Job Discussion Forums

[pinkflyd7]

If anyone is thinking about working for Hess, let me give you a quick rundown of what my experience was like.

Hess was the first job I got when I moved to Taiwan in February 2004. I worked in the Hsinchu branch, and they must have been really desperate for teachers then. They set me up with my own apartment, and the first three months were free. After that my rent was something like 7,000 NT a month for a small, studio apartment.

I had to work at two seperate branches in the total opposite ends of the city. I was able to walk to one branch, but I had to take a bus to get to the other one (I didn't have a scooter). Before I began teaching, I wasn't given any training whatsoever. For one week I was just told to observe other teachers. That was my training, just simply watching other teachers. At the end of the week, I was teaching a full schedule of classes Monday through Friday, from 4:30 to 9:00pm (I didn't teach any Kindergarten classes, thankfully). Since I didn't have any formal training, I taught the classes the way I observed the other teachers. This would later become a problem.

Teaching with a Chinese teacher present in the classroom didn't bother me. They would usually help me if a student got out of line, or if the class didn't full understand what I was trying to teach them. However, some of the teachers weren't helpful at all. One teacher continually spoke Chinese in class, and wouldn't tell me what she was saying. She would also teach part of my lesson during her class, and I'd end up preparing for a lesson they were already taught, so I'd be left to improvise for a good 20 minutes in class. At first I didn't say anything about it, but later on I began to complain. Also a big mistake.

I realized that Hess cared more about money than education when they told me to pass a failing student. I was taken into a room by one of the secretaries. They told me that a parent was there ready to pay for another 3 months, but only if we passed their child. This kid was the worst student in class, and would clearly be even more lost if we moved him to the next level. But I was told I HAD to pass him.

During my time there, my classes were observed maybe 10 times by the head NST's (we went through about 3-4 head NST's). The time I remember the most was when the district manager, Julie Jo, watched my class. The class she observed wasn't one of my best classes. They had some discipline problems, but weren't totally out of control. Julie Jo decided that, during the second half of class, she would show me her method of teaching. This would be interesting, I thought, since she had over 20 years of experience. Her "method" of teaching was suddently breaking into a racist "Taiwanese English" accent when talking to the students, and just awarding 50 stars to any student who answered a question correctly, and taking stars away if someone talked. What the hell? Did I miss something?

My problem with Hess is that they treat this job more like babysitting than actual teaching. During one of my assessments, my head NST advised me to play more games. I was always playing 1 or 2 games during class, but he wanted more, more, more. He told me to turn "everything" into a game. The phonics, the reading, everything. How do you turn the individual reading into a game? I asked him. He told me he would have one student read one sentence, and another student read another sentence in a race to finish first. This made no sense to me whatsoever. The idea was to listen to each student and correct their pronunciation, but when they're reading so fast, it loses its educational value.

About two months before I left Hess, I was given another assessment, and received a very high score. Not quite perfect, but still high enough to get a decent raise. The students liked me, and I had a return rate of about 96%. However, a few days after my assessment, I was told by one of the managers (who I had only seen maybe 3-4 times in my entire two years) that my contract would not be renewed. I couldn't understand it. I had just had a great assessment and got a raise. Apparantely it was because of my complaints of one of the Chinese teachers. I told them to simply have another teacher work with her if there was a problem, but they told me I should be able to work with all the teachers. They agreed to let me finish my contract, but said I could leave early if I wanted to, as long as I give two weeks notice. After thinking about it, I just gave my two weeks notice right away. There are so many other schools out there looking for teachers, why waste my time at a place like this?

What's kind of ridiculous is that they ask you to fill out a monthy performance sheet. On the performance sheet, it asks you if there are any problems with the CT's. What's the point of this if you can't tell them about your problems? Had I not said anything about that terrible Chinese teacher I was working with, I wouldn't have had any problems.

So, that's about it. Just realize that everything is politics, and they value their CT's a lot more than you. Having worked in an office in America for many years, I was hoping to escape this kind of crap when I came to Taiwan, but it's really not that different.

[Pop Fly]

Shine on, you crazy diamond.

You hit the nail square on the head by observing your own status to be nothing more than highly paid au paire. Another truth you've got is that Hess, like every other buxibiz is all about bottom line.

It'll help not to think of yourself as a teacher. Then maybe you won't take yourself or the biz too seriously. Take a look at the Teacher's thread over at Forumosa for some excellent examples of people who take themselves way too seriously. I noticed the mod of that forum ranting off about what we wear to work. Some drivel about clothes making the teacher or something.

