Job Discussion Forums

KaiFeng · Posted: Sun Feb 11, 2007 6:08 pm Post subject:

I understand Sanchong's comments.

However, the thing is, I was most successful when I specialized. If you just work for Hess, KoJen, or whatever, sure, you face static, or snailing revenue increases. This is true now, and it was true during the twenty years when I lived in Taiwan. However, then and now, the bext revenue comes from specialization. If you're interested in maximizing your income, which is the whole point of this thread, you should only regard cram school classes as:

1. Experience-building: you get familiar with presenting the content necessary for your customers.
2. Future customer familiarization: you learn how your future customers, as an aggregate, think.
3. Market development: You start to network and build your own market presence. These is seed-planting for your eventual word of mouth promotion.
4. A minimalist baseline salary: Self-explanatory!

To make serious money you need to specialize. Here are some suggestions that come to the top of my mind:

- teaching kids one-on-one
- business writing and editing
- editing web-page text
- writing/editing/translating business/technical/academic writing
- speechwriting/editing
- editing college/graduate school/business school applications
- training medical professionals to talk, present, write, discuss
- training in general business school skills like presentations, negotiation, job interviewing, etc.

That's not a bad list and took my 90 seconds to churn out. There are lots more! I would add something else, too. If you have specialist knowledge in music, tennis, etc., you should also be looking for chance to leverage your expertise to make more money.

Sanchong's correct that there may be other places where cram school classes pay well. However, if you define yourself and market yourself effectively, Taiwan remains a fabulous market. It's just that you have to, you know, work a little and spend a little time to break $80,000 a year.

SanChong · Joined: 22 Nov 2005 Posts: 335

I'm not sure which of my comments you were responding to! I think you may have been responding to Aristotle's comments....!

KaiFeng · Posted: Mon Feb 12, 2007 1:57 am Post subject:

Sanchong, I believe you are absolutely correct!

Miyazaki · Joined: 12 Jul 2005 Posts: 635 Location: My Father's Yacht

SanChong · Joined: 22 Nov 2005 Posts: 335

StayingPower · Joined: 18 Aug 2006 Posts: 252

K_________, I think the general ethos here is to usurp superiority, thereby making the Taiwanese feel that IF YOU ACT SUPERIOR, YOU MUST BE!

I, however, have a hard time pretending to be something I'm not, though your insights and positive comments are somethings I will consider. I often deviate the other way and downplay that I'm an English teacher by calling myself An Assistant Language Instructor. This puts the ball in their court.

Nevertheless, I think it's hard. You DO have to aim high, though I feel it's rather dependent upon "playing the role," whereas in my book I want to "fit the role."