I think there's more to the story. I've heard the Saudi's cap the number of people who can go every year, so you don't typically get to go whenever you feel like. Potentially she had been waiting a while and took her opportunity to go once it came up.
They are rapidly expanding the accommodations at Mecca, look at this bad-boy they are building right now:
For any teachers, how does it work in Canada if you want to take a 3 week vacation during the school year?
I had assumed one of the drawbacks of being a teacher is you had to take vacation time when the kids took it. So no last minute trips to the Caribbean but the job makes up for it with 8 weeks of vacation durring the summer instead of 3-4 as in the private sector.
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Rudy was the only hope in 08
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For any teachers, how does it work in Canada if you want to take a 3 week vacation during the school year?
I had assumed one of the drawbacks of being a teacher is you had to take vacation time when the kids took it. So no last minute trips to the Caribbean but the job makes up for it with 8 weeks of vacation during the summer instead of 3-4 as in the private sector.
Vacation in the private sector starts at two weeks for your first five years after you put in your first full year (by law, I know some jobs offer more vacation time). When I graduated university in 2000 I didn't have much leverage in my field to negotiate anything better and worked for five years with just two weeks off each year, and I had to work 12 months before I was eligible for my first day off. Teachers get more time off than that in their first year. It's a gravy job. Reasonable pay, three months off/year, short days.
Teachers can swing even more time off if they want. I know a teacher in Calgary who works four years at 80% pay, then takes the fifth year off also at 80% pay. On top of the three months/year she already gets off.
Teachers in Calgary can also take time off during the year whenever they want as long as they pay a sub to cover their day. I'd be curious to know what that nets out to for them to take a day off.
For any teachers, how does it work in Canada if you want to take a 3 week vacation during the school year?
I had assumed one of the drawbacks of being a teacher is you had to take vacation time when the kids took it. So no last minute trips to the Caribbean but the job makes up for it with 8 weeks of vacation durring the summer instead of 3-4 as in the private sector.
My wife's a teacher, and couldn't just take a 3 week vacation during the school year. She get's 1 discretionary day a year, and if she doesn't use it she can take 2 the next year (but never more than 2 days in a year). To use them she has to get permission and also has to pay for the substitute out of her own pocket. There are provisions for a leave of absence for health-related issues or for death/illness in the family, but I'm not aware of any provisions that would allow someone to take a leave of absence for a trip or religious reasons.
In my opinion the rules about time off for teachers are pretty clear (at least here, but I'm presuming where this woman teaches too). If you can't live with those rules, you shouldn't take the job. The nature of the position is that you have to teach when the students are in school, so vacation time cannot be flexible.
Vacation in the private sector starts at two weeks for your first five years after you put in your first full year (by law, I know some jobs offer more vacation time). When I graduated university in 2000 I didn't have much leverage in my field to negotiate anything better and worked for five years with just two weeks off each year, and I had to work 12 months before I was eligible for my first day off. Teachers get more time off than that in their first year. It's a gravy job. Reasonable pay, three months off/year, short days.
Teachers can swing even more time off if they want. I know a teacher in Calgary who works four years at 80% pay, then takes the fifth year off also at 80% pay. On top of the three months/year she already gets off.
Teachers in Calgary can also take time off during the year whenever they want as long as they pay a sub to cover their day. I'd be curious to know what that nets out to for them to take a day off.
So the teacher pays the sub - thats weird? I would have assumed the sub requires a higher wage as they are essentially a contract worker.
I assumed it just wasnt allowed to take time off durring the school year (other than death in family/injury etc)
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MYK - Supports Arizona to democtratically pass laws for the state of Arizona
Rudy was the only hope in 08
2011 Election: Cons 40% - Nanos 38% Ekos 34%
So the teacher pays the sub - thats weird? I would have assumed the sub requires a higher wage as they are essentially a contract worker.
I assumed it just wasnt allowed to take time off durring the school year (other than death in family/injury etc)
Yes, the teacher pays the sub, which I believe is at a higher wage, and also (rightly) doesn't get paid for those days, so the costs can add up pretty quickly if you want to take time off. I agree with that policy - taxpayers shouldn't have to pay the costs for a teacher to take extra time off beyond what they are entitled to.
So the teacher pays the sub - thats weird? I would have assumed the sub requires a higher wage as they are essentially a contract worker.
I assumed it just wasnt allowed to take time off durring the school year (other than death in family/injury etc)
The sub may require a higher wage, I'm not sure.
The only reason I know this is one of my teacher friends was in Hawaii over Christmas. It was cheaper for her to stay there an extra couple of days to get a flight out in non-peak season and pay a sub than it was for her to buy her return flight at peak rates and go back to work when the kids came back. So in that case the sub cost her something, but not as much as the difference in airfare.
Maybe a teacher can clear this up for us. I think bcb on this board is one.
Yes, the teacher pays the sub, which I believe is at a higher wage, and also (rightly) doesn't get paid for those days, so the costs can add up pretty quickly if you want to take time off. I agree with that policy - taxpayers shouldn't have to pay the costs for a teacher to take extra time off beyond what they are entitled to.
You sure about that? They're on salary so it would make more sense if they got paid like normal, then paid the sub from their own money.
If it worked the way you're suggesting, the school board wouldn't have to pay anything for the educator that day as the teacher taking the time off wouldn't be paid by the school board and the teacher taking the time off would also be paying the sub out of their own money.
The only money the teacher is actually out (from my understanding) is the difference between their daily wage and the wage they pay the sub. I bet it's not that much.
My wife is a teacher and while she gets much more vacation than I do, I wouldn't trade with her. Sure 8 weeks in summer absolutely rocks, but taking any time off during the other 10 months of the year is such a pain in the ass that it isn't worth it.
My wife has been incredibly sick, but it's actually more time and cost effective to just teach instead of pay for a sub and draw up a sub plan. You can make it a movie day for the sub, but then you fall behind on a schedule that's already impossible to cover to begin with.
In response to the original question, I'd have to say taking 3-5 days off in the school year would be almost impossible let alone an entire month. If traveling to Mecca was that important to this person than teaching isn't the occupation for them.
You sure about that? They're on salary so it would make more sense if they got paid like normal, then paid the sub from their own money.
If it worked the way you're suggesting, the school board wouldn't have to pay anything for the educator that day as the teacher taking the time off wouldn't be paid by the school board and the teacher taking the time off would also be paying the sub out of their own money.
The only money the teacher is actually out (from my understanding) is the difference between their daily wage and the wage they pay the sub. I bet it's not that much.
I could be wrong about the teacher not being paid part - my wife hasn't used one of these days in a few years (I guess if the teacher wasn't being paid either the board would encourage teachers to take extra days off to save money). It still works out to a loss of money for the day once they pay for the sub, though probably a more manageable loss.
