Yeah, it takes a generation or two to get to plush, but they’re on the express elevator for sure. But there’s also tons of fuerdais in the Bay Area and L.A. The kind where their parents bought them a house so they could graduate from high school in California and get citizenship.
They do a hell of a job excelling their parents social economic status. Soon they can send their kids to rich private schools living in rich neighborhoods to build that connection to live the plush life.
That was my case. My buddy is British, and he was getting 650 per while I was offered 550 without any legitimate reason. They said this is the rate they pay, which I knew was bull because my buddy told me everything about this industry when I first arrived here.
I was lucky to find a place that offered me 650 per hour for my first teaching job. I built my career from there, and now I have few (classes) that pay 750 or more.
Keep in mind, I worked my butt off and I still do. I’m well aware of my appearance and how that can impact my wage and hours, so I grind day in and day out to make sure I am up to par with others. It’s also pivotal you find a competent employer as well. I was lucky enough to locate one two years ago and been very content with my situation.
In a nutshell, I reckon you have to find a capable school and a manager/owner which is a challenge here in Taiwan. I’d say OP needs to find such. Happy hunting.
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The chain schools don’t tend to discriminate* with pay rates. Everyone gets screwed over equally.
*Franchisees might try it on, but a call to head office should sort that out.
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Good on you for fighting for it and not let the underpaying school push you around.
Does anyone know why ABCs speak so nasally?
It’s a nebulous theory, but I think sometimes people’s voices are just more suited to speaking in one language than another due to whatever it is region of the vocal cords that they tend to use for it, or the way that language naturally alters their voice.
To use myself as an example, I sound nearly indistinguishable from a 14-year-old boy when I speak English, but in Mandarin my voice is unmistakably female.
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So you’re saying you’re Bart Simpson (voiced by a woman)?
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Technically Bart is only 10, but pretty much.
It might be fairer to say that I sound highly androgynous in English.
If you’re not satisfied with your pay conditions may I suggest finding a new employer? Sure it might not be “fair” but life isn’t fair. And as a white guy there are tons of things that aren’t fair to me, far less than being paid $50 by less per hour.
A lot of ABCs are Californian and Californian accents are actually pretty nasily.
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I’ve noticed that my voice is higher in Mandarin than in English. Something to do with the tones maybe?
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A lot of female input? That can be a thing sometimes for usage etc.
I’ve considered that possibility. We’ve all probably encountered those guys who learned Mandarin from their girlfriend and sound like a girl when they speak. But I don’t use any of those girly usages (well, just when I’m joking). But there may be some subtle influence on register that I’m not aware of.
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That would be my guess. I think if I spoke in the mezzo-alto I typically use for English I physically wouldn’t be able to create a sound deep enough to demarcate the third tone in Mandarin.
Now you’re just asking for a dirty joke.
Interesting. It seems like the opposite effect in my case. I’m thinking the higher register of the first tone pulls my whole vocal range higher in Mandarin.
Hard to say. I think I’ve cultivated a pretty low tone, lower than my English maybe, not sure if really consciously or not but it sounds right to me somehow.
Ha, that was not in my thoughts, but I can think of a couple of things that might raise one’s register a bit.
So opposite to me as well. I’ve even noticed that my personality is a bit different in each language…more relaxed and laid-back in English (maybe this helps account for the lower voice?), and more hyper in Mandarin. I usually don’t even notice, but start to feel a little schizo if I think about it.
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With the exception of Jane Lee and that British bloke, everyone on ICRT is overseas born Taiwanese now and they are all a bit nasal. They aren’t all from California.
When we speak English or Mandarin?