the contract

Because we didn't actually didn't get our contracts until the very end of the 1st partial, 9 weeks into school, I thought that maybe we wouldn't have one. Not that I minded, really. But, to make things "official", we were asked to sign a contract. Some of the things were obvious, and some just related to business. Really, we have been told, this is just a formality.


I think that this is kind of interesting to look at. I'm not going to copy the contract word for word, just give the general idea. The contract was broken down by points, so I will do the same.

1. Position (For us, it's math/English and health/science teacher.)

2. We are expected to attend school 5 days a week, with a normal work day starting at 6:45am and ending at 3pm. Attendance will reflect strongly upon the teachers conduct. (We arrive most days at 6:55am and leave between 2 and 2:30pm. We are trying to stay the whole day, but classes for us usually end at noon, and we get bored. They have not said anything about our attendance thus far.)

3. Any absence longer than one class period requires notice

4. Employee must be in the institution, even for recess and lunch

5. Any requests for time off longer than one day must be submitted in writing at least 2 weeks before departure. (We did not do this for the trip we're taking to renew our visa, probably because we have been talking about it for over a month with them.)

6. Employee is entitled to 6 consecutive days of paid sick leave.

7. Five days or more of absence without forewarning may result in termination.

8. Employee is entitled to 12 days off in the month of December in addition to the national holidays

9. If the employee does not fulfill the entire period of employment, employer may debt the employee the remainder of the year's salary

10. Must abide by all school rules and national laws

11. Salary is for 10 months, not 12 months, because that's how many months we work

12. Pay is on the last day of the month; if the last day of the month is on a weekend, you get it on the last Friday of the month

13. Bonuses: you get two bonuses, one in December and one in June. These are calculated by taking your salary to date, dividing it by 12 then multiplying that number by the number of months worked

14. Employer shall provide all necessary school materials (books, notebooks, markers, pens, etc)

15. Employee shall not engage in other activities or work that interferes with school

16. After signing the contract, you are legally bound to not start another school within 100 km for 5 years

17. Contract may be canceled or changed for the above reasons or for another reason beyond the school's control (natural disaster, financial problems, etc).


I'm not sure, but it sounds like a pretty standard contract. On number 12, it gave us the amount we would receive each month as salary. This number is calculated from a formula of which grades your teaching and how many hours/classes you teach. Primary teachers get more money than secondary. Not sure why.

If my math is correct, this is the break down:
Primary teachers get about 98 lempiras per class
Secondary teachers get about 65 lempiras per class
And I honestly don't know how much the teachers in preschool, pre-kindergarten, kindergarten make.


Hope that was informational, if not a bit interesting.
If not, I completely understand. It's just a contract.