Job Discussion Forums

[chinatrio]

In a recent post, Ludwig raised an interesting issue that I think may be worth a poll. How many hours do you teach each week, including all contact hours?

Thanks,
chinatrio

[Sinobear]

After slaving away 45 hours a week at a diploma mill, I've now got a creampuff job, 10 hours a week, no office time, decent salary, and everything paid for by the school.


Back to my nap.....

[kev7161]

How do you define a "week"? 5 days on with the weekend thrown in? Working seven days in a row? My school's schedule is so convoluted that sometimes I don't know if I'm coming or going. According to my contract, I am to teach UP TO 18 periods per week and office hours are at my whim. In September, I've worked anywhere from 7 to 24 periods in a 5-day "week" without the nice weekends in between. However, in the long run, I do get plenty of days off. It's just my schedule is so . . . weird.

[chinatrio]

[quote]In September, I've worked anywhere from 7 to 24 periods in a 5-day "week"[/quote]

I guess your hours are hard to generalize about. I'm just looking from outside, not having taken a teaching position in China. The ads talk about how many class periods are expected, but I wondered if perhaps more time than that is actually spent in other teaching duties, bringing the total time to a greater amount.

In a post, Ludwig suggested that the trend has been to work teachers harder and harder, but so far it seems that conditions have not reached the 40+ hours per week that he thought applied to many positions.

chinatrio

[anthyp]

Keep in mind that Herr Ludwig has never taught anywhere in the grim Mainland, and knows nothing about working here except what he learns during his frequent trips to present "lectures," when he graciously deigns to interact with us cretins.

They probably have to slave away for 40 hours in Hong Kong, yeah. They get paid a lot more, though. But here you can get away with an average salary working only 20 - 25 hours a week.

Most of the EFLers I know here work 20. As do I. If you are working more, there is really something wrong with you. You can at least earn a good salary in Japan or Korea, why do it here for 8000 or 10,000 RMB?

Leaves plenty of time for napping, yes.

[Roger]

I disagree with those who took this opportunity to cast aspersions on Ludwig; he does know the mainland rather well. That doesn't mean I concur with him all the time.

To come back to the original question and its main thrust: it'sa sad fact of life here that many public employers work foreign teachers harder than they work their Chinese ones. You get extra teaching assignments piled on your timetable, plus the odd (and, in my view, utterly useless English Corner).
And the claim that we get paid higher salaries isn't true in the caseof public schools. Here is an example from my own career:
A normal school paid foreign techers RMB 1300 (a while ago!); and the workload was 14 hours a week for those teaching "substantive" subjects (I taught writing and literature), or 16 to 18 hours for those who taught oral English.
Chinese teachers put in 12 hours to get the same salary, and some even worked as little as 8 hours, though at a reduced salary. Why would anyone work less and cash less? The secret is that everyone wants to moonlight. This is funny since moonlighting doesn't necessarily pay better. On the other hand, it removes you from backstabbing colleagues and office politics.

Still, Chinese teachers were entitled to twelve monthly salaries versus ten monthly salaries for foreign teachers. Foreign teachers received their airfare, apparently in lieu of "two summer months' pay".
Chinese teachers also stand to get REAL bonuses; my 800 a month reduced time English teacher colleague was allowed to join the teachers that went on a Thailand jaunt at school's expense during their summer holidays!

OK, so I must also add a little special favour WE enjoy: we are blissfully removed from office duties and all the hell this involves, including weekly meetrings during which the Dean rambles on about her ostereoposis.

Disclaimer: This scenario is not necessarily true in TRAINING CENTRES.