Job Discussion Forums

[yeuxbleu]

Hello All,
I have a question for those of you who have experience with HESS, and those of you who have lived in Taiwan for an extended period of time. Just today I got an email from HESS asking for a phone interview, and in the email it explained 3 contract offers.
None of the offers were appealing to me. The first only guaranteed 20 hours of work per week, and the hours were 4:30 - 9:00 PM. The second two options were based on doing a split schedule of both morning and night classes, and working every Saturday. I really do not like the sound of these options. First off, I do not want to work nights. Second, I do not want to work a split schedule, and third, I do not want to work 6 days a week.
Am I being unrealistic, or are these normal scenarios when teaching in Taiwan? I am a certified teacher here in the United States with 4+ years of classroom teaching experience, a Master's Degree in Education, and a CTESOL certification. I was hoping that I could find a job in Taiwan that would allow me to work normal, one shift, hours during the week. Any advice? Thanks!

[creztor]

You are being unrealistic if you want to work at HESS and 99% of the other cram schools. With your qualifications you should be applying for work at a public or private school (provided you are a certified teacher and still hold a valid license). If you don't then you are shit out of luck. All schools run 5pm - 9pm and usually have classes on Saturdays. The other option is to work kindy in the morning which is illegal and runs the risk of being deported if you are caught. Welcome to Taiwan.

[yamahuh]

Hate to tell you this but working evenings is part and parcel of working most Buxiban (Cram school) jobs in Taiwan. I don't blame you on not wanting to work weekends. I have never done it and never will. There are many other options that don't require you to.

If you are a fully certified teacher why not look at teaching public school?
Mornings and afternoons only, weekends free, less tax, better pay too from what I hear. Of course, I've never worked public school but from what I've read and been told that would be the route I opted for.

Check out Tealit.com and search around to see what's available.

[zipper]

[yeuxbleu]

Wow... thanks for the replies. And yes, I do hold a current license. It is valid in the state of Pennsylvania and I am in the process of having it upgraded, so that it will be valid in 48 states for the next 15 years.
I am glad to know that cram schools would require nights and weekends. I was contacted by an agent for the public schools, but she said they could not hold an interview yet, as I cannot leave the United States until the first week of September. I know that's 6 months away, I am just a type A planner and I want to have something arranged well in advance. I think I will still go through with the interview at Hess for the practice.
Why is teaching kindergarten in Taiwan illegal? I certainly do not want to do anything that could get me deported, but I am confused. On the Hess website they feature a video of a girl who teaches kindergarten and they make it seem as if she is fully in charge of the kindergarten class, and that this is the only assignment that she has.
And last question, why NOT Taiwan? That comment made me a little nervous. I will tell you what I am looking for and I would greatly appreciate your feedback.... I have been researching ESL jobs for over a year now. After I got certified in August I began to really think about what I want from this experience. So, here it is... I want a steady amount of hours with a set income so that I do not have to worry about finances. I will bring a decent amount of start up money with me, but I do not want to have to worry about money on a regular basis. I want to be able to comfortably pay my rent, buy food and other necessities, and have enough left over to explore the country where I am located, and other Asian destinations - I have decided I definitely want it to be Asia. I also want it to be a place that is reasonably safe, stable, and has a reputation as being welcoming to foreigners. And last, I would ideally like a place with no winter. After 27 years of winter, if I am traveling half way around the world I would loooove some nice weather year round. Based on these wishes, I found that Taiwan was a place that seemed able to make them come true.
That being said, I am not naive. I know that no one place can deliver the perfect package, and I know first hand what a challenge the job of teaching is. I just want to get close... any thoughts? Thanks!

[yeuxbleu]

ps... thanks for the tip on tealit.com!

[yamahuh]

No problem.

Sounds like you've done a fair amount of planning and asked yourself some reasonable questions. If you do end up working here, whether it be public schools or buxibans, you won't have to worry about money unless you're eating western food through the week and partying hard on the weekends. I find it's actually pretty difficult to get through my paycheque from one month to the next. Maybe that's just me, but between my wife and I we save more than we ever did in Canada when we were making a hell of a lot more per month.

Winters here are decent. Get away from the north and they're almost perfect. We get a lot of rain and damp around Hsinchu / Taipei / Northern Taiwan, but last year we were more central and we only got about 2 weeks of rain and cold and then it was back to shorts and t-shirts. I know what you mean about N. American winters around Pa. We're from Ontario, Canada so we had our fair share of shovelling snow.
You won't have that here.

[zipper]

Try to read up about the culture before you arrive. It's not the same as Western culture despite its modern appeal.

[justme86]

I Recently applid to HESS online but have not heard anything back. Can anyone tell me how long it takes on average to get a response from them ?

[Rooster_2006]