Job Discussion Forums

[I_is_teach_English]

As there seems to be a lot of discussion about this particular chain, I thought I would add a contribution. I'm sure that most chains are the same, but no doubt Hess is in the spotlight as it is one of the biggest and best known here.

I decided to come to Taiwan with Hess because of the soft landing it provided. I had lived abroad all my life, but I had never taught before and the two weeks training, ongoing training every three months and TEFL certificate at the end of the year seemed like a good option (as to whether this certificate is worth the paper it is written on outside Taiwan, I have no idea, but it can't do any harm, can it?). I was asked to do a medical at home at great expense, also to find out that it could be done cheaper here. However, having gone for a medical here several times since then, I can understand why Hess would prefer to have people do one in their home country. I'm sure the blood tests here are thorough, but anyone who has had a physical examination here, knows they are a joke. For example, the last physical exam I had a month ago involved the doctor asking me if anything hurt, he then prodded my left shin and asked me how long I had been in Taiwan. From that he was able to check all the boxes on the medical exam form about my liver, kidneys, lungs, spleen etc. At least by getting people to have the medical exam at home, Hess know they are going to get at least one thorough one for the person they are about to employ.

The initial training covered all the materials that Hess uses and the 3, 6 and 9 month follow-ups were pretty useful and great to catch up with people you had met on the initial training to share experiences. This was particularly useful if you were going through some of the stages of culture shock, as you didn't feel alone experiencing it and could get positive advice from others on how they were dealing with it.

The starting salary is average at NT$560 and then you are appraised every six months. Supposedly, you can get anything upto a NT$30 an hour pay rise, although getting NT$30 is very rare. I have received NT$25 for nearly all my pay rises and therefore am now getting NT$710 an hour. Hess used to guarantee you 35 hours per week (if you worked bushiban and kindergarten, 20 hours if you only worked bushiban), but this has dropped to 30.5 (18 hours bushiban) due to changes in government legislation - you can no longer teach more than 32 hours (legally!). If you re-sign for a second year, you'll get a NT$15,000 bonus, third year a NT$20,000 and fourth year onwards is NT$30,000 every time. You also receive a Return Rate bonus after every level (every three months) where if 100% of your class come back for the next level, then you get NT$1,800. If you are teaching nine classes (18hours) then there is a possible NT$16,200 every 3 months, which in your first year is saved up and given to you as a lump sum. The reality is that you should get around NT$20,000 after tax for the year.
In summary, Hess pays you well, but you will work for it. Time spent grading homework (about 30-45mins per class) is unpaid, as is any other preparation for shows. As a teacher, is this worth griping about? Personally, I like my kids, I want them to do well on stage in front of their parents and there is a sense of personal satisfaction when it all comes together and the parents are happy. This will also play in your favour with your branch as I found out later.

Let's talk about management. I have a Chinese manager in one branch who is very efficient, but is freakishly too happy all the time. We even joke with her about whether she's taken her happy pills. Sometimes, she is too over the top and it can be a bit annoying / nauseating, but hey, she's always smiling, which is great to see when you come to work. My other Chinese manager couldn't organise a stag do in a brewery. We spend our time organising her, but every request receives the same answer, "I'll think about it." It can then be months (and numerous reminders) before the simplest task is performed. My area manager is dishonest, unreasonable and ego-centric ("I demand respect!" was a line she said to me once. I tactfully decided NOT to point out that she needed to earn it). At first, I thought it must be my direct approach to solving solutions after many heated discussions with her in the first year. I'm not beyond some critical self-analysis, so I decided to clear the air, change my behaviour towards her and try to start afresh. Unfortunately, she now held a grudge and although I had learnt to falsely smile and be a little more indirect (this is the Chinese way, the sooner you learn it, the easier it will be to deal with your managers), there were times when she would refuse requests because it was not the policy in Taichung to do whatever I was asking for. Although, no such policies were outlined in the official Hess Policy Handbook, apparently the Taichung 2 area had a whole load of extra policies that were used where and when they were needed. I complained to Head Office on two seperate occasions. The first time, she was contacted straight away and told to sort out her own problem, when I really needed someone independent to come and sit down with us. Obviously this made her look bad to the guys in Head Office and naturally decreased her liking towards me! The second time was when I realised that I wasn't the only person having difficulties with this woman, it seemed everyone in her area had problems with her management style. This time Head Office admitted that they knew she was a problem, but that she was the only person willing to do the job and therefore, they were stuck with her. Unfortunately this has cost Hess many good teachers over the years, but they are replaceable, so no great loss, right?
Last, but not least, there is a Head foreign teacher, who is meant to look out for the interests of the foreign teachers in the branch. This job is a thankless task, as you are in the middle of the foreign teachers, the branch management and the overbearing area manager. For all this extra responsibility and stress you are paid the equivalent of 2.5 hours teaching pay (it's actually 5 hours office pay, which is a rate for doing administration work, but can't be claimed for preparation of shows or grading homework, but office pay is half teaching pay.) You will also find yourself losing out on teaching pay because you have to watch other teachers for their appraisals or attend meetings. If you are fresh out of university, then it is a job worth doing, as it will be management experience in a multi-cultural setting and will look good on your CV. It is no stepping stone to higher things as the next level up is the area manager, who has been here donkeys years and you need to be fluent in Chinese to hold the position. As these Head teachers often have no previous experience, whether they are good at the job, can be a bit hit and miss, but that's not their fault, it's just a fact. They also soon come to realise which side their bread is buttered, and rather than looking out for their teachers' interests, they look out for their own, for fear of upsetting the area manager too much.
Overall, I had a great working relationship with my teachers and local managers, it was just a shame that the overall experience was marred by the area manager. This seems to be a general sentiment in my area and most teachers avoided dealing with the area manager unless it was absolutely necessary.

