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any thoughts/experiences about Joy English School in Taipei

 
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enoch83



Joined: 02 Nov 2007
Posts: 69
Location: Taipei, Taiwan

PostPosted: Tue Nov 06, 2007 4:48 am    Post subject: any thoughts/experiences about Joy English School in Taipei Reply with quote

i'm looking at joy english school, and they're on the buxiban.com green list. seem like a pretty mediocre school to me with nothing special about them. its a salaried job at 55000-60000 but for 25 hrs/week + 10-12 office hrs.(this is outrageous to me). any comments or advice or anecdotes would be greatly appreciated.
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BJ



Joined: 03 Dec 2003
Posts: 173

PostPosted: Tue Nov 06, 2007 6:37 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

It is the norm for a salaried chain school position. There are better schools out there, but finding them when they have a vacancy is rather difficult as it is often word of mouth. Of course you might be lucky.

Some people prefer hourly pay style work, these normally pay per hour only and offer little in the way of bonuses, holidays etc. Problme with this is often there is no work visa. Hours fluctuate often in this style of work, most have to leave the contry every 2 months but minimal tax.

Of course I advice legal and safe work environments, but do rememebr this is Taiwan, and what may seem fair to you dosn't always translate to practice here.
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TaoyuanSteve



Joined: 05 Feb 2003
Posts: 1028
Location: Taoyuan

PostPosted: Tue Nov 06, 2007 7:26 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

BJ wrote:
It is the norm for a salaried chain school position.


Perhaps within the normal spectrum, but on the low side thereof.

BJ wrote:
Some people prefer hourly pay style work...


TaoyuanSteve raises hand enthusiastically.

BJ wrote:
these normally pay per hour only and offer little in the way of bonuses, holidays etc.


In Taiwan, there are very few holidays. Paid holidays are not really a perk. Bonuses are similarly small and not worth it. When you work hourly, you are paid for every hour you actually spend at work. The offer in the OP asks for 35 hours a week for 55k. Imagine if one could work that many hours, but paid --say-- 600nt for each and every hour. The difference in income would more than make up for the loss of what amounts to a few days a year and a couple thousand nt per month attendance bonus.

BJ wrote:
Problme with this is often there is no work visa.


That's only true of second jobs. Many buxibans will provide ARC and health insurance to employees to whom they can offer more than 14 hours per week.

BJ wrote:
Hours fluctuate often in this style of work, most have to leave the contry every 2 months but minimal tax.


Not in my case, they haven't. Maybe there are more steady hours out in the styx... or just fewer teachers.

The days of the frequent visa flights, I think, are long past. You need ARC sponsors these days. Most legit jobs will offer one, hourly or salary.

BJ wrote:
Of course I advice legal and safe work environments, but do rememebr this is Taiwan, and what may seem fair to you dosn't always translate to practice here.


Ditto. But there is something for working smart and not just hard. Let's take one of my former employers for example. I know people dissed GES, but if you can work on average four hours a day and make what the salaried job offers, what happens when the GES teacher throws a few privates or a morning kindy into the mix? He blows away the poor sod working on salary, that's what.

PS. Not putting you or your ideas down BJ. I'm just offering another perspective on the issue.
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CWanders



Joined: 04 Jan 2007
Posts: 49

PostPosted: Tue Nov 06, 2007 7:27 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
its a salaried job at 55000-60000 but for 25 hrs/week + 10-12 office hrs.(this is outrageous to me).


I make about 58,000, post-taxes, teaching 24 hours a week without "required office hours" (although I obviously spend time outside of class preparing lessons). Granted, I also have a little teaching experience and decent Mandarin. But it's possible to find jobs at the lower end of that salary range that don't require that many office hours.
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BJ



Joined: 03 Dec 2003
Posts: 173

PostPosted: Tue Nov 06, 2007 3:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

No problem TS, there are so many varients to be sure. Way back when salaried jobs in tecahing in Taiwan were very uncommon unless at a government school, Then the trend towards salaried started, where its at now will differ from area to arera, boss to boss.

