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surebrec
Joined: 09 Oct 2005
Posts: 7
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 Posted: Wed Nov 16, 2005 1:44 pm Post subject: Breaking Contract (please help) |
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| Heres the deal. I came to Taiwan 4 months ago and signed into a contract with a chain school. After 4 months I have found that I am having trouble with the school (some of which may be my fault as I am a first year teacher and made some mistakes early on) and with the location (I live in a rural area where there are almost no foreigners). I am really starting to think about breaking contract. What should I do? I hate to break contract (mostly because I love my students) but I don't think I can carry on in this working environment and location. I do not wish to leave Taiwan. |
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Ki
Joined: 23 Jul 2004
Posts: 475
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| Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2005 1:10 am Post subject: |
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What does your contract stipulate? You have to give one month's notice? You will lose $30,000 even if you give notice?
Don't do a runner as you will be black listed for life.
As a possibly bad suggestion, how about this? Get them to fire you. Show up drunk and unshaved, call your laoban names to the other teachers, who will then report this to her/him, do minimal effort at school.
This is a really bad suggestion as it gives foreigners a bad name and I am loath to suggest it. But if schools make you sign a contract which makes it very difficult and costly to quit then I say bring on the action. Last resort really though.
Is it really that bad there? Can you get into a big city on the weekends to get your foreigner fix? You are already one third of your way into your year and it would be good to have that one year of experience under your belt.
This is sure to get a few negative responses. |
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Wonder
Joined: 29 Jun 2003
Posts: 109
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| Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2005 7:46 am Post subject: |
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I would say handle the situation as you have explained it in your post. Wait for a good moment when your boss isn't busy and sit her/him down and explain your situation. I think they will appreciate your honesty.
I had to break a contract a couple of months ago and it went much better than expected. I gave them one month's notice and just told them things weren't working out. The boss surprised me by letting me keep my ARC status until I found another job.
I know it may sound cliche, but honesty is always the best policy.  |
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Pop Fly
Joined: 15 Feb 2003
Posts: 429
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| Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2005 7:56 am Post subject: |
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| Wonder wrote: |
I would say handle the situation as you have explained it in your post. Wait for a good moment when your boss isn't busy and sit her/him down and explain your situation. I think they will appreciate your honesty.
I had to break a contract a couple of months ago and it went much better than expected. I gave them one month's notice and just told them things weren't working out. The boss surprised me by letting me keep my ARC status until I found another job.
I know it may sound cliche, but honesty is always the best policy. |
I agree. This was the advice I was going to proffer as well.
Be C l |
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clark.w.griswald
Joined: 06 Dec 2004
Posts: 2056
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| Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2005 8:14 am Post subject: |
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Trying to work things out first will be best for everyone, but assuming that you decide to leave then definitely do not leave without notice.
In most cases you should expect to have to give 30 days notice, but you need to have a look at your contract. Give this notice in writing and ensure that you can prove the date that you handed it in. Stipulate in that notice your last day of work.
If there is a penalty stipulation in your contract then you should expect that you will need to pay this. Speak with your boss about it though. You may be able to negotiate a way out of it or at least a reduction if you stay on through the notice period and/or help the new teacher settle in.
I agree that honesty is the best policy. Sure the school may use this information to screw you, but if that is their nature then they would have screwed you one way or another anyway. At least you will know that you have done the right thing. |
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TaoyuanSteve
Joined: 05 Feb 2003
Posts: 1028
Location: Taoyuan
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| Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2005 2:15 pm Post subject: Re: Breaking Contract (please help) |
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| surebrec wrote: |
| Heres the deal. I came to Taiwan 4 months ago and signed into a contract with a chain school. After 4 months I have found that I am having trouble with the school (some of which may be my fault as I am a first year teacher and made some mistakes early on) and with the location (I live in a rural area where there are almost no foreigners). I am really starting to think about breaking contract. What should I do? I hate to break contract (mostly because I love my students) but I don't think I can carry on in this working environment and location. I do not wish to leave Taiwan. |
How bad are the problems? Are things really unbearable? As some have suggested, I recommend comunication with the school. These "mistakes" you made may not have been as bad as you think they are. You may be more valuable to the school than you think. Perhaps you just need to take a few days off.
None of us can know how unbearable the situation is for you. Only you can know that. However, you suggest that some of the problems may have been the result of your inexperience. It's well known that new teachers don't get into the swing of things until at least mid-way through their first contracts. Your boss should know this (or ought to). You are probably coming to the point where you are getting used to the way things get done at your particular school and you are likely becoming a half-way decent teacher by now. If the school wants to fire you, then there is nothing you can do about that. If they don't, staying and working through your issues with your performance and your school will go a long way toward bettering your working environment.
I know how you feel about being in the smaller towns. I found myself in that situation when I first arrived. I felt isolated and longed for the social possibilities of Taipei. After a while, though I began to appreciate life in smaller centers (I even moved further out into the boondocks recently). Having friends is important. Eventually you will find some. Expats are especially tight and friendlier in smaller areas. Here is one suggestion, though. Post your town and ask if anyone located there, or nearby would like to get together. You can post it here or on forumosa.com (a large expat site). When you have more friends, you might find the appeal of the big city lessens greatly.