As you may have read elsewhere, Andrew Tiffany's career catapulted him into the higher echelons of Hess and fair play to him. Yes, it is possible to do well, but here is the reality. Unless, you are based in Taipei and are building relationships / networking / schmoozing with other people in Head Office, then your chances of such a career are far more limited. You also have to be a great Hess cheerleader, and for me the Hippo doesn't quite deserve it. Therefore, for the vast majority of people, the most development you'll get is to reach the position of Head teacher, which I have talked about previously.

In conclusion, reading back on this it seems somewhat negative, but if it was really bad, I wouldn't have worked here for three years. I think what is disappointing, was that I was hoping to come to Taiwan for a new experience. I had previously worked in IT for a large British telecoms company and then a global insurance company. Hess is no different, it is big business, trying to attract as many customers (students) as possible, whilst keeping costs down. It treats its employees as numbers on a balance sheet, those with talent either rise to the very few positions at the top or leave for a better deal elsewhere, leaving the dross to become the managers of the future. Thus the management is made up of a unique collection of individuals who are probably unemployable elsewhere, and with whom any problems are exacerbated by the inherent cultural barriers.
I would recommend Hess for anybody who hasn't lived abroad or taught before. It's an excellent training ground, you won't get screwed over financially and there is plenty of support. However, if you plan to stay longer in Taiwan, then move on after your first year and find a smaller school who values their teachers and has a different attitude to what they are trying to achieve in the classroom.

I realise it has taken me three years to reach that point, but I'm a bit slow!! However, I thank Hess for the experience they gave me as it meant I was able to secure a great job last month. I'm sure I wouldn't have got it without my three years at Hess!

[kuberkat]

Very balanced and fair post. I think you showed very clearly how the success of any school varies from branch to branch because of the people there- not because of the brand name. More power to you.

[Ki]

I think that the big reason why they ask you to do a medical examination in your home country is so that if you do have HIV, and are therefore unemployable, they don't have to waist all of the time and effort with the airport pickup and training only for your ARC/work permit to be rejected.

[pinkflyd7]

At the time when I left Hess, we had no head foreign teacher (head NST). I had become friends with most of my head NST's, and they all told me the same thing. It was too much work, with very little additional income.

The head NST for Hsinchu was Julie Jo, who was actually the head NST for the Taichung branch, not the Hsinchu branch. She made visits to Hsinchu about once a month.

During the meeting which I was told my contract wasn't going to be renewed, there was no foreign teacher present. Only three Chinese teachers. I had no representation whatsoever. Julie Jo had sent me an email two weeks before my meeting, informing me that she would be present. When the meeting finally came, I was told that Julie Jo had to attend "another meeting". Everything about this meeting just seemed wrong. One of the Chinese teachers present just kept her head down the entire time.

So, as you can see from my previous posts, I don't have too many positive things to say about Hess. The best I could say about them is that they gave me 3 months free rent when I first started, and it was a good stepping stone to other teaching positions. When I started with Hess, I was making 600 NT an hour. Now they're starting their teachers at 560 NT an hour. Most teachers that I know won't accept any job less than 600 NT an hour, and a lot of schools will pay much, much more than that. I finally accepted a job that pays 800 NT an hour.

I guess the bottom line is, for the newbies to Taiwan, check out your other options before you go with Hess. Hess may have seem to have a lot of plusses, but once you've been there for a while, the minuses will start rearing their heads.

[atiff]

[markholmes]

[pinkflyd7]

Julie Jo wasn't Taiwanese. She was the head NST and disctrict manager for the Taichung and Hsinchu area. From what I remember, she is an American.

The thing that upset me was that I had no representation from a head NST. I was told my contract wasn't being renewed by three Taiwanese teachers, two of whom only had limited English speaking skills. The one who could actually speak decent English kept her head down for the whole meeting. If the head NST's are supposed to be looking out for the best intrerests of their fellow NST's, this didn't happen here.