Job Discussion Forums

[TaoyuanSteve]

[SEndrigo]

Good point there Steve, thanks for clarifying.

Yeah, what I was trying to say is what you said so well - that teachers can pursue other opportunities, reach the pinnacle of English teaching and open other businesses, etc.

And I suppose it would be quite difficult for an English teacher to make NT$500,000 a month, at least from English teaching alone. He'd have to teach 20 or so hours a day, lol.

Now, if one were to get involved in arms trafficking, that would be the life...it pays well and you get customers for life...that is, until either one of you disappears!

[forest1979]

It would be impossible teaching in Taiwan to earn more than NT$150,000 a month, and this is someone with a PhD and a high level of Chinese, on a Professors salary plus teaching at all times not in the college classroom or being paid to translate documents.

The most I knew an English teacher earning was NT$110,000 and she was teaching full days, and evening to boot. Plus weekends. She had a PhD.

[forest1979]

Just to follow up on the last post of mine.

The person working all hours of the day did so as she was paying for a daughter at a college in the US, and not because she loved teaching so much, plus she was established in Taiwan. For any newbie the chances of falling upon serious coinage are very small...afterall you pay 20% tax for the first 183 days!

[TaoyuanSteve]

[forest1979]

TaoyuanSteve - The example you cite are not not really the norm. How many English teachers actually own cram schools? In fact how many non-Taiwanese cram school owners are there in Taiwan? How long have they been in Taiwan? How many registered kids do they have at their schools? Therefore stating that NT$150,000+ can be easily achieved heavily relies upon first outlaying large volumes of cash, and accordingly drumming up a very steady clientel base, probably being in Taiwan many years, and consequently having an ability - or a partner - who is fluent in Mandarin.

Consistently making NT$110,000-NT$120,000 - 11-12 months a year - in part relies upon, as you say, private group teaching but having a PhD and so working just 9 hours in the college classroom frees up a hell of a lot of time to engage in private work. How many bushibans offer 9 hours of class time per week and a NT$78,000 salary? Therefore, I digress. Having an advanced degree is certainly helpful, or put differently, it is by no means a bad thing. It certainly allows people to have the potential to earn more than the vast majority of people teaching in cram schools, owners of which not included rather obviously, and it allows people with little or no skills in Mandarin, and new arrivals, to earn very good salaries in the framework of the TEFL industry.

[TaoyuanSteve]

[forest1979]

TaoyuanSteve - There's a number of things I'd like to say:

1. I mentioned Mandarin ability as most TEFLers have a minimum level of it. People such as yourself are more excpetions than the rule, simply because (I assume) you have been in Taiwan for many years and most TEFLers come and go after 2 or 3. Also you live independently in a small town. Again, most newbies certainly don't plonk themselves into your situation and instead head for Taipei.

2. Private unis in Taiwan ask you to do your class hours and just a few hours of office hours (in some cases as low as 5 or 6 hours in some colleges). Thus for 15 hours total on campus, i.e. a 3 day week, a much higher salary than a bushiban job is reached. And you can have 2 free working days to engage in other activities (to earn money). Also, don't forget unis pay a 6 week Chinese New Year bonus - for an assistant professor this is inexcess of NT$100,000 and for a full professor almost NT$150,000.

3. True - dedication, hard work, investment of time at least are imperatives to climb the corporate ladder. I don't know about investment of money though to get to the top jobs in the wide-old company world.

4. Yes, I am saying that a CONSISTENT NT$110,000-NT$120,000 for TEFLers is not the norm. I agree that a salary such as this is attainble but I find it hard to see how someone on a 25 hour per week teaching contact at a bushiban can, outside, of that work scenario, effectively double (or thereabouts) their salary for 11 or 12 months a year should they wish to have a life and not work either weekends or evenings.

5. You give the example of someone straight off the plane earning NT$100,000 - again is this typical? I doubt it because as you rightly said it is necessary to get connections once you arrive if you're willing to do the extra hours. I presume the example you gave was of one exceptional person who fell on a field of four leaf clovers upon arival or already had contacts prior to arrival. Personally I have heard of no one within a few months of arriving earning what you said, and as posted before, one reason for this is the tax situation for the first 183 days.

6. No, I am not arguing at all about cram school owners earning NT$150,000 a month, or more. I am sure many, many do.

[JZer]

[JZer]

[forest1979]

I can tell you for a fact that the guy earning NT$500,000 was not working weekends and was frequently hanging around restaurants in Tienmu and the like on Saturdays and Sundays, or relaxing, swimming in his private pool in Yangmingshan. The only time he worked weekends was when head office called and wanting work doing pronto. Otherwise he had his staff to put in the extra hours that you are assuming he did. You see, when you're the top dog, as he was, with a staff of 100 below him, he could call the shots, and he did. It's whats known as being the boss, JZer.

However, I'm not saying at all he worked as little as 25 hours a week - he worked 8 to 6 - but when did I imply that? As for nurses, since when did they earn high salaries? It's a notoriously low paid profession with long hours involved, and recruitment problems in many western countries. And oil workers, of course they earn good money but there are three things such as very hard graft, geographical isolation and danger involved.

The general point is if you want extra cash enough then it's possible to obtain in the TEFL industry. As I and TaoyuanSteve have highlighted there are many conditions that might have to be met before the money rolls in but Taiwan is really no different from other parts of the world, if you invest your time and energy, and have a bit of luck, you can reap the rewards.

Final point, the tax situation. As I understand it, the first 183 days is 20% tax and non-refundable. Is this correct because you claim most of it can be got back?

[SEndrigo]

[JZer]

[JZer]

[JZer]