Decision time again

I woke up at 4.30am today to a Jetstar dream.

I dreamt that my family and I were in a Jetstar plane, setting off to a place not mentioned in the dream. We were at the pre-ascending stage and we were all suffering from the jitters of the hold-tight-sit-tight syndrome. And the dream was just about that: preparing for the moment when the plane was ascending.

Perhaps it has to do with my search on the net for a nice trip, although I keep telling others I am not going anywhere.

I don't particularly enjoy travelling. I am not like some people who are absolutely passionate about travelling. It's more of the desire to have a break from the stifling working environment. Unlike most people, we don't get to snag cheap travel deals during the non-peak seasons. We can only travel during the peak seasons ie. school holidays. Other than that, we can forget about going anywhere when December ends, and we are locked in this small island of Singapore for at least another six months.

Ever since I was threatened with the dooms day grade a couple of months ago, I have been trying to check out what else I can do if I ever lose my job.

I have been travelling to the other end of the island to conduct tuition classes once a week. I am actually quite doubtful that I would be able to cope with them when school reopens.

I keep asking myself if this is what I really want to do as an alternative to my current job.

Pros of teaching in a tuition centre:

1) Materials are provided.
Plus: Do not need to churn out lesson plans and worksheets

2) Delivery of teaching is lecture style
Plus: Do not need to put up dramas and shows to 'engage learners' or for lesson observation's sake

3) No lesson observation
Plus: No silly stress over a wayang session

4) No work review

5) No ranking

6) No admin duties

Cons:

1) Pay is without CPF

2) Pay is unstable

If the day falls on a public holiday, the centre is closed and you don't get paid for lessons not conducted.

3) Pay is lower
It goes by payment for per class conducted. Tuition centres mostly start at 4pm and end at 10pm on weekdays and on weekends, start at 10am and end at 10pm. There are other teachers in the centre as well, so you won't get to monopolise the whole centre. Besides, you will be pooped by the time the 3rd session ends.

My current pay is not very high. If I am just receiving a monthly pay, then quitting the job and going on to become a permanent relief teacher is better. It's the bonuses that bump up the figure on the paycheck. Being a relief does not entitle you to any bonus. Without the bonuses, even the job's stability is not worth it. Like I said in one of my recent posts, it is not as stable as most people think.

I would like to try out group tuition on my own, but if I engage myself in all three: teaching in school, teaching at a tuition centre and conducting group tuition, I won't have time for Coco or Baby next year, not at least for the first half of the year. And next year is a crucial year for Coco. She is going on to Primary Five next year. The big Five. As a teacher, I feel that Primary Five is the 'make or break' year, because all of a sudden, the subject contents become very difficult. A huge jump from the cosy rosy P4.

Part of the reason I am seeking out alternative employment is to prepare myself for Coco's crucial years ie. P5 and 6. I want to spend more time with her to help her be consistent with doing and revising her work. Her results are not stellar and I feel that it is because she is not grounded with a consistent working schedule. She does work as and when she likes, and sometimes, when there is a need to. She spends more time relaxing than doing work. Her T-score calculated by the school, according to the cohort, is only 204. That is very worrying.

The secondary school Coco and I are eyeing requires an entry point of 250. She certainly needs to work much harder than what she has been doing. I know I won't be able to ensure that if I continue to work at the same rate that I am doing now.

If I wish to continue in my current employment, I will need to take no-pay leave for a year or so. That would mean that I can't do relief teaching and sole income will depend on what I can get from conducting classes at my private time.

If I want to do relief teaching in order to earn a decent monthly pay, I will need to resign from the job for good. That will mean no bonus for ever and ever.

Whatever decision I make, it will have impact on my income. I will need to weigh the pros and cons really carefully before taking the plunge.