Job Discussion Forums

Ralph Winfield · Joined: 26 Apr 2013 Posts: 30

Hi,

Try checking out the public school scene at the web sites for Taiwan. There is an old one that's much more open than this web site's forums. I can't recall its name at the moment. The public schools paid my Saffir friends, who were not very good at speaking English, about 3 thousand dollars for teaching 20 classes 5 days per week.

Spelunker · Joined: 03 Nov 2013 Posts: 392

Indeed, I feel it is pretty safe in east asia as compared with south east asia.

Akisan2 · Joined: 16 Dec 2014 Posts: 3

My .02 cents here.

I am Asian American living in Taiwan. I have a marriage ARC and moved from Pacific NW to Taiwan in 2012 mainly because of the baby we have. We wanted to be closer to her family with our new baby.

I was the typical FOB coming into this country. I jumped from cram schools to another with good and bad results. Some of them were downright racist and filled with bigots. Some of these managers/owners are so intolerable about an Asian guy teaching as a foreigner!

I found some decent success with one particular branch and I worked there for a year. They offered me 20hrs with 650 pay. I also landed a weekend job and a night job teaching adults. At times, I was teaching 32-35hrs a week!

Yes, there are unpaid preparations that's necessary, but what job doesn't require some outside work? I was a GM of a busy restaurant in NW so this work was a walk in a park. I've seen enough "teachers" who walks into a class completely unprepared and they expect to get paid premium wages. That's what Taiwan does to you. I've also seen bad cram schools too. It's just a messy industry. You'll have to find a decent school (the most difficult part in Taiwan) who you can build a mutual, respectful business relationships and both parties can give each other what they promised. (I also know this is difficult) I went through 6 cram schools and I finally found one that gave me the career boost.

I was recruited to teach the public school late last year and that's what I am doing now. This is by far the easiest job I've ever had and I truly enjoy them. Yes, I don't have any provided resources but school entrusted me to create my own curriculum and gave me complete freedom. I am now in my second year and I still wonder how I'm getting paid to do this job... It's that good for me!

If you have common sense and just give a damn about teaching, you're more than likely find success here, or anywhere else, really.

That's my take. I hope you'll find success wherever you go.
Good luck.
Ray

Seymour Glass · Joined: 18 Jul 2010 Posts: 35

The truth about Taiwan thread has become the truth about Thailand thread...it really is true that most people from the west can't distinguish the two places... Cool

MOD EDIT: NOT TO WORRY. THAT'S ABOUT TO CHANGE VERY QUICKLY.

Mr. Kalgukshi · Posted: Tue Jul 07, 2015 12:54 am Post subject:

THIS IS THE TAIWAN FORUM AND THIS THREAD IS INDISPUTABLY ONE INTENDED TO HAVE A TAIWAN FOCUS. AS A RESULT, INNUMERABLE POSTINGS DEALING WITH THAILAND (WHICH HAS ITS OWN COUNTRY FORUM) HAVE BEEN DELETED FROM THIS THREAD.

FUTURE OFF-TOPIC, DERAILING OR RACIST POSTINGS WILL SEE THE MAKERS OF SUCH POSTINGS REMOVED FROM OUR MEMBERSHIP LIST ALONG WITH THE INAPPROPRIATE POSTINGS.

MEMBERS ARE REQUESTED TO ADVISE THE MOD TEAM BY REPORT POST OR PM OF ANY INAPPROPRIATE POSTINGS ON THIS OR ANY THREAD.

torentosan · Joined: 02 Sep 2009 Posts: 54

LOL. Since starting this topic, I have moved to Taipei. I can truly say this..It is very difficult to get to the truth on these forums. I will withhold why I think so. For the record, I find it a very decent place with plenty of teaching opportunity. But, as always, you are not going to get rich teaching.
I think I will just leave it there.

markcmc · Joined: 18 Jan 2010 Posts: 262 Location: Taiwan

phdinfunk · Joined: 30 May 2008 Posts: 69

i am in my seventh year here. Nice to see someone else who sees all the opportunity in Taiwan.

Speaking as someone who has never worked in Taipei, and once again recently started a job hunt (it's about time to move on from the remote paradise I have been living in)... Salaries have improved a lot since 2011 when I made my last job hunt, and getting offers, full or part time is just as easy.

Partly, I can look across the table and say, "I have been here for seven years, I love taiwan, I have lived in two remote places and finished several years of contracts. you know what you're getting." But still, I see relative newbies punching above the 70,000 mark these days.

Also, all the part time versus full time hours thing. I do have some friends with more experience than myself doing part time. Nice thing is, there's no mandatory office hours, usually you don't have to grade stuff, or spend much time. Just show up, get your 700+ an hour and go.

And yes, you should negotiate for at least that much. Normally, if you present yourself as professional or experienced, the worst case scenario is that you could negotiate for "two months to check each other out" and a pay raise afterwards.

One problem is that most foreigners still don't know what they can get or what they are worth. Twenty four year old stoners aside, if you're a professional, and you can come across as one in an interview, you should be fine.

Addendum: I have heard as long as I have been on this island that things are harder in Taipei.

Shakey · Joined: 29 Aug 2014 Posts: 199

Because Taiwan sucks - SUCKS - as TEFL destination. It's terrible. The TEFL industry in Taiwan is circling the drain. It's on life support.

Forget it.

TeacherTim · Joined: 10 May 2005 Posts: 89 Location: Deep undercover

markcmc · Joined: 18 Jan 2010 Posts: 262 Location: Taiwan

phdinfunk · Joined: 30 May 2008 Posts: 69

I would agree, "Impressions from forums can be misleading." I have never run into difficulties finding a job here. During 2010, when there really did seem to be a lot of bummed-out foreigners coming here, I had ten job offers at 65K or more and just picked where I wanted to live. In 2008, I took a crappy job, but I was fresh off the boat. I would never work with "Reach to Teach" again, or recommend anyone else to do so.

Now, I've barely spent any actual time searching and I have had three offers at 70K. I'm just kind of deciding what I want to do as my contract winds down.

But I HAVE heard of newbies to the island getting stuck trying to find work in Taipei. And I HAVE had crappy pay job offers in rich areas of Taipei. Also, most people think I'm crazy for living out in the boondocks (First Sansia, then Puli).

Of course, my Chinese is also better than most of theirs. Smile