New Teaching Job: What have I got myself into?

[Farang123]

Hello All,

 

So I started (Monday) at a new school outside Chiang Mai.  I had previously arranged my visa and the job many months ago but do to covid and so forth the start time has moved back.  When I went for the two preparation days my school informed me, that since they could not get any other foreign teachers for the time being, I will have to take every class from Mateom 1-6.  This is like 2000 students as I understand because there are 10 different classes for each grade.  On top of that, because of some weird social distancing they are trying to practice, they have me breaking each class into two parts.  So it's like teach half the class for 25 minutes and another half for the remaining 25 minutes.  They have me teaching all Mateom 1 the first week, followed by 2 the second week and so forth.

 

I have only worked at one Thai school previously and I taught Pratom 1 and 2.  Only 2 different classes.  The hours of the current job are still around 20-22 of teaching per week.  Plus they said I have to do an English camp once a week and maybe some camps on weekends occasionally.  Also have to be at the school early to talk with students and do the national anthem.  It seems like I'm going to be spread awfully thin with so many classes.  Does anyone have any opinions or advice about how to deal with this situation?

[allane]

This bit of advice should be blindingly obvious, but appears not to be, given discussions I have seen in other places. Think very hard before bolting. To varying degrees, the vast majority of Thai schools will have similar measures. If the people are nice, and you are paid in full and on time, stay there. If you quit, your next job may be no better, and it might be worse.

[stubuzz]

Don't let them walk all over you. If these extra things were not discussed before you signed the contract, say no.

Dictate the terms or they will keep on asking for more of your time for free.

[4MyEgo]

1 hour ago, Farang123 said:

When I went for the two preparation days my school informed me, that since they could not get any other foreign teachers for the time being, I will have to take every class from Mateom 1-6.  This is like 2000 students as I understand because there are 10 different classes for each grade.  On top of that, because of some weird social distancing they are trying to practice, they have me breaking each class into two parts.  So it's like teach half the class for 25 minutes and another half for the remaining 25 minutes.  They have me teaching all Mateom 1 the first week, followed by 2 the second week and so forth.

I would say you are in a better position than you know.

 

All employers will try a new employee on, if you were me, I would have a meeting and advise them that you are having second thoughts about your contract, i.e. you agreed to teach xyz, no weekend camps, etc, etc, etc, however if the school wanted you to do more than what the terms of your contract dictate, then a new contract should be drawn up and fresh negotiations be made regarding salary, i.e. if you are to be teaching double to what you thought you would be, then it's two times the salary.

 

I can tell you will not be happy here or anywhere unless you stand up for your rights, teaching should not become slavery because they couldn't find other farangs to teach the kids, you should be compensated for your time and extra effort, after all you are a farang, so don't be laughed at for chicken fodder. 

[samsensam]

 

there is obviously a demand and supply issue at the moment which, for once, puts the teacher in a stronger position. no reason why you can't negotiate a decent work schedule. in the end of the day if the school loses you what white face do they have to show the parents?!

 

assuming you are a suitably qualified and experienced teacher you should have your pick of jobs. if you're not, then maybe not.

[Farang123]

It's 20-22 hours of teaching time.  This is no part time job.  I have to be there promptly at 7:30 a.m. every morning and stay till 4.  There is lesson preparation, extracurricular activities and answering the questions of the Thai teachers and so forth.  I was just wondering if anyone else has found themselves in a similar situation do to the covid crisis.  I appreciate the advice about sticking up for myself.  I will keep that in mind. 

[carlyai]

12 minutes ago, Farang123 said:

It's 20-22 hours of teaching time.  This is no part time job.  I have to be there promptly at 7:30 a.m. every morning and stay till 4.  There is lesson preparation, extracurricular activities and answering the questions of the Thai teachers and so forth.  I was just wondering if anyone else has found themselves in a similar situation do to the covid crisis.  I appreciate the advice about sticking up for myself.  I will keep that in mind. 

You will be fine. The secret is to win over the students and then classes are enjoyable. I remember hectic schedules when I taught in the Thai system before joining an International School. 60 M students in the one room with fans clicking and Sathon rd traffic.

All good fun and because they've had such a long break you can probably deliver the same lesson for M1 to M6 as they've probably forgotten most. Or start at: K kor khai. (I've forgotten that as well :))

[AlexRich]

40 minutes ago, Farang123 said:

It's 20-22 hours of teaching time.  This is no part time job.  I have to be there promptly at 7:30 a.m. every morning and stay till 4.  There is lesson preparation, extracurricular activities and answering the questions of the Thai teachers and so forth.  I was just wondering if anyone else has found themselves in a similar situation do to the covid crisis.  I appreciate the advice about sticking up for myself.  I will keep that in mind. 

If you are relatively new to work they might calculate that you can be taken advantage of? 
 

In your situation I would look at the contract that you signed and agreed to and compare it to what they are asking of you. Highlight the extra work compared to what you signed up to. Be calm and polite, and explain that you would like extra compensation for the additional tasks or you are happy to agree to work what you signed up to. Remember, calm and polite. I think you’ll get something from them ... either a less onerous work schedule or a little more cash. Good luck.

