Though buxibans prefer bachelor’s degree, legally, associate degree with TEFL certificate is accepted.
While technically true, not having a bachelors will definitely leave someone at a disadvantage especially if the buxiban has more than one applicant to choose from.
Generally speaking, a position with fixed monthly pay but more hours (and higher overall pay) would be better than a per hour job, wouldn’t it?
To be specific, looking at the jobs I can see advertised there’s one with 60-65k/month for 25 hours but says it includes 15 office hours a week. Another for 26.5 hours at 53k and a bunch with varying hours for 600-650/hour. I can also see one in Tainan for 57-62k/month with unspecificed hours, although I don’t know how bad I want to move to Tainan.
It really depends on what your goals are. I work at a cram school 16 hours a week. I walk in, teach 4 hours, and walk out 4 times a week. I’ve been doing it for a number of years, it’s easy and they love me. I get paid by the hour and have mornings and evenings free. Last year I started teaching a few classes at a local university in the morning and that’s super convenient. All together I’m working 22 hours a week although I am spending a lot more time doing prep work for the uni job because the classes are new and i’m still figuring things out. All together I’m pulling in around 70,000 a month and have lots of free time to do other things.
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Sounds like you’ve got a pretty good deal. I guess I don’t have much leverage due to lack of experience. My goals are to gain experience and save a bit of money
I had no teaching experience when I started. I do have a lot of work experience in other fields which I use everyday in the classroom. I also have a lot of experience going on interviews and recognizing when someone is bullshitting me. I‘d suggest looking for a small school that can offer you a block of hours. This way you’ll have more free time to do other things or possibly get another gig. Do a good job and show them that you’re serious. Talk to the kids in and out of class. Use your imagination and get them to talk.
You also need to realize that Taiwanese bosses and managers are very paranoid. Many are convinced that all foreigners drink excessively and will screw them over. I suspect they must have some kind of manual that teaches them about us. I know that New Taipei City had one to help business owners deal with South East Asian workers. It described them as lazy and untrustworthy. Anyhow, my boss was really confused because I rarely drink and so he asked me about it. He was flabbergasted. Also, if you smoke, don’t show up to work smelling like an ashtray.