Miyazaki
Joined: 12 Jul 2005
Posts: 635
Location: My Father's Yacht
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 Posted: Sun Nov 04, 2007 10:56 pm Post subject: |
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MOD EDIT Fortunately, he doesn't post here anymore but all he would do is tell you how great the company was and how much he enjoyed wearing a tie.
The reality is that it's a terrible school with terrible management and has had problems in Taipei. In fact, one of the schools closed down recently.
Read one of Pop Fly's posts here:
| Pop Fly wrote: |
MOD EDITTo begin with, even if you are trying to be a troll, I appreciate the effort you've put in on behalf of WSI. I would hope you aren't trolling, but are genuinely interested in supplying potential teachers with as much information as possible. With that in mind, I will now respond to your post.
I have never been secretive about WSI...I may have been limited, time-wise, when I've posted, but have eventually gotten around to answering all questions.
As for the school's secrecy, I can't confirm or deny this. I can only share my personal experience. I was told all the details of the contract within 10 minutes of my 1st interview.
By my calculations that works out at about NTD462 an hour, being a combination of both teaching and office hours. Pretty low on the hourly scale, but some consideration needs to be given to Pop Fly�s suggestion about the ease of the work and the professionalism of the work atmosphere. The part time / hourly rate at Wall Street seems to be NTD550, which is not as low as you can go, but certainly isn�t a very high wage either. If money is a consideration you are probably better off sticking with kids. If you only want to teach adults, you are probably best advised to seek out one of those smaller, lesser known schools that specializes in adults only classes. In most cases you should be able to secure a job offering the same as the rates for teaching kids, and provided that you are qualified or experienced even higher wages are available. |
Okay....it's 27 hours and 3 admin. hours that are only in place if your manager needs you to do something admin-related. Like attend a meeting. It gives management a leg-hold on teachers who may whine (so far, a non-existent entity) about not being paid for meetings. I think it was a wise move on their part. So you can re-do the math.
I have also previously stated that the real money is working with kids. If money is your sole motivation, go for it. As for comparing WSI with other adult institutes, bear in mind that WSI gives you 27 hours a week each and every week of the year. My previous school promised me that but the reality was a lot less. At WSI, a teacher doesn't have to struggle to get hours in the winter.
| Brian wrote: |
| Sunpower wrote: |
1/2 wages for training
1 week training period |
This is pretty reasonable. Many schools require that you undertake training without pay. While training provided by schools is free to teachers and saves you from having to spend your own money attending courses or buying books on how to teach, I understand that the requirement to attend training without pay is an issue for some. The fact that Wall Street actually gives a stipend for this training is a real bonus in my opinion. |
Training is a total of 16 hours.
| Brian wrote: |
| Sunpower wrote: |
$30,000 max bonus is possible
$25,000 towards a return home air ticket |
Bonuses are great but best not factored in when working out how much you will be earning. So much can happen between now and when you get your bonus. Be careful of terms such as �maximum� and �possible� if written into your contract as they are very much open to interpretation and therefore misunderstandings can occur. Enjoy your bonus when it arrives but don�t rely upon it. |
This is accurate info....and if you are a person of your word, you will stick to your contract and work your year. If you do this, then you will be able to "rely upon" your bonus. That increases your basic salary package by approx. NT$4500/month. Keep that calculator out Brian.
| Brian wrote: |
| Sunpower wrote: |
| Split shifts are normal |
This is a real negative from where I sit. I assume that this means lengthy breaks between classes. Whilst the system at Wall Street may suit some, I can�t imagine that it would be a bonus for many. Whether you want to study Chinese, earn extra cash with a second job / privates, or just have free time to relax; split shifts tend to break up a day such that these become very difficult to organize. I personally like to do my work in blocks, earn my money and then move on to whatever other things I have planned for the day. Considering that most schools offer block hours, one would have to be pretty impressed with Wall Street�s other offerings to accept a schedule that includes split shifts. |
1 split shift a week. Mine is on Friday. I start work at 10:30 AM and and by 2:00 PM I am napping at home. Back to work by 6, and home by 9:30.
| Brian wrote: |
| Sunpower wrote: |
No Paid Vacation during the 1st Year
2nd Year 5 paid days vacation (5!) |
What! I assume that this means that there is no vacation in the first year � paid nor unpaid. Pop-Fly please correct me if I am wrong on this! Now I take my work seriously, but I believe everyone needs and should have time off. Considering that teachers are working weekends at Wall Street, I would imagine that a bit of vacation time would enable them to recharge their batteries. I personally don�t care whether my holidays are paid or unpaid as I earn enough when I am working to cover for time off, but I do want my own free time. This is a first for me. I have never heard of a school that doesn�t offer some form of holiday during the first contract year. |
If you need some time off to escape to Bali, or to nip home for a wedding, then talk to your manager. They need about a month's notice before taking any vacation as the scheduling is pretty intricate and detailed, but they are a reasonable management team. You can have the time off if you want it.
| Brian wrote: |
| Sunpower wrote: |
| Health care, Work Permit, ARC provided |
Standard entitlements |
ARC is not provided, it is sponsored.
