A new class on Monday, and nobody to teach it
Numbers at intermediate went up this week, so on Friday the director of studies opens a new class. It needs a teacher for fifteen hours, a room big enough for twelve, and ideally someone who has taught that coursebook before. One freelance teacher might be free. Another has only told you her availability by text. The IELTS teacher is off next week, which you remember at 6pm.
The timetable goes up on Monday with two changes in pen. Teachers find out their classes when they arrive, and the hours they will be paid for this week are in a separate spreadsheet that does not match.
What makes the teaching timetable move
- The number of classes follows bookings, which change weekly.
- Freelance and part-time teachers have availability that changes too.
- Some classes need a particular qualification or experience, such as exam preparation.
- Rooms have sizes and some have equipment the class needs.
- Continuity matters: students prefer their teacher not to change every week.
- Absence and cover are decided at short notice.
The director of studies juggles all of these in a spreadsheet, usually on the same Friday afternoon as the class plan.
The knock-on costs
Teachers told late cannot prepare, and freelance teachers told late take other work. Students notice when their teacher changes every week for no reason. A class in a room too small is uncomfortable for everyone. And if teaching hours are recorded separately from the timetable, payroll for part-time and freelance teachers is checked by hand and queried.
The timetable planner we build
- Next week's classes come straight from the class plan, with their level, course type and hours.
- Each teacher has a profile: contracted hours or freelance, availability by day and session, courses they can teach and any notes about continuity.
- Teachers update their own availability through a simple form, so it is not collected by text message.
- The planner proposes a timetable that keeps teachers with their current classes where possible, respects availability and qualifications, and fits classes into rooms of the right size.
- Gaps are shown clearly: a class with no available teacher, or a room clash, so the director of studies can decide.
- Once published, teachers see their week on their phone, and changes after publishing send them a message.
- Absence and cover are logged against the timetable, and the hours actually taught feed your payroll or freelancer invoices.
| Constraint | How it is handled |
|---|---|
| Teacher availability | From the teacher's own form |
| Course qualification | Only matching teachers proposed |
| Room size | Checked against class numbers |
| Continuity | Current teacher kept where possible |
| Absence | Cover suggested from available teachers |
A timetable teachers can plan around
Teachers know their classes before the weekend and can prepare. Students keep their teacher from week to week unless there is a reason to change. The director of studies spends time on the handful of decisions that need judgement, and payroll is based on the hours that were actually taught, including cover.
Take a normal Monday with a teacher off sick. The director of studies marks the absence at 7.30, the planner lists the teachers who are free that morning and can teach that level, and the chosen teacher gets a message with the class, the room and the unit the class is on. The absent teacher's students see the change on the class list, and the cover hours are already recorded for payroll. Nobody has to redraw the staffroom timetable in pen.
It also helps the conversation about hiring. When the planner shows that intermediate classes will need another teacher for the next six weeks of bookings, the decision to bring in a freelancer is made early, while good freelancers are still free.
Does your timetable week look like this?
- The teaching timetable is rebuilt every Friday.
- Teacher availability arrives by text and email.
- Classes have been put in rooms too small for them.
- Teachers learn their classes on Monday morning.
- Hours for payroll are counted separately from the timetable.