Job Discussion Forums

[Delicious]

I have just returned from my holidays and have begun teaching a special "vacation" class. I was told before I went on holidays that I would be teaching 5 different classes each day for 9 days straight. When I returned from my holiday I was told that I would in fact be teaching the same class for 6 consecutive lessons each day for 9 days straight. I was given 12 hours to notice. What do you think?

[SeaLawyer]

I think: "Typical."

[randyj]

Is this a private school? Serious additional compensation should be offered for such a schedule.

[Talkdoc]

Delicious (love that name) - This is par for the course at private English language schools.

Is there anything they have failed to attend to (contractually) that you have inquired about numerous times before? This would be a really good time to invoke quid pro quo (i.e., "I'll agree to the extra class if you finally do such and such for me"). Otherwise, just grin and bare it.

Doc

[ouyang]

Do the math. You were contracted to do deliver 9 lessons with five different classes. Now you you are being asked to deliver 54 lessons. I was asked to do something similar during a two week summer English camp and my contract never mentioned such an intense work load.

Such a request indicates that they probably didn't get the enrollment numbers they had planned on. Whenever a school's plans don't work out their first response will be to try to get the foreign teacher to make up for the shortfall in the expected revenue.

I negotiated for two months salary for my two weeks of work. I think You should try to get at least one month's salary for such a schedule. You need to be matter of fact and reasonable in making your case, and also ready to walk. If you're not ready to move on, the chinese will always have an advantage over you in these matters.