The market is flooded with Canadians and South Africans willing to work for next to nothing. I know this might be a bit of a controversial thing to say, but I do wonder what others think about this. Is there really an over-supply of teachers now ? I know very few teachers now making a regular, averaged, NT$100,000 a month. I used to (years ago) know several. What’s happened ? Poverty-line figures of NT$60-70k are being tossed about now, even as low as NT$55k ! It’s all gone to pot ! Office jobs are beginning to look attractive ! :shock:
You think teaching is out of whack? My g/f is a nurse and she makes a paltry 30K. And if her patients require extra care, she has to work O/t without compensation. She gets big chunks of time off…but still…she is a nurse for crissakes…angels deserve much more compensation.
I’ll believe it when I see it. Right now my lowest paying (private) class pays $1000NT an hour. My highest paying is over $1300/hr. I also work in a small buxiban in Tianmu in the afternoons for $1200/hr, no tax, paid weekly. I have to regularly turn away people asking for class. I haven’t been hurting for hours since I started teaching privates full-time, just over a year ago. I don’t mind the teachers peddling their serivces for 500/hr. It sets us apart. Vive la difference!
100K a month has always been a myth. And what’s poverty line about 70K?
nah, i’ve known a good few guys who have done/are doing it.
Those are the elite. The vast majority of teachers in Taiwan make that “poverty-line” salary of 50-60K a month - which is, ahem, at least 10-20K more than the average middle/working class salary in Taiwan. Sure, those plum 100K jobs exist, but only if you’ve been here for a long time, speak decent enough Chinese to get around, and know the right connections. Oh, and those 1000NT per hour jobs don’t exist outside of Taipei, but the cost of living is much cheaper in the south so it evens out.
Most teachers earning 100K/month work their asses off. Too much like hard work for me. I’ll settle for less money and less stress.
I’ve met guys who were making this much according to them, but they were working a lot and had stress from it. I consider it not worth my time as I enjoy my free time immeasuably. I work my 6 hours a day off at 5 with no weekends and nights. I clear $70,000NT for 10 months and $30,000 for 2 months. I’m able to make my savings goals and have a comfortable life.
$50,000 salary a month, now that is poverty to me, especially for those who have just arrived to Taiwan with the 20% tax on top of it.
Most of the foreigners making more than me normally are specialist in their fields or small business owners.
CYA
Okami
I work 30-35 hours a week and am making between 75-85 a month if you want to make the money, saturday mornings are where it’s at. Kids are too tired to cause trouble and because no one wants to work you can ask for more.
The $1000 - $1500/hour jobs still exist. My husband’s been turning them away for the last three years and now that he’s got a nice desk job doesn’t want them anymore. I think a big part of it is recommendations. Once you get the first parent who wants you at $1000 or more, they recommend you to their friends and it takes off from there.
I’m only going to make this comment because people often say if you want to make more than 100,000NT in Taiwan a month you have to work hard.
It’s not true. I know many people who make a lot more than that teaching English just a handfull of hours a week.
DAMN STRAIGHT!
I mean, shit! They barely speak English at all! And the South Africans have such a slovenly accent that only monkeys and sloths can understand them.
And the Canadians don’t know the first thing about life outside the realm of their local bottle-shop. What are they going to teach? “It’s like cold out today, eh?” “Like give me the opener, eh?”
I think that there should be some sort of legislation passed to prevent these semi-literate knuckle-draggers from even entering the country.
Next they will be taking all the good Chinese babes! Shit!
(NT1,300/hr or NT$350/hr…it is still teaching moronic childern or adults. It’s like saying that you get paid more or less for enduring someone poking a toothpick in your scrotum.)
Colorful metaphor Wolf.
[quote=“Fox”]I’m only going to make this comment because people often say if you want to make more than 100,000NT in Taiwan a month you have to work hard.
It’s not true. I know many people who make a lot more than that teaching English just a handfull of hours a week.[/quote]
If a teacher isn’t making a $100,000NT a month, then there is something wrong. $100,000NT is the bare minimum.
Bullshit! 100k has been possible for as long as I’ve been here. And I’m not talking about working kindy during the day, bushiban at night.
Don’t mean to rain on your parade, but you should be making more if you’re putting in those kind of hours teaching.
I average about 700 an hour that’s some serious money. The extra five or so hours a week is for free but I teach a bar owners kids and I have free reign in the bar. I eat and drink for free. If I want a steak, hey its free. 10 beers in one night, free too.
In that case, I’m wrong. Where do I sign up?
Wow, how did you ever get to make so much money? Could it be the fluent Chinese or the fact that you have lived here at least 10 years? Could it be that it took you years and years and years to get the situation you have and that you’re not even competing with those Canadian and South African teachers who are flooding the market? Could it be that no one fresh off the plane could possibly expect to have such a situation?
Just wondering.
BS to you all. There is already a thread about how much you claim to make. Is the market saturated? Maybe, but, those teachers are not “qualified”. So, those of us with a BA or whatever will always have work!