Salting the Wound

I am exhausted. Exhausted beyond belief.

Yes, it's wonderful to have been offered what many (including myself -most of the time) would consider a prestigious job. Especially head-hunted right out of university but the glitz and glamour of the International Baccalaureate program is not quite as glitzy or glamourous as I had originally hoped. Also, considering it's within the public school system, it pays so little that I can barely afford to live. Here ladies and gentlemen is a general day in the life of Ms. Inaka
Monday - Friday

1. 5:45 - get up
2. 7:30 arrive at school
3. 7:30-8:30 photocopy for the coming day, drink 2 cups of coffee
4. 8:30-11:45 - teach
5. 11:45-12:30 "lunch break" which actually means "work" break or "have a classroom full of students asking me questions in between mouthfulls" break.
6. 12:30-2:30 - teach
7. 2:30 - 9:00 remain at school marking, prepping, planning, photocopying, meeting etc
8. 9:00- 11:30 - go home and work some more
9. 11:30-12:00am drag my exhausted body through bedtime preparations.
10. 12:00 (if I'm lucky) - go to bed.

Saturday and Sunday usually consist of 6-10 hours of straight marking/prepping/planning. Come Monday I do it all again.

Here's the clincher. I only get paid for Monday - Friday 8:30am-1:30pm (since I'm "technically" only teaching 0.86 of a full course load). That's right ladies and gentlemen, I work 10-14 hours a day 7 days a week and get paid for 1/4 of that.

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE teaching. Being in the classroom and getting kids excited about what we're learning. What I don't get excited about is all the stuff that takes place AFTER class lets out. Sure if it was a couple of hours that would be one thing but it's not. It's HOURS and HOURS of unpaid, unappreciated work. Yes, teaching is a thankless job. I don't expect people to thank me for it but what I do expect is for the government who is responsible for setting my wage to acknowledge the fact that myself and EVERY other teaching in this province (this country even) is working their ass off to live close to poverty level.

All those people who bitch about teachers "having the easiest job, woking 8 months a year, get off at 3" ...to you I give a giant "fuck you" salute. I bet you wouldn't last a week doing what I do.

Today I got a call from a representative for the Hong Kong Board of Education offering my a very high paying (we're talking 4500-6000$/month tax free with free lodging, flights and living allowance) job on a two year contract. I would be ALTing again. For those of you who don't know what an ALT does...let me sum it up for you - Not too terribly much -

But I said no, I had to say no. I have a job. A job that overworks me, underpays me and forces me to live in the one place I never wanted to come back to.

"no thanks Hong Kong education man, I dont' want your low work, high appreciation, well paying job that would allow me to escape Canada and pay off my student loans in a matter of months...no thank you."

I have taken this job because having IB on my resume will open HUGE doors for me in the future. Almost every high ranking international school in the world is an IB school. I will have the experience and the training to get me there. But the wait will be long (at least about 1-2 years) and the financial wounds of my educational past will not heal during that time.

Today when I got to school I cried out of pure exhaustion and frustration. The fact that I had to turn down a ridiculously easy, well paying job only a few hours later once again brought tears to my eyes. Sometimes I question what it is that I'm doing here. I'm waiting for the answer to become clear.

Cheers from overworked and underpaid teacher town
J