I’ve been reading forumosa, Michael Turton’s “Teaching English in Taiwan” pages and other sites, but still have a few questions I’d like more clarification on. From what I gather, because of tax law and the start of the new semester, January is one of the best times to come and look for teaching positions. I intend to buy a ticket in the next couple of days for very late December, possibly on the 29th, which appears to be the cheapest day (~US$670), but happens to be the first day of Chinese New Year. Is this a bad time? Will my job and housing search be interfered with? Or should I come anyway to enjoy the festivities?
Also, how essential is an onbound ticket? I read it’s applied unequally, and as a white American I’d probably not be challenged by authorities, but what about my airline? Are they sticklers for it? Is there some way to assure them I won’t be a deportation risk? What about faking an emailed e-ticket printout with correct flight times for a later Hong Kong flight? Or could I buy a ticket that is easily cancelled for a substantial refund? What do you do?
Third, how do Taichung and Kaohsiung compare to Taipei? The higher pay, lower living expenses are big southern draws for me. Also the monsoon weather in Taipei for this half of the year sounds like a real downer. On the other hand, Taipei has the MRT, good bus routes, less water (and air?) pollution. I’ve also never ridden a scooter in my life, so, on balance, Taipei sounds easier to adapt to. Plus I have a minor in Chinese which I don’t want to fall into disuse. Which is better in that regard–English and Mandarin heavy north or Taiwanese heavy south? Your experiences with these issues?
Finally, how bad are Hess and the other chains? Really. I have some childcare experience, but no teaching experience. Frankly, I’d rather have bad lesson plans provided to me than have to make it up as I go (at least to start). I know the pay isn’t very competitive in the chains, but for me that feels offset by the fact they’re not fly-by-night enterprises and that they probably won’t screw me over too too much. What do you recommend for a newbie?
Jobs are much more difficult to find now. If you can swing it, show up a couple weeks before CNY so that you have a shot at landing a position when the new semester starts.
An understanding ticket agent might provide you with an itinerary. A faked e-ticket printout can do it for you. An onward ticket to Hong Kong or Okinawa will suffice, and won’t break the bank when you cancel it for a partial refund later. I don’t know what the real risks are, but I know that each of these has worked.
Taichung’s nice. The weather’s definitely better, but you’ll want a scooter if you’re there. I’m sticking to Taipei though: I appreciate having sidewalks, regular bus service, the mrt, and all the conveniences. It’s much easier to adapt to.
The pay isn’t what it was, anywhere, and the dollar sucks too. You get by easily enough, but it ain’t easy street like it was. If you don’t have teaching experience, a tour of duty in a chain won’t hurt you. After a couple of months, you’ll be wishing that you could get out of the contract, and by the six month mark you’ll be counting the days to year’s end.
Do yourself a favor and avoid Hess. They seem to be very good at scaring away many newbies here in Taiwan. Ive been here for about 18 months and have met several folks that went back to the US or Canada with a very bad impression of teaching here. Their common denominator seemed to be working at Hess…
Don’t worry too much about lesson plans. They are much easier to put together than you might think. I came here with no experience and within a week or two, I was knocking out lessons quite easily.
Taipei is the way to go for starting out, i think. Supply and demand makes this the ideal place to get your first job. Lots of schools in the big city. Besides, you’ll want to have all the western goodies they have in the capital. I don’t know what I’d do if I couldn’t visit Alleycat’s, Amigo, and Jason’s on a regular basis.
Also, be patient when shopping around for an apartment. When I first got here, I stayed in a great hostel and took my time finding an apartment, it paid off. You’ll want to make sure you have found the right job before you sign a lease on a place. Check out Taiwanmex hostel. A very nice hostel centrally located.
Just get here and don’t make any rash decisions…take your time searching for a school/director that suits you and you’ll be much happier.
