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jmax_nz
Joined: 24 Jun 2005
Posts: 8
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 Posted: Wed Aug 03, 2005 7:48 am Post subject: Need help and sound advice |
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Can anyone help,
Hi I am currently going through a crisis stage in coming to Taiwan. I have signed a contract for a school just outside Taipei, I thought the average salary of 53,00 per month for the first 3 months and then 58,000 per month thereafter was not to bad but reading and going over hundreds of posts in this discussion board this has got me thinking as most posters would recommend that being very low. Although they do provide free accomodation and one meel.
Ok today my passport came back and I have been issued with the 60 single entry visa so that�s a good thing.
What should I do, I have a degree in computer science and a postgraduate diploma in information sciences and have years IT experience, but that is not relevant to teaching ESL which I have never done before as I am a newbie to this game.
I�m flying into Taipei in the middle of August with slightly over $1000 Australian dollars. Should I travel around Taiwan and find a good job or get some experience in this job which I have signed for and by the way what happens if I renege on this contract.
I love the hot weather and would prefer to go somewhere in the bottom of Taiwan, but I still would like to live in a city. I'm in my mid twenties and male I dont know if that makes my chances any better. Cheers
JMAX. |
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Chris Smith
Joined: 01 Dec 2004
Posts: 86
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| Posted: Wed Aug 03, 2005 8:54 am Post subject: |
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I have no idea who you are going to be working for, but that salary is fine for someone new to the game, especially if there's free housing to be had. That makes the wage look pretty good, providing the accom is fine for you.
I would say your main concern is to find out what training will be offered by the school. Some schools will just push you into a classroom with a book and 20 students. Some will give you excellent training and feedback to help you build and hone your skills. The quality of training is one of the major things that will affect your quality of life here. If you know you are working for a responsible company that cares for its teachers and students, I would say this is much better than making a fast buck, but working in hell.
Chris |
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Girl Scout
Joined: 13 Jan 2005
Posts: 525
Location: Inbetween worlds
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| Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2005 1:37 am Post subject: |
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| Chris is right. Your salary may not be bad. The free housing is a major perk. You also need to look at how many hours a week you work? If you are working 30 hr/wk (contact hours) then you would probably consider the salary low. Anything less than that is within the range of most hourly positions. |
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cbbrsccr9
Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 9
Location: Minneapolis
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| Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2005 1:53 am Post subject: Taiwan |
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| Hi, i'm trying to move to Taiwan ASAP, but unfortunately I havn't got the money saved up to go yet. I'm working on it!!! I was just wandering what company your working with in Taiwan. Maybe it can help me out! Thanks |
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jmax_nz
Joined: 24 Jun 2005
Posts: 8
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| Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2005 2:14 am Post subject: |
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Firstly thanks for your help,
The School requires me to be their for 40 hours a week, but they have said I only teach my classes in the afternoon so there is an absolute maximum of 25 teaching hours a week but the agent said it is more like 15 hours of teaching a week with an overtime bonus of NT$ 580, so I suppose the other 15-25 hours will be lesson planning, and helping the Chinese teacher. I arrive at the school five days earlier for teacher raining so this leads me to believe that they are well organised.
I have been told by the agent that it is excellent teaching conditions and that Keelung is a nice place for leisure as well. There is a clause in the contract which says that if either party isn�t satisfied a notice of termination can be submitted before the trial three month period.
And another positive is that they have a big foreign department of 35 teachers so I think it will be easier to make my transition into Taiwanese culture if there are people also in the same boat as myself.
All in all do you believe this is a good start for somebody completely new to the ESL game, as I would think its better to ease yourself into the fold instead of diving in head first into some busy Buxiban and going completely mad.
To cbbrsccr9 if you send me a private message I will fill you in with the contact details.
JMAX |
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Chris Smith
Joined: 01 Dec 2004
Posts: 86
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| Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2005 5:11 am Post subject: |
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40 hours as standard seems to be very high. I'd double check with your agent about that. I'm also not clear about the point where the overtime rate applies. Does it start after the 40 hours have been reached or after 25 teaching hours have been reached?
35 "foreign" teachers would mean this school is well established, and that is good news. If there was a big problem in the school they'd be unable to keep hold of such a large foreign staff.
As for your agent saying the teaching conditions are excellent, well I hope they are. Maybe you can report on that when you arrive. Agents will want to make you feel positive about the job they are selling, so hearing this isn't a surprise.
Apart from the 40 hour bit, it all sounds fine.
Chris |
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Aristotle
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Posts: 1388
Location: Taiwan
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| Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2005 5:19 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
The School requires me to be their for 40 hours a week, but they have said I only teach my classes in the afternoon so there is an absolute maximum of 25 teaching hours a week but the agent said it is more like 15 hours of teaching a week with an overtime bonus of NT$ 580, so I suppose the other 15-25 hours will be lesson planning, and helping the Chinese teacher. I arrive at the school five days earlier for teacher raining so this leads me to believe that they are well organised.
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Unfortunately that type of offer is becoming the norm for new teachers and long timers alike.
With the current economic depression and the ever shrinking number of students, things are going to get a lot worse still.
The only way for the local economy and wages to pick up is if there was a major policy shift on the part of the local government.
So long as the occupational government continues to increase the number of imported slave laborers and cling to a manufacturing based economy that can not be sustained, Taiwan's standard of living will continue to decrease.
You also need to take into account that 20% of your pay will be withheld for foreigner tax and portions of that tax may or may not be refunded to you. Other deductions are health insurance, book or work deposits. You may also be required to sign a more restrictive contract after you arrive.
Also when you sign a contract or individual work agreement you waive the vast majority of the few rights granted to you by Taiwan's toothless and widely ignored labor laws. The occupational government mandates that you sign a contract to obtain sanction to work in the territory it controls.
