Job Discussion Forums

[kattie72]

I've just been offered a job in a fairly large school in Italy. With the offer were some "Requirements"
My question is are these the norm? (I have been working in a small, friendly language school for a long time, with no such rules, so not so sure about the bigger schools)...

Requirements:
*Lessons need to be planned in the school.
(I often plan my lessons at home, as I have my own computer there and my books etc)
*Daily lesson plans must be given to the D.O.S at the end of each working day.
(have never had to do this!)
*Some courses will be 40 minutes away. train tickets are provided.
*Resource books mustn't be taken home
(we are allowed to take them home overnight)

Should alarm bells be ringing? Or have I just had it very easy where I am now?

[Gordon]

I wouldn't have alarm bells going off. I think the school is worried you're going to steal their material/boooks and use them to teach on the side. Maybe they got burned by someone once. You can ask them why they have this policy, it does sound a little paranoid, especially the one about lesson planning only at the school, that's a first for me. Many schools are happy you do any planning. Find out how much travelling is required and if this is taken into consideration in your teaching schedule.

[joe-joe]

I don't think the requirements sound so drastic; I was expected to plan my lessons in school and not take resource books home in previous jobs. Travelling to out of school classes, with transport paid for doesn't sound so odd, it's is often the case for many jobs I've seen advertised.

Having to give the DOS your lesson plans every day does seem a little severe; I've only ever submitted lesson plans when requested for things like observations, not as a matter of daily routine. Maybe they're just strict on maintaining standards and want to ensure teachers do actually plan, and plan well.

Perhaps if you're not feeling to sure about this job offer, then ask the school some more questions to help put your mind at rest and decide.

[kattie72]

Thanks for your replies...what do you think about this?

I've just looked up the train times from the school town to the town where they say some lessons will take place, and instead of 40 minutes it takes 45 minutes to an hour depending on time of day.

Another thing which I hadn't mentioned is that they want you to pay in advance for internet facilities.

[dduck]

Kattie, the people here will be able to give you some good advice, but the best people are the staff at the school. Perhaps, the school is a disaster area, ruled by fascists, or perhaps it's got some strange rules that they relax when you've been there for a while. It's a gamble if you walk in without all the information. So, ask to speak to the teachers, a good school won't have a problem with that; ask yourself are these teachers happy or are they drones that couldn't find anything better?

Also, I think you should negotiate your contract. If there's something you're not happy with try to test their sense of give and take. If there isn't any you have an extra piece of information with which to make you decision.

Lastly, explore other options so that it's easier to walk away if you don't feel comfortable.

Iain

[shmooj]

dduck speaks wisdom. If you do take the job though, I don't think you need worry about not planning at home. If you are required to get the train for 40 mins each way, that can be good planning time. Not detailed plans but the gist of each class, you can brainstorm ideas, design materials - in fact take most of the legwork out of the plan before you head into the school to finalise the plan. I have to drive to teach, I sometimes long for the time on the train to prepare and plan stuff - go over the materials etc.

Also, my school has a rule about not taking materials home. I know it has because I made it as manager. We got really stuffed on several occasions when people simply walked off with materials without bothering to tell anyone. Meanwhile staff are tearing the place apart right before class trying to find that book that was supposed to be there etc. Not worth the hassle and because we are very small, we couldn't afford to buy duplicate copies of stuff. Simple - they stay at the school unless needed for classes outside (in which case they must be returned immediately after to the school though this rule is pretty lax for most of us).

[Celeste]

A school that required me to do my lesson planning at the school had better be paying for prep time. A school that requires me to hand in my lesson plans daily had better give me some guarantee that I wasn't writing a textbook for publication.

Not taking books home; no problem. I have worked with a teacher who cleaned out large sections of a school library and then didn't show up to work ever again. Not all teachers are as honest as we'd like to think.

[jud]

Would you always have to submit lesson plans, or just for a limited period? In the latter case, it looks like the school is actually interested in maintaining certain standards, which seems to be rare around these parts. And a good sign. If you have good feedback would they then eliminate this rule?

Here here on the no materials out of school rule. We have lost so many books. I have had some many instances where I needed a book and it wasn't there.

Could the no lesson planning at home rule be connected to the above? Sounds a little severe if otherwise.

Small alarm bells for the 40 minutes versus an hour. If the school tries to minimize the time, I'd be concerned, it may mean they're trying to make it seem as if it's no big deal. Are you being paid for your travel time? That's something that often isn't done in Italy but is done is most other places (Germany for example).

Re: internet, last year we had teacher's run up a huge internet bill at our school (someone downloaded something they shouldn't have). Do you have to pay when you're using the internet for lesson-prep?
Good luck!

[Ben Round de Bloc]

[Ben Round de Bloc]

I suppose it's all relative.

Lesson Plans: During nearly 30 years as a teacher, 20 years in public schools in the USA, my current job (Mexican university) is the first where I don't have to turn in lesson plans or have them available upon request at any given time. It may be cultural, since I've come to believe that the idea of planning anything in advance is a foreign concept in this country.

Travel Time: The various colleges/campuses of the university where I teach are scattered all over the city. When we teach English classes at other colleges of the university -- the foreign languages department shares a campus with College of Education -- we must travel on our own time at our own expense. Via city buses the time between College of Education and College of Accounting & Business Administration, for example, can vary between 25 minutes and an hour and 20 minutes depending on how crowded the buses are and the mood of the bus drivers (whether they stop for you or speed on by, pretending they haven't seen you.) As for doing any lesson planning on a bus, not likely, since it's often standing room only and very little of that.

Using Materials: Our EFL department has a pretty decent library of materials for teachers to use at school, and we can sign things out. Even at that, it's amazing the number of books and other materials that "disappear." Sometimes, I suppose, teachers borrow them and forget to sign them out with all good intentions of returning them promptly. Others. I suspect. are just thoughtless. They take them home to use and don't even consider the idea that other teachers may want to use them. As other posters have mentioned, the mandate to do lesson plans at school could be to help keep books and materials available for all teachers to use.

Internet: Our university has its own internet service provider, and the use of the internet is free for us. The problem is finding a computer with internet access to use. There's only one designated for EFL teachers' use only in a department which maintains 15-20 full- and part-time teachers. Two others are shared with students in the Self-Access Center, and administrators have theirs in their offices (off limits to teachers.)

[kattie72]

Thanks everyone who posted. It has been useful to receive some constructive advice.