The International Schools Review Forum

It sounds like the after school obligations at Shekou are pretty high. I've worked at 2 QSI schools and at both of them middle and secondary teachers worked 8-4:15 4 days a week and then one day to 5 (staff meeting day). At one school we had to coach one sport but that usually only required us to stay late 3 days a week and the seasons were short (about 2 months.). My current school doesn't require any coaching but more committee work. It seems that after school obligations are generally much higher for middle and secondary teachers. I've never seen an elementary teacher coach a sport at either school.

I have a lot of friends in Shekou and they seem to enjoy it (mostly elementary with one middle school teacher), but that after school work you talk about is a bit of a turn off for me. I don't mind coaching, but having to stay until 5:30 2 days a week year round seems a bit excessive. I'm not sure what I would do with my son from 4 when his school gets out until 5:30. QSI days are already pretty long without any after school activities.

QSI is one of those corporate group schools that has a corporate ethos: teachers are resources, they pay you, so they own you.

No more than any other non profit school that I have ever worked for. In fact I found the demands at QSI were/are less than what I have experienced in other schools.

I think the shock comes when you move from a North American school into the international arena and you realize what the expectations are of teachers, both in the classroom and outside/after school.

Have you taught in Europe? Because both of my posts there were 20 teaching hours a week, and no extra curriculars. A staff meeting once a month for half an hour and maybe a couple after school parent meetings around marking periods is it. When your classes were over for the day you could leave, everyone had a light day in the week that they either didnt start until 10 or they were done by 1.

Actually, yes

Then we have different experiences that are far from being congruent with mine.