Public school teachers - do you have to work the entire next week?

Hi guys,

Do you have to work the entire next week at public schools /probably doing nothing/?

Depends on the school. I never did. Sometimes we’d have a winter camp, but it would usually only be a day or two. But I knew a lot of FETs that were expected to sit at their desks all week and twiddle their thumbs. Depends on how much respect they have for you as a human.

Technically you can use your paid leave to take a break as long as it doesn’t interfere with winter camp and as long as there won’t be classes. However, some schools are sketchy and may not approve you using your paid leave although they’re supposed to allow you to according to the contract.

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I do but I have some winter camp type classes and I’m using the time to develop my teaching materials. So at least it shouldn’t be too much time doing nothing

It all depends on the school. Even schools in the same city under the same program have different policies. I’m allowed to work from home during this time, but I also know the majority of teachers in my city are still forced to go into the office.

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Nope, nope and nope. I was supposed to have a winter camp tomorrow and an English competition on Saturday. Both canceled by COVID.

That vague clause in most teachers’ contracts wherein the school gets to wonder whether we have “administrative work” or not is really lame. People have been arguing about that since I started working for the MOE in 2006.

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Down in Pingtung we’ve got a teacher who’s struggling with this. He works at four different schools and they’re telling him he needs to come in next week because “reasons.” He just started and he’s super depressed over having to sit in an office doing nothing for a week. This is especially strange given that all of our activities have been canceled or postponed due to COVID. In his words “it’s not kind” to ask people to sit somewhere just for the sake of sitting there. I couldn’t agree more.

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Lol TEFL teachers in Korea do it all the time. Tell him bring his laptop and browse this site.
It is BS though

It’s a lot harder when people you know are getting the time off. If it was a normal thing to work during that time I doubt he’d be as depressed.

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Cross-quoting from another thread about Asian students (not?) working hard:

And if teachers are forced into this mold for no good reason, it’s no wonder kids pick up on the same mentality.

It also shows a dangerous level of cultural insensitivity in a country that wants to import even more foreign teachers in the future. Oh well. I’m sure we’re preaching to the choir. :slight_smile:

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Public school teachers - do you go back to schools on Monday /07.02/ or Friday /11.02/?

Monday

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