Lucky me 4.5 months paid vacation:) and bonuses whilst being salaried, with extra pay for any hours over 11.

I prefer the lower pay and more free time than the manic hours when i first got here.

MY advice, if your really interested, take a job, look around for better and leave at the end of your one year contract. The first year you at least know your going to get X amount, and can bank on it:)
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enoch83



Joined: 02 Nov 2007
Posts: 69
Location: Taipei, Taiwan

PostPosted: Tue Nov 06, 2007 3:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

BJ wrote:
No problem TS, there are so many varients to be sure. Way back when salaried jobs in tecahing in Taiwan were very uncommon unless at a government school, Then the trend towards salaried started, where its at now will differ from area to arera, boss to boss.

Lucky me 4.5 months paid vacation:) and bonuses whilst being salaried, with extra pay for any hours over 11.

I prefer the lower pay and more free time than the manic hours when i first got here.

MY advice, if your really interested, take a job, look around for better and leave at the end of your one year contract. The first year you at least know your going to get X amount, and can bank on it:)


where do you work bj
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clark.w.griswald



Joined: 06 Dec 2004
Posts: 2056

PostPosted: Thu Nov 08, 2007 4:14 am    Post subject: Re: any thoughts/experiences about Joy English School in Tai Reply with quote

enoch83 wrote:
i'm looking at joy english school, and they're on the buxiban.com green list. seem like a pretty mediocre school to me with nothing special about them. its a salaried job at 55000-60000 but for 25 hrs/week + 10-12 office hrs.(this is outrageous to me). any comments or advice or anecdotes would be greatly appreciated.


They are on the green list as on the whole schools within Joy provide good solid jobs, fair support, curriculum, training, and of course legal work. This does vary of course and just because they may be a Joy school does not automatically mean that they are good.

Most of the school in Taipei pay hourly with no requirement for office hours - except for class preparation.

Which particular school is it that you are applying to? It is always best to look at each individual school on its own merits. My guess is that it is one of the franchise run schools on the edge of Taipei rather than within Taipei downtown itself.
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enoch83



Joined: 02 Nov 2007
Posts: 69
Location: Taipei, Taiwan

PostPosted: Thu Nov 08, 2007 6:02 am    Post subject: Re: any thoughts/experiences about Joy English School in Tai Reply with quote

clark.w.griswald wrote:
enoch83 wrote:



Which particular school is it that you are applying to? It is always best to look at each individual school on its own merits. My guess is that it is one of the franchise run schools on the edge of Taipei rather than within Taipei downtown itself.


ya its one of the ones on the fringes of the city/county. are those usually not that great
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clark.w.griswald



Joined: 06 Dec 2004
Posts: 2056

PostPosted: Thu Nov 08, 2007 11:22 pm    Post subject: Re: any thoughts/experiences about Joy English School in Tai Reply with quote

enoch83 wrote:
ya its one of the ones on the fringes of the city/county. are those usually not that great


Most, if not all, of those particular schools are franchises and that explains the salary wage as opposed to the hourly rate wage, as well as the requirement for office hours. The green list rating at buxiban.com does not apply to franchise schools in general as they are such a mixed bag.

I would not say that it is not a good deal, but you could do better. If you have no other offers that are better than this one and you want to finalize something then why not take it. It may work out okay and you can always resign if it doesn't.

With most Joy schools you get a soft landing and you get what you were promised and that helps of course.

PM me the exact school name if you like and I will let you know if I know them. There are some very good franchise schools in the Joy school chain and this could just be one of them!!
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craigzy



Joined: 20 Mar 2006
Posts: 87
Location: taichung

PostPosted: Sat Nov 10, 2007 4:32 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

4.5 months paid vacation?

damn, are they hiring?
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