Job Discussion Forums

[kait]

I am teaching part time in a rural Taiwan town. I am needing to find supplementary income and am considering the kindy route. I don't yet have the connections necessary to find out about position availability by word of mouth. How should I go about finding other language schools in the area? Any ideas would be helpful.

[TaoyuanSteve]

How long have you been here? Can you read the characters for English and kindergarten yet? Take out a dictionary and look them up if you don't yet know them. Then get on your scooter and drive around town. Should be really easy to spot the kindies. Then just go in and ask if they need a foreign teacher. Word of mouth is ok, but you should be able to find jobs without it.

Of course you know kindies are considered illegal, right? I'm not sure what the risk is, but working in them can land you in trouble with the government and your sonsoring employer. If your hours are insufficient, ask your boss for more. Also consider private classes. Easier than kindies and can be quite lucrative.

[kait]

So, just how risky is it to teach kindy? Although it is technically illegal and can result in deportation, do they actively pursue kindy teachers?

And what is the going rate for private tutoring?

[markholmes]

Better than looking up Kindergarten up in the the dictionary, ask a Chinese friend to write it down as there are variations of the word / phrase.

[TaoyuanSteve]

幼稚園 Those are the characters for kindergarten, pronounced You4 zhi2 yuan2. The only variation on the phrase I've been able to find was 幼兒園 However, I've never seen that on a sign here and haven't heard it either. You might also look out for 美語 and 補習班 .

Private classes should go for around 700 an hour and up. However, I charge on a sliding scale based on what sort of work I need to put into the class, who it is and perceived ability to pay. I've charged as low as 500 per hour for a semi-friend who wanted nothing more than a casual chat once a week in a coffee shop. I've charged more for more demanding students.

I don't really know the risks of kindy work. I don't work in one myself. However, I do know they are totally illegal (at this moment anyway. These things change from time to time). I'd say ask around and find out. Reading these boards would lead you to believe there is a real risk of raids. There may be many raids. Or they could be few and far between. Perhaps others can comment on the current situation.

[killian]

700 per hour for a small town private? maybe, good work if you can get it. when i was in small towns they threw money around like sewer lids. when asked about privates they balked at 500 per/hr. my buddy got some privates at 300 per/hr. not worth it IMHO.