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robyn1882
Joined: 19 May 2006
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 Posted: Fri Apr 18, 2008 11:17 am Post subject: 'Actual' Vacation Time in Public Schools |
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| I understand that every public school is different with respect to employee's time off, but how many days can I expect to have off throughout the duration of my contract? The standard contract is 14 vacation days, but I have heard of teachers getting up to 6 weeks per semester. Will I be obligated to teach camps, lessons, etc while the kids are not in school? |
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cruisemonkey
Joined: 04 Jul 2005
Location: Hopefully, the same place as my luggage.
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| Posted: Fri Apr 18, 2008 1:09 pm Post subject: |
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| You answered your question in the first sentence - every school is different. Holidays 'over and above' what are specified in your contract depend entirely on your principal. We can't tell you what to expect. |
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ttompatz
Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Location: Kwangju, South Korea
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| Posted: Fri Apr 18, 2008 4:21 pm Post subject: Re: 'Actual' Vacation Time in Public Schools |
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| robyn1882 wrote: |
| I understand that every public school is different with respect to employee's time off, but how many days can I expect to have off throughout the duration of my contract? The standard contract is 14 vacation days, but I have heard of teachers getting up to 6 weeks per semester. Will I be obligated to teach camps, lessons, etc while the kids are not in school? |
You WILL get what is mandated in the contract. Typically you can expect a 7 WORKING day vacation in the summer and again in the winter. If your school is designated as rural this become 2 weeks in summer and again in winter.
Anything extra is a bonus and at the discretion of the principal.
You may be asked to teach "camps". These are typically 9-12ish, m-f.
Some schools make you stay till 4:30. Some let you go home early. Some let you go home right after camp. Again, leaving early is at the discretion of the principal.
If you are one of the unfortunate ones you will be left to sit in an empty school with nothing to do so that you can fulfill your contractual obligations during the vacation periods. (good time to do your on-line TESOL certificate).
There is NO hard and fast rule.
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Dome Vans
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| Posted: Fri Apr 18, 2008 5:24 pm Post subject: |
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| cruisemonkey wrote: |
| You answered your question in the first sentence - every school is different. Holidays 'over and above' what are specified in your contract depend entirely on your principal. We can't tell you what to expect. |
This is true but a lot it also comes down to your local Office of Education as well. None of the teachers in my city are expected to work for 2 months in the Winter and 1 month in the summer. IF you want to you can offer to work some winter camps, but a simple no and you're left alone. I work in a small city of 30 000 people, at my schools in particular, are very rural so they don't have the uptake of students to have loads of camps, and we're not expected to come into school if there's no-one there. Even the Korean teachers get this time off as well. Nice and easy! |
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mrsquirrel
Joined: 13 Dec 2006
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| Posted: Fri Apr 18, 2008 5:59 pm Post subject: |
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That is all very true.
My school is so good I only have to work one day per semester. The rest is paid vacation |
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cruisemonkey
Joined: 04 Jul 2005
Location: Hopefully, the same place as my luggage.
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| Posted: Fri Apr 18, 2008 6:10 pm Post subject: |
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| mrsquirrel wrote: |
That is all very true.
My school is so good I only have to work one day per semester. The rest is paid vacation |
I was scheduled to work one day last semester but they cancelled it at the last minute - after I got to school. The nerve!!! I complained to my co-teacher and the VP reimbursed me W2000 for my bus fare.  |
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esetters21
Joined: 30 Apr 2006
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Fri Apr 18, 2008 6:34 pm Post subject: |
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| The others already stated the obvious. It is up to the local education board and principal of that school. Mandatory days stipulated as vacation periods plus all national are to be expected. Anything extra is a pleasant bonus. |
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robyn1882
Joined: 19 May 2006
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| Posted: Fri Apr 18, 2008 8:19 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
You may be asked to teach "camps". These are typically 9-12ish, m-f.
Some schools make you stay till 4:30. Some let you go home early. Some let you go home right after camp. Again, leaving early is at the discretion of the principal. |
Is this something that can be determined beforehand or is it more or less luck of the draw? |
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ttompatz
Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Location: Kwangju, South Korea
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| Posted: Fri Apr 18, 2008 8:57 pm Post subject: |
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| robyn1882 wrote: |
| Quote: |
You may be asked to teach "camps". These are typically 9-12ish, m-f.
Some schools make you stay till 4:30. Some let you go home early. Some let you go home right after camp. Again, leaving early is at the discretion of the principal. |
Is this something that can be determined beforehand or is it more or less luck of the draw? |
Luck of the draw and can change if the principal changes. Staff only stay in a school for 5 years and then they are transfered. If your principal or VP changes then the optional stuff can change too.
There is no hard-fast rule. Luck of the draw it is. |
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fromtheuk
Joined: 31 Mar 2007
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| Posted: Fri Apr 18, 2008 9:04 pm Post subject: |
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Tom - My co-teacher said the Principal has been at my school for 3 years. But he plans to retire and apparently he may stay at this school longer than 5 years, until he retires.
