The International Schools Review Forum

I am wondering what people consider a 'normal' full time teaching load in Secondary schools?

For example, for us it's 18/24 periods.

But how is it viewed in other schools?

Thanks.

About 20-25 instructional periods in a 40 hr. work week. Which would be about 4-5 instructional periods, with 1 prep. and 1 conf. period (or 2 prep periods), plus 30 min to a period for lunch, half a period of duty per day and about 3 periods a week in ASP and 1-2 periods a week in meetings. Thats more an AS schedule as BSs usually have a greater number of classes to prep for but may only have one prep. or conf. period a day and some may not have any.

Depends on the school.

UK schools in the UK - I had 25/30 periods, plus tutor group / homeroom for 30 mins per day, duties and an expectation to cover/sub during at least one of the free periods per week. 5 to 8 preps was standard.

IB International schools - I had 20/30 periods, plus homeroom for around 10 to 15 mins per day. Occasional light duties and no subbing ever. 2 to 4 preps was standard.

I teach 25/32 class periods. This is over a two-week period (3/4 then 2/4 alternating each day). This means that I have alternating days of 1 period of prep time/2 periods of prep time. Additionally, I have a 25-minute advisory four days a week, a 1-hour well-being class 1 day per week and about 1 hour of supervision duties per week.

Rather helpful if people post the length of each instructional period.
We've been round this conversation many times. Normal is all over the place, starting with stark divides in expectations between British-style and US-style schools, and everything in between. And of course huge variations in how many different classes one needs to prep.

So for us t's 18 periods out of 24, each being 65 minutes long.

Or to put it another way - 75% of the available teaching time.

Anyone can give you numbers, but the trick is what that means in reality--and it will vary by school or even within departments. At our school, the schedule was weird. It worked out that math teachers taught all different preps, often teaching 5 different courses. Meanwhile there were teachers who, in that same number of periods, were teaching three sections of one or two DP courses. And how does one compare PE, with its equipment and space management and such, with the marking required in English? If your department is one without fixed classrooms, it can be far more stressful than working out of your own room. And do homeroom or seminar or pastoral classes or times count?

So yes, we could give a number (at our school it's 23-26/40 periods), but I am not sure how meaningful that is.

@Thames Pirate

Thats not the trick. PE has about as much setup as any studio based course whether its science labs or art classes, or theater production or any class that isnt a seminar.

But yes some data even absent context in this regard is better than no data at all.

Thames Pirate wrote:
> Anyone can give you numbers, but the trick is what that means in
> reality--and it will vary by school or even within departments. At our
> school, the schedule was weird. It worked out that math teachers taught
> all different preps, often teaching 5 different courses. Meanwhile there
> were teachers who, in that same number of periods, were teaching three
> sections of one or two DP courses. And how does one compare PE, with its
> equipment and space management and such, with the marking required in
> English? If your department is one without fixed classrooms, it can be far
> more stressful than working out of your own room. And do homeroom or
> seminar or pastoral classes or times count?
>
> So yes, we could give a number (at our school it's 23-26/40 periods), but I
> am not sure how meaningful that is.

Indeed.

The only truly relevant numbers for me are:
- how many hours a week do you spend teaching?
- how many preps do you have?
- how many hours a week do you spend on meetings, and other non-optional non-teaching school activities? (a not-so-very Christian friend of mine had to attend daily 30 minute prayer assemblies at his very Christian school)

And preferably comparing those numbers for teachers teaching the same subject - as you say, the English teacher at my school spends a lot more time grading for example, and the PE teacher will sometimes accompany students to games on weekends.

I also once asked someone at a school how long they spend prepping & grading, but of course a more experienced teacher will need less time for that, so the number of preps is more useful.

The only relevant numbers for me are:
1) Number of instructional hours (how long I have to teach, including ASPs that are more formal).
2) Number of contract hours (how long I have to be on campus/site).
3) How many of the contracted non-instructional hours are structured (meetings, etc.).
4) How much work the role requires of my off contract time (outside grading, preparation, etc.)

PsyGuy wrote:
> @Thames Pirate
>
> Thats not the trick. PE has about as much setup as any studio based course
> whether its science labs or art classes, or theater production or any class
> that isnt a seminar.
>
> But yes some data even absent context in this regard is better than no data
> at all.

PsyGuy, intentionally missing the point and misrepresenting what I said once again.

@Thames Pirate

No, just more TPF. Intentionally being accurate and responding to "And how does one compare PE, with its equipment and space management and such, with the marking required in English?" as you wrote.

High School in Singapore

My school does a lot of trust of our professionalism. We only have to be on site to teach our lessons and complete our duties. Our school day runs from 8:10 a.m. until 3:00 p.m.

I am in high school. Full-time teachers do 15 x 75 minute lessons a week. And they have a mentor group which they see 25 minutes a day. So that gives about 20 hours a week of contact time.

We have a 30 minute lunch or break time duty every week, be available for cover for a 75 minute lesson (but maybe I do six to eight a year) and we also have a 70 minute after school meeting every week.

Teachers are expected to support at least two clubs or activities, which would be about another 90 minutes a week total.

So I guess that totals 24h per week if no cover.

We are also expected to join at least one expedition or trip which lasts for a week. In high school these happen in the holidays.

We have 36 teaching weeks, and one week before students come for preparation.

hitherejen wrote:

> We are also expected to join at least one expedition or trip which lasts
> for a week. In high school these happen in the holidays.

So that's not a holiday then - do they count these as part of your contract?

So one less holiday than typical, or at least part of one holiday.

@expatscot

Its very likely in the contract or in the policy manual, or at the very least a clearly communicated expectation and not one where there have been many resignations over.