Job Discussion Forums

[ilovebdt1]

Hi Guys

At the school I work at at the moment I get 14 days vacation a year.
I can take 7 during the summer vacation and 7 during the winter vacation.

If you work at say a private high school, how much vacation do they normally give you?

ilovebdt1

[FreddyM]

I think most private schools in Mexico follow a traditional calendar where you might get two weeks off for Christmas, another two weeks off for spring break, maybe about a month off in summer, and various other holidays scattered throughout the year.

Whether you get paid for them is a different matter. Having talked to people at various schools now, it seems that there are at least two types of job positions....one, usually called "planta" means you are full time, are on salary, and get paid even during all those holiday breaks. The more common type of position however you are usually paid by the hour or by the class you teach, and you don't get paid for holidays, not even for preparing for the class, nor grading or other duties. Even at some of the elite schools I've seen, this position is more common than "planta."

[samizinha]

Schools often have many part time workers (c�tedra) and few planta because of Mexican labour laws... to avoid things like benefits and paying for holidays. Peronally, I really dislike it. It means that people have little job security, no vacation pay, and there is a higher turnover. My school is about 20% planta, and the c�tedra almost always have another job that they go to.
I was really lucky for holidays. I recieved a month off in December, a week at Easter, and two weeks in the summer, paid. My co-workers can hardly believe when I say that I would have about 3 months of paid holidays as a teacher in Canada.

[MELEE]

My school is 100% planta (or working towards planta, which we call difinitividad because you first have 2 six month contracts, like a trial period, before you can apply for difinitividad) We have a less vacations, but lots of other benefits. We get 2 weeks at Christmas, 1 at Easter, and 2 in July, all paid.

[Ben Round de Bloc]

At the university where I work, keeping the many types of contracts straight in order to figure out who gets paid how much and for what has to be an accountant's nightmare! I have neither planta nor base, and I'm not full-time, but I do get paid for every week day of the entire year including two weeks off for Semana Santa and all those one- or two-day religious, local, national, and whatever days off. I also receive vacation pay on top of regular pay for two weeks off in December-January (Xmas break) and for two of our three weeks off for summer break. What I earn is based on pay per hour times number of contracted hours per quincena on six-month contracts. If/When I agree to take on addtional classes or other responsibilities that aren't part of my regular semester contracts, those are covered by separate contracts. As I said, an accountant's nightmare.

[cwc]

[ilovebdt1]

Thanks for your help guys!

ilovebdt1

[Samantha]

Does this year's Christmas school vacation break begin after Friday, December 22nd or are some getting off a little earlier?

[Ben Round de Bloc]