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Advice Needed! Teaching University Students or Adults

 
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MATTDBOSTONJD



Joined: 03 Jun 2014
Posts: 13

PostPosted: Thu Jun 05, 2014 5:10 pm    Post subject: Advice Needed! Teaching University Students or Adults Reply with quote

Hi There-

I am interested in working with either University students or adults. Would be willing to work a few hours a week with children. I would like to work a fairly typical 9-5 PM weekday schedule with weekends off. Perhaps working some nights and just one weekend day. I would like to have 2 days off in a row.

I am finding jobs that typically are split shifts during the week- 6 A.M- 9.AM and the 6 PM to 9 PM and working weekends. I do not want to work these hours.

Do you know of any employers that would meet my criteria?
Would prefer to work in Taipei. Thanks for the advice!

Thanks-Matt
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Ferfichkin



Joined: 07 Jul 2005
Posts: 140

PostPosted: Fri Jun 06, 2014 12:37 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Basically, no employer meets your criteria. Adults are at work/school from 9-5.
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MATTDBOSTONJD



Joined: 03 Jun 2014
Posts: 13

PostPosted: Fri Jun 06, 2014 7:17 pm    Post subject: Thanks for the feedback Reply with quote

Any thoughts on University work?

Thanks-matt
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Ferfichkin



Joined: 07 Jul 2005
Posts: 140

PostPosted: Sat Jun 07, 2014 12:52 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

What is your educational background? They are mostly looking for people with a PhD, or at the very least a Masters in TESOL, etc...
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MATTDBOSTONJD



Joined: 03 Jun 2014
Posts: 13

PostPosted: Sat Jun 07, 2014 12:57 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ferfichkin wrote:
What is your educational background? They are mostly looking for people with a PhD, or at the very least a Masters in TESOL, etc...


Thank you for the response. Here is a synopsis


B.A. in History
Some graduate work but not a masters
U.S. Citizen
Currently residing in the U.S.
Looking for a Sept 2014 start date
Early 40's
This would be a second career-long career in business
No TEFL Certificate (Would be Willing To Get One)
Looking at Japan (Tokyo Location) and Taiwan (Taipei Location)
Some volunteer teaching experience but no ESL teaching
Lengthy training background in varying business environments
Would like to primarily teach adults-part of day teaching children is O.K.
Reasonable schedule that doesn't have split shifts with lots of hours in between, 1 weekend day off, 2 days off in a row, prefer working days but willing to work evenings
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Ferfichkin



Joined: 07 Jul 2005
Posts: 140

PostPosted: Sat Jun 07, 2014 1:30 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The English teaching scene in Taiwan is not what it once was, and there has never really been a big market for adult classes. If you want that, Tokyo would definitely be a better bet.

You need to be realistic. Taiwan is a tough market right now, and 99% of the jobs are teaching children. I know you don't like the idea of teaching evenings or weekends. There's just one problem; that's when most adults are available. I taught adults for four years in Taiwan, and 100% of my classes were in the evening or on Saturday.

My advice is to find a job teaching kids in the late afternoon and a job teaching adults in the evening. Then you'd likely only have a one or two hour break in between classes. There's also a very good chance that one or both schools will ask you to take a Saturday class as well. Two days off in a row is a pretty sweet gig in Taiwan. Don't count on it.
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Spelunker



Joined: 03 Nov 2013
Posts: 392

PostPosted: Sat Jun 07, 2014 3:10 am    Post subject: re: state of play in Taiwan Reply with quote

Ferkin, thanks for your honest and no holds barred take on the state of play on the teaching field in Taiwan.

To be honest, I think I will give it a miss now mate Confused I DETEST teaching kids and would only want to teach a class of all female students in their early 20s. So for me a college or university is the way to go, and I can find that in China with less stress and still improve my mandarin. I think I will tough it out in HK for now. I would only go to Taiwan if a school is offering to pay for all my flights there and put me up in a 4 star hotel until they provide an apartment and I don't have to teach more than 18 classes a week and get round trip airfare every year. Yes it sounds like I have an "entitlement mentality" but everyone is different, and everyone is entitled to their own preferences and ways of doing things, different as they may be from the herd. Add in the big huntsman spiders, and the cost of flying there, which I would want covered BEFORE I go, and I think it will be fine for others but not for me.....plenty of tutoring work to be picked up in HK and China and Macau is a hop and a skip away.

Good luck to you and all other teachers in taiwan anyway,whatever you are teaching, your post has helped me and influenced me in my decision.

Cheers, and my last post on taiwan boards, climbs down ladder, lid clunks into place.... Twisted Evil Razz Smile
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MATTDBOSTONJD



Joined: 03 Jun 2014
Posts: 13

PostPosted: Sat Jun 07, 2014 3:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ferfichkin wrote:
The English teaching scene in Taiwan is not what it once was, and there has never really been a big market for adult classes. If you want that, Tokyo would definitely be a better bet.

You need to be realistic. Taiwan is a tough market right now, and 99% of the jobs are teaching children. I know you don't like the idea of teaching evenings or weekends. There's just one problem; that's when most adults are available. I taught adults for four years in Taiwan, and 100% of my classes were in the evening or on Saturday.

My advice is to find a job teaching kids in the late afternoon and a job teaching adults in the evening. Then you'd likely only have a one or two hour break in between classes. There's also a very good chance that one or both schools will ask you to take a Saturday class as well. Two days off in a row is a pretty sweet gig in Taiwan. Don't count on it.


Thank you very much for such a detailed response. Would you have some companies that I should investigate- reasonable pay, reputable, etc..

Cheers-Matt
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Ferfichkin



Joined: 07 Jul 2005
Posts: 140

PostPosted: Sat Jun 07, 2014 4:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Off the top of my head, some of the larger adult chains in Taiwan are Kojen, David's, Elite, Gjun, and Global Village. I can't say how reputable they are. Global Village definitely has the lowest pay of the schools mentioned. From what I've heard, there's less prep though.

Children's schools in Taiwan are too numerous to count. The best ones are usually smaller schools that you never hear anything about. Some of the larger chains are Hess, Kojen, Joy, Giraffe, Shane, Kid Castle, and Jumpstart. The problem with these schools is that they will all want you to work full-time, and they will all want you to work evenings. This will make your plan of teaching adults full-time, and kids part-time, impossible.

The other option is to look for a part-time job at a small independent school. They're all over the place, but they seldom advertise. They tend to be located near elementary or junior high schools since they want to make life convenient for parents and students.

So, if I were you, I would (a) look for a full-time job at an adult language school, and (b) print a stack of resumes and walk around Taipei looking for a part-time job at a small independent school.
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mouser711



Joined: 15 Jan 2015
Posts: 4

PostPosted: Fri Jan 16, 2015 8:06 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yeah that type of job is going to be very hard to come by.
More likely is an Adult Language School. I taught at one, it was really easy but the pay was low and for one year I never taught a group class it was all 1-on-1. As a result I had to deal with numerous cancellations (the students have an unlimited number of cancellations as long as they do it before 24 hours, and then I don't get paid). So my paychecks were comical at times.
After that I got a job at a kid's school, part time with just the minimum hours to sponsor my ARC. Then I went out and found my own adult private students, which was great because they were very motivated and rarely cancelled. So that might be the way to go if you really want to teach adults. There are plenty of those in Taipei.
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