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typical starting salaries in Taiwan by position
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teacher4life



Joined: 22 Apr 2012
Posts: 121

PostPosted: Tue Nov 27, 2012 12:58 am    Post subject: typical starting salaries in Taiwan by position Reply with quote

buxiban (cram school)- about $600 per hour

private elem/junior/high- about 65,000-70,000 per month

university- about 70,000-75,000 per month but with less working hours

private lessons- about 900 per hour
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creztor



Joined: 30 Dec 2009
Posts: 476

PostPosted: Tue Nov 27, 2012 2:11 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I laughed at the university and private rate. Good luck with that and well done on grossly misleading newcomers, especially since you say "typical" rates.
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teacher4life



Joined: 22 Apr 2012
Posts: 121

PostPosted: Tue Nov 27, 2012 2:46 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

In addition to laughing, how about enlightening us?
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romanworld



Joined: 27 May 2008
Posts: 388

PostPosted: Tue Nov 27, 2012 9:41 am    Post subject: Re: typical starting salaries in Taiwan by position Reply with quote

teacher4life wrote:
university- about 70,000-75,000 per month but with less working hours

private lessons- about 900 per hour


These numbers are way off. University is likely to be around the $NT55, 000 mark if you have a f/t gig and an MA in the area. Most universities now insist you have a Ph.d.(With a Ph.d, your salary would increase to the numbers you quote.) Hours too are increasing and there is the expectation that you will do more for the university. The palmy days are over.

Private lessons range from $500 -$650 mark, unless you're doing something specialized like TOEFL or IELTS, then it may be a little higher.

Bottom line is that salaries suck big time for teachers in Taiwan. Now is definitely the wrong time to enter the business because salaries are being frozen or falling, hours and work loads are increasing, holidays are being cut, and anyway the market is saturated, so there's little hope of landing a job unless you have contacts on the inside. Just recently the media in Taiwan was trumpeting the story about a Taiwanese Ph.d who beat 3,000 applicants in landing a job with Taiwan Railways as a Track Maintenance Worker. "The job pays NT$29,000 (US$988.80) monthly and requires workers to walk 20 kilometers per day to inspect railway tracks." I bet he's wondering if the cost of the Ph.d in terms of money and time were really worth it?

http://focustaiwan.tw/ShowNews/WebNews_Detail.aspx?ID=201210060019&Type=aTOD
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teacher4life



Joined: 22 Apr 2012
Posts: 121

PostPosted: Tue Nov 27, 2012 10:54 pm    Post subject: Re: typical starting salaries in Taiwan by position Reply with quote

romanworld wrote:
teacher4life wrote:
university- about 70,000-75,000 per month but with less working hours

private lessons- about 900 per hour


These numbers are way off. University is likely to be around the $NT55, 000 mark if you have a f/t gig and an MA in the area. Most universities now insist you have a Ph.d.(With a Ph.d, your salary would increase to the numbers you quote.) Hours too are increasing and there is the expectation that you will do more for the university. The palmy days are over.

Private lessons range from $500 -$650 mark, unless you're doing something specialized like TOEFL or IELTS, then it may be a little higher.



Oh my! I teach 10 hours per week of private lessons. Per hour I charge 800 if they come to my location, 1000 if I have to go to their location. I am currently turning people away because I'm too busy! That people respect me because I'm an experienced and reliable teacher is a factor of course.

Uni gigs for only 55,000? You are getting ripped off, everyone else is at least 65,000! Good point that expectations are on the increase though.

Both Taiwan and Korea are going through a major upgrade in quality of teachers. Gone are the days when gothic-dressed 23 year old kids could get hired anywhere!
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creztor



Joined: 30 Dec 2009
Posts: 476

PostPosted: Wed Nov 28, 2012 2:36 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Have to agree with romanworld on this one. Your university and private rates are way off for "normal" going rates.
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teacher4life



Joined: 22 Apr 2012
Posts: 121

PostPosted: Wed Nov 28, 2012 4:18 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

creztor wrote:
Have to agree with romanworld on this one. Your university and private rates are way off for "normal" going rates.


