Teaching hours are the time allocated to lessons. They do not, by themselves, describe your complete working week. Ask separately about lesson preparation, assessment, meetings, training, parent communication and required attendance.
You also need to know what the employer means by an “hour.” A timetable measured in lesson periods may not be using 60-minute units.
Convert lesson periods before comparing them
If an illustrative timetable contains 24 lessons of 45 minutes each, that is 1,080 minutes, or 18 clock hours of classroom time. It is not 24 clock hours.
Ask whether breaks between lessons count as required attendance, whether lessons run consecutively and whether the advertised number is typical or a maximum. A conversion alone does not tell you the full commitment.
Ask for a complete sample week
Request start and finish times for each day, not just a weekly total. Then mark what happens within those windows.
| Part of the week | Question to resolve |
|---|---|
| Lessons | How long is a lesson, and how many are scheduled? |
| Preparation | Is preparation time provided within required attendance? |
| Assessment and records | What marking, reports or progress notes are expected? |
| Meetings and training | How often, and within which working hours? |
| Breaks | Can you leave, or must you remain available? |
| Other duties | Are demonstrations, events or parent conversations included? |
| Changes | How do peak periods, cover lessons and timetable changes work? |
Avoid adding the same time twice. If eight hours of preparation are already inside a stated attendance window, they should not be added again to that window.
What can the same total look like?
Consider two fictional days with five hours of required work. One runs from 1 pm to 6 pm. The other includes a morning block and an evening block with a long gap. The working total may be the same, but the second day occupies a much wider span.
That difference matters when choosing housing, arranging study or planning time with friends. Compare the shape of the week and your commute alongside the total.
Do small classes mean less preparation?
Do not assume that they do. Ask how many levels you teach, whether lesson plans can be reused, how much differentiation is expected and what resources are supplied. A small group can still require careful planning and individual feedback.
During an interview, request an example lesson plan and ask how a new teacher's preparation is supported.
What should be clear before you accept?
You should be able to describe your normal days, required presence, teaching load, non-teaching duties and how additional work is handled. If the timetable is still provisional, establish what can change and when you will receive it.
Use those answers with the offer comparison guide. For a Flying English vacancy, check the advertised role and request the full schedule from the recruitment team.