Job Discussion Forums

[wonderingjoesmith]

Good day,

Today, we have been given a schedule which over the next two weeks allows us 3 days off only. Those 3 days are the next week�s Thursday, Friday and Saturday. So, we�ll have to work the upcoming weekend as well as Sunday next week.

Now, while Chinese staff members are telling me that �this is China� and that everyone here should get used to it, foreign teachers are somewhat divided. It seems it comes down to their characters or perhaps some other aspects of their lives. To me, although I do not like the way my school does things, I like my job and the fact that I make difference in my students� future lives. Moreover, I have developed a social network in the area where I am. To the point, the program director has presented us with an interesting view on the situation. According to him, our next year�s contracts may depend on how willing we are to compromise with the school�s leadership.

Conclusively, it isn�t about our ambiguously worded employment agreements or local laws but about who we work with and how disposed to accept terms or how dedicated to our jobs/locations we are.

Regards to all committed foreign teachers,
Joe

[teachingld2004]

We also have that situation.we have said that is no holiday because we have to make up the time. So why bother having the holiday n the first place? I never make up the missed days. I have the students stay for 15 extra minutes for 6 times. Yes. Hat is making up the days, but I would rather do it that way.

[dean_a_jones]

It is a bit stupid and annoying, but that's life. We don't have to make up holiday days (i.e. the actual day itself, 4 April this time) but do have to make up cancelled days that are non-holiday (for us the Friday, if that is a regular teaching day).

This (not really a) holiday thing is a typical part of working in public schools here, and just something you have to deal with (in the same way that, working for a US company if you are European, it feels like you are getting stiffed on holiday time).

I don't mind the make-up days (I will work Sunday for the Friday) as I get the same amount of days off (and I don't work full weeks). I feel bad for the students, as it means they have to have a 6 (or sometimes 7) day week when this happens. If my own classes fall at the end of such an extended week, I usually reward them with something fun as they are even more zombie-like than normal.

[doogsville]

It sucks, and it's kind of backwards and a bit stupid, but it's also how things are done, so until it changes we have to either have to put up with it or find somewhere else to work.

My own situation is a bit different, but no less sucky or stupid. I teach an adult education at my uni on a Sunday afternoon. I only do it for the first five weeks of each semester, so it's not too painful. The thing is, I have to make up that class, which would normally have been on Sunday the 7th, on Saturday the 6th! They've told me it's because all the adult students will have to go to work on the Sunday to make up for the three day 'holiday'. So now both the students and I will only have the Thursday and Friday, which means it's not worthwhile travelling anywhere. I don't see the logic myself, or understand why they insist on calling it a holiday. I guess it's easier to say 'holiday' than it is to say 'a rescheduling of your workdays to give you the illusion that you are getting time off when the reality is you are getting screwed'.

[hilena_westb]

[kev7161]

Okay, okay . . . calm down "hilena_westb" - - jeez, what a tool!

[Javelin of Radiance]

Got Friday off and working Sunday in lieu of. OK it's not a free day off but its hardly difficult to figure out. Or is it?

[mnguy29]

Ok, I understand this is China stuff completely. Just the way it is so live with it. However, I do not appreciate the fact that I am a second year teacher at my Uni and have to make up a six class day on Sunday. While all the first year teachers get a free ride for four days cause they have no Friday classes. What is fair about this?

[wangdaning]

Legal expert at her best. Holiday are not legally made up. Extra days that are often grouped with the holiday are legally made up.

Complaining about people these days getting more time off is also silly. People have less time off. I work for a Chinese place, but they understand they are employing people from a foreign land to teach a foreign tongue, therefore, no weekend work, no make-ups. It is simple, Thursday's class becomes next Monday's class, Friday's class next Tuesday's and so forth.

All this bs about this being Chinese culture is as ridiculous as places actually doing it.

[Alexus22]

I got next Thursday and Friday off but I have to work Sunday. I don't see the point tbh, why not just have one day off and not work on Sunday?

[vikeologist]

Fred

It's fine to disagree with HW (I do disagree with almost everything she has ever written) but your sexist comment is pathetic. I haven't quoted you, because I hope that you'll delete it.

[teachingld2004]

Not that I am thrilled of making up the time, but it is not the biggest deal. Yes, we did sign contracts, and yes we do it

We had to work New Years Day, and I did not go in that day and I did not make it up But we had 2 days off after that, and I did ask if the students did want to come, and no one did They were told, "The foreign teachers have off but if there is class you have to go. (?). No one wanted to come, and that suited me fine. But I did ask them.

And I certainly am going to do what the school wants (except work New Years Day). We have the whole summer (8 weeks paid) and also a month off for Winter Holiday.

We get out entire round trip airfare, even if we do not want to use it. We get 2000rmb bonus twice a year We get 300rmb also twice a year called "travel money".

Medical is almost free. Last term I paid 27rmb for a dr visit and a lot of medication.

So working "holiday" hours is not going to kill me.

[lemak]

This one doesn't bother me (relatively) since it's been known about since the start of semester. There was one holiday earlier this year Jan 1, 2, 3 which we were inconveniently not told about the make up days until the end of December whereby many teachers had already booked train tickets or flights elsewhere for a longer weekend.

Was bothersome also since it came just a couple of weeks before the end of semester and most teachers were reviewing and preparing their classes for final tests during that time. Usually (at least in the case of my darlings) student attendance is pretty low on those days which makes it pretty difficult to do a normal class.

Advance notice and you can work around it on the syllabus, but late notice means the students effectively miss out on classes that are kind of important at that point in the semester.

I've already told my students that I'll mark that everyone came on the attendance sheets for next Sunday - likely will just be watching Mr Bean eps. this time around anyway. If they choose to show up, great....if not....enjoy the day off. They're adults. If they don't want to be there I'd rather they don't show than to come and play with their cell phones and/or sleep.

I don't actively tell them not to come. If some nerd wants to show up and make use of a smaller class to get more conversation practice, more power to them, however occasionally the class monitor gets together with the rest of the group and informs me they'd all like to have the day off. It's all good, and they get to learn the idiom "Mum's the Word" in return.

[choudoufu]

i get 3-1/2 months of paid vacation.

don't think i'm gonna complain about moving a day around
here and there. jinkies! they're just rearranging the deck chairs,
not adding more work days.

[wonderingjoesmith]