Job Discussion Forums

getbehindthemule · Joined: 15 Oct 2015 Posts: 712 Location: Shanghai

I am currently based at a public school. The hours of school are 08:00 - 4:15. Is it standard practice at public schools that you need to be there during these hours regardless to whether you have class or not?
If I have a free day (my classes got cancelled for example) and want to leave I have to use one of my holidays. I am not complaining (great school and love my job) and I presume that it probably varies from school to school. Actually, I probably get on a lot better with my co-workers because of this (I am the only laowai here). The foreign teacher coming and going as he pleases on double the wages might cause a bit of friction haha!
I am just interested to hear a few of your thoughts and/or experiences of office hours, cheers.

The bear · Joined: 16 Aug 2015 Posts: 483

getbehindthemule · Joined: 15 Oct 2015 Posts: 712 Location: Shanghai

The Bear: 'I find office hours to be a sort of 'well if I have to be here so do you' deal.'

Well put, and it is the second type of office hours that I am doing even when I have all my lessons planned and my subject related work completed (I teach Science).
When I have free time I tend to go out and chat with my students between classes to get to know them a little better (and they love to practice their English a little with the FT), and potter about!
As you said I would prefer to work a little from home where I have a vpn and have access to more useful science resources.

Thanks for the reply and have a nice weekend!

roadwalker · Joined: 24 Aug 2005 Posts: 1750 Location: Ch

I agree with The bear. I don't mind being available for students. I wouldn't even mind doing prep work in a school office, if I knew that it was somewhat flexible, and more importantly, I could get the work done. Nothing worse than being stuck in an office with bad equipment and no internet.

My current school, a public uni, is trying fixed office hours now. Also two hours a week. I don't consider it a problem, and it seems to help some students who don't speak up much in class. We don't have to be anywhere else besides our scheduled classes and English corner. We are often asked to judge or merely attend some English related functions. That is a common request in other schools too, in my experience.

getbehindthemule · Joined: 15 Oct 2015 Posts: 712 Location: Shanghai

Yes, I believe that public unis are much more flexible though. I am an elementary school teacher.

To add to your point 'being stuck in an office':
I share an office with 7 other teachers, complete with the rigmarole of loud chatter and students coming in and out to their teachers all the time. At times impossible to concentrate!

Thanks for the insight roadwalker Smile

bennufc · Joined: 16 Jun 2015 Posts: 14 Location: Beijing

Shanghai Noon · Joined: 18 Aug 2013 Posts: 589 Location: Shanghai, China

My first school had no office hours for the foreign teacher. It was great.
My second school had very strict office hours for teachers. It was awful.
My current school has strict office hours on paper, but they gave me a private office by mistake, so I effectively have no office hours. I just need to sign in in the morning.

I work much faster at home. At home I have a computer with a big monitor, faster internet, VPN access, and English copies of all the software. At work I have a seven-year-old laptop computer entirely in Chinese, and a printer that over the past week has gone from taking small nibbles out of the corners of pages to devouring hand-sized chunks.

Non Sequitur · Joined: 23 May 2010 Posts: 4724 Location: China

Public schools requiring office hours seems to be a new-ish development?
It's always been there in the private schools and seemed to be a case of 'let's have a laowai on show'.
Seems that this is required attendance over and above contact hours and dilutes the rate per hour.
Good thing to keep in mind when assessing worth of competing packages,

jimpellow · Joined: 12 Oct 2007 Posts: 913

Some excellent points and responses.

It really comes down to the contract you signed. If it is not in your contract you don't have to be there. But...

You have already established that you are willing to work the hours in the office. Establishing precedence with the Chinese for anything above and beyond the contract is a death sentence.

In most schools the Chinese teachers work well above and beyond what their contract states. If you ask them about it, and why their union doesn't do anything about it, you will get the old "this is China" response.

Hierarchy, control and the belief that working longer equates to better results is the PRC way. Why shouldn't the foreigner be included in this? It's all for the benefit of the headmaster and his ego and wallet directly or indirectly.

At my last high school prep program, the headmaster wanted nothing to do with the program because it was not under his direct control. This was a good thing as we and the oddly excellent Chinese teachers involved (save one) could build something of semi quality compared to the other schools in the program.

So one week the do nothing headmaster goes to a meeting of the bigwigs in the program. The equally deluded Chinese head of the program lauds the headmaster in front of everyone for creating such a great program. The headmaster of course believes this, haha, and comes back and has a meeting. He announces to us that he will be becoming more involved in the program. This will amount to one thing, assigning office hours for the foreign teachers.

So of course I being the rebel quickly fetch my contract to confirm that office hours are not a part of the contract. In fact, they would need to pay us at the hourly overtime rate. So I inform the Chinese support staff at the program HQ about it - all of whom almost always want the teachers to do the schools bidding to keep peace. So they cringed and told the headmaster. So headmaster realizes that paying us more will cut into his cut of the program and cancels his idea. Did he like me after that? No Did I care? No

So if it is not in your contract and you don't mind it is your choice. But...

adventious · Joined: 23 Nov 2015 Posts: 237 Location: In the wide

getbehindthemule · Joined: 15 Oct 2015 Posts: 712 Location: Shanghai

Good point NS

I work for an international school that manage the public elementary school where I am based.
It does dilute the hourly teaching rate and makes the job feel more routine. But I guess it also depends on how good your school is (management, co-workers, facilities, equipment, etc.). If you enjoy (or at least don't hate it haha) being there, and are on a decent salary (package, despite the office hours), it is not so bad and may even suit some teachers.

As I said before I am not complaining but it is sometimes a littlt bit silly to have to sit there just for the sake of it.

Cheers all for the replies

jimpellow · Joined: 12 Oct 2007 Posts: 913

AGoodStory · Joined: 26 Feb 2010 Posts: 738

wangdaning · Joined: 22 Jan 2008 Posts: 3154

Where I work we are obligated to be free 6 hours a week. I tell students to email me times they want to meet. I am open for timings as long as it doesn't conflict with planned things. I also tell them to explain what issues they want to discuss. Few take me up on it, but those that do are amazing.

3701 W.119th · Joined: 26 Feb 2014 Posts: 386 Location: Central China

I hated the 45 hour week of working at a training centre last year. Being expected to sit in my chair for hours on end, for no reason, really pissed me off.

I work from home each night anyway, designing materials and writing lesson plans. That's how I relax (I know, maybe a bit nerdy). Sitting at a desk in an office is exactly what I wanted to get away from.

All of my students have my contact details. Email, phone number, WeChat, QQ. I'm always working.