Job Discussion Forums

[elph]

Good evening,

I have been interested in teaching abroad for some time now but had to wait until I had completed my schooling. In that course of time I meet a girl and we've been dating for over three years now. We share a mutual interest in teaching abroad and have now finished our undergrads.

I have a few questions of interest that need to be sorted:
- My girlfriend is finishing her final exam in early Aug and will not likely get her official diploma until later in the fall. Most jobs ask for a copy of one's diploma. Would said jobs accept a transcript in lieu of the diploma.
- My girlfriend is asian of Chinese decent but was born in Canada and has taken all her schooling in Canada. Most jobs ask that you submit a recent photo of yourself and a copy of your passport... is there any chance that they discriminate against asians? I can understand the potential that an asian would not be accepted as a figure of authority in an english class, but her english is impeccable (she has a degree in English Literature).
- Seeing as how she is still finishing her final course in early August. Is it too late to apply in general, seeing as how we would not be able to start there until the final week of August or beginning of September. I cannot get solid information on when the school years starts a session.
- How often are schools receptive to hosting two people instead of one? Oftentimes they offer housing solutions for teachers. Assuming these are typically shared would they typically set aside space specifically for couples or should I just accept any housing allowance and find our own place?
- And what is a good resource to find information on the cost of living in Taiwan?

We initially were aiming for Hong Kong because she has some Cantonese skill but have since placed this on the back burner due to the often request CELTA or TESOL requirement, which we are too late to acquire before Sept. How many Cantonese speaking people would be there. It certainly is not a requirement to our plans but I just want to have an idea.

There are many more questions that I have but I want to see what you fine people have to say about these before we start down the rabbit hole...

[markcmc]

Some schools do discriminate, and some schools change their requirements depending on how much they need a teacher. However, many do not, so the answer is to just keep looking. If you are applying from abroad, then it shouldn't be a problem, as the schools which advertise internationally hire all native speakers.

There isn't really a season for private language schools. They hire when they need a teacher. However, there are usually more vacancies during and after summer, and again after Chinese new year. Universities and public schools begin the school year in September.

[Rooster_2006]

I don't think discrimination will be a big issue provided that she's not a nut job. Some schools will prefer a bilingual teacher (provided that she's bilingual). The teacher before me was an ABC.

I realize that this is not politically correct, and I'll get a lot of flames for this, but most of the ABCs that I see in Taiwan who complain about not finding a job, it's their own damn fault. Any reasonably competent ABC who speaks English at a native level should have no more problems than the average white person. It's hard for everybody to find a job right now, not just ABCs, and I think many ABCs get discouraged and declare "it's because they only want to hire white people." Well, I'm white, and I had 12 job interviews in a row before landing my current job. Maybe I should rant to everyone saying "IT'S DISCRIMINATION BECAUSE I'M A REDHEAD!"

As an example of the kind of behavior that will NOT get your girlfriend hired, I met this ABC on the boat to Cijin who complained about not being able to find an English teaching job. Upon further inquiry, it turns out that:
1. He is 18 years old.
2. He was given a dishonorable discharge from the US Army (they kicked him out).
3. He's a huge bigot. Every other comment on my life's successes was "that's because you're white!"
4. He has never even set foot in a college classroom.
And he was blaming all his problems finding an EFL job on those darn white people who just waltz on in and make 1,000 NTD an hour (that's what he thought I made until I set him straight). I can see why the Army kicked him out...

If your girlfriend is normal (not excessively arrogant, rude, loud, bigoted) I think she will find a job just fine.

I can't believe how many ABCs I've seen that have no clue that being loud, obnoxious, boastful, and wearing a backwards baseball cap AREN'T the road to success in Taiwan!

If your girlfriend speaks good English and knows how to behave in a culturally sensitive fashion, she stands just as good a chance at getting hired as a white person. Simple.

[Rooster_2006]

As for your other questions:

1. Unless you are working at a public school (illegal unless you have a home country teacher's license), you will not get free accommodation. You must pay for rent out of your salary. Korea and China offer apartments, Taiwan does not.

2. Cantonese is not spoken by a significant population here, BUT Hakka is similar enough to Cantonese to be mutually comprehensible, and there are some Hakka speakers here. Still, Mandarin, or even English will get you much farther here.

3. It is unlikely that you will be able to work at the same school. I've worked at four schools (yes, I've had a choppy history in Taiwan) and only one had another native speaker English teacher besides me.

[JZer]

[Rooster_2006]

[elph]

[Rooster_2006]

[Dr_Zoidberg]

Sorry, Rooster, but I'm going to have to disagree with you. There is rampant discrimination out there that those seeking ESL positions in private language schools have to face, and that's a fact.

A private language school is a business, and like all businesses it must cater to the paying customer. The bottom line for the laoban is his bottom line. If parents don't like what's on offer they can and will take their kids to any of the innumerable competing buxibans. And whether anyone on this discussion board likes it or not, parents pay more for a native English speaker, and that means they want to see a white face.

The laoban must, therefore, offer what his paying customers want. Taiwan, and Asia in general, is rife with racism (Yeah, it's not just for white people any more. In fact, it never was). And it's not just racism. It's ageism and sexism too. How many times have I seen jobs looking for females only? Or have must be young as one of the qualifications? Sometimes they even state they want someone under 30. They do so because that is what their customers are demanding.

This is a very inward-looking culture, full of old beliefs and superstitions. In my own experience I have found the further from Taipei you go, the more ignorant and backward the culture is.

That is the hurdle the OP's girlfriend will have to overcome. It's not impossible, in fact it's quite doable. I often see employment ads welcoming ABCs and CBCs (American / Canadian born Chinese). Hell, I even know some black people teaching English here. It's doable, it's just going to be more difficult than if she were white.

[creztor]

Dr_Zoidberg is bang on the money.

[JZer]

[Rooster_2006]

[forest1979]

Discrimination does take place and it is veiled by a number of practices: guanxi, for instance. In my own experience of working at a private uni some teachers were bypassed, even after excellent demonstration classes, because they 'didn't fit the picture'. One candidate, the best of the interviewed lot, was rejected due to a particular facial feature which, I kid you not, would "scare the students" (this quote from the ELC Head). The worst candidate in the end -awful demonstration, amateurish cv and covering letter that was embarressing - was offered the job. He had the correct skin tone though.

[elph]

[Rooster_2006]