Job Discussion Forums

beachtime · Joined: 04 Mar 2009 Posts: 35 Location: somewhere different

Hello,

Not sure if this is the best forum for the question, but would anyone be able to comment on what an average would be for teaching hours per week?

I have been doing 20 - 25 hours per week, but I have found a couple of English centres who are now saying they do a 40 hour week.

Thanks for your comments.

naturegirl321 · Joined: 04 May 2003 Posts: 9041 Location: home sweet home

In Peru, I was teaching 35 to 40 but in two places. NOw I'm doing private classes, teaching 16 hours a week and making more than before!

denise · Joined: 23 Apr 2003 Posts: 3419 Location: finally home-ish

I'd say 20ish is standard for language institutes, 20 maximum (often fewer) at universities.

40 teaching hours is brutal!

d

Glenski · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

Japan.

University.
6-10 90-minute classes/wk.

Mainstream school
15-20 45-minute classes/wk.

Conversation school
20-30 hours/wk (although some have longer hours)

beachtime · Joined: 04 Mar 2009 Posts: 35 Location: somewhere different

Thanks everyone for your input, it is much appreciated.

I thought the hours were brutal, but I wasn't sure if language centres expected a teacher to work longer hours.

Justin Trullinger · Posted: Thu Mar 26, 2009 2:37 pm Post subject:

Depends a lot on the duties that go with it.

Where I work, 18-24 hours is considered full time. But trust me, it IS full time, as the variety of classes and special needs of students mean that after a 24 hour week, you're tired.

There's another institute locally that pays maybe 30% less per hour than us, but their teachers routinely work 35-45 contact hours. Sounds brutal, but it's a formulaic school. To avoid inconsistencies, all teachers teach the same curriculum and plans. Instead of planning a class, teachers are required to teach it exactly as it is in the file- so if you're teaching hour three, level four, you get that plan from the file, and teach it. No planning.

It depends on the situation. If no planning is required, 40 hours isn't that bad, I'm told. (I enjoy planning, won't be taking that job.)

My last job before this one, I taught around 40 contact hours per week in a situation that did require planning. And lived to tell the tale. The tale is, it stank. Utterly stank.

Best,
Justin

father Mackenzie · Joined: 10 Oct 2008 Posts: 105 Location: Jakarta Barat

My teachers are contracted for a maximum 23 hours a week teaching and have to be at the school for 40 hours a week. Currently they are on average teaching 20 hours each and spend the other 20 hours lesson planning building resources for the school and attending workshops. They work Monday to Friday.
If they teach any more than 23 hours they are paid O/T for it and can only teach a maximum of 30 hours in a week something that during my time here has never happened.

wfh · Joined: 10 Nov 2006 Posts: 30

I'm full-time and I currently have 12 hours, though I have to be present from 8 - 3 Sat - Thurs which is hellish. My contract states a maximum of twenty hours a week, but none of us in my department get close to that, the most I've ever done is 18, and that was in strange circumstances.

beachtime · Joined: 04 Mar 2009 Posts: 35 Location: somewhere different

Thanks again to everyone for their input.

I will give the potential jobs a miss, and continue to look for the more realistic hours that I have worked in the past.

SpiderChan · Joined: 24 Mar 2009 Posts: 4 Location: U.S.A.

Beachtime,

Thanks for asking this question. I had the same one. I was looking at Quito, Ecuador and found a place which I thought looked good. When I read that their teachers usually get 15 hours a week, I had second thoughts. Now I feel a little better about it!

Thank you everyone for your feedback.

Chad

naturegirl321 · Joined: 04 May 2003 Posts: 9041 Location: home sweet home

Jetgirly · Joined: 17 Jul 2004 Posts: 741

I taught in a chain school in Italy and it was normal to work 28-32 hours per week, plus spend another ten hours traveling to and from in-company classes.

rmcdougall · Joined: 28 Feb 2009 Posts: 71

My best teachers running the accredited courses at Ocean University in Pudong, Shanghai are teaching 50+ hours/week if you count English corners.

Great teachers! Not one complaint!!

Ariadne · Joined: 16 Jul 2004 Posts: 960

I'm at a university in China. I'm contracted for and teach 16 hours a week, plus an hour and a half of English Corner every week. I can hardly imagine what 50 hours a week would be like except that I'm quite sure I wouldn't like it. Teaching wouldn't be fun anymore, it would be a grind. Free time is valuable to me. Folks who teach 50 hours a week with no complaints must truly be in it for the money.

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