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Bryanpass
Joined: 12 Jul 2005
Posts: 24
Location: Kaohsiung
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 Posted: Tue Jul 12, 2005 11:52 pm Post subject: Airfare provided for Taiwan jobs? |
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Hi there -
I'm considering going to Taiwan once my TESL course is complete.... How generous are Taiwanese employers generally with providing airfare to Taiwan..... Do they pay your way initially or do they re-emburse you after a set period of time?
Thanks!
bryan |
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clark.w.griswald
Joined: 06 Dec 2004
Posts: 2056
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| Posted: Wed Jul 13, 2005 3:22 am Post subject: Re: Airfare provided for Taiwan jobs? |
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| Bryanpass wrote: |
| How generous are Taiwanese employers generally with providing airfare to Taiwan..... |
I don't think that it is as much to do with generosity, as it is with necessity. On the whole schools in Taiwan do not provide for an airfare allowance. Some schools will offer a token airfare allowance of NTD10,000 or so, but very few will actually cover the costs of travel.
I believe that the reasons for this are three fold:
1. Firstly, schools in Taiwan don't need to offer this as an incentive as there are already plenty of teachers here willing to take jobs, as well as teachers from overseas that are willing to come here at their own cost to accept a job.
2. Secondly, schools here tend to pay teachers higher salaries than in countries where airline allowances are standard (e.g. China). So schools that offer an airfare allowance tend to deduct this from your monthly wages over the course of the year without telling you this and offering it as an incentive when in fact they are just taking from one of your pockets and putting it in another. In Taiwan you can earn a higher wage and use this additional money to compensate yourself for your airfare.
3. Thirdly, the general consensus among teachers in Taiwan is that you should arrive first and then find a job. In order to secure an airfare allowance from overseas you would need to make a contractual committment to a school site unseen. This would go against the general advice of experienced teachers here in Taiwan, and is likely to get you into trouble as you could end up with a less than reputable employer. The up front benefits of having someone cover your costs of travel could be more than eroded by being stuck in an undesirable job for a year.
If you were to hold out for your airfare to be covered then I think that you most likely would not be offered a job here. If by chance you were, then I could almost guarantee you that it would be with a school that cannot get any other teachers for one reason or another, and that it would be a mistake to take the position anyway.
| Bryanpass wrote: |
| Do they pay your way initially or do they re-emburse you after a set period of time? |
This is an often asked question, but one that confuses me. I don't see why any reputable school would send money or tickets to someone on the other side of the world that they had never met, simply on the promise that that person would come and work for them. If I were in a position of authority in a school I could certainly not recommend that this would be a wise move on behalf of the school. What guarantee would the school have that you would indeed come to work for them? You can be sure that schools have been burned in this way in the past.
If you happen to be in the position that some people are in in being unable to afford the upfront cost of the tickets here then I would recommend delaying your arrival until you have some funds. Bear in mind that most schools pay monthly and in arrears, so your first pay check may not arrive for anything up to six weeks after your arrival. You will find you will have a less troublesome experience in Taiwan if you are at least slightly financially secure before you arrive. |
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donfan
Joined: 31 Aug 2003
Posts: 217
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| Posted: Wed Jul 13, 2005 8:11 am Post subject: Re: Airfare provided for Taiwan jobs? |
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| clark.w.griswald wrote: |
This is an often asked question, but one that confuses me. I don't see why any reputable school would send money or tickets to someone on the other side of the world that they had never met, simply on the promise that that person would come and work for them. If I were in a position of authority in a school I could certainly not recommend that this would be a wise move on behalf of the school. What guarantee would the school have that you would indeed come to work for them? You can be sure that schools have been burned in this way in the past.
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The school I worked for in Korea did this. They sent tickets to people to come over and work. They got burned a couple of times while I was working there. Once they sent ticket to a New Zealand guy who didn't show up at the airport and another time to an American girl who stayed a week then left. It turned out she had friends in Korea and had no intention of completing the contract. She merely wanted a free ticket to see her friends. |
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Bryanpass
Joined: 12 Jul 2005
Posts: 24
Location: Kaohsiung
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| Posted: Wed Jul 13, 2005 7:37 pm Post subject: Re: Airfare provided for Taiwan jobs? |
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Thanks for the reply, Clark....
In regards to working in Taiwan, what would be more advantagous scenario:
1) Getting a job secured before going over
or
2) Going over and then looking for work
I'm a little anxious about flying to a foreign country sight unseen, relying on getting a job that might or might not materialize... but I suppose risk is part of it.
Money's not an issue, I was just curious....
Thanks!!
