Job Discussion Forums

[nicam]

I haven't gotten any responses from applications. I have Korean experience, a degree in a related field, and am young and blonde.

I'm thinking it may be best to show up first and then find a job, but I'm afraid of not actually finding one. Then what? I have friends back home in the US who have been job hunting for 6 months and haven't found anything. Is Taiwan that bad right now?

Would it be easier and better to obtain 2 part time jobs instead of one full time salaried one? I hate the idea of 20 teaching hours but having to be in school for 40.

Also, have people seen a decline in the amount of private tutoring work available? I would love to just have a PT job for an ARC and tutor the rest of the time.

Thinking Taipei county somewhere with easy access to the city. Thanks.

[Miyazaki]

[MomCat]

Impossible? No. But for someone who has just arrived, very difficult. The better jobs are usually taken by teachers who have been here a while and have friends, referrals and references.

Working part time is also possible, but difficult. Schools have a limit as to how many ARCs they can offer. They usually want to give those to the full time teachers and pay the part timers under the table. I believe it's easier with the school that focus on adults.

Not all recruiters are evil and underhanded. Although I believe most will exaggerate the benefits of a school and steer you towards positions that may not be what you want (Think: realtor or used car salesman).

Privates are available according to the effort you put into finding them and making them work.

Caveat - I live and work in Hsinchu, which has been accused of not being representative of Taiwan in general.

[MomCat]

[JZer]

[BigWally]

You also have to consider that a lot of bushiban's under report the number of hours teachers teach, how much they get paid, and how many teachers are on staff. It all part of the tax scheme to make the laoban rich! The fewer ARC's that a school gives out, the less tax that the school will be required to pay.

[nicam]

Thanks for all the info, guys. It can get a bit confusing, and it's hard to decide where to live, what kind of job to seek, whether you should get a job first, or wait until in Taiwan, whether or not you will be forced to settle for a less than ideal situation, etc. I really don't want to spend 3 months on a fruitless job search eating up all my savings in the process.

I also don't want to repeat the mistakes I made in Korea: moving to a po' dunk hick town; having an hour-long commute each way to work; teaching 20 hours a week but having to seat-warm for another 20 to make 40.

My boyfriend actually got an interview with Happy Marion school in Nan Kan, and he seems inclined to jump at whatever he can get. I'm not crazy about that location, but I guess desperate times...

[JZer]

[derwin]

As long as you are white, have a B.A., US., Canada, UK, or South African passport, and take a shower you will find a job. I would not worry about it.[/quote]

Do they just automatically throw my app in the trash when I submit my clearly African American pic? I have a MA. I also know at least one other African American female who taught for two years in Taiwan, though, to her credit, she was fluent in Chinese.

[JZer]

[Ki]

It is certainly more difficult for non-white english speakers to find employment here. Or at least as-well-paid employment. But other biases also exist. There is the pro-North American bias of which some schools take to the extreme. Some schools know better than this though and you will see this sometimes.

Speaking Chinese isn't necessarily a positive here. At least in acquiring a job. Good luck though as it isn't a dead end at all.