Waiting in the office with no classes

[Andyfez]

Quite normal in schools all over the world - particularly Asia.

Just follow the contract you signed. That's what you agreed.

[ifmu]

are you the only english speaker ?  if so they may want you to interpret  ???

[ifmu]

19 hours ago, fruitman said:

So you think it's good to let the most talented newly graduated IT-professionals do nothing all day long ? 

newly graduated ?  low  experience hands on ?  your really full of yourself arent you

[Preacher]

The problem is that it is demoralising. At Japanese companies it is used as a punishment, sitting in an office all day with virtually nothing to do. 

 

My former employer was like that, so I left. My current school I have to sign in and out, but for the rest I say see you on the way out without a problem. She knows I do my work and help the other teachers when needed. So no fuzz about leaving school for half a day when I have nothing to do. Sometimes I forget to sign out, never a problem. They are nice to me, so I am nice to the school. Works both ways. I often leave school later then allowed, simply because the street is dangerous and thus I help the students cross the streets.

Also the Thai teacher have to sign in a half hour earlier and can leave a half hour later than the foreign teachers. 

 

 

[Andycoops]

Silly Thai games.

I told them I wasn't prepared to wait around for no reason when my lessons were already prepared over the Weekend for the whole week and if they didn't like it they could lump it.

And I wasn't prepared to be exempt from their own way of comings and goings.

So they did nothing.

[lemonjelly]

Audiobooks and BBC radio dramas from YouTube get me through these times.

[Enoon]

16 hours ago, Number 6 said:

 

This is just a horrible attitude for a teacher. It's obviously just A JOB. Pity the students, I really do.

 

Or do the right thing and find a new job because you're unhappy with the requirements. But if you've never had a job with responsibilities and understand the person that pays you sets the rules then just be threatening and leave.

 

Next post will be: my employer fired me after three years of great service (lol), how can I sue?

 

As an insider on the outside, I worked in a school but not in a teaching position, it was my experience (as a "good listener") that most teachers did regard it as just a job.

 

Even those with the best intentions saw it that way after a few years.

 

Changing schools brought a temporary "regeneration", but they soon found themselves back in the same state of mind.

 

The ones who really kept "trying" until the end tended to be those who desperately wanted to "please teacher" (The Head and The Policy).

 

That led to a few "burn outs".

 

The brightest ones left teaching and started companies developing/producing educational software.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 20, 2020 by Enoon

[cyril sneer]

17 hours ago, Number 6 said:

To the OP

 

Nothing to do? Sounds like a great time to plan your next year, tighten up those lessons that weren't 100% on the money, read something related to your avowed *profession*, see if any students need additional assistance, ask your HoD if there's something you can help with. Become better at MS Office. Organize the paper in around your desk. Ask to see if new boioks are coming in assuming you are powerless and wouldn't know. Dig in. Explore Educational technology. Teach yourself to write a better learning objective. Find new resources for whichever skills you *teach*.

 

When you read r/teachers on Reddit or teachers blogs the constant refrain is never enough time in the day, week, year. Yet, here you sit with no idea of what to do. I'm constantly busy and have never been bored of my job going on seven years. I work with a few teachers that cannot leave fast enough.

 

If you are not training yourself up and doing the same thing day in and day out. You will not be a better teacher merely through time, your doing the same thing in the same sad little school. You are arguably becoming a worse teacher as time goes by. No personal growth, increased responsibility.

 

What if they offered to let you go but without pay?

 

Clean the office.

not sure the above would make any difference whatsoever if working in a government school

[BTB1977]

Tell them you have a job interview at another school, and leave. If they gave me grief, the next words out my mouth would be go f¥ck them selves.  Of course it would be right after payday. 5555.

[Scott]

10 hours ago, Preacher said:

The problem is that it is demoralising. At Japanese companies it is used as a punishment, sitting in an office all day with virtually nothing to do. 

 

<snipped>

I think that hits the nail on the head.  It is demoralizing.  

[Isaanbiker]

On 2/20/2020 at 9:19 AM, Andyfez said:

Quite normal in schools all over the world - particularly Asia.

Just follow the contract you signed. That's what you agreed.

Foreigners are on a salary they agreed on when signing a contract. 

 

The contract usually stipulates a particular time being on campus. 

 

Thai teachers have meeting after meeting and plenty of extracurricular activities. 

That includes teachers who are not government employees. 

 

If anybody thinks he/she's got too much time, perhaps they should increase the teaching load? 

 

There are quite a few things I can think of, like preparing lesson plans for the following week, correcting worksheets, doing grading, etc. 