And Donfan: A buddy of mine who worked in Korea for a few years told me the same thing.. he got a job offer and the tickets arrived via UPS a few days later. |
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clark.w.griswald
Joined: 06 Dec 2004
Posts: 2056
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| Posted: Thu Jul 14, 2005 1:03 am Post subject: Re: Airfare provided for Taiwan jobs? |
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I think that everyone can understand your concerns about coming here without a job lined up, and there is some risk involved in this, but it is generally the best way to go. Bear in mind that just because you have a contract signed on a job and a promise from a school doesn't really give you any more guarantee that a position will actually available when you arrive.
My advice would be to line up some interviews with schools before you arrive. Visit the schools, meet the staff and teachers, and then make an informed decision about where you want to work, rather than accepting a job at a school that will take you without first meeting you. |
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Chefintaipei
Joined: 16 May 2005
Posts: 30
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| Posted: Sun Jul 17, 2005 6:44 am Post subject: |
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Bryan, my advice to you is if you want your airfare paid and you're worried about not having a job when you get here, check out working for Kojen. If you opt for the salaried contract, they will reimburse your airfare when you get here and your job will be guaranteed. Bear in mind though that if you hate Kojen after a while and want to quit (which isn't an uncommon scenario) you'll have to pay them back for the ticket.
Some more advice....... if you've never been to Asia before go and work in Japan. It's a lot easier than Taiwan if you can't speak the language, the pay's better and whoever you work for won't treat you like s**t!!!!!! |
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wood
Joined: 13 Apr 2004
Posts: 202
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| Posted: Sun Jul 17, 2005 10:00 am Post subject: Re: Airfare provided for Taiwan jobs? |
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| donfan wrote: |
| clark.w.griswald wrote: |
This is an often asked question, but one that confuses me. I don't see why any reputable school would send money or tickets to someone on the other side of the world that they had never met, simply on the promise that that person would come and work for them. If I were in a position of authority in a school I could certainly not recommend that this would be a wise move on behalf of the school. What guarantee would the school have that you would indeed come to work for them? You can be sure that schools have been burned in this way in the past.
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The school I worked for in Korea did this. They sent tickets to people to come over and work. They got burned a couple of times while I was working there. Once they sent ticket to a New Zealand guy who didn't show up at the airport and another time to an American girl who stayed a week then left. It turned out she had friends in Korea and had no intention of completing the contract. She merely wanted a free ticket to see her friends. |
No school will pay your way to Taiwan. This isn't Korea. They won't be doing that much longer in Korea, either, so if you're going there, you'd better take the ticket now. |
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jason_seeburn
Joined: 26 Apr 2003
Posts: 399
Location: Toronto
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| Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2005 10:00 pm Post subject: Re: Airfare provided for Taiwan jobs? |
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Last edited by jason_seeburn on Tue Jun 06, 2006 12:01 am; edited 1 time in total |
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chopstix
Joined: 09 Jun 2005
Posts: 55
Location: tokyo
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| Posted: Tue Aug 02, 2005 10:04 am Post subject: |
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actually I am coming over from Korea-you make FAR more money there than Japan- I was at 5 million won at the peak doing corporate stuff- not sure what Taiwan NT dollars that is- friends there are getting between 3-6 million won- of coourse alot of illegal privates. I have been looking in Japan for a month- Certified B ED , TESL and Business Degree and have bogus contracts as it is so expensive here so have signed a contract in Taiwan close to 80,00NT but lots of holidays.
I think Taiwan can be a place to make some good money and enjoy a comfortable lifestyle.........I hope |
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wood
Joined: 13 Apr 2004
Posts: 202
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| Posted: Fri Aug 05, 2005 2:58 am Post subject: |
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| chopstix wrote: |
actually I am coming over from Korea-you make FAR more money there than Japan- I was at 5 million won at the peak doing corporate stuff- not sure what Taiwan NT dollars that is- friends there are getting between 3-6 million won- of coourse alot of illegal privates. I have been looking in Japan for a month- Certified B ED , TESL and Business Degree and have bogus contracts as it is so expensive here so have signed a contract in Taiwan close to 80,00NT but lots of holidays.
I think Taiwan can be a place to make some good money and enjoy a comfortable lifestyle.........I hope |
I made a lot more in Japan and had a much easier job. And I've made more in Taiwan than I ever made in Japan or Korea. Yes, Taiwan is a place where you can make good money and enjoy a comfortable lifestyle. But then so are Japan and Korea. It's only a question of how much. And I still doubt that Korea will be paying airfares much longer. There is no longer any reason for them to do so, if there ever was. |
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Aristotle
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Posts: 1388
Location: Taiwan
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| Posted: Fri Aug 05, 2005 5:09 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
Hi there -
I'm considering going to Taiwan once my TESL course is complete.... How generous are Taiwanese employers generally with providing airfare to Taiwan..... Do they pay your way initially or do they re-emburse you after a set period of time?
Thanks!
bryan |
Generosity, integrity, honesty and professionalism are not Taiwanese strong points.
On Taiwan lie, cheat and coerce are the pillars of society.
In short the answer to your question is "no".
Good luck!
A. |
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