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Post by burlives on May 16, 2004 14:28:17 GMT 7
If a school in the middle of nowhere offering 4000 a month and good word-of-mouth could make good on a promise of only 20-25 students in each Speaking class, would more foreign teachers come than if the class sizes were 40-50?
I suppose the obvious answer is yes, but I'm looking to see if it is class sizes that make or break the decision to work at a place.
(As an alternative I might ask, for 5000 a month would you accept 45 in a speaking class? But that'd be a different poll, now, wouldn't it.)
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Post by burlives on May 16, 2004 14:35:09 GMT 7
I voted Yes because, well, I did accept 4000 a month for 20 in a Speaking class. (Technically, since they were going to give me big classes anyway, I asked that the class meet twice a week, and then, with permission, I halved them and meet each half once a week. Writing classes still have 50, and I meet them once a week too.)
In my current frame of mind, which has held more or less good for several years, the difference between 4 and 5000 is not enough to accept the difference between 25 and 50 students in a class.
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Lager
SuperBarfly! 
Posts: 1,081
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Post by Lager on May 16, 2004 19:19:53 GMT 7
Mine have been merciful--1st job 25 on average. Now they 15-30. Next deal-if I get ther is I think 25 tops. First place in Shaoxing (Iwas at a branch) some had classes pushing 100---they gave them micophones--crazy.........I am accepting 4000 next partly because of small class size...
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Post by Kurochan on May 17, 2004 10:21:18 GMT 7
I have some UNBELIEVEABLE class sizes -- one oral English class of 78, and another of 73! That's a big factor in my decision to leave Shenzhen University. They seem more interested in pretty landscaping and new buildings than in the students. I know some people are down on SZU students, but there are lots of great kids. The problem is they realize the university doesn't care that much about them, and some get demoralized. It's pretty amazing -- Guangxi University has like 30 foreign teachers (so they said), and maximum classes sizes of 40 for oral English class, and that's in a poor province. We only have 14 foreign teachers (counting two Japanese and two Koreans), with class sizes up to eighty.  |
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Post by con's fly is open on May 17, 2004 12:46:16 GMT 7
I have some UNBELIEVEABLE class sizes -- one oral English class of 78, and another of 73! Jehosiphat!  How would that even work? My BIGGEST class is 14 Chinese souls.  |
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Post by Sandgropers on May 17, 2004 16:03:41 GMT 7
My English Major classes are 38 students in each of the five classes. I can manage that number, no problem, with plenty of opportunities for them all to participate.
However...........this semester I have been lumbered with two classes of Chinese Dept Non- English Majors and each class has 61 and 59 students respectively.......now THAT IS more of a handful and limited opportunities for participation.
Re the money; I want maximum money with minimum students.......don't we all ;D
Cheers
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Post by Steiner on May 17, 2004 22:19:59 GMT 7
Yes, Sandgropers. My ideal is to get somewhere in the range of 60,000RMB per month (any more would just be too obscene) for teaching zero students.
All my classes are about 65 kids, though, except for English clubs which are 12.
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Post by Kurochan on May 18, 2004 0:03:51 GMT 7
Jehosiphat!  How would that even work? My BIGGEST class is 14 Chinese souls.  At the end of each class, I assign two or three questions for the students to prepare an answer for during the week. Then, the next week, I call on a bunch of students and give others an opportunity to raise their hands and answer. I do this for like ten minutes or a bit more, depending on the interest level of the class. Then I try to work in one listening exercise, one choral reading or pronunciation exercise, and one exercise where the students work with a partner. I have this goal of letting at least 20 students answer a question individually per class -- sometimes it's up to 45 if they get really into a discussion. Once in a while I bring in some sort of game or fun activity. But, the huge classes make it difficult -- the people in the back of the room can't see the board, or can't see the overhead, or can't hear when other students speak, or it's awkward to plan presentations or games with so many people ... interestingly, the class of 73 is usually OK, but the 78 one isn't. I think that's because the people with the poorest English and the poorest attitudes are concentrated in that one. I've lost my temper with them a couple of times. |
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Crippler
Barfly
Beware the conspiracy!
Posts: 345
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Post by Crippler on May 22, 2004 8:27:43 GMT 7
My regular classes have run between 64-66 all year. Now that thye are approaching college entrance exams, it was decided that my seniors did not have enough time in their day to continue oral English classes. At first the school was content for me to just teach my grade 1 class and eat the cost. However, at my suggestion, it was decided to offer oral English for two periods a week to students from the "common" classes of grade one and grade two for 50 kuai a month. They expectd to get maybe 30 or 40 students. Well, 80 turned out for the grade one class and 40 more are already registered for grade two. Needless to say, I drew the line and said that I would not teach more in the special classes than in my regular classes. Solution, I am now teaching combined grade classes. (Of course the school was very clear in stating that the classes were only being offered to improve student English and that money was not the issue) However, there was no discuaaion of giving the grade three students a rebate on the money they paid for lessons.
