I don’t know if this is the right board to post these question so I suspect I’ll get flamed as a newbie. Its alright, I can take it although if I am flamed people on this board have nothing else to do with their lives.(The reason why I state this is because it seems every board I post on I get flamed)
Anyways, I talked to a guy at American Village, who was recruiting out of the US for 100 English Teachers(I got the post from Dave’s ESL Cafe). Already he is willing to offer me a job with a formal offer available by mid-week he said. Just a couple of questions - has anyone heard of this company or know of anywhere I can look to find out about them. Secondly they pay in American dollars by the hour, is it better to be paid in American or NTD(especially for tax purposes)? Third he suggested I can check out the Ministry of Education because he said he is under contract with them. How do I contact them?
Thanks everyone for your help. I am very new to this so if I can get any info about searching out legit schools that would be awesome. Thanks again for your help.
Don’t take a teaching job before you get here. There are TONS of jobs waiting for you when you arrive. No one gets paid in US dollars here – that smells like a scam.
Trust the old man, come on a tourist visa, then open the newspaper (today’s China Post had 39 separate want ads for English teachers).
Oh, I forgot to flame you…next time.
I’ve never heard of that particular school. Is it kids or adults? How many branches do they have in Taiwan?
As Wolf stated, you can easily find work here if you come over without a job set up. However, if you do decide to sign a contract before leaving, check if there’s a trial period or probationary period where either party can terminate employment after a few months if things aren’t working out. Also, check if there’s any penalty for breaking the contract, are you willing to pay it if you decide you want out?
Finally, I’ve never heard of any language schools paying in US dollars, either.
I was offered a job (i.e. contract) before I came to Taiwan, after doing a little research and having had a couple of telephone interviews at home in Oz. The best decision I made was to NOT agree to a contract before I arrived in Taiwan. I told one (foreign) manager “I would consider the offer” and get back to him within a few days. His response was not so good as he tried his best to pressure me into making an on-the-spot decision. So, my eventual answer was simply “no thank you”.
I would have to add that for any other industry, and for any other country, you would probably be best-off trying to land an overseas job from within your own country, as the conditions will typically be better (i.e. expat wages and perks). Not so for teaching in Taiwan…
There’s plenty of jobs available, so take it easy and think before you make any decision. Don’t let yourself feel at all pressured into accepting a contract, especially if it’s before your arrival. Give yourself a chance to check out Taipei and maybe a couple of other cities first…