How many classes in 8 hours?

dory · 21-09-2009 10:19pm #1

I'm looking a few teaching jobs and most will be more than an hour commute. So I'm trying to figure out how much I'd make in the job and subtract petrol to see if it's still worth it. So I'm just wondering, is an 8 hour job 8 classes, or enough classes to make up 8 hours?
Thanks in advance people!

implausible · 21-09-2009 10:42pm

8 hours is 8 classes if the school has one hour classes. Most schools, however have classes from 35 minutes to 45 minutes. Doesn't really matter in terms of pay, you'd be getting paid per hour.

It may not be worth it financially at the moment, but you can't put a price on getting your toe in the door as you may pick up subbing hours and end up getting paid for more or getting a job next year out of it.

Tbh, you'll get no experience sitting at home. There are teachers out there willing to work for free to get experience.

rainbowtrout · 21-09-2009 11:12pm

Classes as deemark said normally vary between 35-45 mins. In my school it's 40 mins per class. So 8 hours is 12 classes. If you are trying to get into teaching at the moment, 8 hours might be better than nothing and you might get subbing work in the school along the way which would bring up your hours. Two teachers that were left go at the end of the summer from my school this year are back due to an unexpected retirement. Both had been on around 18 hours before the summer, now they are on about 9 each, but when it's a case of 9 hours v. dole there's no contest. They would be hoping that their hours will increase next year.

spurious · 21-09-2009 11:19pm

In our school, 8 hours would be 8 classes.
Your pay will be just for those hours. You won't get paid for the prep time or corrections or anything else connected with the 8 hours.

dory · 22-09-2009 8:48am

Thanks for the replies. Seems it could be either eight classes or enough classes to make up eight hours. I realise experience is far more important than financial viability. It's more the hours in the car every day that's putting me off (that and the fact that I don't have a car yet).
Thanks again

freire · 22-09-2009 6:57pm

Take it.

ytareh · 22-09-2009 7:17pm

Look as everyone else is saying its all about the 'experience' ...Murphy's/Sod's Law dictates that you will have them evenly spread throughout the week and not have a single day off etc -a right pain in the posterior but the importance of getting your 'foot in the door' in the Irish system cant be overstated ...unless you are an axe murderer you will get more hours in that school!

StargazerLily · 22-09-2009 8:15pm

The first year after my h.dip I was offered 7 hrs in a school. It was the second week of Sept., I was afraid to turn it down in favour of subbing or holding out for something better so I took it.

It involved 2 classes a day, was in every day so even if I had wanted to couldn't claim any dole (except for the holidays for which I didn't get paid), had to take two buses to get there and 2 buses back - couldn't afford to buy a car on such low pay!)so spent a lot of the time at bus stops, on the bus, sitting in the staff room for hrs between classes etc etc. Got a little bit of extra hrs subbing but only occasionally.All pretty awful looking back! But...one of the classes was officially 'honours leaving cert' which certainly improved my reference the following June - got a full time Permanent job in a great school in July! As bad as it was it was worth it!!!

Take what you can get, even if it's not worth it financially. Those 7 hrs got me the experience that I needed.

How many classes in 8 hours?

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