Teaching Contracts

I often hear teachers complain that employers issue contracts and then ask them to do more than the contract requires. From the other side of the fence, employers sometimes feel that teachers are too rigid in their interpretation of the terms of the contract. It is certainly a tricky area, so what can you do to make sure that the contract offers proper protection for both teachers and the employer? My suggestions are as follows:

The first point to consider is your own attitude to the contract. It is a document that binds both parties, so as employers you should ensure that it contains only clauses that you can honor. It is hardly fair to the employee to issue a contract that binds teachers and then expect to be able to break its terms yourself.

The second point is that teachers cannot be expected to know the legal requirements of a contract in a foreign country, as these can vary enormously. You should, therefore, explain to the teacher exactly how the contract reflects current employment legislation in your country and for your sector. Some countries stipulate that the contract must be written in the home language. If this is the case, your teachers will need a clear and accurate translation into English. Some countries require the contract to contain full details of the teacher's visa and employment permits. There may be restrictions on the number of hours a teacher can work and on the number of hours' overtime permitted. Whatever the specific legal framework in your country, it is essential to both adhere to the legal requirements and explain these to the teacher. Even if your country does not require a written contract at all, it is worth thinking about the kinds of problems that could arise if you do not have a clearly drafted understanding of all aspects of the job: the rights and responsibilities of the teacher and the rights and responsibilities of the employer.

Legal considerations apart, the contract should cover number of class contact hours, number of admin hours and number of preparation hours. If you have a basic 38 hour week and you expect teachers to spend 25 hours in the classroom, two on admin and the remaining 9 on preparation, don't think of the preparation time as a free pool from which you can ask teachers to do extra teaching. If you need teachers to do extra contact hours to cover for an absent colleague or a sudden influx of students, build the terms of the required flexibility into the contract. For example you may say that could be expected to do up to two extra teaching hours per week to cover emergencies. If further hours are required, offer to pay them as overtime. List any additional duties, such invigilating exams, designing teaching materials or socializing with students.

Be as precise as possible in every area. If you offer accommodation, make it quite clear how this it to be provided and describe it accurately. State whether teachers will be expected to travel to other branches or to companies and explain how such travel arrangements will be made. Make sure you are clear about sickness insurance and medical treatment: what would happen if a teacher had to be repatriated because of an accident, for example, or suffered long-term illness?

Specify holiday entitlement, grievance and disciplinary procedures, and notice terms. Above all, try to make the contract a reader-friendly document rather than one that is full of dense legal terminology. Before you issue a contract, it might be a good idea check with a lawyer to ensure that it is comprehensive enough to satisfy your local legal requirements.

Listed below are more articles related to the above article from the "Employment Careers" article category.

People interested in the above article "Teaching Contracts" are also interested in the related articles listed below:

Getting a Job in Times of Recession

With phrases like ‘credit crunch’, ‘recession’ and ‘redundancy’ being bandied about, many people are nervous about finding a new job. Here, the Managing Director of online travel recruitment website Puregenie gives some advice to those trying to get a new job in these times of economic downturn...

Making A Career In Recruitment Jobs

The world of recruitment jobs is not an easy one, it is fast and furious and a long and hard road to travel, however if you are good there is a lot of money to be made in this industry and how you prepare yourself in the early days of your career will be vital to building a successful future

Passed Over: How to Survive Promotion Let Down

Across America, employees are becoming disgruntled and upset that their organizations are insensitive to their needs. Millions of employees are forced to exist in this situation. They feel like their organizations don’t care, and their managers don’t recognize their contributions. Is that you? You work hard and are always willing to do the extra things in your work area. Your supervisor tells you to keep trying, but you don’t want to hear this... again.

Marketing Strategies for HVAC Professionals

Whether we like it or not, there are times that we must become salesmen in order to market ourselves and our ideas to potential employers, clients, and co-workers. For some of the more outgoing people, they don’t have too much trouble making this shift. For others, this skill does not come quite as naturally.

Jobs In Pharmaceuticals: Moving Up The Career Ladder

In pharmaceutical sales, my promotion options were varied but only field training appeared to be the most viable. Other roles such as head office training, regional sales or product management felt like too much of a leap from an initial field sales job. Field training provided greater status and good grounding for future career moves.

5 Key Qualities of a Good Employee

Every job advert seems to be looking for a different set of skills and experience, but what are the actual qualities of a good employee? Across every industry, there are a few key qualities that make certain people stand out from the crowd...

Get The Job With The Right References

Are you thinking about finding a new job or changing careers completely? If you are, you need to craft a resume that gives you a competitive edge in this tough job market. Although resumes can be complicated and nerve-wracking to develop, they are a lot easier to write than you might think. You just need to know how to avoid the many problems or complications that arise and, for many resume writers, a major problem has to do with references.