| Brian wrote: |
| Sunpower wrote: |
Computer Assisted Language Learning used at Wall Street
They look slick on the surface. Management seemed very unorganized but this is true in a lot of Taiwanese schools. |
Sounds nice when I compare this to some of the places I have worked, but have to weigh this up with the concerns about management. Its what�s under the surface that really matters. What�s the point of having nice new classrooms kitted out with computers if management doesn�t follow on with this line of professionalism. |
I wonder how Sunpower can make a qualified judgement about management's organization. WSI's management is not perfect, but they are the best team I have experienced in Taiwan. I have worked at 4 different schools and interviewed at about 50 more. Management in Taiwan is a myth at best while micro-management seems to be the rule at all the places I've worked before. Not true for WSI. They take the training period seriously, as the methodology is quite intense and unique. This may cause some thinner-skinned teachers to feel they are being micro-managed. Once you are trained, you are pretty much left on your own. The support is there if you need assistance and feedback is quite common, but I am my own man. I have found how to personalize the curriculum to make it my own. I trust the methodology and that is the key to becoming a successful WSI teacher. With schools in 27 countries and over 1 million students, WSI has a way to teach ESL that few others can emulate. Sticking to this method is important and I can see how some may consider this being micro-managed. Hey, you don't like the curriculum, then maybe WSI is not for you. The one word I would use to describe the management team is "organized". I think you are tilting at windmills on this one.
| Brian wrote: |
| Sunpower wrote: |
| Per hour wages work are not very competitive if you work divide the wage by number of hours worked. They want teachers to go full time as it is cheaper for them this way. |
Reasonable from the schools perspective, but you would really have to decide what is in your best interests before making a commitment either way. Personally, I wouldn�t go the salary route, but I know that others prefer this, so I think that it is good that Wall Street gives teachers the option. |
Don't forget....gauranteed hours....a schedule that doesn't change....a professional environment...clean, friendly....sometimes we sacrifice a little quantity for some quality. Let me ask this: How many teachers out there actually wake up excited to go to work. I and my co-teachers feel this way every day. We make okay money and as the school has only been open for 2 years, I'd imagine the benefit package will become more lucrative in a short while.
| Brian wrote: |
| Sunpower wrote: |
| Part Time minimum 14 hours a week $550 per hour (Higher than full time but still below average pay) Must work Saturday or Sunday |
I can understand that schools may be busy over the weekends, hence the need for weekend classes, but most teachers quite reasonably prefer to keep their weekends to themselves. Previously Saturdays were a big day for private kids English schools but I have noticed that many schools have moved away from Wednesday, Saturday classes, as even parents are becoming reluctant to have their kids attend classes on weekends. I guess it is personal choice for teachers, but this is no doubt an area of concern for many teachers who interview with Wall Street. Particularly considering the holiday concerns mentioned above. |
Yes, this has concerned some in the past. As we cater to professionals, and not kids, our peak periods are indeed the weekends. This said, you still get 2 days off a week. I have a wee bit of seniority, so I take Sunday/Monday off. I still have a weekend and if I had a life, I'd do something with it..... 
| Brian wrote: |
| Sunpower wrote: |
If you get a no-show student, you don't get paid.
However, if you elect to do "chores" around the school You will be
compensated at 1/2 your hourly rate |
This has surely got to be the biggest problem with this school and the most illogical thing that I have ever heard. I mean what�s the thinking behind this. �No shows� are an habitual problem with private students and I thought that this is why teachers would choose to work at a school such as Wall Street that presents itself in such a professional light. I don�t see any reason that a teacher who turns up in time for work should not get paid just because a student doesn�t show. I think that it is great that the school tells teachers this up front before they sign on, but I am sure that lots of potential teachers have a problem with it. Surely instituting a practice whereby students pay for classes in advance and forfeit payment for a class if they fail to give at least 24 hours intention not to attend would be fair on everyone. It not only encourages students to be diligent, but protects the teachers and the school itself from loss of money. Why doesn�t Wall Street adopt such a practice? |
Now Brian, you are assuming again, and you know what happens when you assume, don't you?
WSI has it's own penalty system for no-shows....the students are very motivated, therefore, the no-shows are a rarity. The half-pay thing is for p/t teachers. Full time teachers can do some admin work or PR or observe another teacher to enhance your own skills, whatever......F/T teachers are still paid their salary, even if they had a month of no shows.
Really? Where? As someone who is constantly bringing others to task for being vague, maybe you might supply us with a list of such opportunities?
| Brian wrote: |
| I assume that they have set the bar high in order to deter some individuals from applying. This is reasonable. After all, anyone whose first question in an interview is �How much do I get paid?�, is probably best avoided, but surely schools need to balance what they offer, with what the teachers require. I don�t think that Wall Street does this, and it seems that they are aware of this hence their reluctance to openly disclose this information. |
Huh? What do I require, exactly, that WSI is not providing?
| Brian wrote: |
| I have never worked there, but Pop-Fly has. I am sure that he will give us some feedback on the above, and hopefully he answer some of the questions that I have posed above so that we can get a better understanding of this school. |
Again, thank you Brian, for starting this thread. I think it has cleared up many misconceptions about WSI. If anyone has any other questions, feel free to contact one of the schools directly here or continue the discussion here.
| Dez wrote: |
| From my investigations though, I have discovered that they will only do interviews in Taiwan. |
I looked into this a little further Dez, and we do hire from overseas. I believe management prefers to hire experienced teachers and that they (the teachers) have a stable Taiwan lifestyle (apartment, network, etc), but they do respond and consider overseas applicants. Sorry to mislead you otherwise.[/quote] |
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