enforced earlier start time

[Isaanbiker]

What was the question again?-????

[balo]

I would never accept it, find a new school. Life is too short. 

[Isaanbiker]

On 11/22/2019 at 7:53 AM, Colabamumbai said:

They can do whatever you let them. Post again after 10 years teaching. 

   I'd rather like to come in at 7 am than wearing a boy scouts uniform.

 

      You are so damn right. They can do whatever you let them do to you.

 

   

[Scott]

Inflammatory post reported and removed. 

 

[scottiddled]

Taking a stand is often a luxury (i.e. can you afford to be fired right now, and can you afford the possible lost opportunities of a negative reference?).

 

That said, I'd be tempted to fight this if the circumstances are as you described them (you have set, contracted hours) and there is no clear contract provision for unilaterally amending your work conditions. Despite what the negative folks here have said, you seem to have a clear contract. The fact that some other employees have been late is beyond your control and you are under no obligation to alter your routine (let alone work longer hours for no additional pay) simply because the director is grouchy. I would consider showing up at the contractually obligated time and saying nothing. Continue to do your job as a professional. If confronted, it's up to you how you handle it; some combination of deflection "oh, I misunderstood...thought that applied to people who were late" and passive-aggressive befuddlement ("wait, you want to apply that to me? Oh...well, I'm pretty sure my contract sets my hours. I'm not sure how we'll address that") seems appropriate.

 

By the way, the hostility from the negative crowd here is a bit silly. How a person's daily routine flows is really up to them. Even if it was just a shift in total hours (e.g., starting 45 min. earlier and ending 45 min. earlier), I'd object to such a change, especially without my consent. But being "asked" to work a longer day is always cause for alarm--and under these circumstances it's borderline tyrannical.

 

Bear in mind, also, that these kind of hours are excessive by western standards. A 7:45 start time is a tad early, but most U.S. schools that start that early (e.g., to enable a district-wide bus system that has to get kids to all levels of schools) are also going to let out 7 hours later. A 7:45 start time usually means a 2:45 release time. 3:00 is still within the realm of average. 3:30 and you're pushing it to "why am I coming in so early?" territory. 7:45-4:30 is excessive--but I know it's not crazy by Thai international school standards (although in that case there's usually a lengthy "activities" buffer in there that most teachers have "off," although they're expected to stay until the end). 7:00-4:30 is just laughable. That's a 9.5-hour day in a 7- or 7.5-hour industry.

Edited December 3, 2019 by scottiddled

[CrunchWrapSupreme]

Agree with the posts. Typical Thai crackdown, 1-2 weeks then it's back to business as usual. Or even less, at my school they once told us to stay until 4:30 pm, then in two days before people were leaving right before 4 again. Also, I can confirm that coming in, leaving stuff on your desk, then taking off to do whatever, is a winning strategy for both farangs and Thais.

[thequietman]

On 12/12/2019 at 10:02 AM, CrunchWrapSupreme said:

Agree with the posts. Typical Thai crackdown, 1-2 weeks then it's back to business as usual. Or even less, at my school they once told us to stay until 4:30 pm, then in two days before people were leaving right before 4 again. Also, I can confirm that coming in, leaving stuff on your desk, then taking off to do whatever, is a winning strategy for both farangs and Thais.

Here's a great tip. If you go into your local PC repair centre, you will find laptop shells for sale. Nothing inside, but has a monitor and keyboard. You can pick them up for a few hundred baht.

 

Place on your desk and when they come checking, they see the laptop and wrongfully assume, that you are around somewhere.

 

Works perfectly. ????

[Number 6]

On 11/28/2019 at 10:53 PM, balo said:

I would never accept it, find a new school. Life is too short. 

Life's too short

To do the job you are paid to do. FTFY.

 

Seems to me everyone should be in a minimum of ten minutes

before the national anthem, the start of the day. As for leaving that would depend on the schedule but I rarely can get out until thirty minutes after my last class. I realize that many have no responsibility to their students, job and prepare during the day to bolt asap. This lot usually easily identifiable by lack of teaching supplies, laptop and marginal clothing. If your work is done maybe you're not doing enough of it?

 

Many teachers have always been hourly workers in home countries. Salaried positions are different. There is give and take. I think most foreign teachers are best paid hourly. Doubly so upcountry. The mindset seems to be what is the minimum I can do in order to keep this job. At the same time thinking your value is far greater. It is not, you are worth what you are paid. Then comes the whining of wages and how pay rises impossible so the teachers unilaterally decide to do less (if that is possible). I would never give one satang pay rise to an individual who leaves early daily, they simply are not doing the job.

 

In my opinion a proper work day would start after seven, maybe at 715 and hopefully end at 300pm. Leaving the teacher to leave at 330pm or thirty minutes after last class. Thinking back on my own K12 experience never recall my teachers running for the parking lot.

 

Schools set the rules. It's fine to not like those rules, you can work at another school. If you find you don't like any school rules, you are obviously in the wrong job. Note I stated job and not profession. Teachers start early. Teachers work long hours. Teachers never work weekends or evenings. If that's not you, go home and get the job you really want.

 

Some days are better than others to be sure but I've always enjoyed the workday and teaching in Thailand. If you're in a job in which you are literally running away from you are the problem. You don't fit the requirements of the position.

 

Funny, I never hear complaints about the 20+ holidays or the six weeks we get off minimum. All of which is paid.

 

Just put a laptop or open textbook on your desk, Thais would NEVER be so smart as to sniff that genius out.

 

 

Edited January 25, 2020 by Number 6