[otherstuff1957]

Actually, for someone who is relatively inexperienced this job doesn't sound that bad.  You basically need to plan just one 25 minute lesson per week which you then repeat 20+ times.  That about 4 or 5 lessons per day. (unless my math is off, that's only 2 or 2.5 hours per day)

 

I would look closely at the other aspects of this job.  Do you have a 12 month contract?  What kinds of grading/record keeping is expected?  Is there a lesson plan format in English and how often are lesson plans due?  Will you be expected to write and administer tests?  Will you have to do gate duty and how often will it be required.  If any of these extras are required, are you being paid well enough to do all this?

 

As for the weekly camp, just say no, negotiate for a once or twice a term camp.

[steven100]

2 hours ago, bwpage3 said:

If that is the task at hand and you took the job, you shouldn't have to ask for advice how to handle it.

exactly .... I would think your old enough to decide how to handle what comes along .....  otherwise forget it and leave.

[puchooay]

These are unprecedented times. Go ahead and start the job. Take on the responsibilities they give you. If the teachers and students make you happy and all the official stuff is done to a satisfactory level, continue.

 

There could be a situation in the future where you will be well respected and thought of and get a better deal. Maybe a supervisory role as and when more teachers arrive.

 

Stick with it for now and see how it goes. That is what I would do.

[Scott]

Keep it civil and stop with the inflammatory remarks.  I have done manual labor and I have been a teacher.   Teaching is not easier.  

 

As far as your current situation is concerned, it's up to you how to handle it.   I know at least one school that has decided that they would hold 1/2 filled classes.  The hitch is that those kids go Monday, Wednesday and Friday and the other 1/2 goes Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.   So, all teachers get a full 6 day work week.  

 

Make no mistake, a lot of schools have a tendency to put extra work on the teachers, but your work load is appropriate, provided you do not have write tests, correct homework etc., for that number of students.   That would be a very onerous task.  

 

[moontang]

I have seen collectively bargained contracts stipulating 280 minutes per day of teaching, which should be called "classroom time.". Music and Art often teach the entire schools, and I even had to go to two schools in one day, subbing.  

 

Big red flags for me with the Thais are curriculum development and camps.  Camp is doable, but would have to be tightly limited.  Coaches earn large amounts in the West, for running sport camps, in addition to their salary.  

[zyphodb]

I agree with what moontang said, politely excuse yourself from more than 1 English camp per semester and as far as curriculum development goes excuse yourself on account of lack of experience of Thai schools English teaching or some such excuse, you will probably find you'll teach each class a max one lesson per week which means basically the same lesson with small changes between the youngest and oldest, in most gov. schools the standard of English is appalling so you'll be able to do this. you shouldn't be teaching for more than 22 hours max...

[kingstonkid]

20 hours ago, Farang123 said:

It's 20-22 hours of teaching time.  This is no part time job.  I have to be there promptly at 7:30 a.m. every morning and stay till 4.  There is lesson preparation, extracurricular activities and answering the questions of the Thai teachers and so forth.  I was just wondering if anyone else has found themselves in a similar situation do to the covid crisis.  I appreciate the advice about sticking up for myself.  I will keep that in mind. 

The facts that you outline are pretty standard for teaching at most schools.

 

20-25 is the usual hours teaching 

 

being at work at 730 is not that much stranger than if you had a real job back at the world you would be expected to show up for work at a specific time and would have to stay until a specific time

 

As to class sizes yes Mat 1 - 32 usually has around 10 classes but i am positive that Mat 4-6 has less

 

You are in a room with the Thai teachers and it is common in any job that you talk to your co workers and help them.

 

This has nothing to do with covid this is a "normal" Thai school.

 

 but if you can not handle it tell them now Give your notice so that they can find another teacher that wants to teach their students.

[Aspaltso]

21 hours ago, allane said:

This bit of advice should be blindingly obvious, but appears not to be, given discussions I have seen in other places. Think very hard before bolting. To varying degrees, the vast majority of Thai schools will have similar measures. If the people are nice, and you are paid in full and on time, stay there. If you quit, your next job may be no better, and it might be worse.

This is good advice. I'm in the exact same boat you are right now with my school. I've got to teach two 30 minute sections, and several levels I wasn't intended to because of the teacher shortage. If they're good people, and pay you on time that's a very good thing, because some jobs don't have either.

[jaf3]

the best part of teaching in a rich private school was all the envelopes that kept arriving mysteriously into my hands around grading period. when i went to the admin they informed me that if i didnt inflate the grades, they would, because  the parents were 'important people' so i might as well accept the tips - i quit soon after

[moontang]

47 minutes ago, jaf3 said:

the best part of teaching in a rich private school was all the envelopes that kept arriving mysteriously into my hands around grading period. when i went to the admin they informed me that if i didnt inflate the grades, they would, because  the parents were 'important people' so i might as well accept the tips - i quit soon after

Reminds me of the old Mexican saying...silver or lead..

