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caxoo
Joined: 09 May 2014
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 Posted: Thu May 22, 2014 10:56 am Post subject: Contract for one year, a few questions ^^ |
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Hi everyone! Just wondering if someone could help me with a few questions concerning the one year contract.
If you sign up from, say, September, would you absolutely have to go to the next year September? Is it possible to not go the full year, and take some penalties or loss of benefits? Is it possible to negotiate different contract stipulations?
Furthermore, let's say I have to come back to the States for a few weeks sometime around September-October, and for a few weeks sometime around January-February. Would I be able to use my paid vacation days? If I surpass my allotted days, how would I go about taking leave?
How should I approach schools concerning these conditions? Should I mention them before getting any offers?
Thanks! |
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Blanca
Joined: 19 Apr 2012
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| Posted: Thu May 22, 2014 12:58 pm Post subject: |
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Genuinely struggling to tell if this is a troll post...I'll give you the benefit of the doubt.
In the nicest way possible, the fact that you're asking these questions probably means you're not ready to move across the world to start a new job.
For what it's worth - sure, you can use your paid vacation however you please, although going back to America for a week at a time will both be pointless (due to the jet lag) and expensive. You'd be extremely lucky to go over your holiday allowance - chances are your boss would just say no unless you could find a cover teacher yourself (and even then they're under no obligation). And no, you don't have to do the full year - you are no one's slave. But this is not a vacation either - you sign a year contract in good faith, so going over with the intention of treating it like an 8-month vacation is extremely immature. |
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Overture1928
Joined: 12 Jan 2014
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| Posted: Thu May 22, 2014 1:57 pm Post subject: Re: Contract for one year, a few questions ^^ |
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| caxoo wrote: |
Hi everyone! Just wondering if someone could help me with a few questions concerning the one year contract.
If you sign up from, say, September, would you absolutely have to go to the next year September? Is it possible to not go the full year, and take some penalties or loss of benefits? Is it possible to negotiate different contract stipulations?
Furthermore, let's say I have to come back to the States for a few weeks sometime around September-October, and for a few weeks sometime around January-February. Would I be able to use my paid vacation days? If I surpass my allotted days, how would I go about taking leave?
How should I approach schools concerning these conditions? Should I mention them before getting any offers?
Thanks! |
A lot of contracts are 5 days off in the summer and 5 days off in the winter. Generally though they are set by the school and you don't get to choose when you get to take those days off. Sometimes they are not even consecutive which is really inconvenient. You could try to have the dates set in stone when you make your contract and go back to the States during this time. Seems pretty costly though. But telling the school upfront about going back to the States for several weeks 2 times in 1 year is 99.9% of the time just going to make them move on to the next person. Better to tell them later and hope for the best. One person at my school went home for a month because his mom was "sick" and the school still let him come back to his job after. Depends how much they like/need you. For the most part its a bad idea. Seems like you have higher priorities in the States, best just to forget about those plans or not go abroad until next year. |
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caxoo
Joined: 09 May 2014
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| Posted: Thu May 22, 2014 3:48 pm Post subject: |
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| Blanca wrote: |
Genuinely struggling to tell if this is a troll post...I'll give you the benefit of the doubt.
In the nicest way possible, the fact that you're asking these questions probably means you're not ready to move across the world to start a new job.
For what it's worth - sure, you can use your paid vacation however you please, although going back to America for a week at a time will both be pointless (due to the jet lag) and expensive. You'd be extremely lucky to go over your holiday allowance - chances are your boss would just say no unless you could find a cover teacher yourself (and even then they're under no obligation). And no, you don't have to do the full year - you are no one's slave. But this is not a vacation either - you sign a year contract in good faith, so going over with the intention of treating it like an 8-month vacation is extremely immature. |
Oh no, I treat it very seriously. I just have to be back during certain key periods for med school interviews. If this is the case, it appears my prospects are bleaker than I thought...I'll have to entertain the idea of taking 1 year to apply and then 1 year for going abroad |
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caxoo
Joined: 09 May 2014
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| Posted: Thu May 22, 2014 3:49 pm Post subject: Re: Contract for one year, a few questions ^^ |
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| Overture1928 wrote: |
| caxoo wrote: |
Hi everyone! Just wondering if someone could help me with a few questions concerning the one year contract.
If you sign up from, say, September, would you absolutely have to go to the next year September? Is it possible to not go the full year, and take some penalties or loss of benefits? Is it possible to negotiate different contract stipulations?
Furthermore, let's say I have to come back to the States for a few weeks sometime around September-October, and for a few weeks sometime around January-February. Would I be able to use my paid vacation days? If I surpass my allotted days, how would I go about taking leave?
How should I approach schools concerning these conditions? Should I mention them before getting any offers?
