An international with job-sharing arrangement for a class teacher

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bbbccc

Registered User
Hi all,

Just want to get some general feedback here.

How would you feel if the Principal of the international school which your kid is currently going to sends you a letter saying that for next year, the class in which your kid will be attending, will be taught by two teachers in a job-sharing arrangement? Mind you, no reason was given as to why or whether these teachers have had the relevant job-sharing experience. I have also been told that international schools can hire any teachers they want, whether part-time, full-time or on casual basis. Is that really the case? Us, parents, have no say in it whatsoever?

What was so annoying was that parents were given that letter just 5 days before the end of the school year. Some parents immediately asked for a transfer to another class, others were not so fortunate.

Any similar experiences?
 
The international school where I teach routinely changes teachers with little notice to parents. At times classes are taught by 1 teacher but usually 2 teachers share the job. If a teacher is fired/promoted/moved/etc you will sometimes get notified several days after the change takes place. Ideally, the school will ensure that the teachers have experience with job-sharing or receive training prior to performing the job.
 
bbbccc said:
I have also been told that international schools can hire any teachers they want, whether part-time, full-time or on casual basis. Is that really the case? Us, parents, have no say in it whatsoever?.........Some parents immediately asked for a transfer to another class, others were not so fortunate.
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I'm not aware of any school system (private or public) in any country where parents have a say in hiring, firing, job sharing decisions of a classroom. You can certainly express your feelings thru various methods (PTA etc) but why would you expect to have a say? Have you heard of such a thing in other school systems?
 
I personally have not came across where the class teacher is working on a part-time or job sharing basis. In a local school, formal approval from the Education Bureau is required for job sharing, so the parents do know which teacher is a "part-timer".
 
I would not have a problem with it, assuming they do what they're supposed to be doing and communicate with each other (plus the class and parents) accordingly.
 
I personally would think it's great. It demonstrates that the school cares about it's employees and is willing to be flexible. Also I think that by job sharing, you get the best of both teachers. They may be less likely to burn out - and they may have more time and energy to focus on the class. Plus your child has an opportunity to learn from two different styles of teaching. I also think it's great that they let you know in advance - they have no obligation to do so.

All the best, and I hope it works out well!
 
I agree with nicolejoy. My daughter attended a job sharing class this year. I think she really benefited from the arrangement. The teachers worked really well together and were excellent at communicating.
It was great to see my daughter develop an individual relationship with each teacher.
 
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