Career as Teacher

Originally Posted by Unregistered

may i know how long will it take for a female education officer to promote from GEO1.1 to GEO 1A1? And is it normal for GEO 1.1 to be getting C for first year grading ?

It depends. By theory, you can get promoted once you are confirmed (i.e. after the first yr) I got promoted after 1yr 10months. However, I know of colleagues who only promoted after 2.5 to 3 yrs.

[sunshinecafe]

Anyone has experience with international schools like CNIS? I am referring to private international schools. Are they the same as govt schools in terms of welfare, workload and salary?

I am a mechanical engineer who by chance got a job to teach for A Level physics and maths in China. It has been 2 years already and I love the environment here. Just prepare your lessons, and deliver the lessons, mark some class tests and homeworks and that's it. No admin, no extra CCAs, but the career prospect is definitely not that high. But I am currently planning for some back ups just in case I need to return back to sg.

So far, I understand to teach in many of the schs, I need at least PGDE. But I don't want to be bonded. So the fees is like 20k and I need to study in Sg. So I was wondering if those international schools accept PGCE? A distance diploma offered by UK which I can do anywhere. I do have TEFL; I am still thinking whether I should get TESOL.

My worst(maybe best) scenario I have planned is that I will be doing lots of private tutoring to get a decent pay, and the pay is not even stable. But tutoring is like you have to work during the hours when your family and friends are free for gatherings. Correct me if I am wrong.

It will be good if I can get as many advice as I can.

[RedOrangeYellow]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

haha. You can probably expedite the reply. But, you can never change the outcomes. thing about applying to be a teacher with MOE is that they too must liaise back with NIE/NTU to accept you for their teaching degree/diploma. And NTU/NIE being pretty much unwavering institutions, you might just face a rejection.

You're saying it is possible for a candidate to have passed the writing/presentation/interview with flying colors and he/she may still fail at the NIE admissions criteria intake?!

Hi, I'm new here. Anyone can offer advise on how to prepare for the EL EPT which I'm schedule to take next month ?

i'm a local uni grad with second upper honours. around 1 year of work experience so far. been considering making the switch to teaching, either gp or social studies/history/english.

i think i'd enjoy the teaching part (as with most aspiring teachers), but reading through forums and various blog posts online, the non-teaching aspect of the job seems like a huge bummer.

out of these i'm most concerned with the burnout/being overworked than anything else.

so my question is, how bad is it, really?

i don't mind staying late occasionally during busy periods but if the norm is to work from 7am to 8pm everyday then i'd think twice.

do teachers really have to burn EVERY saturday (even half day) for cca? from my secondary school days i remember the teacher wasn't around every saturday when we had cca meetings/activities.

are school holidays always burnt and how much protected time is truly protected?

the lack of 'prospects' in terms of money and corporate ladder climbing isn't that huge an issue for me. i'm not the most ambitious or competitive person...i'm just looking for a job where i can find some form of satisfaction/enjoyment and where i get sufficient time outside of work to have a life pursuing my personal interests.

I have a poly classmate who went to uni subsequently and worked in the private sector before going into teaching. He always complained to me about his teaching job. He feels underpaid (when compared to his peers) and unappreciated, long hours, heavy responsibility. He typically start his day at 5.30 am and ends at about 10 pm during week days. Besides teaching and CCA, he has to do planning, set and mark papers when he gets home. Every Saturday is a half day job as well. And the discipline problems from some students and parents' complaints. He missed his days in the private sector but he find it hard to get back in after six years as a teacher.
So you have to honestly ask yourself what you want from teaching. I guess one needs to have a very strong conviction and passion if he wants to choose this path. Bear in mind, there is a 3 year bond to sign and penalty to pay if one breaks the bond, unlike in the private sector when you serve and one month notice and still get paid before you say bye bye. So, thinking carefully...

How much does a assistant teacher get paid at a childcare centre.

My qualifications is a local uni degree, with 2 years working experience.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

I have a poly classmate who went to uni subsequently and worked in the private sector before going into teaching. He always complained to me about his teaching job. He feels underpaid (when compared to his peers) and unappreciated, long hours, heavy responsibility. He typically start his day at 5.30 am and ends at about 10 pm during week days. Besides teaching and CCA, he has to do planning, set and mark papers when he gets home. Every Saturday is a half day job as well. And the discipline problems from some students and parents' complaints. He missed his days in the private sector but he find it hard to get back in after six years as a teacher.
So you have to honestly ask yourself what you want from teaching. I guess one needs to have a very strong conviction and passion if he wants to choose this path. Bear in mind, there is a 3 year bond to sign and penalty to pay if one breaks the bond, unlike in the private sector when you serve and one month notice and still get paid before you say bye bye. So, thinking carefully...

530am to 10pm is insane. you sure that's a typical day? eek.

On weekdays, he wakes up at 5.30 am, be in school by 6.45am, teach until about 2 pm if no remedial lessons else finish lessons around 4 pm. He has to attend school / department /level meetings in the afternoon or meet parents to hear complaints or meet students for counseling. Leave school around 5.30 pm to go home. If go home earlier, will kanna mark unless approved for special reasons. After dinner, he starts marking scripts, then prepare lessons and work sheets for students or set test questions until 10 pm. He told me his principal and HOD are very particular on everything even students' files and especially about the standard of the work sheets and questions and conduct checks on all the teachers. I supposed its KPI. On Saturday, back in school for CCA in the morning. Sometimes he has to bring students to attend activities during weekend afternoon or even evening. On Saturday nights, he marks scripts, prepare lessons and work sheets for next Monday. Only Sunday he gets to rest finally. No wonder he laments that 2 young teachers resigned after the bond is served recently. For him, he is in his 40s, he asked me where can he go. I supposed it also depends on one's luck.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

On weekdays, he wakes up at 5.30 am, be in school by 6.45am, teach until about 2 pm if no remedial lessons else finish lessons around 4 pm. He has to attend school / department /level meetings in the afternoon or meet parents to hear complaints or meet students for counseling. Leave school around 5.30 pm to go home. If go home earlier, will kanna mark unless approved for special reasons. After dinner, he starts marking scripts, then prepare lessons and work sheets for students or set test questions until 10 pm. He told me his principal and HOD are very particular on everything even students' files and especially about the standard of the work sheets and questions and conduct checks on all the teachers. I supposed its KPI. On Saturday, back in school for CCA in the morning. Sometimes he has to bring students to attend activities during weekend afternoon or even evening. On Saturday nights, he marks scripts, prepare lessons and work sheets for next Monday. Only Sunday he gets to rest finally. No wonder he laments that 2 young teachers resigned after the bond is served recently. For him, he is in his 40s, he asked me where can he go. I supposed it also depends on one's luck.

the way u describe,i feel the pace is quite alright. worksheet are quite standard afterall.
test qns also not that frequent and usually can use ten year series or past year papers isnt it. years ago in skool, ive seen teacher marking papers whenever they could during class lessons when they give us some qns to try on. marking papers are pretty standard also. if hes efficient enough, he should be able to finish everything he has on hand in skool by 630 and then go home, rather than bringing his work back home