assistance with First Contract

So I have been offered a job by (English franchise school) in Linyuan District. This would be my first ever job teaching English in Taiwan. I have read that the main issue people face is the fact that there is a 30min commute. For me, this doesn’t seem much of an issue, as I am quite used to this.

Oh, and contractually, there are some scary points to sign. Such as if the intellectual property or any breach of the aforementioned will result in a punitive 10 million NTD payment? As well as if i am to cancel my contract before the year, I may not work elsewhere in their district (which I’m guessing is Linyuan) for an entire year? That’s pretty limiting.

Please, honest advice. I don’t expect a place with golden gates and free cupcakes upon entry. Just not hell.

You probably have nothing to worry about, as far as the non-competition clause and the breach penalty go, because the former is probably not enforceable, and the latter would be reduced by a court, if it could be enforced at all.

For more information, search around for threads about non-competition clauses and breach penalties, and also see the following.

Labor Standards Act Art. 9-1 and 26
http://law.moj.gov.tw/Eng/LawClass/LawSearchNo.aspx?PC=N0030001&DF=&SNo=9.1%2C26

Civil Code Art. 252
http://law.moj.gov.tw/Eng/LawClass/LawSearchNo.aspx?PC=B0000001&DF=&SNo=252