Job Discussion Forums

JZer · Joined: 16 Jan 2005 Posts: 3898 Location: Pittsburgh

Maybe the jobs advertised on Tealit but I believe there are still other jobs that are not filled easily. Maybe the most difficult part is where to find a job.

Rooster_2006 · Joined: 24 Sep 2007 Posts: 984

nicam · Joined: 17 Mar 2009 Posts: 15 Location: Hermit Kingdom

Well I can't speak for Kaohsiung, but in Taipei I think many foreign teachers pound the pavement going from buxiban to buxiban with a load of CVs. My man did this, must have hit about 100 of them. Got some subbing work, quite a bit of it actually and it's kept us going for a while, but nothing permanent. There's nothing wrong with him either, he wore a suit, is quite young, handsome, experienced, and clean-cut...

At one buxiban he was told by personnel that several others just like him had come in that same day to drop off their CVs. some front desk personnel were shaking their heads 'no' as soon as they saw a foreign teacher coming, didn't even let him in the door.

It's a jungle out here.

JZer · Joined: 16 Jan 2005 Posts: 3898 Location: Pittsburgh

parrothead · Joined: 02 Nov 2003 Posts: 342 Location: Japan

JZer · Joined: 16 Jan 2005 Posts: 3898 Location: Pittsburgh

They are kindergartens or don't have a buxiban license to hire foreigners.

Splenda · Joined: 24 Oct 2008 Posts: 19

Taiwan seems like a complete no-go. Not enough work, too much scrambling around for too few hours. I can't envision going half way around the world to put yourself in such a position unless you are sufficiently well-off financially and/or coming to Taiwan is largely for play time and a fun travel experience.

JZer · Joined: 16 Jan 2005 Posts: 3898 Location: Pittsburgh

Splenda, I don't know what your job is but teaching English in Taiwan beats sitting in an office 40 hours a week.

nicam · Joined: 17 Mar 2009 Posts: 15 Location: Hermit Kingdom

JZer · Joined: 16 Jan 2005 Posts: 3898 Location: Pittsburgh

Well in the US I might make $4000 a month and be scrapping around to survive. 25% tax, gasoline, car insurance, maintaining a car, higher cost for an apartment or mortgage, etc.

Rooster_2006 · Joined: 24 Sep 2007 Posts: 984

I guess my big question is "is Japan better or worse?"

You see, I can survive like this indefinitely in Taiwan. $600 a month paycheck for 11-hour weeks? Sure it sucks, but I'm living on like $400 a month, so I'm actually still saving. I may not have much money for entertainment, but hitting the beach three minutes from my pad is a great form of entertainment, and it's free...

What I'm worried about is that I go to Japan next year and find that the eikaiwa jobs are being filled by people with MA TESOLs and home country teaching qualifications.

Which is harder, Kaohsiung or middle-of-nowhere Japan?

Oh, and let's not forget folks -- you can pick up extra cash on the Internet. Sure the pay for telecommuting jobs isn't great, but it's not much worse than 550 NTD for an hour of teaching and half an hour of prep and appeasing the boss. Are you good at programming? Write some shareware and sell it. Are you good at teaching? Tutor some students in South Korea over Skype. Do you have no skills whatsoever? Try telemarketing. Not all the work you do in Taiwan has to be English teaching...

JZer · Joined: 16 Jan 2005 Posts: 3898 Location: Pittsburgh

Rooster_2006,

Apply for a job in Japan before you arrive. You will need a B.A in Japan to get a job. You can apply to be an ALT in a high school. 250,000 Yen a month.