Listens bubs,

If you can assist your clients to conquer English in a fun yet effective fashion, you can wear whatever you want. It'll only add to your character. You can be homlier than a can of smashed assholes or wider than you are tall. You can be white, black yellow or blue. If you are good at "coaching", if you have people skills and are easy to get along with, then you will always have work aplenty here in Taiwan. That, or be a sour, dole, whinging albatross around everyone's neck and maybe you'll whine enough to get a sympathy job or two, but you won't last. For most people, that is a choice. Unfortunately for some, it seems to be more a habit, a most-unbreakable habit. Too long at mama's teet, I'd imagine.

Don't delude yourself into thinking you are a teacher.
I am not saying that we don't provide a service. We are fortunate to be in possesion of a very valuable one. However, not everyone is suited for this biz. It takes staying power, and that power is derived from knowing the game. Knowing which battles are worth fighting.

A final word on office poplitics (sic). Of course the chains are more interested in the CTs. They develop into directors. FTs, 9 times outta 10, develop into jokes at the weiya.

[SanChong]

Just a few observations from your post:

1) You did stay at Hess for 2.5 years, so it must have been a pretty decent job overall. It's extremely rare for a teacher to stay at any school in Taiwan for that length of time.

2) Office politics happen everywhere. I'm not convinced it's any worse in Taiwan that it is in the US, or anywhere else. The issue is that it's DIFFERENT here, so we don't understand exactly how it works. This makes things more challenging and confusing for us.

3)

[pinkflyd7]

When I said she spoke in a "racist, Taiwanese English accent", I mean she started speaking English the way the students speak English. Using expressions like "Why you wanna do that?" Essentially, she was mimicking the way they talk for her entire demo. For someone who had been teaching her for over 20 years, I was expecting better than this.

Hess was an OK job. I stayed there as long as I did because I became comfortable, and I liked the hours. I'm not hurt that I don't work there anymore. In fact, I had considered leaving them on several occasions.

If there were other reasons they didn't want to renew my contract, they didn't tell me. I just couldn't understand why they gave me such a positive assessment, plus a raise, and then a few days later decided not to renew the contract. I knew of another teacher at Hess whose contract wasn't renewed simply because the front desk secretaries didn't like him.

[I_is_teach_English]

[I_is_teach_English]

Forgot to add on the NT$30,000 re-sign bonus that they would also have to pay, which brings it up to NT$273,000 for the year.

This is the equivalent of saving a full time Chinese teacher's salary, but without a reduction in the quantity of teachers (only the quality / experience, but Hess can live with that). If you only do this to one experienced teacher in each branch and multiply this by the 250 branches island-wide and you have improved you company's balance sheet in one fell swoop with no reduction in staff numbers by NT$68,250,000 (US$2,000,000). Genius!

[atiff]

[pinkflyd7]

So Andrew, can you explain why Hess, during a teacher shortage, would give the axe to teachers for menial reasons like "the secretaries don't like him"?, or seemingly no reason at all?

If I were running the company, I would look at a few factors when deciding whether or not to renew a teachers contract. 1. Do they do a good job? 2. Do the students like him/her? 3. Do the students return (what is their return rate?) 4. Are the students actually learning anything?

I can answer yes to all of these questions, but yet my contract wasn't renewed. And I believe there are others here who had the same experience. It just doesn't make smart business sense.

[atiff]

Sorry, firstly, I don't know who you are. And second, this is better discussed off the forum. Feel free to email me (or PM me if you don't know my address).

[kuberkat]

As usual, it does come down to individuals. There are great individuals in some branches of Hess, and some real personalities in others. Just like in any other buxiban, or any other business. I once again insist that I am boundlessly grateful for the training and experience I gained at Hess. And may I hasten to add that I am just as grateful that my days there are over. What it was, though, was a priceless stepping stone.

[pinkflyd7]

After writing this story, all of the teachers I worked with at this branch of Hess (the Hsinchu branch) are now gone. Several of them were dismissed in the same manner as me. One of my good friends there was let go for reasons they never explained. Maybe it's just the Hsinchu branch that is screwed up, who knows.

[StayingPower]

You know, I commented about HESS. Had a barrage of pro-HESSIANS say "You're the only one complaining. . ." and so on. Read some of my previous posts. I think they even have people check this website to give them a better image.

But this post proves them wrong. And I'll tell you, I've found a much better job since moving on from that hateful little place.

[pinkflyd7]

[clark.w.griswald]

[TaoyuanSteve]

I probably am one of the "barrage" as well. I am not a "Hess plant" nor am I even especially "pro-Hess"-- I've never worked for them. I gave negative feedback to Stayingpower-- after initially giving very positive and supportive feedback-- when s/he started spamming the boards with multiple posts and threads all relating to this one less than positive employment experience. My comments were along the lines of "Ok. We know you don't like Hess. We hear you. Now it's time you moved on from this." I stand by these kinds of comments and repeat them here as well. I see some disgruntled ex-Hess employees grave digging several old threads and not really saying anything new. If you have truly moved on, it's time to stop ranting on all the time. Put things in perspective.