How many hours teaching per week is too much?

[felini]

Would be interested in hearing other's thoughts. I know teaching hours per week greatly depends on the type of institution you are employed at.

The most I've taught is 30 hours per week. Currenlty I'm only teaching 10 hours per week. I'm only paid for the hours I teach. I never do office work, and am only required to be present doing class hours.

Personally I think more than 30 hours a week is starting to push the limits.

[cdevine]

I teach at a small conversation school from Mon thru Friday. Am required to be at school 5 hours per day teach. So I teach 25 hours per day.

At the end of my day, I am tired, however it will also depend on the day. Some days are easier than others due to the type of students. Loud classes with children are tough. Adult classes with students that freely talk are easy.

I know university jobs, instructors have it much easier at about 15 hours per week and lot's of paid holidays and other incentives.... Ahh, wish I could get such a job.

[Margy]

Yep, adult students that sit in the classroom like stunned mullet are very tough to teach.

Feels like I'm talking to a brick wall at times.

[Hypiereon]

The most hours I ever taught was this past semester - I was teaching 36 hours per week total. I was working for Mount Royal full time, SiChuan University part-time, XiNan JiaoTong DaXue part-time, and that excludes the tutoring I did on the side. For those wondering, yes, it's too much.

I was exhausted. I took the work because I wanted to get my nose in the doors of these schools and see what they were like, what contracts they offered, and let the school get a look at me. I eventually took the offer from JiaoDa for 6,500RMB for a 14 hour contract (or 5,500RMB for 12 hours).

I also did it to try to find students who would be interested in private tutoring for 60RMB per hour. Getting into three schools for 1 semester was the price I paid for what you are about to read.

My plan is to get as few hours as possible and to try to get private students into my home for 60Yuan per hour, and get 10 students. Then teach them twice a week for two hours (at the same time). That math equals up to 18 (or 16) hours per week and I'd get 2,600RMB for tutoring on the side for 4 hours a week which adds up to 9,600RMB per month just for tutoring.

As it stands, I have 6 students already comitted and I'm "open" for four more. To keep it useful for the students and keep them coming back, I'm limiting it to 10. To keep my sanity, I'm teaching them all at the same time, and keeping my hours low.

Add this to the salary and my situation becomes instantly profitable.

[felini]

Sounds like you are really raking it in hypiereon!

I think you are very clever with the way you have planned your teaching jobs. I should really get off my fat butt and follow your way.

Thanks for the insight and responding.

[exported_kiwi]

Yea Hyperion, cool, hope it all works out my friend. As you know, I'm looking in Guangzhou and, once I know people, I'll be hoping to do the same...it all helps on the bottom line huh, specially when it's time to go home.
Good luck to you, and to y'all!

[Motivated]

I was working for Santis in Ulaanbaatar and was teaching 37 (yes, you read right!) contact hours per week. Most of the time I was teachig for 7 straight hours with no break, not even 10 mins for lunch or a drink. It was beyond ridiculous and utterly exhausting. This also included Saturdays, leaving me with only one day off per week. After a few weeks I found that I was going to school on Mondays feeling totally shagged out. Tiredness has a knock-on effect and the students didn't get as much value out of the lessons as they rightly should have. I pointed this out to the director (who thinks Stalin was a bit of a softy) but she doesn't give a crap about anything other than making money.

THEN I also had preparation time and some travelling time. Crap school, crap conditions.

Now I teach in a Russian-Mongolian joint school and have 24 hours a week - and for $400 more than what that miserable little school called Santis was paying for 13 hours more work. It's perfect. I have plenty of free time to do other things and when I do have lessons I'm always fresh and am able to teach full throttle.

[BBrian]

37 contact teaching hours per week is totally absurd. I can't believe you did this... I congratulate you for surviving such a hard stint.

A good figure is 25~30 teaching hours per week.

[exported_kiwi]

Where I work now, in a training centre in Guangzhou, I teach 25 hours a week and get paid 10,500/mth for it. The only problem is that I also am required to put in 15 office hours weekly also which sucks! I manage to lessen this by going shopping or having meals with students (counts as work hours to me!) and eating outside the office.

This job is from 13:00 to 21:00 on Mon/Tues/Thurs and Fri, and from 11am to 19:00 on Saturdays. I have Wed and Sun off which suits me quite nicely so I don't complain.

In the mornings, during the week, I work at a kindergarten for 13.5 hours a week which pays another 8100/mth with no tax payable...yay! On Wed afternoons I do some corporate teaching and it's RMB350/hour for 3 hours/week so I do ok down here. So it's 47.5 hours/week for RMB22,800/month. For that money, I'm quite happy to do the hours and earn the cash, kinda helps when one lives in a big place like this where living is expensive and the missus loooooves shopping!

[gfell]

So shouldn't you be at work now? Unless of course you are but using the net.

Thanks for the lowdown on your working hours. Being there for office hours sure does suck even though you are not required to do anything much during these hours. Schools know that we come from a typical 40 hour work week back in our own countries, so I suspect this is why they force you to be at the school for 40 hours.