Office Hours
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Everything You Need to Know
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Are you planning to take advantage of PAID office hours? You should! It's real $$$ in your pocket! As of Fall '24, we're eligible to offer up to 16 office hours per semester for every 20% of instructional load (FTE). That's FULL PARITY with our FT colleagues!
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What's the Process?
It's THREE simple steps:
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Calculate how many hours you're eligible to offer.
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In your syllabus, include the hours and location(s) you plan to meet.
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Submit your hours to HR by the end-of-semester deadline (5/28 for Spring '25).
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1. How Do I Calculate My Hours?
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This is the BEST WAY:
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Use your Hourly Assignment Notice (HAN) to add up the FTE of your instructional assignments. Here's an example HAN.
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Multiply your FTE by 0.8 to get the hours you're eligible to offer (FTE x 0.8 = Hours).
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Examples:
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FTE of 20%? Multiply 20 by 0.8 to get 16 hours (20 x 0.8 = 16).
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FTE of 46.67%? Multiply 46.67 by 0.8 to get 37.3 hours (46.67 x 0.8 = 37.3).
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Alternatively... IF (AND ONLY IF) you have a "typical" assignment (where 1 FTE = 15 units (CR) or 1 FTE = 20 hours (NC)), you can skip the math and use one of the quick & dirty charts:
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2. What Do I Put in My Syllabus?
Include the hours, locations, and modalities in which you plan to meet.
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3. How Do I Submit My Hours?
After you've held your hours, likely near the end of the semester, submit your hours on HR's Office Hours page.
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NOTE: Currently, the only confirmation you'll get is a generic webpage saying you've submitted your hours. There's no email detailing what you actually submitted. I highly recommend you take a SCREENSHOT before you click Submit. Even better, shoot a short VIDEO of your submission, so you have a record of what you actually submitted. HR has indicated they'd eventually like to have a receipt automatically emailed to us when we submit. Until then, CYA!
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What Else Should I Know (FAQ)?
Do I need to include the hours in my syllabus?
YES. HR is verifying!
Where can I hold my office hours?
Bottom line: Wherever/however it best meets the needs of your students. That said, the contract says that, ideally, you should meet in the same modality as the class—in person if your class is in person, online if your class is online.
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When should I submit my hours?
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By the end-of-semester deadline—Wednesday, 5/28 for Spring '25.
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When will I be paid?
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In the following month's pay warrant—that's in June for Spring '25.
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If I submit my hours earlier, is it possible to get paid earlier?
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Afraid not. That said, we look forward to the day when we're paid automatically on an ongoing basis!
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Will that later pay date affect my unemployment?
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Not at all. It's when you worked, not when you were paid, that the EDD cares about.
Do I have to offer office hours?
Nope, it's absolutely voluntary. But if you're thinking about skipping it, I'd say take a moment to reconsider. Office hours are where we get to meet our students in ways that we can't in the classroom—namely, exactly where they're at. And after all our hard work prepping/teaching/grading, is there any better (and easier!) way to get paid?
Do I have to offer so many hours?
Nope. Offering office hours is completely voluntary. How many you offer, or if you offer them at all, is entirely up to you.
I don't have an office. Where can I meet my students in person?
Check with your department ADA to find out if your department has space set aside. Or check out the PT Faculty Workroom in NS-153. In the meantime, we'll continue to negotiate for greater access to office space.
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Can I get paid for office hours for classes during Summer or Intersession?
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Afraid not. And this is true for our FT colleagues, too. Needless to say, if office hours are vital in the Spring and Fall, they don't suddenly stop being vital in the Summer or Intercession. We'll continue working to get them.
Will we always be able to offer so many hours?
That's our intent. The MOU we signed with the district is currently just for this academic year (F24/S25). Assuming continued funding from the state, we expect to get the agreement in the contract (CBA). Until that happens for sure, take advantage while you can!
Wait, how much is the pay?
Office hours are paid at your Non-Instructional rate. See the salary schedules on the HR webpage. It's basically a dollar less than your Instructional rate. At an average rate of $95/hour, 16 hours works out to about $1,500. That's a 30% bump over your classroom pay alone. Could you use a 30% raise? If you're teaching three 3-unit classes, that's $4,500. Could you use a $4,500 raise?
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Fun fact:
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PT faculty held approximately 10,000 hours of office hours in the fall. Don't miss out! Get paid!
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Fun fact #2:
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In 2009, the absolute most a PT faculty member could earn from office hours was $135. In 2017 it was $405. Today it's $6,353.
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Questions?
Contact Will Dalrymple, PFF Co-President (PT)
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