I recently took a job working for Huaxing Elementary School in Taipei. I had a contract that was from the 1st of August 2025 to the 31st of July 2026.
Yesterday I was verbally told that they were terminating the contract as they deemed me unsuitable for the position.
Reasons given included my habit of sleeping at my desk during lunchtime, yawning during a training session and sitting at my desk with my backpack on several minutes prior to the clock out time.
As they did not provide me with written notice, nor did they state that any of the above were problems, and I did not agree with the termination, I am of the opinion that the contract is still valid and I’m entitled to my full pay for the period of the contract.
I’m just wondering how likely I am to be successful arguing that with the Labour Bureau.
Most positions have a probation period of up to 3 months. It’s not a rule per se, but most contracts have at least one month. It would have been in your contract.
They didn’t give you any paperwork or a letter with information? I’ve seen schools terminate and only pay out time worked as they have the probation time and can let go of new people for any reason in that time period.
Employers document details for themselves and the employee. If they told you anything or gave you something it’s a good way to see what they wrote down and perhaps time for you to reflect on how you do things at work.
Find a job better suited to you.
Teaching isn’t for everyone.
None of those seem like particularly valid reasons for terminating a contract? I’m a bit surprised the first one didn’t get you a promotion in Taiwan for being so well culturally adapted.
Seems like a visit to the Labor Bureau would be in order!
I can’t say for definite what the real reason is. However, one day on my way to the toilet I encountered a group of high school students. One of them yelled “Hey girl!” at me, so I confronted him about it and told his teacher.
That resulted in a complaint from the high school director to the elementary school director, which resulted in 2 different meetings about it.
After that I had to teach a class that someone else had prepared using their materials and the criticism I got seemed excessively nitpick and harsh.
The phrases “I’m worried that you’ll be able to teach your class when the semester starts”, “it’s a real pity” and “I don’t want to make you feel bad” were used.
I even said the next day I thought they were just looking for reasons to fire me and I got told “we can’t fire because you have a contract”, meaning they’d discussed it after that incident with the high school student.
Edit: They also told me I didn’t have enough time to do all the preparation I needed to simply working my contracted hours, so I’d have to work at the weekend, too. They didn’t like it that I refused to do that.
There were also 2 other Canadian teachers that just started. We were the first 3 native English teachers they’d had there for many years apparently.
There were 2 Indonesian teachers, the rest were Taiwanese.
There were a few red flags from the start, because they mentioned off the clock work during training sessions, and they told us if we took time off we had to find a substitute teacher and pay them ourselves from our own money.
Now I understand why they struggle to find native English teachers.
Wow, I’ve seen some bullshit reasons in my time but that takes the cake. Pretty much all my coworkers in Taiwan sleep at their desk during lunch. The yawning and backpack things are super petty too. They either are disguising the real reason they’re letting you go, or you’re leaving something out.
I guess conceivably it could come up if it were escalated to the LB, though you would think they would tell you that was the reason directly if it was that bad.
Subject: Complaint Regarding Wrongful Termination and Back Pay
To Whom It May Concern,
I am submitting a formal complaint regarding my recent termination from Huaxing Private School. I believe the termination was unfair, inconsistent, and in violation of my contractual rights, and I am requesting full back pay for the remainder of my contract.
1. Contractual Back Pay
My contract stipulated a monthly salary of NT$70,000 for 12 months.
I was terminated prematurely, and I am therefore entitled to NT$70,000 Ă— 11 months = NT$770,000 as back pay.
2. Unfair and Inconsistent Treatment
Lesson Observations: The school claimed I was disruptive during observation lessons. In reality, I only moved around the classroom to assist students during activities or help other teachers, and no one objected at the time. Once I was asked to stop, I immediately complied.
Performance Feedback: I was told I had not improved after only three lessons over three consecutive days, despite being given lessons prepared by others and not having sufficient time to independently prepare. Other teachers received much lighter feedback or only line messages, showing inconsistency.
Personal Questions Allegation: The school claimed I asked colleagues about their families and relationships. I asked both male and female colleagues, and only one colleague ever mentioned it was a problem. Similar behaviors by others, such as a colleague bringing a dog to school, went unchallenged.
Excessive Scrutiny and Singling Out: On the day of my termination, I was given detailed feedback on my final two lessons, made to attend a training session, and then formally terminated. Other teachers did not receive this level of scrutiny.
3. Lack of Proper Procedure
I was not warned about any alleged issues such as sleeping at my desk, yawning, or not taking notes.
The lessons that were used to evaluate me were originally framed as training lessons, not evaluative lessons, meaning I was not given a fair opportunity to demonstrate my teaching abilities.
4. Additional Unfair Practices and Targeting
I was refused the use of my formal title (Dr.), despite my qualifications.
I was asked to pay for substitute teachers myself if I needed time off, which is inconsistent with labor regulations.
I was criticized and ultimately terminated partly because I refused to work off the clock on weekends, even though other teachers were not held to the same standard.
5. Timeline of Key Events
Friday, 15 August 2025, 10:30 AM: Incident with high school student.
Friday, 15 August 2025, 3:00 PM & 4:40 PM: First meetings regarding incident.
Following Tuesday, 19 August 2025: Told I needed to work weekends to prepare.
Wednesday, 20 August 2025: Again told to work weekends; refused.
Wednesday, 27 August 2025: Detailed feedback on final lessons, attended training session, and termination meeting.
29 August 2025: Contract formally terminated.
6. Request
Given the above, I request that the Labor Bureau:
Investigate the unfair and inconsistent treatment that led to my termination.
Ensure that the employer pays the full back pay owed under my contract (NT$770,000).
I am happy to provide any additional information, including witness statements and documented dates of meetings and incidents.
This is the national pastime. All my coworkers do this. I can’t even be non-work productive cause they turn off the lights like they are little babies.