Has anybody else heard about this? |
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driftingfocus
Joined: 08 Feb 2007
Location: Boston, MA
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| Posted: Fri Apr 18, 2008 10:17 pm Post subject: Re: 'Actual' Vacation Time in Public Schools |
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| ttompatz wrote: |
| robyn1882 wrote: |
| I understand that every public school is different with respect to employee's time off, but how many days can I expect to have off throughout the duration of my contract? The standard contract is 14 vacation days, but I have heard of teachers getting up to 6 weeks per semester. Will I be obligated to teach camps, lessons, etc while the kids are not in school? |
You WILL get what is mandated in the contract. Typically you can expect a 7 WORKING day vacation in the summer and again in the winter. If your school is designated as rural this become 2 weeks in summer and again in winter.
Anything extra is a bonus and at the discretion of the principal.
You may be asked to teach "camps". These are typically 9-12ish, m-f.
Some schools make you stay till 4:30. Some let you go home early. Some let you go home right after camp. Again, leaving early is at the discretion of the principal.
If you are one of the unfortunate ones you will be left to sit in an empty school with nothing to do so that you can fulfill your contractual obligations during the vacation periods. (good time to do your on-line TESOL certificate).
There is NO hard and fast rule.
. |
A few questions:
By "working", you mean M-F only, right? So you'd get essentially a Monday through the following Tuesday off (returning to work on Wednesday)?
What is the approximate schedule for public schools? |
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ttompatz
Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Location: Kwangju, South Korea
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| Posted: Fri Apr 18, 2008 10:28 pm Post subject: Re: 'Actual' Vacation Time in Public Schools |
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| driftingfocus wrote: |
A few questions:
By "working", you mean M-F only, right? So you'd get essentially a Monday through the following Tuesday off (returning to work on Wednesday)?
What is the approximate schedule for public schools? |
How high is up?
Do you mean daily schedule, term schedule, FT schedule?
FTs work Monday to Friday, 8 clock hours per day (usually 8:30ish - 4:30ish).
WE don't work weekends (unless we want to) and we don't work on National holidays. K-teachers work every second Saturday.
Your contracted summer and winter holidays do NOT include weekends or national holidays so you would get at a minimum 9 consecutive calendar days off for your breaks.
Student summer holidays usually start around the 3rd week of July and go to the end of August. Your holiday will occur sometime within that time frame.
Student winter holidays usually start around Christmas and go till the start of February. The students return to school for 2 weeks in Feb. They then take another 2 weeks off at the end of Feb and the new school term starts on March 2.
You will usually take your winter break at the end of Dec or sometime in Jan.
If you are renewing you will get an additional 2 weeks off (with pay and airfare) for your home leave in either the last 2 weeks of Feb or sometime in August (depending on when your renewal happens).
It is all outlined the contract.
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marlow
Joined: 06 Feb 2005
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| Posted: Fri Apr 18, 2008 10:42 pm Post subject: Re: 'Actual' Vacation Time in Public Schools |
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| ttompatz wrote: |
If you are one of the unfortunate ones you will be left to sit in an empty school with nothing to do so that you can fulfill your contractual obligations during the vacation periods. (good time to do your on-line TESOL certificate).
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(good time to quit if you ask me)
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ttompatz
Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Location: Kwangju, South Korea
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| Posted: Fri Apr 18, 2008 10:58 pm Post subject: Re: 'Actual' Vacation Time in Public Schools |
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| marlow wrote: |
| ttompatz wrote: |
If you are one of the unfortunate ones you will be left to sit in an empty school with nothing to do so that you can fulfill your contractual obligations during the vacation periods. (good time to do your on-line TESOL certificate). |
(good time to quit if you ask me)
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Or sit there and draw your salary while you complete your TESOL certification. Then you can bump up your salary after you are done.
It's not like they are asking you to do something outside your contract.
You are paid to be in the building from 8:30-4:30, m-f, for 49 weeks of the year.
Just because there are no students and you have to spend the time creating materials for class use, doing professional development or similar activities (within the scope of the contract) is no reason to think you are mis-treated and is certainly no reason to quit.
It's not like you are NOT getting paid or something.
It is also not like you are being denied any benefits that are in your contract. You still get your full salary and benefits while you are there.
Hmmm...
I agreed to "A". They met their obligations and gave me "A".
I have to sit and get paid for sitting here. I'm bored. I should quit because they won't give me more than the contract allows for.
Part of the "ME" generation are you? If you don't like it, negotiate for better when you renew. The principal does have some discretionary leeway if he thinks you are worth it.
You can also bank your overtime (extra classes) and use it for extra holidays as well.
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marlow
Joined: 06 Feb 2005
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| Posted: Fri Apr 18, 2008 11:13 pm Post subject: Re: 'Actual' Vacation Time in Public Schools |
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| ttompatz wrote: |
Part of the "ME" generation are you? If you don't like it, negotiate for better when you renew. The principal does have some discretionary leeway if he thinks you are worth it.
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I'm right in the middle of the ME generation, and I think public school contracts suck. I just think that EPIK, GEPIK and SMOE should make their contracts better.
The negotiation thing is useful, too, but I hate having the bureaucratic excuse used as denial of improving work conditions-- the old we have to follow the main office's rules excuse.
My district won't alter the contract, but the actual conditions are better than the contract. If they crack down, I'm gone. Easy as that. The normal situation for me is no vacation work, and if there is, it's paid over 30,000 per teaching hour. I like that. I'll leave if they drop it. |
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