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steveus
Joined: 02 Nov 2007
Posts: 2
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 Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2007 6:50 pm Post subject: Any suggestions for someone with no experience? |
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Hi, I'm interested in teaching in Taiwan, but I have no experience in teaching. I've worked as a professional artist for over 10 years and had a great opportunity to be sent to Taipei through my company and worked there for a few months. I enjoyed my experience so much there that I am now deciding to move there for about a year or two. I would still need to earn some sort of living, so I think teaching English is my only choice, even though I have no experience.
When I initally searched for possible companies, I came across Hess. Their website mentioned that they were very welcoming towards people with no experience, so that really appealed to me. But after reading through several threads on this site and forumosa.ca about Hess, I became a lot more wary of this school.
Does anyone have any suggestions for other schools that help people with no experience, or is a place like Hess not a bad place for someone in my situation?
I would also like to add that I'm AsianAmerican (I was born and raised in the States) and I'm 35 years old, both of which, I've heard makes me even less marketable.
Lastly, I plan to seriously study Mandarin while I'm there. Will teaching and studying kill my social time?
I appreciate any feedback. |
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TaoyuanSteve
Joined: 05 Feb 2003
Posts: 1028
Location: Taoyuan
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| Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2007 3:44 am Post subject: Re: Any suggestions for someone with no experience? |
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| steveus wrote: |
| Hi, I'm interested in teaching in Taiwan, but I have no experience in teaching. I've worked as a professional artist for over 10 years and had a great opportunity to be sent to Taipei through my company and worked there for a few months. I enjoyed my experience so much there that I am now deciding to move there for about a year or two. I would still need to earn some sort of living, so I think teaching English is my only choice, even though I have no experience. |
Welcome aboard.
| steveus wrote: |
| When I initally searched for possible companies, I came across Hess. Their website mentioned that they were very welcoming towards people with no experience, so that really appealed to me. But after reading through several threads on this site and forumosa.ca about Hess, I became a lot more wary of this school. |
I'd take a lot of what you read about the place with a grain (actually a few grains) of salt. Hess is perhaps the largest chain of schools on the island, employing scores of foreign teachers at any given time. It stands to reason that a company that big will show up on the radar more often on teacher forums. To me, it's only a reflection of how big the company really is that it gets as much exposure. Bear in mind that people are more likely to write about negative experiences than positives. I've never worked for them myself, but have known people who have been happily employed by them for years.
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| Does anyone have any suggestions for other schools that help people with no experience, or is a place like Hess not a bad place for someone in my situation? |
I'd say any major chain like Joy, Giraffe, Jordan's and so forth. Basically, you want a school that will offer some initial training and support.
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I would also like to add that I'm AsianAmerican (I was born and raised in the States) and I'm 35 years old, both of which, I've heard makes me even less marketable.
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Won't lie to you; I originally arrived here with my CBC gf and she had a fair bit more trouble getting work than I did. Still, you can get work as a foreign born Chinese or Asian.
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Lastly, I plan to seriously study Mandarin while I'm there. Will teaching and studying kill my social time?
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Depends on how seriously you pursue either or both. If you work kindy and cram school together, forget about learning Chinese. To study Chinese seriously, you'll need to only work part time. If you balance things out well, you should have about as much free time when working part time and studying in tandem as you would working a 9 to 5 job back home. |
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Taylor
Joined: 24 Oct 2003
Posts: 384
Location: Texas/Taiwan
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| Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2007 1:20 pm Post subject: |
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Hello Steveus,
As you may know, most language schools cater to children. You need to make sure that you really care about kids--and have a desire to help them learn English.
If you are teaching children, don't look at yourself as an "English teacher." In order to make your time in Taiwan more productive and enjoyable, you need to see yourself as a coach, a cop, and a clown--all at the same time!!!
Sure, you need to have some ability to explain grammar and vocabulary, but most schools would want you to play the part of a fun-loving foreigner.
Don't let me scare you off! You can do it! Feel free to e-mail me at [email protected] if I could provide any further tips/info.
Have a great day!
Clint Taylor |
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steveus
Joined: 02 Nov 2007
Posts: 2
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| Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2007 8:12 pm Post subject: |
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Many thanks for the feedback.
TaoyuanSteve, you're right, there's always more than one side to an issue. I'll also look into the other schools you mentioned (Joy, Giraffe, Jordan). By the way, do I have a better chance being hired at those schools despite me being an ABK?
Also, thanks for the reality check in terms of teaching English and learning Chinese. I may now consider working part time, since my main concern is earning enough to get by in Taiwan. How much can I earn per week to sustain a living?
Taylor, that's an interesting comment about not viewing yourself as an "English teacher". I will definitely keep that in mind.
I admit, I haven't had much exposure to kids in general, but I'm a very patient person and enjoy helping people out. While I was in Taiwan, the people I was working with were eager to learn English from me, which I was more than happy to oblige.
This is slightly out of context, but are there any recommendations for places to learn Chinese in Taipei? |
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timtastic
Joined: 05 Oct 2007
Posts: 14
Location: Beijing
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| Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2007 3:28 pm Post subject: |
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| steveus wrote: |
This is slightly out of context, but are there any recommendations for places to learn Chinese in Taipei? |
I've hear of a place called ShiDa (I think the university is called NTNU or something) where they teach classes specifically for foreigners. I'm going to try that if I get a job there.
And on that note, would someone who has a CELTA but no experience still be better starting out at the big chain schools? |
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TaoyuanSteve
Joined: 05 Feb 2003
Posts: 1028
Location: Taoyuan
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| Posted: Wed Nov 21, 2007 12:17 am Post subject: |
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| timtastic wrote: |
I've hear of a place called ShiDa (I think the university is called NTNU or something) where they teach classes specifically for foreigners. I'm going to try that if I get a job there.
And on that note, would someone who has a CELTA but no experience still be better starting out at the big chain schools? |
Taiwan has to be learned, IMO. They have certain ways they like things done here and a school that offers training in those methods is the best way to get started. As noted numerous times earlier, CELTA and tesl/tefl certs don't have a lot of value here. Typically, for most jobs, there is a wage they are prepared to pay to a foreigner and there isn't much room for increase. The best way to get that little increase is to show on the ground experience and a solid demonstration. |
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