Job Discussion Forums

[raevon12]

Hello everyone,

Should this concern me as much as it does...? The 120 teaching hours per month (6 days per week) in my contract has now become 'work a minimum of 8 hours per day, 6 days a week), which is a total of 192 hours per month. At 192 hours a month my hourly wage is below $ 10.

I signed the contract requiring 120 hours of teaching per month at home. Responding to a question, the manager assured me that teachers are present only when they teach. Now I am presented with a contract pursuant to getting my visa stamp. It states that all teachers must work a minimum of 8 hours per day. No more reference to teaching hours. Just 'work'.

If I am teaching 5 hours a day, I don't want to spend an extra 3 hours hanging out at the office. I have a computer at home for lesson planning etc. And besides, I think where there is reference to a 'minimum', I automatically look out for a 'maximum', which is not there. This also worries me.

Any help????????

[helenl]

Looks like a classic "bait and switch" ploy used by the least desirable employers in the Gulf.

Whether or not they check to see if you are on the premises is debatable, but if this is what they do before you even start, I'd be wary of staying with it.

6 days per week? I don't know of any reputable place that has that kind of timetable - or perhaps I should say and of the better places.

[veiledsentiments]

Commonly in Gulf educational institutions, you are required to be on the premises for 7-8 hours every day - even if you only teach 1 or 2 hours that day - even the good employers. They don't seem to be able to comprehend the concept that people are mature or responsible and can actually do better work at home in a quiet environment versus the chaos of the average staff room.

BUT... 6 days a week??? 120 hours a month? 30 contact hours a week? And for this you are paid less than US$2000 a month? What kind of place is this?

VS

[Smeagol]

OP,

Are you sure you're in the right forum? Seriously, you have listed your location as Seoul. This is the Qatar forum. Are you having web browser problems, perhaps?

[raevon12]

Seriously, I think I would have noticed if I was in the wrong forum, no? I'll get round to updating my details when I have a free moment, which is not likely to be soon.

Thanks helenl and VS for the comments. As it turns out 'internal arrangements' at the office mean I will never physically work and/or be present here for 192 hours without being paid for overtime work. I was overreacting. Nevertheless, this is an entry level position with long hours and a terrible salary. Not for the faint hearted. I have no previous Middle East experience and its a start.

[wilberforce]

You've been had if you have this many hours. Normal contact teaching hours are between 12-24 hours depending where you work.
I've heard of ELS making teachers work 30 hours and some of the other language schools like Berlitz do the same thing (how you can get quality teaching when this happens is beyond me).

Don't take any job which has more than 24 teaching hours unless the rest are overtime pay.

[helenl]

With your qualifications this is a crap offer to put it bluntly.
The employer can promise you anything but once you're on the ground you have to toe the line whatever it may be to stay in the country.

Everybody has to start somewhere - but why start with an employer who is not honest from the get go? I've been here for nearly 10 years, this employer is garbage.

[Smeagol]

Jeez, I was just trying to make sure you hadn't made a mistake. I surely make enough of them. And the job may not be a mistake. The Gulf (my second posting in the area) is damn pleasant compared to most of the other places I've worked. A contract to get a piece of governmental paper means nothing. Are they treating you okay? Treat people well, and they'll treat you well, has generally been my experience everywhere in life. Give the students your best effort, and it's not unlikely you'll be appreciated and respected, and no one will take advantage of you (as it will be apparent you're not trying to take advantage of others). This is not the West, don't sweat it too much; it's not likely you need to.

Best wishes to you, and I hope you enjoy the Arab world as much as I have (for many years, off and on, not just in the Gulf).

[raevon12]

Sorry for snapping at you Smeagol. This whole staying positive thing seems to sap what energy I have left most days.

My students are mostly really cool. But no, taking this job was a huge mistake. And nobody was holding a gun to my head.

[robotboy]

In my experience teaching anything more than 18 hours per week is going to be a problem. I don't know what other places do but where I am now, 18 hours is considered overtime. They take into consideration how much time we need for lesson preparation and homework marking. The only problem is the salary, not keeping up with the cost of living, otherwise I'd stay. (Although I do have a yen to live somewhere different, too.)

[helenl]

At most places in the Gulf you will probably be working 20 contact hours for at least half the year.

At HCT they average your first and second semester hours to determine if you are eligible for OT. So if you work 22 hours the first semester, and 18 the next - average is 20 - no OT. Don't know how it works at other institutions as I have no first hand knowledge of them.

[wilberforce]

That's true - 20 hours is par for the course but it all depends. Some people have to sweat blood and tears to teach their 20 hours. Others just repeat the same old lesson to a couple of groups. Our classes are not even one hour long - latecomers, settling in time, prayer breaks, these all take their toll on how much teaching time you actually have. The type of material and the type of students you teach all impact on your teaching time and teaching load. If you have to act the clown, you expend a lot of energy. Our Gulag guys just love the clowns!!!