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Ruth
SuperDuperMegaBarfly
God's provisions are strategically placed along the path of your obedience.
Posts: 3,915
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Post by Ruth on May 22, 2004 17:20:39 GMT 7
I voted yes. I work for 4300 per month now teaching 64-66 students per class and I'm kind of in the middle of nowhere. It's frustrating. I could do so much more with less students in a class. It would be much fairer to the students, too.
I teach private lessons to the kids of coworkers. My largest class is 7 and even that is too many to do the kind of role play and talking I want to do. My classes of 5 are great.
Beyond having enough to live on comfortably, it's not about the money.
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Post by George61 on May 22, 2004 19:56:30 GMT 7
I have 12 classes each week....my biggest class is 20....and I get 6000Y per month....unfortunately, I am going to lose this gig.
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Post by Hamish on May 22, 2004 20:47:43 GMT 7
Why is that?
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Post by Lotus Eater on May 22, 2004 22:32:47 GMT 7
My speaking and listening classes are 44 (x 4) and the Public Relations is 66, the International management 116. Keeps me off the streets. Wish I could learn more than half a dozen names of the students though :>((
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Post by George61 on May 23, 2004 3:48:35 GMT 7
Because, Hamish, they got us from a recruiting Co. They maintain that they don't want to pay another fee to keep us, which is fair enough. However, the recruiting Co. says they don't have to pay again. The real reason is the 6000....they want to hire a couple of cheap replacements. Many of the Chinese staff are pissed off at that. They want to keep me. ALL decisions here are made by the Holy Trinity...the 3 headmasters, and they are the most disorganised rabble that ever set feet in a school. Three weeks ago, several big, red Chinese characters were painstakingly fixed to the wall of the second storey of the dining hall. They said that this is "Big English World"....allegedly the future home of off-duty English in this school....no-one has asked me for input.........This week, they were all taken down and big, red English letters were substituted. They read..English World"....several thousand Kuai wasted...again. I could go on,but you all have the same tales to tell.
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wOZfromOZ
Charter Member and Old Chum
Posts: 419
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Post by wOZfromOZ on May 23, 2004 12:50:44 GMT 7
G'day!
Some interesting stuff here
My LSR (listening/speaking/reading) classes are
2 x 2 x 40 mins lessons each week (10 week term)
We've got good activity based texts and all teachers do
at least 1 "new/relevant" Vocab sheet / unit = 1/week.
Class size is max 20 - some lower stream classes down to 17 students. How you can cope with anything over 25 for a speaking class is beyond me - best size is 8 students.
My pay is min 9,500Y for 20 hours
I want smaller classes, less work and more pay too!!
dont we ALL!
ps - WHAT WAS THAT ABOUT Woza17 spitting the dummy about?
wOZfromOZ
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Post by con's fly is open on May 23, 2004 23:44:22 GMT 7
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wOZfromOZ
Charter Member and Old Chum
Posts: 419
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Post by wOZfromOZ on May 28, 2004 5:29:04 GMT 7
Con
How would you react if I told you my pay this final month was 38,000Y after air ticket, bonus, holiday pay, normal salary, allowances, etc. etc was paid.
There's no 'moonlighting in that either!!
wOZfromOZ
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Post by con's fly is open on May 28, 2004 19:29:56 GMT 7
I'd say you're overpaid. Oh, yeah, uni prof. Take the money and buy a village. Imagine! You could build a castle and have your own serfs...  |
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wOZfromOZ
Charter Member and Old Chum
Posts: 419
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Post by wOZfromOZ on May 29, 2004 10:23:58 GMT 7
Con
I'm just a normal Uni teacher here - qualified and experienced.
BTW - got my pay slips yesterday and the final pay was really for 7 weeks and came to 39,200Y.... 4 weeks plus extras and then 3 weeks holiday pay in there.
but the good part is that's after tax!!
there was a grand tally of 500Y in tax - I can imagine how much I would have been slugged back in Aus!
buy a village - maybe a matchbox village!! LOL
wOZfromOZ
PS - hey Raoul - did you get the 900Y dress benefit for the SILC 10 year anniversary dinner?
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