Kiao biao school in Xindian.
You have been warned make your own decisions
I place a hex on thee!!!
Isnât that the huge, beautiful school all the way on the top of the mountain? Itâs for rich kids, right? Itâs run by an Arschloch.
You can go work there then
I donât think so. Itâs run by an ArschlochâŠan asshole.
Hereâs a story of what happened to me yesterday, after being invited for an interview from ELTS è±çŸèȘèš (elts.com.tw/) on Buxiban Street near Taipei Main Station.
I found the job via 104.com.tw, and my résumé clearly states that I have approximately three years of experience teaching adults conversational English, and four years experience teaching kindergarten and buxiban.
The girl who arranged my interview was very pleasant, as were the employees at the front desk when I got there. I then waited 15 minutes past the scheduled interview time, and finally the girl who arranged my interview came down from upstairs and apologized, because the people downstairs had not told her that I was waiting. That was okay, nothing too serious.
She then gave me a multiple-choice questionnaire regarding my work habits. Five questions. This was approximately how the five questions were phrased, and I kid you not, nor do I exaggerate:
If you did not agree with how much the school was willing to pay you, would you:
a) Accept it and know that this is the schoolâs policy.
b) Argue with the school and demand that your pay be raised.
If you caught a cold one day, what would you do?
a) Come in and teach anyway, because the school and the students are important.
b) Call in sick, not caring about anyone else, nor caring about your responsibilities.
If you got into a car accident, how would you handle it?
a) Inform the school as soon as possible, show the medical proof to the school, and take responsibility by making up the classes at a later date.
b) Not tell the school at all, and just ignore your responsibility to the school.
I forget what the other two questions were, but they were along the same lines. I ask you, who would choose answers âbâ?
This shouldâve been a big clue to hurry up and get out of there⊠but, I just continued to prepare for the 15-minute teaching demo.
Anyway, so I prepared for about 15 minutes, and then told the first girl I was ready. So, she sends me back into the âemployee training roomâ they had me sitting in, and then in comes a lady. The lady looks at my rĂ©sumĂ© and asks my name (my rĂ©sumĂ© has my name on it in big, bold lettering), and I tell her itâs Shawn. Then, she looks over it and says I have no experience, and I tell her that I do, just look at the rĂ©sumĂ©! She says I have no experience teaching IELTS, TOEFL, GMAT, etc., so I tell her that itâs true, I donât, but that wouldnât be a problem, I could learn easily. She replies, âThis is a professional school. We teach these tests.â
Pfft⊠âprofessional,â eh? Teaching people how to pass a test is one type of learning, true, but itâs not the best type. Furthermore, their sign outside in Chinese says that they also teach conversational English.
Anyway, so I stand up to start my demo and I ask her politely (even though sheâs been really gruff up to this point), âWhatâs your name?â
She replies with, âAleck-u-suâ or something⊠and then barks, âWhat does it matter? Start your demo!â
I had it, then and there. So, I replied that I didnât want to work there and just walked out.
Well, thatâs my story! Draw what conclusions you will 
You handled it quite well. I probably would have told her to go ?@!# herself.
Unfortunately, thatâs exactly what I would have done as well. Itâs not very professional, but I wouldâve had a good laugh about it later. Who would want to work for that dragon lady?
If you get a good laugh outta it then it is definitely worth it. Idiots.
Hahaha⊠afterward, I was thinking, âDamn! I shouldâve told her where to shove it!!!â
But then, my wife was saying that cussing someone out makes them think that they were right to act like a b!tch⊠so, I shouldâve calmly explained that she was a b!tch, without actually using the word itself.
At the same time, Iâve heard many people say that when you voice your complaints about a particular person or organization, it actually helps them. Better to say nothing and not help them at all.
Lastly, I would like to say that I was just so shocked by her behaviour that the shock took control and there was no room left for anger. LOL.
[quote=âshawn_câ]Anyway, so I stand up to start my demo and I ask her politely (even though sheâs been really gruff up to this point), âWhatâs your name?â
She replies with, âAleck-u-suâ or something⊠and then barks, âWhat does it matter? Start your demo!â
I had it, then and there. So, I replied that I didnât want to work there and just walked out.
Well, thatâs my story! Draw what conclusions you will [/quote]
:bravo: Well done, mate. You handled it much better than I would have. Unfortunately, a lot of these Laobans seem to think more and more that as there is a dearth of teachers we can now be treated like House Slaves. F*ck them. You did the right thing. 
Or you could have gone on to give a demo about professional ethics and manners in the workplace (with an example of how not to tell a bitch to go fuck herself).
Yes, you did the right thing. Get the fuck out. These schools are a dime a dozen around Taipei Main Station. You walk in and see about 6 girls behind computers checking Fabook all day, pretending to look busy, no teachers in sightâŠthey are shop fronts for slick marketing, selling the lie that you can pass a test after 3 weeks prep. Naive students buy into their bullshit. Iâve worked in similar schools, and even though their pay was half decent, working conditions sucked!
i have never before taught ESL in taiwan. just wondering about some schools. HESS is the largest buxiban on the island. i have heard that they would be place to teach only as last resort⊠is that about correct? giraffe language school⊠can anyone give first hand experience? same with abraham academy.
