Job Discussion Forums

[MomCat]

Hi, I have some questions about teaching, hope you can help me.

I have a four-year degree from a university in the States and two years experience teaching at college level in the PRC. I'm seriously considering Taiwan in the fall of this year and will spend a few days in Taipei in early May to look at schools. My questions are:

Is it possible to really teach? (Not just satisfy the school's need for a "white" face).

Do the schools support the student's learning and your teaching? If the answer is some schools do, please offer a few names.

I am most comfortable teaching adults (older teens and up). Are there schools that have primarily adult clients? Again, if there are, please offer names as I haven't found any on the job boards.

I only need to pay my bills and save for airfare and some travel (and I travel cheap). About how may hours would I be working to do that?

Do the schools employ older teachers?

Generally, how long (in weeks or months, not hours) are the classes? I guess this question is really to ask if, with a one-year contract, I would still be able to plan on vacation time. One of the reasons I'm in China for a second year is the time off. Two months in the summer and six weeks in the winter. I spend the summer at home with my aging parents and my daughters and the winter traveling. It's very nice but not nice enough to stay another year in a country I really don't like a whole lot.

Thanks for your help,
MC

[wood]

It is possible to 'really teach' but if you prefer adults, you may have to make an exception.

Schools that specialize in adults pay less. Students show up sporadically and hours are likely to be less than those offered by schools that teach children. Lots of local buxibans teach children and 'really teach' and they offer enough hours to make a decent living.

Good luck.

[MomCat]

Wood,

Thanks for the reply. It seems I should reconsider younger students. I'm really quite tired of the sea of blank faces.

MC

[alwayslol]

MomCat,

Yes, there is a good deal of age discrimination, as in most Asian cultures. Over 35 means you're often too old. (I'm 35 myself and know.) With your background, if you want to teach adults the only thing open to you would be adult bushibans/cram schools. Universities want Ph.D.s and will accept M.A.s occasionally.

In my experience, no they really won't support your teaching, and schools are generally disorganized. I concur with Wood above. It's hard to get many dedicated adults that show up twice in a row. I'm trying to think of something positive to say...hmmm...well, you will have a great deal of freedom in the classroom to do as you wish, so long as you don't need any support, resources, or assistance.

I think you should plan on working pretty much full-time. Real wages have not increased for English teachers in Taiwan in about a decade, so every year it seems to go a little less further. If you want to be in Taipei, which will offer much better chances at a social life and community, you'll have to definitely work full-time (about 20 hours or more in the classroom) a week. Many things in Taipei are near New York prices. If you live in another city, it will be significantly cheaper, but it may be very socially isolating, especially if you are a female. Western females generally do not last very long. As you may have found in the PRC, Chinese culture is generally a closed one. And yes, I'm sorry to say that you will definitely be just the white face. They rarely really see you as a whole human, and you will often feel like an English machine that they want to turn on and off at their convenience for their English input.

So, it sounds like not quite the situational change you are looking for. But if you decide to try, one bushiban chain to look for might be Global Village. They have both children and adult classes. An additional problem for most teachers in Taiwan is getting enough hours together without having to run around to four schools at all hours of the day. Perhaps you could get some of your adult classes at a Global Village branch and get some kids classes to help make ends meet?

If you need any further info, pm me. I'll try to help if you want to try Taiwan.

[Pop Fly]

[MomCat]

Pop Fly,

Thank you for the very encouraging post. I've taught after school classes here (in the PRC) and the kids remind me of little caged animals. I can't blame them for not being able to sit still.

I don't have the knowledge to sit around discussing the fine points of grammar but teaching theory and what works in the classroom I do. How fine it would be to have co-workers who cared about those topics.

I'll be hitting the streets in a month to make contacts for the fall.

Cat

[Aristotle]

You won't make a lot of money but you will be able to get by and learn a few things about unchecked Confucius culture.
Just keep in mind that learning new things is not always a pleasant experience.
Please read this,
10 Steps to Success on Taiwan!
Good luck!
A.

[Pop Fly]

[MomCat]