Give your decision sober second thought, whichever way you are leaning. And remember: the grass definitely ain't any greener in the big city.  |
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clark.w.griswald
Joined: 06 Dec 2004
Posts: 2056
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| Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2005 3:01 am Post subject: |
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Another thing that you might want to consider is the fact that the problems you are experiencing at your current school may also raise their ugly head at another school. In fact this is entirely likely.
Sometimes it is better the devil you know. |
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teacha
Joined: 25 Aug 2005
Posts: 186
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| Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2005 3:43 am Post subject: |
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| QUIT THE JOB GET FINED, GET FIRED, GET FINED......Quit with notice, go via the labor dept and blame the scool's breaking the contact. This covers you for when they get vindictive and try to get you blacklisted (denying u gave notice regardless ) for embarassing them to the parents and making them hustle to fill your spot notice or not. You cover yourself, people can't be trusted in Taiwan to be reasonable nor honest. Business and lies are one.....But that's why you are moving on to the next bad job right? See. |
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TaoyuanSteve
Joined: 05 Feb 2003
Posts: 1028
Location: Taoyuan
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| Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2005 4:56 am Post subject: |
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| teacha wrote: |
| QUIT THE JOB GET FINED, GET FIRED, GET FINED......Quit with notice, go via the labor dept and blame the scool's breaking the contact. This covers you for when they get vindictive and try to get you blacklisted (denying u gave notice regardless ) for embarassing them to the parents and making them hustle to fill your spot notice or not. You cover yourself, people can't be trusted in Taiwan to be reasonable nor honest. Business and lies are one.....But that's why you are moving on to the next bad job right? See. |
Honestly, teacha, you add nothing of any substance or usefulness to these discussions. You seem to be only trying to get attention for yourself and/or get a rise out of people. Please find something better to do with your time in whatever country you are writing from (you obviously aren't in Taiwan). |
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teacha
Joined: 25 Aug 2005
Posts: 186
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| Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2005 10:17 pm Post subject: |
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| NOT TRUE TAOYAUNSTEVE. You know not of what you speak, glass house dweller. |
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surebrec
Joined: 09 Oct 2005
Posts: 7
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| Posted: Sun Nov 20, 2005 2:53 am Post subject: |
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| teacha wrote: |
| QUIT THE JOB GET FINED, GET FIRED, GET FINED......Quit with notice, go via the labor dept and blame the scool's breaking the contact. This covers you for when they get vindictive and try to get you blacklisted (denying u gave notice regardless ) for embarassing them to the parents and making them hustle to fill your spot notice or not. You cover yourself, people can't be trusted in Taiwan to be reasonable nor honest. Business and lies are one.....But that's why you are moving on to the next bad job right? See. |
I guess you missed the part where I said I am at least partially to blame. My job and my boss, while far from perfect, haven't been any worse than most jobs I had back home. I think you and Aristotle expect everything to be absolutely perfect and when it's not, you automatically blame Taiwanese society and corrupt schools. I've read enough of your posts to infer this.
I've decided to try to stick the job out for the time being. If they fire me, so be it, it's an easy out of the contract. |
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comenius
Joined: 27 Jan 2003
Posts: 124
Location: San Francisco, California, USA
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| Posted: Sun Nov 20, 2005 9:04 pm Post subject: |
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| It's always a personal decision, but hanging with a contract is probably preferable unless your position has really become unworkable. Looks like your taking that route. Good luck, I know sometimes any job--even one that you typically like--can seem to be completely aggravating from time to time. |
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surebrec
Joined: 09 Oct 2005
Posts: 7
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| Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2005 3:43 am Post subject: |
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| I said yesterday that I would wait it out... Well, today I reached my threshold. I cannot handle so much disrespect and poor treatment. I am putting in a written 2 month notice today. |
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surebrec
Joined: 09 Oct 2005
Posts: 7
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| Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2005 3:59 am Post subject: |
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| I need an urgent response to this as I am ready to hand in my notice. My contract says I need to give 2 months notice but everything else I've read states that I only need to give 30 days. If I give a 30 days notice, can my school blacklist me from teaching in Taiwan? I need to know urgently. |
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Pop Fly
Joined: 15 Feb 2003
Posts: 429
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| Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2005 4:49 am Post subject: |
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| surebrec wrote: |
| I need an urgent response to this as I am ready to hand in my notice. My contract says I need to give 2 months notice but everything else I've read states that I only need to give 30 days. If I give a 30 days notice, can my school blacklist me from teaching in Taiwan? I need to know urgently. |
Call the CLA:
Bureau of Employment and Vocational Training, Council of Labor Affairs, Executive Yuan
Address : No.83, Sec. 2, Yanping N. Rd., Datung Chiu, Taipei, Taiwan 103, R.O.C.
TEL : 886-2-85902567 |
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