[quote]Anyway, so I stand up to start my demo and I ask her politely (even though sheâs been really gruff up to this point), âWhatâs your name?â
She replies with, âAleck-u-suâ or something⊠and then barks, âWhat does it matter? Start your demo!â
I had it, then and there. So, I replied that I didnât want to work there and just walked out.
Well, thatâs my story! Draw what conclusions you will [/quote]
You might want to amuse yourself with the thought that she probably considers herself a shrewd and clever businesswoman (no doubt it was she who designed the questionnaire questions too).
After reading the questionnaire I would have written in my own answers.
:fume:
Like to share an experience that just happened to me within the last week.
Iâd been teaching IELTS classes at DELL adultsâ cram school on Jhongshan Rd (sorry if itâs the wrong spelling) in Kaohsiung, for a year or so. Iâd been told to expect a new class beginning Tuesday this week, running for the standard 12 week cycle. At the very last minute: late Monday night, I get a text telling me the class had been postponed, due to low numbers. I was bit miffed at the late call, but these things happen. I went to work there on Wednesday evening as usual, and in passing ask about the IELTS class start date, told to expect it to start âvery soonâ.
Later at home I checked my Facebook account and found a message from an IELTS student -from DELL- asking me why I quit teaching that class, and wishing me all the best, etc. Then, it dawns on meâŠNext, day I called them, and, politely at first, demand an explanation. First I got the standard b/s until finally I got an admission that âsomeone had liedâ to me about the whole thing; not the person on the phone (nameâs Mona), who had in fact, been the one who told me.
So that was the thanks I got for showing up 45 mins early for every class; doing placement interviews for free during my unpaid prep time, and staying behind after class to discuss the test with students. This is my warning to the unwary, and also to Mark, my replacement, whoever he may be.
Like to share an experience that just happened to me within the last week.
Iâd been teaching IELTS classes at DELL adultsâ cram school on Zhongshan Rd (sorry if itâs the wrong spelling) in Kaohsiung, for a year or so. Iâd been told to expect a new class beginning Tuesday this week, running for the standard 12 week cycle. At the very last minute: late Monday night, I get a text telling me the class had been postponed, due to low numbers. I was bit miffed at the late call, but these things happen. I went to work there on Wednesday evening as usual, and in passing ask about the IELTS class start date, told to expect it to start âvery soonâ.
Later at home I checked my Facebook account and found a message from an IELTS student -from DELL- asking me why I quit teaching that class, and wishing me all the best, etc. Then, it dawns on meâŠNext, day I called them, and, politely at first, demand an explanation. First I got the standard b/s until finally I got an admission that âsomeone had liedâ to me about the whole thing; not the person on the phone (nameâs Mona), who had in fact, been the one who told me.
So that was the thanks I got for showing up 45 mins early for every class; doing placement interviews for free during my unpaid prep time, and staying behind after class to discuss the test with students. This is my warning to the unwary, and also to Mark, my replacement, whoever he may be.[/quote]
Standard operating procedure.
Interpol, Iâm not clear on something, did you just lose the class or your job?
[quote=âbigduke6â][quote=âInterpolâ]:fume:
Like to share an experience that just happened to me within the last week.
Iâd been teaching IELTS classes at DELL adultsâ cram school on Zhongshan Rd (sorry if itâs the wrong spelling) in Kaohsiung, for a year or so. Iâd been told to expect a new class beginning Tuesday this week, running for the standard 12 week cycle. At the very last minute: late Monday night, I get a text telling me the class had been postponed, due to low numbers. I was bit miffed at the late call, but these things happen. I went to work there on Wednesday evening as usual, and in passing ask about the IELTS class start date, told to expect it to start âvery soonâ.
Later at home I checked my Facebook account and found a message from an IELTS student -from DELL- asking me why I quit teaching that class, and wishing me all the best, etc. Then, it dawns on meâŠNext, day I called them, and, politely at first, demand an explanation. First I got the standard b/s until finally I got an admission that âsomeone had liedâ to me about the whole thing; not the person on the phone (nameâs Mona), who had in fact, been the one who told me.
So that was the thanks I got for showing up 45 mins early for every class; doing placement interviews for free during my unpaid prep time, and staying behind after class to discuss the test with students. This is my warning to the unwary, and also to Mark, my replacement, whoever he may be.[/quote]
Standard operating procedure.[/quote]
At DELL? Iâve been working at Wells English (ćšçŸæŻçŸèȘ) for 4 years, and Iâve never been treated with anything but respect and courtesy. Almas did tell me about a friend of his that got shafted as a student at a branch up north, but I guess that has more to do with the branch manager than anything else. Not all schools operate on the âwe donât give a shit about youâ method ⊠