Thanks! |
A lot of contracts are 5 days off in the summer and 5 days off in the winter. Generally though they are set by the school and you don't get to choose when you get to take those days off. Sometimes they are not even consecutive which is really inconvenient. You could try to have the dates set in stone when you make your contract and go back to the States during this time. Seems pretty costly though. But telling the school upfront about going back to the States for several weeks 2 times in 1 year is 99.9% of the time just going to make them move on to the next person. Better to tell them later and hope for the best. One person at my school went home for a month because his mom was "sick" and the school still let him come back to his job after. Depends how much they like/need you. For the most part its a bad idea. Seems like you have higher priorities in the States, best just to forget about those plans or not go abroad until next year. |
That was the conclusion I also reached myself |
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ttompatz
Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Location: Kwangju, South Korea
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| Posted: Thu May 22, 2014 5:13 pm Post subject: |
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| caxoo wrote: |
| Blanca wrote: |
Genuinely struggling to tell if this is a troll post...I'll give you the benefit of the doubt.
In the nicest way possible, the fact that you're asking these questions probably means you're not ready to move across the world to start a new job.
For what it's worth - sure, you can use your paid vacation however you please, although going back to America for a week at a time will both be pointless (due to the jet lag) and expensive. You'd be extremely lucky to go over your holiday allowance - chances are your boss would just say no unless you could find a cover teacher yourself (and even then they're under no obligation). And no, you don't have to do the full year - you are no one's slave. But this is not a vacation either - you sign a year contract in good faith, so going over with the intention of treating it like an 8-month vacation is extremely immature. |
Oh no, I treat it very seriously. I just have to be back during certain key periods for med school interviews. If this is the case, it appears my prospects are bleaker than I thought...I'll have to entertain the idea of taking 1 year to apply and then 1 year for going abroad |
Go to Mexico.
- OK Jobs in EFL.
- School year is close to your own (Sept-June).
- Easy and cheap to fly home (matter of hours not days) and return.
- Stay away from border towns (US/Mex) and it is just as safe as Asia.
. |
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caxoo
Joined: 09 May 2014
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| Posted: Fri May 23, 2014 12:43 pm Post subject: |
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| ttompatz wrote: |
| caxoo wrote: |
| Blanca wrote: |
Genuinely struggling to tell if this is a troll post...I'll give you the benefit of the doubt.
In the nicest way possible, the fact that you're asking these questions probably means you're not ready to move across the world to start a new job.
For what it's worth - sure, you can use your paid vacation however you please, although going back to America for a week at a time will both be pointless (due to the jet lag) and expensive. You'd be extremely lucky to go over your holiday allowance - chances are your boss would just say no unless you could find a cover teacher yourself (and even then they're under no obligation). And no, you don't have to do the full year - you are no one's slave. But this is not a vacation either - you sign a year contract in good faith, so going over with the intention of treating it like an 8-month vacation is extremely immature. |
Oh no, I treat it very seriously. I just have to be back during certain key periods for med school interviews. If this is the case, it appears my prospects are bleaker than I thought...I'll have to entertain the idea of taking 1 year to apply and then 1 year for going abroad |
Go to Mexico.
- OK Jobs in EFL.
- School year is close to your own (Sept-June).
- Easy and cheap to fly home (matter of hours not days) and return.
- Stay away from border towns (US/Mex) and it is just as safe as Asia.
. |
To tell the truth, I've always really wanted to go to Asia, either China/HK, Korea, Singapore, or Taiwan.
So here's another consideration: what if I went to a school during ~January, then just left in August/September, but I don't have to come back to the States between? How crummy of a move would that be? |
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ttompatz
Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Location: Kwangju, South Korea
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| Posted: Fri May 23, 2014 3:17 pm Post subject: |
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How crummy do you think it would be if you went to class at med school and your professor just didn't bother to show up any more?
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caxoo
Joined: 09 May 2014
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| Posted: Fri May 23, 2014 3:31 pm Post subject: |
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| ttompatz wrote: |
How crummy do you think it would be if you went to class at med school and your professor just didn't bother to show up any more?
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Well if they were quickly able to find an equal replacement and notified us ahead of time, I wouldn't mind at all. But yeah I get your point |
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Hokie21
Joined: 01 Mar 2011
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| Posted: Fri May 23, 2014 4:57 pm Post subject: |
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| If you already know you won't be able to honor a contract don't bother. You'll just be screwing up something for someone. Commit to one thing and do it. |
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teacherbunny
Joined: 25 Aug 2010
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Mon May 26, 2014 12:49 am Post subject: |
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Don't work in korea...Thailand and other countries have shorter contracts..
If you can commit to a year..look elsewhere.. |
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