So when does the new semester start exactly and when are hiring decisions usually completed? Do chains have training periods I need to consider as well? (I ask b/c I noticed the online Hess app showed Dec. 1 as the start date.) Are spots still unfilled and bosses more desperate after the semester gets underway, or should I try my best to go soon?
I had thought things slowed to a halt during New Year’s week and later. Plus an earlier departure would not be the best for me as I still have to get some things squared away like diploma duplicates and transcripts, not to mention the premium pricing on <14day airfare.
I’ll check out Shane, Buttercup. I seem to remember them being recommended previously.
I’m not sure when CNY starts this year, but showing up at least a couple weeks before it begins is ideal for finding work. Everything shuts down during the holiday, and the week before can be insanely busy at chains as they put on song and dance routines to show the parents how much their kids are learning for the money spent.
Some chains do have training periods, but it’s not likely significant enough to affect your plans.
It used to be that there would be unfilled spots at decent schools, and desperate bosses. Now, a lot of those unfilled positions are unfilled because someone’s gotten pissed off and has decided to stick it to the boss by quitting at the last possible moment… doesn’t speak well of either the teacher, nor the position.
If you’re intent on finding a job in a chain, check out the YMCA. I don’t know how the salary stacks up, but when you’re getting jerked around, you’ll have the comfort of knowing that it’s more likely due to well-intentioned incompetence rather than penny-pinching, power-game, managerial bs.
Yeah, Buttercup, I know. I hope that doesn’t come across as a ringing endorsement. I worked at a Y 7 years ago and it was a hole even before the quake slapped the building around. The bosses were incompetent, but not out to deliberately complicate my life, and the rest of the teachers were great people. Thus far, in Taiwan the only chains I’ve seen work have been small chains.
Much of the same here. Chinese new year is February 18th I think, so the new semester will begin end of February, or in the “American” schools like mine, early January. Taipei and Kaohsiung about the only places where you’ll have a decent selection of jobs, and Taipei is about the only place that you will find a job where you are treated and respected like a teacher should. Most teaching jobs on the island, especially in the chains, foreign teachers are treated like nothing more than white faces hired to delver their curriculum.
Taipei is certainly a cleaner city to live in. IT is 10 times more convenient than any other city in Taiwan, even Kaohsiung. It’s only drawback is all the rain. I certainly miss that about Kaohsiung. Anyway, there are always jobs to be found in Taipei at this time, so you won’t be hurting to come now. As for a place to stay, go to a hostel and look around a bit. Same for landing a job. Do some research online here, at tealit.com, Dave’s esl cafe, etc to see what jobs are out there.
I never even considered working for Hess because they expect you to go through a two-week training period UNPAID!! bad idea. never work/train for an employer for free…you’re more valuable than that.
I work for a mid-size chain here in Taipei. I spent my first month training, didn’t teach a class on my own for the first four weeks. I was paid my full salary that month. A legitimate way of developing and keeping a teacher.
yes, CNY starts february 18th.
laszlo, don’t make any hasty moves! shore up everything at home first. it can be VERY difficult to get things done back home when you’re here. there are jobs starting here every day. i found an excellent job in august. people quit every day.
check out Happy Marian. they are a decent sized chain that pays well. know a few folks who have had good experiences with them and they seem to be hiring all the time.
[quote=“Hondu Grease”]
check out Happy Marian. they are a decent sized chain that pays well. know a few folks who have had good experiences with them and they seem to be hiring all the time.[/quote]
They often expect you to do illegal kindy work, though, if you have a problem with doing that.
Thanks for the CNY date correction. When I tried looking it up I found the date for it in 2006–not 2007–and just didn’t catch it. That’s a bit of a relief knowing the semester won’t be started just as I arrive. Don’t worry about me rushing things though. I know to check out several workplaces and that commutes should factor into my housing search.
I just realized too that I have 23,000 United Mileage Plus miles and that 20k qualifies me for a free flight to a destination in “North Asia” (China, S. Korea, or Guam) or Japan. Any experience in getting the visa office to regard your frequent flier miles as your onbound ticket?