Acceptable Or Normal Workload?

[phormio]

Please see below for a topic which includes a summary of my background(why repeat it here?)

Other topic with my background listed

I've been quite lucky. I have a job offer at a '2nd tier' international school, relatively new for 60K(50K+10K housing) starting in late summer. They submitted my CV and transcripts to the MOE which said they would give me a license to teach Science . The school admin said I'd be teaching several science subjects and would havd 25 periods of 45 minutes each. I have a good background in science, but have not taught these subjects before. The school has already chosen a curriculum and textbooks.

My questions are:

A.

This seems like quite a few contact periods per week. Is it too many to do well?

What is a reasonable workload?

B. Is the teaching license from the MOE permanent? If my job with this school ends, will I still be able to use it at another school?

Its ironic that the MOE would note approve me to teach Math(having AP Calc in HS, and 2 semesters of Calc, Statistics, linear algebra, and differential equations at the college level.

C. Should I turn down the offer and wait for something to open up at the top international schools? I'm not in immediate need of the income to survive.

I've heard that frequently overseas hires for the top-line internationals don't show up and they sometimes get desperate in late summer.

Thanks for your help.

Chok-Dee

[kenkannif]

Congrats, not a bad little job.

Are you sure it's 2nd tier though The wages are pretty so so for the hours involved.

The teachers licence (or at least your half) is yours, but it doesn't make applying second time round much easier (if at all!) as the school will still need to apply for their half (and most likely require all of your documentation again).

[PeaceBlondie]

I've only taught secondary English and 7th grade math. However, I think 25 hours is way too many. Of course, it depends. Will you have to re-invent the wheel, tyre, and axle? Will you have to develop entirely new lesson plans (and curriculum, basically) for 6 different courses? Will you be teaching only general science or one branch, or will you be teaching all the branches? Likewise for the levels of students in the university - are they all science majors, all same year of uni? Will you be the only farang in the department? Will anybody assist you? Are there other duties such as student counselling, faculty meetings, etc.?

The job board currently advertises for an opening at a non-international school near Don Muang Airport, paying 48,000 per month, to teach science with a general degree but WITHOUT one science degree. That's good money; 40K might be more typical or even 35K. Still, 60K doesn't sound high if it's really an international school.

But you don't have a Master's degree yet, and you don't have certification in the academic education field - right? That counts against you getting 80K.

[Rhys]

20 hours... but of course.. you come in at a higher salary than your Thai counterpart.. and this is part of the game.

Hmm...I would compare a bit more as you are doing.. AND.. Forget this 2nd level Tier (BS).. it is all the same... Window dressing..

TOP International schools... HMMM.. in BKK.. HMMMM... COME and see for yourself...

20 hours.. find another school and contract..And profile expectation... MOTOR ON

[Ijustwannateach]

If class time PLUS prep/grading time is equal to 20 hrs a week or less, I'd say it's fair at 30K. In other words, if your prep time is virtually zero, the school's not being unfair asking you to do 20 hrs (like repeating one lesson twenty times, for example).

If you're expected to do grading or more elaborate lesson preparation, subtract those hours from 20 to find the number you should be expected to teach. As a rough rule I'd say that for about every 2K over 30K in salary per month, they're entitled to expect another hour of classtime or prep a week in the balance (though actual class hours should never exceed 20 in any sane position).

"Steven"

[Ijustwannateach]

After thinking through that system I suggested and re-reading the opening post (25 hours of science)...

Well, let's see. I think you should really prepare at least ONE hour for each class of elementary science you'd be teaching (more, if it's upper level high school stuff). So that's a workload of 25 teaching hours (which is insane, incidentally) plus 25 prep/grading hours, or 50 periods. By my reckoning, you should be getting paid over 90K for that kind of labour!!! I wouldn't do so much work for less!

"Steven"

[Ijustwannateach]

Bumped for the benefit of jobhunters.