So again, how about some follw-thru? Instead of just disagreeing with me, put up some numbers which you think are more accurate! Thanks in advance!
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Solar Strength



Joined: 12 Jul 2005
Posts: 557
Location: Bangkok, Thailand

PostPosted: Wed Nov 28, 2012 3:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

University salaries at the rank of Lecturer start at about NT $50,000 - NT $55,000. The salary you quote, OP, of NT $70,000 would be for someone at the Assistant Professor Level and who holds a Ph.D. Most foreign TEFL'ers in Taiwan teaching at universities only have M.A. degrees and are employed as Instructors / Lecturers.

Taken from recent job postings by universities in Taiwan:

Quote:
National Tsing Hua University
We welcome applicants with a PhD in western literatures and applied linguistics or TEFL-related disciplines who can bring intellectual flexibility and a commitment to research productivity.

The minimum starting salary for an Assistant Professor is currently NT $68,190 / month (approximately US $2,250 / month).

The salary of the successful candidate will be based on rank and experience, and will also include generous starting funds, a housing allowance, health insurance, and an annual bonus.



Quote:
National Taiwan University
The Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures of National Taiwan University announces one (1) non-tenure track lecturer position in English.

Initial appointment will be made on a one-year basis starting from August 1, 2011. Renewal of contract will be based on availability of funds and upon recommendation by the review committee.

Teaching Load: at least 16 hours of basic language courses Freshman English, Writing, Conversation, and Lab) per week.

Salary and Rank: starting monthly salary for M.A .degree holders is around NT $55,000 / month (approximately US $1833.00; subject to 18% income tax for the first 6 paychecks


Taiwanese universities are quite up front about what salaries they offer, unlike many universities in Japan and Korea where information on salaries is secret up until the a candidate is offered a job.

The pay structure at Taiwanese universities, for MoE stipulated positions, is roughly as follows:

    NT $55, 000 - Lecturer

    NT $68, 000 - Assistant Professor

    NT $78, 000 - Associate Professor

    NT $90, 000 - Professor


These salaries are accurate, give or take a few thousand NT $. There is roughly a NT $10, 000 increase in pay for each academic rank.

Also, anyone with only a master's degree would be appointed as a Lecturer and would not be promotable unless they obtained a doctorate.
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teacher4life



Joined: 22 Apr 2012
Posts: 121

PostPosted: Thu Nov 29, 2012 3:13 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Dig deeper. Plenty of unis offering 70,000-75,000 with only a Masters. Those jobs are there, but they don't advertise on tealit or here.

At least you didn't dispute private lesson rates, so hopefully you aren't being taken to the cleaners like creztor.
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Solar Strength



Joined: 12 Jul 2005
Posts: 557
Location: Bangkok, Thailand

PostPosted: Thu Nov 29, 2012 3:35 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

teacher4life wrote:
Dig deeper. Plenty of unis offering 70,000-75,000 with only a Masters.


I've worked in Taiwanese universities for a number of years, so I'm aware of what MoE licensed instructors' salaries are. The above pay ranges for the ranks of Lecturer to Professor are accurate.

"Plenty" of universities pay M.A. holders NT $70, 000 - NT $75, 000? Not for MoE stipulated positions they don't. Again, you won't find any university paying more than the NT $50, 000 - NT $55, 000 range for Instructor / Lecturer rank.

Again, NT $70, 000 is closer to Assistant Professor salary at Taiwanese universities, not Lecturer. And master's degree holders are not promotable, so they are not appointed to the rank of Assistant Professor.

Now, if what you're talking about are "Project" or "Staff" teaching English teaching positions, which are not MoE stipulated positions, then that may be the case.

But to compare a Project Instructor / Staff Instructor position with a bona fide MoE faculty position is apples and oranges.
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creztor



Joined: 30 Dec 2009
Posts: 476

PostPosted: Thu Nov 29, 2012 5:12 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Keep feeding the new people long lines of BS. You've taught here for how long? There are already two posts from people above confirming what I originally said. Furthermore, evidence was provided showing what universities really offer. Oh, sorry, that's right. These "average starting salary" jobs aren't advertised. Well, then I know for a fact that the starting rate at cram schools is 5,000NT per hour, but these jobs aren't advertised.
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teacher4life



