and so it begins............Chinese schedules.

Hola!

I am pissed off. .

I work for a University outside of Hangzhou. On Friday I went there to get my schedule, 8 1.5 hour classes stretched over four days. Unfortunately, I must have a "teaching partner", someone I really do not want or need but am stuck. My first term there, I got a nice woman named Sophie, someone who is around 30 and very mature. She got pregnant and took the semester off and now I am stuck with a girl named Paula, who I feel is lazy at best and incompetant at worst.

I received my schedule and was told that only two of the eight classes will be meeting the month of September, one on Monday afternoon and one on Wednesday. This was verified by both Paula and the FAO department liason(a nice woman named Lin, who I am also mad at)

This morning, I receive a phone call from Lin (the FAO) that I have class THIS (MON.) MORNING. I told her that there was a mistake, my class was for the afternoon. No, she said, in the morning.  says me. Lin told me that Paula called me telling me of the change. This is false and Paula is a liar, which is what is really setting me off.

I hate to get angry, especially at them, but I am so sick and tired of the Chinese not being able to make a correct schedule, and then shift blame when they screw up. It's not my fault that I am not there this morning, it's theres. I told them I wanted Sophie as a partner, not this dingbat girl who acts 14!

Why can't Chinese just do a proper schedule and admit when they screw up?

Senor

Next time you see Paula, act all concerned about why you did not receive her phone call telling you of the change in schedule.  Ask to see the call history on her phone so that you can determine where you were and what you were doing that caused you to miss her call (that she never made).  She'll squirm for a while and you will have made your point.

Monday morning sucks, but somebody has to do it.  What really sucks is the eight classes spread over four days.  I have a four day schedule this semester too, but not a biggie for me since I now live on campus.  Another FT here is whining about his 6 classes in one day.  Not so bad since he has that heavy day and one other 2 period day.  Must be nice to have 5 days off a week.

Ruth, you have Devious Depths!!

Another FT here is whining about his 6 classes in one day.  Not so bad since he has that heavy day and one other 2 period day.  Must be nice to have 5 days off a week.

It is a long day - but still equivalent to what he would be working back home!  I have a 6 hour day - Mondays classes go from 8:30 - 12 (25 minutes between), then 4:15 to 5:45. I catch the bus at 7:30 to the new campus, come home at lunch time and then have my post-grads on this campus - a 5 minute walk through the gardens.  And then - my week is mostly done! 

They gave me options for the post-grad class, and I chose to add it to Mondays, because it gives me other days totally clear.  Your mate is nuts!

Saturdays and sundays i work fro 8 in the morning till 8 at night with a 2 hr break at lunch. Wed, thur and friday nights i work 7-9. It all balances out.

You're just starting out now? This is my third week. This semester our school couldn't get enough FTs¹, so they cancelled a handful of classes and piled extra classes onto the 2 remaining FTs. Both of us don't want the hours. My colleague had specifically negotiated a part-time contract, informing the college that his primary business is elsewhere. His residency is tied to his business, and if he doesn't take care of that first and foremost, he has no reason to be in China. They gave him 5 full days and lots of overtime hours. Then asked him to bring them his passport so that they could change his visa and residency for him. He managed to clarify his position to the appropriate people and get his schedule changed. He's still teaching the same workload, but in just 3 days so that he can have 2 days off to tend to his primary business.
Me, I'm not so lucky. I originally balked, but eventually gave in and signed the contract that included the ridiculous OT clause². At the time I thiught, "I'll never have to work the OT anyway", now I'm living with it. Next year I'm negotiating hardball.
Anyway, my sched as it now stands...
Monday, classes 8 until lunch, afternoon off. Private business class in the evening. Tuesday, classes until lunch, which I skip because I'm off to business classes for the afternoon. Wednesday, one class in the morning, then a full afternoon of IELTS prep at a private school, then evening business class. Thursday, 2 classes in the morning, IELTS in the afternoon and business class in the evening. Friday, two classes in the morning, one in the afternoon, an hour break and then off to yet another business class in the evening. Yes, I could drop the business classes and reduce my hours by a third. I'd also cut my income by about two thirds.
[1] The reason for this is pretty obvious, but you have to love the administration's attitude of "just make the other foreigners pay for it"
[2] The overtime payment is so ridiculously low I'm too ashamed to post it. Honestly, I never thought I'd have to do it.

I only teach 14 hours per week. Been offered lots of overtime work, tutoring and such but, honestly, no need for it. Not much to burn money on in Lin'an.

Haven't met a girl yet eh?

Plenty, but why spend my money on them?

Plenty, but why spend my money on them?

 If you have to ask why.....

Well, you go ahead and curl up on your sofa with Dr. Who.

[

 If you have to ask why.....

Well, you go ahead and curl up on your sofa with Dr. Who.

or, iLsa, She Wolf of the S. S.; whichever you prefer.