You will find it very hard to save any money or pay off bills back home working under the current conditions on Taiwan. You will be lucky to make ends meet here on that kind of salary.
Good luck!
A.
Last edited by Aristotle on Fri Aug 05, 2005 5:16 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Pop Fly
Joined: 15 Feb 2003
Posts: 429
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| Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2005 5:38 am Post subject: |
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| Aristotle wrote: |
| Quote: |
The School requires me to be their for 40 hours a week, but they have said I only teach my classes in the afternoon so there is an absolute maximum of 25 teaching hours a week but the agent said it is more like 15 hours of teaching a week with an overtime bonus of NT$ 580, so I suppose the other 15-25 hours will be lesson planning, and helping the Chinese teacher. I arrive at the school five days earlier for teacher raining so this leads me to believe that they are well organised.
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Unfortunately that type of offer is becoming the norm for new teachers and long timers alike.
With the current economic depression and the ever shrinking number of students, things are going to get a lot worse still.
The only way for the local economy and wages to pick up is if there was a major policy shift on the part of the local government.
So long as the occupational government continues to increase the number of imported slave laborers and cling to a manufacturing based economy that can not be sustained, Taiwan's standard of living will continue to decrease.
You also need to take into account that 20% of your pay will be withheld for foreigner tax and portions of that tax may or may not be refunded to you. As well as Health insurance, book or work deposits. You may also be required to sign a more restrictive contract after you arrive.
Also when you sign a contract or individual work agreement you waive the vast majority of the few rights granted to you be Taiwan's toothless and widely ignored labor laws. The occupational government mandates that you do this to obtain sanction to work on territory it controls.
You will find it very hard to save any money or pay off bills back home working under the current conditions on Taiwan. You will be luck to make ends meet here on that kind of salary.
Good luck!
A. |
Read the title again there Assistotle. It is asking for sound advice. That should preclude anything you have to say. In fact, next time you see something like this in a title, just skip over it. But I guess insane people think they are perfectly normal, so maybe you just don't realize that the drivel you espouse is actually harmful to each and every one of us. TWIT! Your chicken-little-ism is doing little to promote our industry. When and if I start my own school, I don't want possible teachers distracted by your nonsense. Now kindly Shut TF UP! |
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Chris Smith
Joined: 01 Dec 2004
Posts: 86
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| Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2005 5:38 am Post subject: |
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The post above is a bit on the negative side and sensational. For the average teacher looking for practical information I would say it's not too helpful because too much 'reading between the lines' is required.
I enjoy living and working here. Taiwan can be a great experience for anyone with the right attitude to living in a foreign culture.
Chris |
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Pop Fly
Joined: 15 Feb 2003
Posts: 429
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| Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2005 5:41 am Post subject: |
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| Chris Smith wrote: |
The post above is a bit on the negative side and sensational. For the average teacher looking for practical information I would say it's not too helpful because too much 'reading between the lines' is required.
I enjoy living and working here. Taiwan can be a great experience for anyone with the right attitude to living in a foreign culture.
Chris |
I snuck one in there Chris. But odd how it also applies to my post, in some ways, yeah? |
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clark.w.griswald
Joined: 06 Dec 2004
Posts: 2056
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| Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2005 6:50 am Post subject: |
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I won't comment about the majority of Aristotles post as we have been over it many times before. His role here is to try to discourage foreign teachers from coming to Taiwan, but he hasn't been too successful in this regard. There are more foreign teachers here now than ever before.
| Aristotle wrote: |
| You also need to take into account that 20% of your pay will be withheld for foreigner tax and portions of that tax may or may not be refunded to you. |
It is true. As with any foreigner in any country, the tax rate is higher if you are there short term. Fortunately, in Taiwan although you pay the 20% tax for the first six months, you are generally entitled to a partial refund and has been discussed at detail on this and other sites.
The stupid thing about it all is that is based upon arrival date during the tax term. I really think that it would be more reasonable if it was a fixed thing so that after six months here you got it back regardless of the dates, but alas that is not the way it is.
| Aristotle wrote: |
| As well as Health insurance, book or work deposits. |
The health insurance program is very good. Teachers only pay a fraction of the premium with the school paying the majority, and the government paying some also. I can't understand why anyone would complain about health insurance.
Book deposits. I've never heard of this so I believe that it is likely very limited. It is a deposit however and you can get it back.
Work deposits. Very few schools charge these now as everyone knows that they are illegal. Any teacher who pays a deposit for a job does so knowingly or because they failed to research the topic.
| Aristotle wrote: |
| You may also be required to sign a more restrictive contract after you arrive. |
Why would anyone do this? If I was offered one contract before I arrived and a different one when I arrived, then I would make a decision at that time whether or not to sign. There is no obligation there, and although I am aware that this does occur, I doubt that it is widespread.
| Aristotle wrote: |
| Also when you sign a contract or individual work agreement you waive the vast majority of the few rights granted to you be Taiwan's toothless and widely ignored labor laws. The occupational government mandates that you do this to obtain sanction to work on territory it controls. |
Crap!
When you sign a contract and get a work permit you are ensuring that you are protected by relevant laws. This has been proven in the past as foreign teachers exercise their rights. Aristotle has never done this and therefore obviously does not know what rights exist for him.
Aristotle has always advocated that foreign teachers are better off working illegally. Yeah right - illegal workers are afforded more protection than legal workers? Thats likely!!! |
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Pop Fly
Joined: 15 Feb 2003
Posts: 429
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| Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2005 7:26 am Post subject: |
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| Clark, nice of you to dissect A's post. I, for one, am wearying of having to chase him around the boards cleaning up his little poo stains. Isn't there anything management of this site can do. After all, isn't Dave in the business of attracting teachers to the ESL game? |
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