Joined: 22 Apr 2012
Posts: 121

PostPosted: Thu Nov 29, 2012 6:59 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Solar Strength, you clearly overlook that the 50,000-55,000 base pay is just that, BASE PAY. Most instructors are also teaching an additional 4-8 hours per week for extra pay, right there at the same job location. And who cares if it is a MoE stipulated position or not, uni is uni! What do you want to do? Run for office or something?

cretzor, you have lost the plot mate. No more time for you. Laughing
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Solar Strength



Joined: 12 Jul 2005
Posts: 557
Location: Bangkok, Thailand

PostPosted: Thu Nov 29, 2012 7:42 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

teacher4life wrote:
Solar Strength, you clearly overlook that the 50,000-55,000 base pay is just that, BASE PAY. Most instructors are also teaching an additional 4-8 hours per week for extra pay...


teacher4life,

I see. That's helpful in understanding how you calculated the nearly NT $70,000 salary for Lecturers.

Universities and the Ministry of Education regulate how many hours of O.T. a teacher can teach at the Lecturer level. The maximum number of hours one can teach may be limited to only 2 hours at an instructor's home school to a max. of 4 hours. The 4-hour limitation on O.T. also applies to any part-time classes an instructor may teach at other universities.

Also, I know teachers who have had their O.T. privileges taken away because they had not pursued a doctorate after x number of years as a faculty level instructor. So these instructors could not earn any overtime, event though they wanted it.

MoE stipulated faculty positions are night and day different compared to the contract Staff or Special Project Instructors. The salaries, number of contact hours, vacation, social benefits, and duties and responsibilities are so different that it's not even worth comparing.
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teacher4life



Joined: 22 Apr 2012
Posts: 121

PostPosted: Thu Nov 29, 2012 1:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Solar Strength wrote:


MoE stipulated faculty positions are night and day different compared to the contract Staff or Special Project Instructors. The salaries, number of contact hours, vacation, social benefits, and duties and responsibilities are so different that it's not even worth comparing.


Thanks for identifying this difference. Yes, benefits can still amount to a lot, especially in the case of paid or unpaid summer breaks!

I think a lot of us would be interested in learning of the rest of the differences. Also, in your experience, are the o.t. regulations strictly adhered to or are they commonly skirted around?

I very much appreciate your contributions to the thread, please keep them coming!
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Solar Strength



Joined: 12 Jul 2005
Posts: 557
Location: Bangkok, Thailand

PostPosted: Thu Nov 29, 2012 2:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

When I first started teaching at universities, if the overtime you taught was at your own school, many schools would allow instructors to teach as many overtime classes as they wanted, provided that the classes were available. However, universities were generally firm on only allowing their instructors to teach no more than 4 hours of part-time classes at other universities or government agencies. That's also because these jobs are strictly regulated by the Ministry of Education, which tells universities how many hours per-week a Lecturer (10 hours per-week), Assistant Professor and Associate Professor (9 hours per-week), and Professor (8 hours per-week) should teach.

Later, many universities started to limit the number of overtime hours that instructors were working at their home universities. The minimum number of hours for a Lecturer was 10 hours. And one of the universities where I taught would only allow instructors to teach 2 hours of overtime classes, for a total of 12 hours per-week. And, as mentioned previously, those senior Lecturers who had been on faculty for years but made no attempt to pursue a doctoral degree had their overtime privileges taken away. They were simply prohibited from teaching any overtime.

One American Lecturer I worked with had to obtain special permission from her home university to teach an additional 30 minutes above the 4 hour limit for 2 part-time classes at another university. Without that permission, the university offering her the part-time classes would not allow her to teach those classes.

Years ago, when I first started teaching at universities things were fast and loose in terms of universities following the rules. In fact, I arrived at a time when Associate Professorships and Professorships were being sold for ~ NT $500, 000 and up, depending on the department. There was a lot of crazy stuff going on in Taiwanese universities, especially the private schools. I've even heard of Chair positions being auctioned off to the highest bidders, also .

Things have tightened up a lot in the last 5 - 7 years, particularly at national universities. The private universities still do a lot of sketchy stuff mainly because they can get away with a lot more than national universities can.


Last edited by Solar Strength on Fri Nov 30, 2012 12:31 am; edited 1 time in total
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