How much work do you take home?

[BobStrauss]

Honest answers, please. How much work is required of you outside of normal working hours?

[bulegila]

Very little and not very often. I'll sometimes take marking home if it's something I want them to have back the following day and I haven't had any free time that day.

Sometimes (at most once a week) I might be finding resources for the coming week or preparing some classes. This would be no more than about 2 hours.

As the curriculum for MYP in my school is somewhat lacking there was no medium term planning in place. I've had to create this as I've gone along this term. Next term I'll make sure at least the medium term planning and resources are in place before the term starts. I'll quite happily do this during a day of my holiday if it means my evenings will be my own. I'm in work from 6.50am - 3.35pm each which is long enough without work taking up my evenings as well.

[overseasvet2]

If you are in your first year at a school you can be sure you'll work hours beyond the contracted day. Elementary people are in at least one day on the weekend. The only person I knew who could get away with skipping the weekend was a first grade teacher who stayed until 6 or 7 every school night. If you're at a top flight school, long hours are a must but you are well compensated and there are lots of vacations. Every time I think it's too much, a vacation comes around and I can afford some wonderful vacation get-away. International teaching is a great life for the committed educator.

[mathgym]

That's a short day, psyguy. How do you get all your work done? Where is your school? Our school starts at 7:50 and ends 3:30 and two days per week it ends at 4. I am admin too, so my day is even longer.

[BobStrauss]

This is my first year teaching at a legit K-12 school, and I am doing elementary English. Our day runs from 7:30 to 4:00 pm, and I often have 2-6 hours of work to bring home with me on the weekends. I often do about an hour of work on school nights as well. Was just wondering if that was normal.

[Bkonality]

I'm in a premier school in Tokyo where expectations are extremely high. I tend to work on weekends as well ( by choice though ). I do all my lesson planning and such on Friday evening and Saturday. By Sunday, I'm back at the school printing everything out, making all the materials I need to actually teach the lesson. I use my preps and lunch as quiet times throughout the day....because I think they are important to take as breathers during the hectic day. My day starts at 7:30 am ( by choice again - since we're not expected to be at the school building by 8:30 am ) and ends at around 4:00 - 5:00 pm ( kids are out of the school by 3 pm, but high school tends to stay longer at 5 pm - 7 pm because of club / sports activities ).

This was how it was for me, 10 years ago, on my first year of teaching. This will be my last year of teaching as next year, I am up for an admin position at the current school I am at. However, surprisingly, this 10th year of teaching is actually as busy as my first. Not really sure why.

If you really want to know, the 3rd - 7th years are the easiest. After the 7th year, things start to get busier again ( new turn around times for professional development due to new theories, best practices offered at the faculties of education which sends premier international schools to professional development overdrive mode ).

[BobStrauss]

I like to work hard and do a good job, and I have a great deal of respect for my fellow teachers who put in the extra effort for their students. At the same time, I work to live, I don't live to work.

Do all the premier international schools expect teachers to put in 50+ hours per week? I met a few teachers who worked at Jakarta International School, for example, and they implied that their work loads weren't that heavy at all.