Teacher Discussion Forums

I would like to start a thread that allows us to compare private schools and public schools. So many of the public school positions are taken up by JET ALTs, that it is not easy for people who have full-time teaching positions in either type of school to compare notes.

So, let's get the ball rolling...

1. Are you in a private or public school?
2. What are your jobs like (ALT? FT? PT?)?
3. What are your hours?
4. Care to comment on your pay range or bonus plan?
5. Anything remarkable to say about your contract?
6. What about a typical week's schedule?
7. How late do you stay on average each day?
8. Do you have to take part in extracurricular activities?
9. How are your weekends?
10. What do you think of the teaching methods/books/classes you teach?

As for me...
1. private JHS/HS in Sapporo
2. FT teacher
3. 15-16 classes per week, plus meetings and extracurriculars
4. I'll keep the salary to myself, but my contract gives me no bonus the first year, a small one (plus pay raise 20,000 yen/month) the second year, and a larger bonus and pay raise the third year.
5. Just that it is only for 3 years, and we have had only one foreigner who has become a tenured FT teacher. Otherwise, foreign teachers leave after 3 years unless they are PT.
6. Grueling. Planning for the classes takes a lot of time, especially since the school has changed the English curriculum every year since I started. Some classes have no textbooks, too. I could have 2 to 5 classes a day, 3-5 staff meetings a week, 3 planning meetings a week.
7. Mon to Fri -- 8:00 to 6:00, sometimes later. Saturdays (twice a month) have everyone here at least half a day.
8. Most FT teachers do. This could be assisting a sports coach 6-7 days a week or just once a week.
9. Spotty. That "average" of twice a month work on Saturdays sometimes turns into 4 straight Saturdays. No classes, but we have sandwich parties for the PTA, mock exams, all-school ski contests, and so on.
10. Pretty bad textbooks for foreign teachers. Example: I am supposed to teach a Projects class for 3rd year students this year, but the book someone selected for me as a textbook is 50-50 vol.2. Geez. That's not only below their English level, but it isn't a book for projects! So, I have to design everything on my own, and we really can't use the book for anything, even though students had to buy it. Major complaint by foreign teachers is the lack of planning time, especially at the beginning of the year. We all got 6 days notice on what classes we had to prepare for!

Also, nobody seems to store previous lesson plans in a central area. So, since teachers get shuffled to different classes each year, one hardly has anything to fall back on, and everyone re-invents the wheel.

Anyone else?

Pardon my ignorance, but what are JET ALTs?

. Are you in a private or public school?
Public - Greenland
2. What are your jobs like (ALT? FT? PT?)?
Foreign teacher
3. What are your hours?
8 to 3 but not constant every day. I teach 29 hours a week.
4. Care to comment on your pay range or bonus plan?
Airfare to Greenland, good salary, paid extra for classes above 27 hours a week, union, a week in October, Christmas, Easter, and a holiday a month on a Friday or Monday. Start in August and finish in June.
5. Anything remarkable to say about your contract?
Medical coverage
6. What about a typical week's schedule?
Classes start at 8 to 9:30 with half an hour off, then 10: to 11;30 with half an hour off and 15 minute breaks after a 45 minute class in the afternoon. I sometimes have four afternoon classes. Meetings with the English team two time a month, with the whole staff once a month and with the grade 8 to 12's once a month. We have two reports cards a year and meet together to discuss progress of individual students and then meet with parents. We had an introduction night with parents in August. There are Bingos, Winter Sports Days and Running Days and Fastelavn and graduation and sleepovers in the school with each class and camping at the school's camping house. Some teachers get to go on trips to other towns for a week so have to raise money for that with pizza days and dances and such. We have to supervise the halls during breaks one day a week. Lots of preparation and marking time and we make the oral exams for the grade 11 and 12's ourselves. You must have three more exams than students with a listening activity that lasts for 4 minutes or so and a story of about that long. You make the tapes. There are up to 25 in the class.
7. How late do you stay on average each day?
Until 6 or 7 most days.
8. Do you have to take part in extracurricular activities?
If you want but the union is pretty strict and you are supposed to be paid for anything extra. The teacher culture is pretty strong about this so I have been careful but would have loved to have a choir, English club, movie club and so on.
9. How are your weekends?
Wonderful - no teaching
10. What do you think of the teaching methods/books/classes you teach?
I don't follow the methods of the other teachers which makes for some difficulties because the kids have expectations and either take advantage of the changes or resist them It is getting better. They have recommended a text book called The Blue Cat made in Denmark for the whole island but it is not required. I find it subtley anti-English. The stories for every other country than Denmark feature difficulties either in wars, kids being abused by teachers or parents or the problems of the native populations of the other countries being highlighted. I have give it up for stories they chose from the Internet and of course, they are more popular and it seems to me more interesting with language that they will use when they visit or go on exchange. I try to introduce stories of natives who have done well in their countries.

1- I'm in a public middle school in rural Japan.

2- ALT (assistant language teacher, team teaches with a Japanese teacher)

3- hours- 8:00 to 5:00 in the contract. In reality I show up at 7:45 and leave anywhere between 4:30 and 6:30.

4- salary- no comment.

5- contract- its vague, but its been followed so far, so I can't complain!

6- definately grueling. I have 15 classes a week at the junior high school, and when I visit an elementary school that usually goes up. This week I'll have 19 classes, for instance. It always varies. I have to go to after school meetings and demonstration lessons fairly frequently. I try to participate in the kids clubs at least two days a week. I try to keep a couple of weeks ahead on lesson planning but I rarely succeed, and sometimes I'm rushing to prepare that day (my fault!)

7- M-F, usually I leave at 5:30, but as early as 4:00 and as late as 6:30 is not unusual. I haven't had to work any Saturdays.

8- extracurricular- I don't technically have to, but its strongly encouraged. I usually visit the chorus or art club on a regular basis and just participate so the kids get to know me. Sports I try to show up to every once in a while but I hate it, so it isn't too often. One note- I have to take part in a 42k walk this Sunday (which I am dreading...)

9- I have managed to keep my weekends completely clear of school(except next weekend.) On the rare day I do have to go, I get time off in lieu.

10- I hate the textbooks with a passion bordering on mania. We use the New Crown texts, but I always try to plan my lessons to teach the point without the text. I think my teachers use pretty dull methods, too- teaching to the exam except the kids can't pass the exam! Fortunately, I am usually encouraged to break the monotony, which means I can teach more active lessons.

Thats about it!

1.private HS

2.full-time, mon.- fri. 8:20- 4:35, teach alone

3.salary plus bi-annual bonus

4.contract renewable annualy

5.2 or 3 meetings and 19 lessons per week

6.no over-time, weekends free, some payed extra time

7.great teaching conditions