Korean Job Discussion Forums

[marsavalanche]

Hello. I'm currently interested in a job that is about 30 teaching hours a week. And I mean it literally, classes are 1 hour and it's about 31/week.

My current job has classes from 30-40 minutes and I can definitely feel the difference alone in just that ten minute gap. My job now is about 25 classes a week (30-40 minute classes) which I admit really isn't bad (the first six months of this job it was less than 20 classes/week). However I did the math and I'd pretty much be doubling my work load.

Just curious to those out there who TEACH (not deskwarm) about 30 hours/week. Is it too much to handle? Are you tired and miserable by the end of the day? Should I not even consider it?

Thanks for your input.

[Morticae]

I teach 28 or 29 hours per week.

The teaching part doesn't really tire me out that much, I enjoy doing it. The difficult part is in preparing for all of those hours, and I think that is what matters the most.

I have to prepare 11 different lessons per week. That means I have to come up with the concept and execute it, from start to finish. Create power points, worksheets, games, etc. This is by far the most tiring part!

So, my question to you is... how many different lesson plans would you have to create each week?

[northway]

I teach close to 30 hours per week. It's very doable, but could be difficult if they expect more than walking in an teaching a book for the majority of those hours.

[onlyinkorea87]

My teaching schedule is 5 back-to-back 30 minute kindergarten classes without break 9:30-12pm. And then I have a two kindergarten classes from 12:50-1:40 and then a 1st grade class from 1:50-2:35. Then I have another class later in the afternoon. The first month was exhausting, but after the second month things started to become more routine.

Its not too much to handle at all.

Hope that helped and good luck!

-Onlyinkorea87
http://www.onlyinkorea87.wordpress.com

[Skippy]

It Depends all on the different factors.

What kind of students? If it is Kindergarten an hour class to me would be hell. But if you have adult students and you are prepared well enough an hour might just fly by.

What kind of materials? Some schools will give you a certain book and say finish it by such and such time. Use it in an hour class and bam you finish the book 2 weeks too early.

How it is spread out. Is it in one block 6 hours 5 times a week. Or is spread over a 9 to 5 schedule. With hour breaks here and there. Time to prepare. Or even worse is it a split shift.

Do you get breaks! I have heard of some schools that basically say no breaks. Basically on the hour students or teacher change classroom and straight to the lesson. I mean at times I felt a 10 minute break was too much. 5 minute breaks are generally okay -enough to go the bathroom, get a drink, take a minute breather. You do need those breaks at time for sanity.

How is the class spread out time wise. For me it is straight to the book. Then about 8 minutes of game. With more time can allow you to call down and actually get some things done in class. More time to check work! More time to review. Heck more time for a game. Just got to fill in those goals. Attendance, review, lesson, review of lesson, check work, chat for a few min, game....

Is the school just being penny pinching ___fill in the word___? Really some schools feel they get a teacher for 30 hours they will get 30 hours out of that teacher come hell or high water. Some schools do not count breaks as work time. Even prep time does not count as work time. So many people like to think hey I have 30 classes that works out to 30 hours but in the schools mind 30 classes means 20 hours (saying 40 min classes) They want 15 more classes before you get overtime. Oh you did not get 30 hours done this week why not come in on Saturday and teach till you have that 30 hours.

All these variables can depend on if an hour class is a drag or just good enough.

[marsavalanche]

Sounds like I should have put in the details:

Job is 930-630

7 1 hour classes Mon/Wed/Fri
5 1 hour classes Tue/Thur

Classes start at 10. Lunch from 12-1. Kids are kindy in the morning/elementary in the afternoon. Textbook classes teaching all subjects like Science and Math.

So yes, kindies for 1 hour.

[northway]

[marsavalanche]

[ESL Milk "Everyday]

I've done it... it wears you out but you get to stay at one energy level all day, which can be good, I guess. I drank lots of coffee every day and sometimes supplemented that with Coke. I used to crash pretty hard at the end of the day.

The only way I kept it halfway organized/focused was to develop a really basic formula of review-lesson-game... breaking it up with the occasional 'fun' day where we played a materials-free game for the whole class. I used a lot of stickers and gave some pretty nice rewards.

I'd make up stuff on the spot a lot... but I think everyone always assumed that I was really prepared. So yeah, if you can get a formula going you can just play a lot of games that aren't lesson-specific and do that game for every class that week. You can get away with slipping in a boring lesson where you just go through the book every now and then as long as most of your lessons are good. It's not ideal, but considering how much they're already demanding, I think it's pretty reasonable.

If something looked like it took too much prep (a powerpoint/worksheet) then I wouldn't do it. Sometimes the lessons had flow and structure and sometimes not... I didn't really think about it. I just wanted to get away with doing the least amount of work possible, because it was taking so much out of me just to be on all the time.

Sometimes I'd have no breaks-- and I got to the point where I knew exactly how two minutes felt as compared to five, or what it meant to have seven minutes as opposed to nine... and each minute had a different feel... and you learn how to shut yourself down for two minutes just so you can feel slightly 'rested' for your next class. It was actually pretty crazy.

[northway]