Job Discussion Forums

[adge83]

Hi there,

I'm feeling unsettled about something, maybe someone can help me with this. I was hired by Kojen recently and the contract does not include a guarenteed number of work hours per week - it only requires teacher to be 'available' for a minimum of 18 hours a week. I feel kinda uneasy about that since there's a chance I may work less than 18 hours a week. How am I suppose to live off of that!??

Although, I am also tempted to take the job because I may be placed really close to where I will be living AND the fact that they provide some initial training and support.

For those of you who worked for Kojen, did you have any problems with not getting enough hours?

[Toe Save]

KoJen plays the game better than anyone else in my experience. You will most likely get about 22 hours or more in the summer, but that will dwindle down to 18 during the other times. If you aren't a KoJen person (I certainly wasn't) the hours could get fewer.

Make sure to avoid School #4 for kids. You will rue the day you walk thru her doors.

Ken Ho, the owner of KoJen has been oft quoted for saying that if he could run his business without foreigners, he would happily do so.

Foreigners are a neccessary evil in their eyes. Consider yourself forewarned.

[adge83]

HMMMM that may be a problem then. Was there a penalty for breaking contract?? I may have to continue job hunting then....18 hours is sooo little.

Which school is #4??? I'm hoping I will be placed in beitou/Shinlin areas as that is where I will be living.

BTW, I was told there is construction going into Taipei city. Is this true?? Does anyone know what the commute time is from Tamsui station - Taipei main station is???

[Toe Save]

[markholmes]

Your hours will flucuate throughout the year. In Kaohsiung in the summer some teachers were doing 50 hours a week, but then, yes, it dropped to 20ish when everybody went back to school. Low hours can be a problem from time to time (a good opportunity to work on your privates).

I worked in the preschool, so my basic hours were pretty steady. I actually refused hours a lot of the time (I didn't want to teach adults).

I liked working for Kojen, it was a good experience, and the people were great. My whole experience was ruined by one person at my school, an insane manager who had absolutely no idea what she was doing. I seem to remember Toe's story was something similar (different school & boss though, I was in Neihu). But remember, a crap boss can happen anywhere.

As for the Ho family, well, let's put it this way, if you had a company in the UK, Canada or the US, would you want to hire 700 people who couldn't speak English, if you didn't have to?

[adge83]

Thanks for the input on your own experience markholmes. Now I am torn between taking it or not.

should I or should I not...what to do!!?...

[markholmes]

What are your other options currently?

[clark.w.griswald]

Chains are often reluctant to commit to minimum block hours for two reasons:

a) what if they don't have the students to fill the hours;

b) what if the teacher is not a good teacher;

Your concerns about making a living are of course very valid.

If you are a good teacher, are reliable, willing to take on extra hours (with pay), popular with the students etc...then you will likely find that you get as many hours as you need. If you are not a very good teacher or if you are difficult to work with then you will probably find that you don't get the extra hours that you may want.

See if you can come to an agreement with the school as to which days you will be available to work. If you can clear a few days a week for non-Kojen work then you can find a second employer to give you a second work permit and then have two employers. Kojen will most likely not like this scenario but if you can get it agreed to then you will placing yourself well.

[adge83]

Thanks Clark, that would be a great idea and a perfect way to guarentee enough hours for myself...I've thought about that before, but I didn't know we can apply for two permits. How would that work? I thought we only can have one company sponsor us on our ARC.

You say that Chains are often reluctant to commit to minimum hours, but I find almost all schools guarentee hours. So I find it really odd that Kojen does not provide that, considering they are a big Chain and have been running for so long.

[clark.w.griswald]

[markholmes]

My feeling is that if you said to Kojen that you wanted your hours set in advance so that you could find a second job, they would probably not employ you in the first place. Why? For one you are already showing signs of a lack of commitment before you even get hired and two, English teaching is seasonal, with many more hours available in the school vacation periods than the rest of the year. Clearly chains would like you to be as flexible as possible in the amount of hours worked.

If this is something you really feel you want to do, then I would sign up with Kojen first, see how many hours you are getting and then look for another job that will fit in with your schedule. If you can avoid telling Kojen about the second job it will be that much better.

Really your options would be, get a job in a Kojen preschool (9-4 mon to fri) and then pick up some extra classes or privates in the evening or work in the adults/kids department at Kojen (mostly evening work) and then pick up a preschool class elsewhere from 9-12 mon to fri. As someone will point out in the not too distant future, the last option is not legal but many people do it.

[TaoyuanSteve]

As holmes says, informing your employer of your intentions to seek a second job is not a good a idea. However, you may be able to restrict your schedule in advance of signing with them by telling them you are only available to work during preset days and times. If it's agreed to in advance, it will be less trouble for you to find reliable spare time blocks to fill with second jobs and privates than if you leave your schedule open and changeable and then have to contend with hours at all times of the day. A common excuse for needing to restrict one's availability is Chinese study.

[adge83]

Thanks for all the input!!! Much appreciated!

[clark.w.griswald]

[markholmes]

Quite right Clark, both scenarios I mentioned are illegal. Sorry, momentary lapse of concentration.