Job Discussion Forums

SunnyKat · Joined: 19 Feb 2007 Posts: 10

Hi everyone,

I've been thinking about getting a teaching job in China starting this August and was wondering how difficult is it (in general) to get several days off in the middle of the semester. One of my best friends is getting married this December in the US and I'd really hate to miss her wedding. Do most schools allow teachers to take personal days (unpaid is fine) or do they give teachers a hard time about it?

Thanks!

jammish · Joined: 17 Nov 2005 Posts: 1704

Some schools will allow up to 10 days per year. At least my old school in Wuhan did. Although in theory they only allowed 3 days concurrently at any given time. I'm sure they would give you more than that for something important like a wedding (tell them it's your brother/sister).

My school in Wuhan had some clause in the contract claiming that they would deduct money (which they sneakily put in after the first year). I had to take 5 days off to come to Dalian from Wuhan for the interview for my current job. Just before I left, they rang me and said "Look at your contract". I did, and saw the bit about deducted money. Yet in the event they never deducted it. This is just how Chinese schools work - make threats which they aren't necessarily going to live up to. They just like keeping people in their place/scaring them.

mondrian · Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2007 6:04 am Post subject:

Depends on where you are teaching.
At a language school they will replace you if they can; or be very grumpy when you come back if they can't. If you miss a lesson as a FT, then they will have to give the fees back to the parents AND cover the lost time with a Chinese teacher. It's all about money!!
At a State School, they (the other teachers) will put a LOT of pressure on you because if you don't teach then they will have to cover for you. The admin will just dock your pay!
In a University, they will probably say OK, but you will have to make up the missing lessons before the end of semester. I have done this in the past by booking a large media classroom and putting all my student classes together and showing a movie accompanied by an exercise.

no_exit · Joined: 12 Oct 2004 Posts: 565 Location: Kunming

Leon Purvis · Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2007 12:19 pm Post subject:

At my public college, there was an FT who regularly took time off during the term to travel and took extended vacations during the holiday. She seemed to be a special case who merely scheduled her time off at the beginning of the year and had it approved by the FAO. She did not have to make up the classes.

On the other hand, there were teachers who when they were ill were required to make up the classes at the end of the term.

Policies vary from school to school, FAO to FAO and teacher to teacher.

Good luck.

jammish · Joined: 17 Nov 2005 Posts: 1704

Very true there from Leon. Making sure you get off to a good footing with the school and the students is all important. If you are popular, it will be much easier to get time off agreed.

Also agree that it's best to organise it as long in advance as possible, possibly even let them know right now.

SunnyKat · Joined: 19 Feb 2007 Posts: 10

Thank you for all the replies; they're very helpful!

Yu · Joined: 06 Mar 2003 Posts: 1219 Location: Shanghai

I had the exact same situation... a wedding I did not want to miss.
Sometimes I will leave a video for students.
Other times I invited students to my my house to make cookies or pizza and had that count as a class.

Last December, I told the head of my department I needed to go back for a wedding and Christmas. Arrangments were made and it was not a big deal.

I also took off one class when my mom came to visit last year (but I was only teaching one class, so I essentially took off the entire week.) And I miscalculated the October holiday, and made up classes on a different day. Not a big deal at all.