Job Discussion Forums

flyingcolours · Joined: 04 Oct 2011 Posts: 73

Besides uni jobs is the norm here a 40 hour work week?
Frankly speaking I don't want to work all those hours. I want more time for other important things.

Opiate · Joined: 10 Aug 2011 Posts: 630 Location: Qingdao

xiguagua · Joined: 09 Oct 2011 Posts: 768

What universities have 40 hour work weeks? Shocked

I would say that's more typical for training centers. But not really for unis/middle/junior/primary.

therock · Joined: 31 Jul 2005 Posts: 1266 Location: China

Denim-Maniac · Joined: 31 Jan 2012 Posts: 1238

I wouldnt say its the norm, not really. My training school contract is for 15 hours in the classroom per week...although naturally I do have to add in prep time. I dont 'always' view prep time as 'work' though. Sometimes my prep hours may involve reviewing reported speech in questions, but it also involves lots of day dreaming about ideas, and listening to my itunes to note if there is a song with a grammar point/discussion topic that might be valid.

Strict X hours teaching + Y hours in the office = 40 hours total is something I probably wouldnt ever accept.

Opiate · Joined: 10 Aug 2011 Posts: 630 Location: Qingdao

johntpartee · Joined: 02 Mar 2010 Posts: 3258

DrGrafenberg · Joined: 12 Feb 2012 Posts: 28

one of the main reasons I'm here is to get away from 40+hr weeks Very Happy

RiverMystic · Joined: 13 Jan 2009 Posts: 1986

If you are interested in career and self-development take jobs that are harder, require more responsibility and that push you. Otherwise you'll end up a middle-aged has-been with no life choices, as happens to so many FTs in China. There's nothing wrong with hard work. Of course, hard work in itself is not enough. I merely suggest you keep developing new skills.

I work office hours of about 45 hours a week, and do probably another 20-40 hours of my own work/business. (e.g. today, besides 9 hours in the office, I spent an hour on a book I'm writing, about four hours preparation on a TED talk I'm about to give, and an hour of related reading). Of course I work in Hong Kong, where you are expected to work hard.

Opiate · Joined: 10 Aug 2011 Posts: 630 Location: Qingdao

Lobster · Posted: Tue Feb 14, 2012 2:36 pm Post subject:

It's ok to put in lots of hours for an employer if you want to and are being compensated accordingly. It's not ok to get tied up when the goal is to stop you from making money elsewhere, which is often why they give you office hours. Everyone is different. At this stage of life I don't want or need to work very hard or be a wage slave.

RED

LarssonCrew · Joined: 06 Jun 2009 Posts: 1308

I used to work 40ish hours a week in the summer, it was exhausting but I chose to do it, it allowed me to travel to Australia and Bali, and it was only June-July-August. Bare in mind now I work 3 hours a week at uni, and another 4 at a hotel, 7 hours a week is a tad boring, I wish I could find a middle ground os around 20.

But yeah, if you work 40 hours you should be making a bomb [I was making around 30,000 a month, saving about 27,000]

Zero · Joined: 08 Sep 2004 Posts: 1402

The "norm" is to work 25 hours a week or less and spend the rest of the time traveling, sipping coffee, playing guitar or watching movies while frequently complaining about not making enough money.

Old Surrender · Posted: Wed Feb 15, 2012 9:13 am Post subject:

Lobster · Posted: Wed Feb 15, 2012 10:52 am Post subject:

You also forgot spending time with family, or alternately engaging in what should be procreative activities, although I know you don't go in for that sort of thing.

Hint: You can cut prep time by just showing movies every class and following up with English practice by asking, "Did you like that movie?" Even if they say no, you can still claim they're speaking English.

RED