Job Discussion Forums

[esl_jimi]

Hey everyone, just wondering if anyone knows anything or has any experience with Principal School. I think they have two locations, in Taoyuan and Linkou. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

[mariannec]

My boyfriend and I currently work at a Principal School in Hsinchu... we've been there for about 5 months now. What exactly do you want to know?

[esl_jimi]

I guess my main question is, has the school come through in all contractual matters? How do you find the administration? How has your experience been teaching there, generally speaking?

Principal schools are 9-5 right?

[Imagine8]

Hello. My boyfriend and I work at Principal in LinKou. Overall, it's pretty nice. It's definitely not 9-5, though. It's a lot of work. The actual hours are probably only slightly more than the norm, but the amount of work (prep, etc.) you're given is a lot more. The contract....I guess they stick to it in most ways that matter, but I wouldn't pay much attention to it. We haven't been totally screwed over, if that's what you're worried about.

Some Pros:
-You can wear pretty much whatever you want.
-You have relative freedom with the curriculum (so you can do what you want).
-You get paid for your breaks, so your salary (which initially looks low) turns about to be better than expected.
-The school buildings (ours, at least), are pretty. It's not just some office building converted to a school. There are real playgrounds, a performance hall, etc.

Some Cons:
-You have relative freedom with the curriculum (so you have to plan by yourself)
-A lot of extra (unpaid) events that you have to not only attend, but prep for (Parents Nights, Christmas Shows, etc.) ( This is our biggest beef )
-Long hours (some days you work from 9am -7:20pm (with a two hour unpaid lunch break)

Let me know if you have any more questions.

Lauren

[mariannec]

I'll follow up on what Lauren said. She basically got it right in my opinion, but maybe I'll fill in a bit more. We have only been at the school for 5 months, but here are my thoughts so far.

Pros:

*** Pleasant staff - Almost everyone we work with is friendly and accommodating. This includes foreign and Chinese co-workers.

*** Sick/vacation days are accepted - We both got a bad case of bronchitis in our second month, and the school was very understanding. If you feel sick in the morning, you can ask to leave in the afternoon. You can also take vacations outside of the designated vacation periods... we haven't acted on this but our co-workers have. One took around 2 weeks for family and recreation vacations. You will have to try and find a sub, though. I mention this because we've had friends, specifically in kindergartens, who have faced many difficulties in trying to take days off.

*** Paid breaks - one thing I'll add to Lauren's comment, though... you're only paid for some of your breaks. For example, in Hsinchu we receive a 40-minute break between kindergarten and bushiban classes. This break isn't paid.

*** Guaranteed hours - The pay is low but you definitely work a lot. You'll never have to worry about scrounging for hours. You can chart how much you want to save or spend because you'll work the same hours the whole semester.

*** If you like kids, kindergarten work is great - This could go for any school, but it's definitely something to consider. These kids are young. I mainly teach 3 and 4 year olds. They're lovable and easy to teach. But they're physically taxing. Just something to keep in mind.



Cons:

*** You work a ton of hours - My work-day isn't as taxing as Lauren's... I typically work 10am - 6pm. However, that may not be true of your school. Also, don't take for granted the "extra events." These will eat up dozens of hours with prep and attendance. For example, PTAs often include planning the night, prepping students (anything from a demo to a performance), attending/hosting the event, and cleaning up after the event. The longest day I've probably worked was our Xmas PTA - from 9am to 9pm. Other events include phone-calling, parties, new student days, demos, etc.

*** Lack of training - The training is minimal at best. You demo a class (i.e. you copy a Chinese teacher) and learn about the school's lesson plans. You're expected to write all of your own lessons, which for someone with no experience, can be difficult. Also, depending on your school manager, you will be expected to hand in your lessons every day, which can get frustrating. One warning, if they ask for your lessons the day before, do not stay after work to finish them. You won't be paid for the time and it isn't worth it. Try fitting it in during the day. We stayed after for the first month and it definitely wasn't worth it.

*** Two-week deposit - You aren't paid for a month, which, unless you come with a lot of start-up money, can be difficult. Also, the deposit is strange, at least at my school. They don't hold the first two weeks, but rather your pay schedule is always two-weeks behind. For example, if it was our 10th week of work, we'd be paid for the 7-8th week, not the 9-10th. Then on the 12th, we'd be paid for the 9-10th, and so on.


Overall, we're happy with the school. Hope this helps! If you have any more questions, just ask. I remember scrounging for information when we were first coming.

Marianne

[esl_jimi]

Hi Mariannec, thanks for your input! It's very helpful. Now it's just time to mull things over...