Job Discussion Forums

hughesie · Joined: 22 Apr 2008 Posts: 63

I'm teaching middle school with GEPIK in Yongin and as some of you probably know, they make you sit in an empty staffroom during winter/summer breaks.

How is it at a Chinese University? Can you go home after classes? Is there any other advantages of working in a Chinese university over a Korean middle school? (I'm sure there are plenty!)

I have searched through the forum and it has been a wealth of information! Thank you in advance!

mjlpsu · Joined: 03 Oct 2005 Posts: 128 Location: NJ to Shenzhen

I'm required to have 6 office hours each week--supposedly for students to come in and talk, which rarely happens. Other than that I don't have to stay on campus any more than that after class. And during breaks (the two weeks after exams), I just have to come in to submit grades and sign the transcripts.

Other university experiences may vary.

Mister Al · Joined: 28 Jun 2004 Posts: 840 Location: In there

I suppose it depends on what your contract stipulates. For me, I have some admin duties but I can choose when to put in the couple of hours a week it takes to do that. Sometimes I'm asked to interview potential teachers or give a talk to new students, and I'm willing to do so, but that is a rare occasion.

hughesie · Joined: 22 Apr 2008 Posts: 63

hughesie · Joined: 22 Apr 2008 Posts: 63

waynehead · Joined: 27 Oct 2008 Posts: 15

Ha, I came from a south korean middle school and I work at a uni here now.

I pretty much come and go as I please, the only time I have to be at school when I'm not teaching is when either a)i have a gap between classes or b)i have admin stuff i have to do. I teach 16 hours a week and probably spend 20, 25 hours a week max at school. In that respect, this job is much better.

I sure do wish I had a similar commute time as I did in the good ol ROK, tho. It took me about 10 minutes to walk to/from work there, here it's a 45 minute + bus ride to and from work, since my uni's so far from downtown (where my apt is). That time adds up in a week.

YankeeDoodleDandy · Posted: Thu Dec 11, 2008 8:54 am Post subject: Office Hours

At Anhui Institute of Architecture and Industry, I had to put in two hours a week to be available to talk to students . Usually 6 to 10 students would come twice a week for 1 hour. This was part of my contract in Hefei in addition to 2 hours at English Corner every week. Here in Xi'an, I have no office hours and if I go to English Corner i get paid 100 RMB per hour.

brsmith15 · Joined: 12 May 2003 Posts: 1142 Location: New Hampshire USA

At SUFE I posted 6 hours a week on my office door and in my syllabi, but any visit had to be by appointment. That was my rule, not the uni's. I did this to prevent having more than one student come at the same time. Naturally, being Chinese, few followed it.

By the bye, my 2-page contract didn't specify any requirement for hours. I just did it myself.