Job Discussion Forums

elliot_spencer · Joined: 26 Feb 2007 Posts: 495

I hope you are all well, I have a question to ask you all if you're not too busy I have been offered a salaried position and I remember when I once spoke to my college tutor who said never to accept an hourly paid position and I realise that this is due to the fact that although you can make more money on a hourly paid job you can also loose a lot of money too! Also, not all hourly jobs gaurentee a fixed number of hours. So, I am asking, which do you think is better out of salaried and hourly positions? And why? Remember most jobs don't gaurentee hours and that all time off is unpaid!

Here is a break-down of two jobs - which would you take?

A job paying 65 000NT$ per month with paid holidays. The salary is based on 100 hours a month and each over 100 will be paid at 600NT$ a month. Every 6 months to a year my salary will increased by 5000NT$ per month!

Hourly paid will pay 560NT$ with rises each month and will be capped at 750NT$. teach 30 hours a week and any planning and marking is unpaid.

It'd be great to hear your insight.

thewileycoyote · Joined: 29 Jan 2006 Posts: 31

In the short term the salary job is definitely better assuming both jobs have the same amount of unpaid overtime for marking, planning and whatever else. For the first job you will make $65000 for 20 hours per week and the second you will make $65600 for 30 hours.

If you divide your $5000 raise by the 120 hours a week you would work at the second job you get about $42. So unless the second job offers raises considerabley higher then $42 per hour every 6 months then the first is still the best as you will never catch up to the higher pay rate of the first job. The first job is acutally offering to pay you $650 per hour with a $50 raise per hour every 6 months.

tedkarma · Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2007 12:49 am Post subject:

One important consideration - and THE primary one - is which job can and will make you legally resident and working in Taiwan?

I always used my MAIN job for good wages yes, but also for visa and working permit purposes - and then picked up part-time work for extra income.

Often you can spent time at your salaried marking and planning for your part-time work.

TaoyuanSteve · Joined: 05 Feb 2003 Posts: 1028 Location: Taoyuan

Generally, an hourly job is better. Salaried jobs waste a lot of your time by demanding you be on premises for a full day, regardless of whether or not you are teaching. This time could be spent making more money or just not being at the office. The paid holidays perk is a small one, given that Taiwan has so few holidays to begin with. When you work it out per hour, salaried job seldom compare favourably. Generally, an hourly job and private classes to suppliment is the best combination and will often make you more than a salary job in fewer hours. You'll more than make up for the loss of the paid holidays. Further, when paid hourly, you are more likely to be viewed as part time in the eyes of your Taiwanese employers (even if you work a full sched). Taiwanese often think they own full time, salaried employees and will be more inclined to make demands of extra work for no extra pay, refuse requests for leave etc.

Ki · Joined: 23 Jul 2004 Posts: 475

Your salary is given per month but the 100 hours is over four weeks, ie 25 hours a week. Over one year you will in effect lose a whole month's salary. So unless your paid holiday is at least one month long generally I would go for the waged job.

pinkflyd7 · Posted: Fri Jun 15, 2007 2:07 am Post subject:

I have to agree with Taoyuan Steve. I had several offers to work at salaried jobs, but went with hourly instead. All the salary jobs were long hours (and they usually start early), and you can't leave the school, even though you might have a 2 hour lunch break. They expect you to stay at the school and eat at the school cafeteria (they try to advertise this as "free lunch" perk.) In a country where I can get a decent meal for under 100NT, I see no reason to eat cafeteria food.

If you take an hourly job, you will probably have most of your day free to do whatever you want, and then work maybe 4 or 5 hours in the evening. For me, this is the best way to go. You can easily make 60,000NT a month working 25 hours a week on an hourly wage, then working 40 hours a week and making the same money salaried.

elliot_spencer · Joined: 26 Feb 2007 Posts: 495

Those of you who work for hourly pay..... How the heck can you afford to take time off if you don't bet paid for it?

pinkflyd7 · Posted: Fri Jun 15, 2007 2:35 pm Post subject:

Most companies won't let you take any time off (I'm talking about vacation time here) until you have been there at least 6 months. By 6 months, you should have saved up plenty of money to take time off when you need it. I take a month off every year and I've never had any financial difficulties, and I normally make less than 60,000 nt a month.

BigWally · Posted: Fri Jun 15, 2007 4:04 pm Post subject:

elliot_spencer · Joined: 26 Feb 2007 Posts: 495

Ok, Maybe in KHH but Tpe aint cheap!

markholmes · Joined: 21 Jun 2004 Posts: 661 Location: Wengehua

TaoyuanSteve · Joined: 05 Feb 2003 Posts: 1028 Location: Taoyuan

pinkflyd7 · Posted: Sat Jun 16, 2007 2:25 am Post subject:

Here is a good way to look at it. Let's assume this salaried position is a full time, 40 hour a week job (like they usually are):

Your rate of pay per hour is approximately 406NT.

406 X 40 (hours per week) = 16,240
16,240 X 4 (weeks) = 64,960

You mentioned that the hourly job only paid 560 NT. Which company is this? As far as I know, Hess is the only company that pays that low per hour. Most other schools will pay you at least 600 NT an hour.

yamahuh · Joined: 23 Apr 2004 Posts: 1033 Location: Karaoke Hell

SanChong · Joined: 22 Nov 2005 Posts: 335

I don't really think you can say one is clearly better and one is clearly worse.

It ENTIRELY depends on the specific contract. There are great salary contracts and horrible salary contracts. There are great hourly contracts and horrible hourly contracts.

It all depends on the specific contract.

When evaluating a salary contract, it's important to break the contract down PER HOUR. So, if you are making 60,000NT per month for 100 hours, you are making 600 per hour. In a salaried contract there may also be some other considerations to factor in. Here are a few examples:

1) Are you paid for holidays?
2) Are you paid for any time above 100 teaching hours (using my above example).
3) What else is included in your responsibilities, ie field trips, office hours, graduation shows, etc.

Overall, if everything was equal, personally I would always choose a salaried contract over an hourly one. You have more of a GUARANTEE with a salary. It's nice having that comfort. You are also generally paid for some holidays, which you never are under an hourly contract.

Also, I hate thinking about office hours as "unpaid work". That's a ridiculous statement that many teachers use as an excuse not to prepare for classes. All teacher, all over the world, need to prepare for class. That's what teachers do. However, because of the teaching environment in Taiwan, it affected me when working hourly in that I prepared less for class. When you are under a salaried contract, you feel like you are paid in a more rounded way, which entails you preparing and doing a good job for a whole month rather than just trying to shove as many teaching hours as you can into your schedule. I prefer that.

Sorry for the little rant at the end! Anyway, in sum, I think it really depends on the specific contract. Neither hourly or salary are automatically "better".