Job Discussion Forums

Kina · Joined: 10 Jul 2008 Posts: 4 Location: Ottawa, Canada

Any tips on what to do to make it go smoothly? It's for the language center... do they expect me to dress in business attire?
Any info or advice will help. The interview's tomorrow!
Thanks.

surrealia · Joined: 11 Jan 2003 Posts: 241 Location: Taiwan

Yes, definitely dress professionally. I would probably advise you do follow the traditional advice for job interviews (don't be late, act enthusiastic, sell your strengths as a teacher, ask a few questions in the end, along with a few other tips I can't remember just now)

I'm just curious which university is this?

romanworld · Joined: 27 May 2008 Posts: 388

You may also need to give a demo lesson.

If you can give more info about the university, I'm sure posters here, including myself, can give you some helpful suggestions. BTW, are you coming all the way from Cananda just to interview? Think twice about this, because these jobs are highly sort after today and you may not get it. If you have a good job in Canada, don't give it up for a job in a language centre. A job recently advertised at www.esl99.com for an Instructor at a Language Center at DongHwa University in Hualien pays a measly NT$46,350. Not much you can do with that, although I will admit that Hualien is cheaper than, say, Taipei.

forest1979 · Joined: 10 Jun 2007 Posts: 507 Location: SE Asia

Which university?

There's a great variety in how national (public) and private universities interview people.

Having worked for both types of universities, and having interviewed people and been interviewed myself there is no way that all universities choose.

OP - let us know what university it is and we can then tell you more precisely what to expect.

surrealia · Joined: 11 Jan 2003 Posts: 241 Location: Taiwan

Romanworld is right about that job at Donghua University in Hualien. The standard instructor salary in Taiwan is about $53,000 N.T. a month, so if you went to work at Donghua, you would be losing $7,000 a month or $84,000 a year.

forest1979 · Joined: 10 Jun 2007 Posts: 507 Location: SE Asia

A possible reasons why the job mentioned in this thread is offering less pay is because the person who takes the job will not be a member of faculty but rather a member of staff.

Such positions for foreigners are to be avoided. Not only is the pay less but so are worker rights. In effect you're working when wanted and fired when not. I think too you have to teach more. I would expect the contract would be for 14 or 15 teaching hours as opposed to the usual basic of 11.

romanworld · Joined: 27 May 2008 Posts: 388

forest1979 · Joined: 10 Jun 2007 Posts: 507 Location: SE Asia

The pension issue is a non-starter. What they should say is that you need to work for something like 25 years to qualify for a pension. If you leave after 5 years it's money down the pan.

Moral of the story: staff not faculty position. Leave it for a local.

chinalindyhopper · Joined: 02 Nov 2008 Posts: 7

[/quote]The salary is laughable. Why bother getting qualified? Flippin' burgers at MacDonald's would pay more![/quote]

I have an MA in Curriculum and Instruction with a concentration in ESL and over 5 years' experience teaching university students in China. I am not finding many positions open at colleges or universities in Taiwan for an MA. They seem to want Ph.D's. So where should I go to look for a job in Taiwan? Buxiban???

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

romanworld · Joined: 27 May 2008 Posts: 388

forest1979 · Joined: 10 Jun 2007 Posts: 507 Location: SE Asia

Miyazaki - Sorry, but using the Chinese Cultural University and NTU as examples won't provide evidence of a general trend emerging. CCU has for donkeys years asked for its staff to be on campus like in a 9-5 situation whether they are teaching or not. If I remember right staff also had to be on campus 4 full days a week.

NTU is a completely different kettle of fish. For any job there you will need publications. Jobs advertised in various departments there ask for many, many things. I think their ad at the Chronicle of Higher Education wanted 9 different things in the application. Also one year contracts - every foreigner has one year contracts as it is the law under MoE regulations. This is not anything new!

However, you are right to raise the issue of faculty status vs staff status. This is a hugely valid point, and put simply is highlighting how the higher education sector is shifting in Taiwan. Long gone are the days where TEFL staff rolled up in jeans, taught and cleared off. With the growth of staff positions you are also right in highlighting how classroom hours have gone on the up, which in real terms means more work for less pay. In some cases much less pay!

Moral of the story: it's getting tougher to find good faculty positions on just a MA in Taiwan now.

Taylor · Joined: 24 Oct 2003 Posts: 384 Location: Texas/Taiwan

Dear Readers,

Here is another "Moral of the Story" that you can count on for the rest of your life: The Taiwanese Government & Language Learning do NOT mix.

Just look at all the freaking regulation that has come up in the previous posts--taxes, hours, requirements, visas, contracts. Moreover, the pay has not increase AT ALL in well over a DECADE!!! Even if you have a PhD, the starting pay is only 68K NTD per month.

Also, trying to entertain classes of 50-70 "college kids" is quite draining. I've done it for 8 years in Kaohsiung, so I know what I'm talking about. And there are still plenty of un-air conditioned classrooms out there!

I would love to hear what others have to say on the topic of teaching English at universities in Taiwan.

Taylor

romanworld · Joined: 27 May 2008 Posts: 388

Taylor · Joined: 24 Oct 2003 Posts: 384 Location: Texas/Taiwan

Thanks for your response.... And I had forgotten to mention the weakening Taiwan dollar from 26 in the mid-1990s to like 33 now (per 1 USD).

Taylor