortuous faculty dept. meetings.
This is all in retrospect, since I am on the sidelines right now.

[Non Sequitur]

Luckily had a compassionate Academic Director, and was able to make up a few classes.

Makeup classes are integral to these short holidays and usually there are clear (if belated) instructions on what classes are to be moved to the weekend before the holiday. What classes are to be moved to the following weekend and what are to be dropped altogether.
The rescheduled classes are to open up a stretch of time for students to return home. They are not for the convenience of staff although if you know what's likely to occur you can use the 5 days to do something useful.

[rioux]

After informing me that I wouldn't teach weekend classes they hit me with Saturday classes from 8am to noon. I think it was before Golden week last year that the Thursday was to be made up on Saturday (I was told this the day before). I had a class on Thursday at 8am and my 8am class on Saturday was packed, so I had to inform my Thursday students that I couldn't be in two different rooms of two different buildings at the same time. They seemed happy to receive the news.

[Non Sequitur]

If you see a holiday coming up it's a good idea to talk to a monitor that you get along with.
The students going home couldn't organise tickets in the timeframe of the notice to teachers.
He/she will be able to give you an idea of what's going on.
It's likely that your Teaching Affairs knows what's up well in advance BUT it seems the college president holds that info as some part of his/her fiefdom.
Not good career move for TA to pre-empt the boss.
TIC

[7969]

[Non Sequitur]

Plenty of notice is a rarity in my experience. Good to see at least one school is forthcoming.
The first time you encounter make up days can be a puzzle.