Thanks Eska!
Interresting you mention on how things changed the past 10 years.
I guess that's part of the problem.
12 plus years ago I used to teach flexitime at a private College in South
Africa and received about R120 per month. (Those days they only had flexi lecturers)
I was long in the corporate world since and came back to academics now,
And finds that if I convert my lecturers salaries which is fixed to
A rate per hour lecturing it comes down to between R37 to R49 per hour.
Its like in 12 years, with inflation of about 5-10% per year, the rate per hour,
Instead of going up, have more than halved.
And where way back I was only expected to prepare for lectures and to lecture,
These ones reporting to me are loaded with many other responsibilities as well.

I suppose that is why in my mind it all looks so very very distorted.

That was very helpful, thanks.

You are correct. It is a private college.

However, research are required as well.

I guess, when the focus of an organization becomes strong
Bottom line orientated, the tendency will lean towards
Paying the minimum for expenses of any kind, and pushing
workload, taking
the most profit home at the end of the day.

When one walks into such, with a heart for people it
Becomes disturbing.
It may not be upsetting to others, for whom it is purely about
profitability.

Thanks to everybody who participated on here and gave their inputs.

I guess I have to accept there is no norm.

But there is a norm of 45 working hours per week.

Something needs to give if one pushes lecturing hours to high - either
Research, or preparation time (affecting quality in some cases), or consulting
Hours with students.

(As for the money issue, it is low, but I realize one can not compare apples
With pears (different currencies). If a lecturer gets paid per lecturing hour, working flexitime, many hours
Would be their own choice. That would make it different however.)

I am typing from my blackberry.
Sorry.
I need to press the enter button from time to time as the text starts to disappear
And then it opens with a caps.
Please look past that and give me some advise.
Thanks

Please help

I started one month ago as a head of a department for one branch in
college in south africa.

I have many post graduate lecturers reporting to me.
Of which one is currently doing Phd.

I was so shocked however that they expect me from Head Office to
Allocate 32 lecturing hours per week (contact periods) per week to
These lecturers as a norm and that I have to justify and give extensive
Explamations if I go as low as 25 lecturing hours per week.

On top of that they need to councel students, prepare for lectures,
Do research, study further, mark, set up and type their own tests,
Do a new lecturer file each year, submit new suggested case studies to
Head office and be ready to come in saturdays to help out for example
The admin department if work there is behind.
They need to push students to pay fees, and may never be found to
Read anything from a textbook, they need to be exceptionally well
Prepared for every class.
They need to oversea students from last year who are placed in jobs to give
A report on their progress.

This they all have to do while some of them are paid as little as 500 USD
per month.
You heard me right.
Somebody with PHD may go up to 1000 or even 1500 USD per month.

And because there is a shortage of jobs currently, people take it.
What can they say?

I am a woman of honour and wants to take this further.
But I need your help please.

Give me some facts please as I raise a plea on behalf of these
Precious lecturers of mine to the CEO.

What is world wide norms?

The CEO believes people are just pure lazy if they don't want
To put in based on his expectation.
He argues that it always worked for them just fine like this,
And why am I having a problem.

I am deeply disturbed, but the only comparison they are staring at
It seems is at other south african colleges which are also taking
Advantage of the situation in South Africa.

Are you also as shocked as me? Help me please with some facts
Or suggestions how to approach it.
I need to motivat strongly for more staff