Job Discussion Forums

[logician]

I am currently working for a school that expects a lot of work to be done outside the classroom. If we're not escorting the little students on field trips, we're making up new and exciting entertainments and pretending that we're teaching them something. The latest diversion is a "test" that is not actually going to test anything or prove that they have learned anything, but which will convince their parents that their tuition is well spent.

Let's call the time spent outside the classroom "prep time" and the time spent inside the classroom "class time."

What is the ratio that everyone expects to get? Bear in mind that I'm pretty choosy and I can take job offers exclusively from schools that theoretically have a curriculum. (Although on closer examination that curriculum usually doesn't appear to be worthy of the name...)

I've heard some people talk about a 1:1 ratio between prep time and class time.

I am sorry to say that I don't accurately measure my time and I can't give a precise number for my own ratio. I suspect that it might be more like 9 hours of prep time to 10 hours of class time, but I hesitate to trust such an undocumented estimate.

What sorts of ratios are other people willing to accept?

[Taylor]

Dear Readers,

I would say it all depend on your experience, as well as the number of different classes you are teaching.

Obviously, if you have 4 different classes to whom you teach the same lesson, there will be less prep time required. Therefore, no certain ratio exists.
Are these students the little ones (only 3 to 6 years old)? If so, wouldn't the trips occur during your normal daytime work hours anyway? I wasn't sure what you meant.... Are you with the same kids all day for 5 days a week? I have never taught in that environment, but others should be able to respond.

Let us know a bit more about the arrangements you are describing. Best wishes!

Taylor
Texas/Taiwan

[TaoyuanSteve]

I think if you are approaching a 1:1 ration of paid teaching time versus unpaid prep time, it's time to leave (unless your hourly pay is uncommonly high). Some real keeners will try to give you a guilt trip by suggesting that all good teachers do, and ought to, put in this much extra time. However, if you are paid 600nt per teaching hour, and you're spending an hour prep for every teaching hour, you're being paid a real hourly rate of 300 per hour. In the cram school where I work, I started out doing much more prep than I do currently. We have a set program. So, once you've taught all the lessons in the main text a number of times, it really takes very little time at all to prepare for a class. If there are a lot of unpaid hours at your school, you may want to look for one with fewer. Consider whether or not you're getting a fair deal.

[wood]

9 hours of prep time to 10 hours of class time is way too much! I'd start looking for other work.