* School district/country: Contractual obligations differ significantly.
* Grade level: Elementary teachers might have more non-teaching duties (like classroom management and paperwork related to younger students).
* School type: Private schools might have different expectations than public schools.
* Extracurricular activities: Coaching, club advising, and other volunteer activities add many hours.
* Individual teacher's workload: Some teachers are more efficient or have more support staff, affecting their time commitment.
While the *contracted* hours might be around 35-40 hours per week (depending on the location and contract), the *actual* hours worked often significantly exceed this, including lesson planning, grading, parent communication, professional development, and other tasks done outside of the school day. Many teachers work 50-60 hours a week, or even more, during busy periods. Therefore, a monthly estimate could range from 140 to 240+ hours, with a wide variation based on the factors listed above.