Job Discussion Forums

puiwaihin · Joined: 16 Mar 2005 Posts: 91

Yes, there are schools hiring right now.
There are always schools hiring right now.

If you go on a given day a number of schools not even searching on the Internet want to hire new teachers.

This is not the peak season, but there is work here. So if you want to come you are pretty sure to find a job. I just suggest you do your homework and have a backup plan in case your first-choice school does not turn out to be what you want.

I speak Canadain English · Joined: 16 Jan 2005 Posts: 5 Location: asia

Schools are not hiring right now. I've been here for over a month and have found a few part-time classes but that's it. I have four years experience teaching English in Beijing, am a white good-looking 28 year old Canadian, I speak Chinese, have a generally positive out-going demeanor, and have never had so much trouble finding work. I have had countless interviews and demo classes, all of which go well, but it�s always the same reply: �You are hired, you start in two months.� This is just too long to wait. The other comment I hear a lot is if you had only come to us a couple weeks ago, when we did our hiring. I defiantly agree with not relying too heavily on the internet, the closest I have come to finding a job has been doing the door to door thing. I have had the most luck walking around applying in person to the many schools that are here. Taipei station area alone took me a few days. Good luck.

TaoyuanSteve · Joined: 05 Feb 2003 Posts: 1028 Location: Taoyuan

I think it has to do with where you are willing to go to find work. If you are quite open and willing to relocate, you should be able to get work in relatively short order. If you have some limits as to where you will be willing to go--only in Taipei city proper, for example-- you may have to wait a bit longer. I have noticed that the job market is a bit less of a sellers market now, though.

clark.w.griswald · Joined: 06 Dec 2004 Posts: 2056

There is a lot of talk recently about how difficult it is to find work here in Taiwan at present, and the fact that there are not many hours on offer even when these hours are offered.

I think that it largely has to do with the amount of competition out there. Sure there is a few less students these days, but overall there hasn't been a big decline in enrolments, it is just that these enrolments are being spread more evenly amoung schools.

If you find a good school that is offering a good deal in every way except for the number of hours they are offering don't be scared away too easily. Many good schools will give new teachers to their school the minimum number of hours possible until the teacher gets familiar with the system at that school, and until the school gets familiar with the teacher. Good teachers would then normally begin to increase their work load by picking up more hours along the way. There are of course no guarantees here, but overall I believe that the above holds true for most schools.

'I speak Canadian English' you may find that the problem is not with you as you sound quite suitable. It may be a problem with the school either holding out hoping that someone perfect will come along, or a school wanting to start you out with the minimum and build up your hours later.

Aristotle · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 1388 Location: Taiwan

Yes, there are schools hiring right now but for every job opening there are numerous applicants that are increasingly accepting lower pay rates and benefits because of the recent decree by the government on Taiwan banning English language programs in schools.
It has taken two years for the decree by the MOE to have it's desired effect.
The Taiwan government's policy of localization continues to mean Chinese people whose descendents immigrated to Taiwan 200 to 400 years ago and their culture. Reasons for this being that the majority of the current government's political base is from that segment of the population.
English and foreign teachers do not fit into that description and as such "foreigners" are portrayed as cultural pollution more in line with Mao Zedong's Cultural Revolution than a free and democratic nation that the blatantly racist and corrupt government on Taiwan continues to call itself.
English good, foreigners bad is the policy of the Republic of China on Taiwan.
Good luck,
A.

clark.w.griswald · Joined: 06 Dec 2004 Posts: 2056

mr.bojangles · Joined: 13 Dec 2004 Posts: 58

A pet peeve of mine is correcting grammar whether it be in public or on-line. In university I worked part time at a department store selling men's suits. I recall a co-workwer having his grammar being corrrected by aretired woman, announcing that she had taught school. Well woopty doo! She may have the grammar under control, but her manners were a worry. Since then I have taught ESL overseas and at the present moment I am a primary school teacher in New Zealand. The incident at the departmant store in Canada many years ago has never left me. Although I highly reguard grammar, however it is social skills that I see as more important. Simply to err is to be human.

Keep on truckin'