 

 There are more reasons for the teacher to be available for the students and Thai teachers. 

 

  If you do not get paid by the hour, you've got to be there until they want you to. 

 

It's that easy to understand. 

[WonnabeBiker]

For months, a British colleague would leave early. Often after lunch (not taking afternoon classes, not just leaving after the last class). Asking for permission to not sign out near 5 pm, I was admonished. After several months, I quit because of this.

 

I've had them do this during holidays as well. The Thais would get like 10 days to 2 weeks' off. We had to sign in daily.

 

 

When challenged, their response was "you are temporary"

[ChaiyaTH]

When someone else is paying you to do a job, it is up to them to decide over your faith during working hours.  If a boss wants to send half of the people home and the other half needs to stay, that is up to the boss to decide and control.

For this reason I am self employed. Not sure why people complain if enjoying the salary and visa.  Both cases, you could get paid while being busy on your own laptop starting your own start-up, play thaivisa or facebook, I would not get bored.

If being under 50 and not having a Thai wife or child, as a teacher one should know the value of having the visa too. Without that, one can most likely not even stay all year round.

[OumarhindaOunsingha]

On 2/19/2020 at 6:13 PM, Number 6 said:

 

This is just a horrible attitude for a teacher. It's obviously just A JOB. Pity the students, I really do.

 

Or do the right thing and find a new job because you're unhappy with the requirements. But if you've never had a job with responsibilities and understand the person that pays you sets the rules then just be threatening and leave.

 

Next post will be: my employer fired me after three years of great service (lol), how can I sue?

If you google it, you will easily find evidence that up to 90% of employees prefer not to remain in ttheir current job. In other words: The vast majority of people just work to get money for survival. So, for the vast majority of people on this planet, "It's obviously just A JOB", to quote you ;-) 

 

Also, I strongly disagree with your statement that "...the person that pays you sets the rules...". I guess you vote republican. But I am a democrat, and we democrats believe that the rules are set by all parties together. I am not much into the top-down behaviour. 

[Scott]

Troll posts and replies removed.

 

[Number 6]

1 hour ago, OumarhindaOunsingha said:

If you google it, you will easily find evidence that up to 90% of employees prefer not to remain in ttheir current job.

I totally understand and agree. In fact I have known many such teachers. Yet, what sort of malcontent travels half way around the world to hate their job? Thats a seriously lost person that does not belong in teaching. Oh that's right, the person who couldn't get a job in their own country. I don't mean a bad job, no job. As to your second bit of genius regardless of party, I guess you've never asked for a substantial raise or benefits because the answer to that is always pack your bags even for the best teachers. In fact, for the last 25 years one has needed to get their money on the way in. Once there, at best you're looking at COL. I'd absolutely love to know rules that you've set between the school and yourself that only you enjoy. I have no problem finding work. If something doesn't suit me, I leave. What I don't do is put a laptop on my desk and leave campus, leave at noon or asap. Do the absolute minimum. Cheat my students out if an education.

 

If you're worth more then go get it. Plenty of 50-65k+++ jobs out there.

 

Edited March 1, 2020 by Number 6

[mrwebb8825]

you're paid 3-6x what the Thai teachers are and thy want their money's worth. also, they may have a question or a visitor that requires a white face. look at your contract, most say 7:30-4:30.

[ChipButty]

If they have to close down some schools because of this virus would them all the farang teachers still get paid or not?

[Scott]

1 hour ago, ChipButty said:

If they have to close down some schools because of this virus would them all the farang teachers still get paid or not?

One never knows for sure, but I would guess it depends on how long the shutdown is for and whether or not it was mandatory.   In my experience, if the gov't closes schools -- such as during the floods -- the teachers continued to be paid.  

I know of one school that will be closing at the end of the term and will not have their usual summer session and a number of camps.   The teachers will be paid, per their contract.  

 

[ChipButty]

10 minutes ago, Scott said:

One never knows for sure, but I would guess it depends on how long the shutdown is for and whether or not it was mandatory.   In my experience, if the gov't closes schools -- such as during the floods -- the teachers continued to be paid.  

I know of one school that will be closing at the end of the term and will not have their usual summer session and a number of camps.   The teachers will be paid, per their contract.  

 

Could be a bit of a dilemma for the teachers should the worst happen only the other week they where crying out for more English teachers now there could be a mass exodus lets hope it dont get to that stage

[mrwebb8825]

Good schools with a reputation to protect will pay. Bad schools that hire backpackers and the like will not. If you have a signed contract in your possession and there is no clause in concerning natural disasters and the like then you should get paid. (those were added at a lot of schools after 2011)