[oobar]

21 hours ago, steven100 said:

23 hours ago, bwpage3 said:

If that is the task at hand and you took the job, you shouldn't have to ask for advice how to handle it.

exactly .... I would think your old enough to decide how to handle what comes along .....  otherwise forget it and leave.

Gosh, some people are so kind and helpful, aren't they?

[steven100]

39 minutes ago, oobar said:

Gosh, some people are so kind and helpful, aren't they?

That's not the point, if one is 22 yrs old or whatever and going for a job do you think they would need to ask an internet forum should they accept the job or what should they do  ...... ?   Try the job out and if it gets too much then complain or leave. 

[steven100]

2 hours ago, jaf3 said:

the best part of teaching in a rich private school was all the envelopes that kept arriving mysteriously into my hands around grading period. when i went to the admin they informed me that if i didnt inflate the grades, they would, because  the parents were 'important people' so i might as well accept the tips - i quit soon after

obviously you didn't follow the rules .....  hence you were an outcast from the start.  Can i ask if you are an elderly teacher and drinker ?

[thesetat2013]

On 6/30/2020 at 6:37 PM, Farang123 said:

It's 20-22 hours of teaching time.  This is no part time job.  I have to be there promptly at 7:30 a.m. every morning and stay till 4.  There is lesson preparation, extracurricular activities and answering the questions of the Thai teachers and so forth.  I was just wondering if anyone else has found themselves in a similar situation do to the covid crisis.  I appreciate the advice about sticking up for myself.  I will keep that in mind. 

I believe you answered your own question when you said the scholl was trying to make you do this because of the teacher shortage due to the virus. This puts you in a good negotiating position if you want to stay at the school. It also tells you that it will be easy to find another and better job if you decide to leave. 

[Searat7]

More teachers will be joining you as time goes on. I know for a fact that there are Filipinos stuck in their country and still trying to get back to Thailand but they face lots of red tape

[Mayhem11]

It is amazing how everyone knows how to teach because they went to school. Ferang 123 ignore these absurd comments above. I seems to me it is a more complicated lesson plan schedule, with the saving grace that you get to teach the same lesson 2 or 3 times. I think your real concern is dealing with littlies, and I agree that is a challenge. This is because infant language learning has to be fun, games etc. our daughter teaches infants English in China. Maybe she can help. If you want to PM me send me a link.  I am an ex-schoolie of 14 years standing and I refuse to listen to anyone who hasn’t done the job, like the “learned” brickie above. 

[DavisH]

On 6/30/2020 at 6:10 PM, bwpage3 said:

You moved to Thailand, you want to be a teacher.

 

If that is the task at hand and you took the job, you shouldn't have to ask for advice how to handle it.

 

20 to 22 hours a week is part time in many places.

 

Many in Thailand have to work in factories 60+ per week so consider yourself lucky.

 

300+ students in each of the Mateom grades 1 to 6?

 

Must be a giant school or else maybe there isn't that many students?

That's 20-22 contact hours with students. I have similar, but probably put in 45-50 hours a week with prep and marking student work. That's normal and I'm used to that. 

 

There are a LOT of jobs being advertised at the moment, and not all schools have been that severely affected. Private schools with small class sizes are the least affected. I teach my normal classes but with the usualy precautions of masks, handwashing etc. 

[robbioff]

4 hours ago, oobar said:

Gosh, some people are so kind and helpful, aren't they?

Aren’t they just!!! Miserable covid keyboard warrior bar-stewards :)))

[AlexRich]

21 hours ago, bwpage3 said:

Third choice is they show him the door.

Sometimes that’s a better outcome ... one door closes another one opens. He shouldn’t live his life in fear.

[Scott]

Off-topic post removed.   Criticizing grammar is not permitted unless it is specifically asked for.   Stay on topic or face a suspension.  

 

[mommysboy]

Sounds like hell?  And for what 32K?  

[CrunchWrapSupreme]

I concur with the constructive posts in this thread. Yes, don’t jump ship. And yes, you have room to negotiate.

 

I’ve been through a few teaching jobs now here in Thailand, and as been said, it usually doesn’t get much better. You’ll likely run into the same issues everywhere. Might get a little better, might get worse. A great analogy is this slot machine I used to play back in the States, “Top Dollar”. If you hit the bonus, you have have three chances to accept what they offer, displayed with combinations of $10, $20, $50 lights. You could keep pressing it hoping for the big money. Or, you might’ve had $200 on the second try, only to wind up with $20 on the third.

 

You have room to negotiate. Always be polite and avoid conflict, but stick to your guns. Say you’ll do the extra classes, but then wind up not going to them. Then say, oh, I was busy with the class before. You might even find that those extra classes don’t even happen, because of all the ridiculous activities they’ll spring, or staggered classes due to the Corona situation. What will they do, lose their only farang? Find another one? The job ads are begging right now.

 

However, you can’t really move up to any better schools, without experience under your belt first. Develop good working relationships with your Thai coworkers, that you can use as references. Avoid agencies, who are nothing but parasites. I’m quite enjoying the fact right now that they’re missing their Benz payments and designer bag upgrades, with no more farangs to milk.