Low Stress Schools

BobStrauss · Post by **BobStrauss** » Fri Oct 14, 2011 7:52 am

Do they exist? Are there many good international schools out there that don't give 55+ hour workloads to their teachers?

heyteach · Post by **heyteach** » Fri Oct 14, 2011 8:46 pm

I'm at one now. My schedule is embarrassingly easy. In a two-week cycle there are only two days when I teach five periods. There are a couple of days I only teach two periods, and one day I teach just one class. However, the elementary teachers seem overwhelmed with implementing the PYP, which is new here.

My last school I felt was fairly low stress as well, once I got settled in.

BobStrauss · Post by **BobStrauss** » Fri Oct 14, 2011 10:55 pm

[quote="heyteach"]I'm at one now. My schedule is embarrassingly easy. In a two-week cycle there are only two days when I teach five periods. There are a couple of days I only teach two periods, and one day I teach just one class. However, the elementary teachers seem overwhelmed with implementing the PYP, which is new here.

My last school I felt was fairly low stress as well, once I got settled in.[/quote]

What is a "period" exactly .. 30 minutes? 1 hour?

I've heard from some that PYP can be really intense, but I am still very interested in the differentiation and IDP aspect of it.

If it's okay to ask, which country are you in? I'm getting the impression that the Asian schools tend to be more intense, while the schools in South America are a little more laid back. Is there any truth to that generalization?

heyteach · Post by **heyteach** » Sat Oct 15, 2011 8:32 pm

Bob, a period is 55 minutes long. There are six per day. I was in SA, now in the ME, making nearly double what I was making.

Android · Post by **Android** » Tue Oct 18, 2011 5:07 pm

Asian schools, particularly in Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore are high stress. I'm at one of the oldest and most established in Tokyo. Some would consider it " high stress ", but I think that if you're a foreigner who has lived in Japan for a while, you will find that it won't be as " high stress " because you just get used to the pace of things. I am talking about 60 hours / week. 36 - 40 hrs of that is of course by contract. The other 20 + hrs you add in is due to "professional obligation" : You just can't help but feel bad and actually do work when you see others around you going far and beyond. With that being said though, most of the salaries are reaching the 6-digit figures ( in dollars ). Some are already there, of course, depending on number of years of experience and degrees. And not surprisingly, no one EVER leaves. Or more specifically, no one would want to leave. With that kind of salary, benefits and future opportunities that the job provides for other schools, no one wants to leave.

nikkor · Post by **nikkor** » Wed Oct 19, 2011 10:03 am

I guess that it depends what you mean by low stress.
I'm in SE Asia. Most days I work from 7:15 - 6:00. I hardly ever feel "stressed." I can fit my exercise into that time and almost never take work home with me. I don't have to do any chores around the house. My commute is less than 10 mins. Vacations are always amazing.
I know that there are teachers at almost every school who only work the minimum, but why would you do that if you enjoy your job and are motivated to be great? I also know that lots of schools demand that teachers have a lifestyle that would not be considered balanced and healthy by most. Keep searching for balance.

Android · Post by **Android** » Wed Oct 19, 2011 4:50 pm

Nikkor: True, true. But I forgot to mention that we also do get the chance to enjoy our life outside of the school. With the pay and being in Asia, vacations ARE always amazing. So that part "balances" out the high pressure state of work.

Overhere · Post by **Overhere** » Wed Oct 19, 2011 5:12 pm

There are many factors that can add to your workload, the actual amount of school work that you have is one. Others may include the work environment, your administration, and transportation. I think Nikkor makes a good point, there are trade-offs to be made and in order to benefit from amazing vacations, household help or a bank account not in the red, you might have more hours to work.

Android · Post by **Android** » Thu Oct 20, 2011 5:31 pm

I have a feeling that low stress schools are usually the ones that are in more isolated places. I heard that the American School of Ulaanbaatar is just that. The classes are very small, the students are extremely well-behaved and courteous. The teaching staff is small. They pay around $ 2100 - $ 2600 / month. You do have to pay Mongolian taxes which are quite low and of course, everything else is paid for. Technically, you would be swimming in money but life is harsh (weather is harsh, the isolation, not too many travel opportunities, it is a poor developing country and there's not much to do in the area without traveling ). So in a way, that's the trade off....smaller, isolated schools have more of a lax environment and you can make some decent amount (in relation to standards of living )...

Open Communication · Post by **Open Communication** » Fri Oct 21, 2011 9:24 pm

edited.