It’s better to be a weird hermit with long beard who goes on long bike rides, or solo trips on a sailboat.
In all seriousness, starting a biz like a school is high risk due to investment (facilities, employee salaries, etc.). Selling services with low overhead/cost is low risk. Selling professional services is best: you simply sell people advice, or written words, at high prices.
The trick is figuring out what you know, or know how to do, that others would benefit from.
It only takes a million or two, and you can still keep some of your hours at your old job or work mornings in a kindy until you have enough students to fully commit.
I’m not sure if it was this page but I had a really bad experience interviewing with a brand new school (a franchise) that has several schools around Taipei. This was about a month ago and I see the same guy looking to fill the same positions. So glad I didn’t suck up for that one. It’s a teacher’s market today based on all of the ads I’ve seen.
I’ve been a stay at home dad working part time with schools and tutoring and now that my girl is 7 I’ve signed up for 35 hours a week and will be making pretty decent money. I’ll sign a contract on a nice new apartment tomorrow a short walk away from my school.
I did hear from an owner that she is aware of a bunch of schools that shut for good.
With the numbers of schools shut and the number of job ads for teachers does this mean a lot of teachers left?
Whoa. My hat is off to you, sir.
OK,
So here’s an obscure one…
When it all kicked off, a few months ago, all of my classes got cancelled.
No income (at all) since mid-May!
“Whatever…” I told myself. I deserve a holiday!
I have just returned to work.
I got my first pay cheque the other day. The fuckers have deducted nearly $4K to cover health/labour insurance for the two months when I was off work with no income!
I’m slightly pissed off. Am I being unreasonable?
Yes. Would you want to be without insurance if you had gotten sick during that time?
It would be up to the government, not the school, to forgive those payments. The school still had to pay their 7K a month or whatever it is exactly for your insurance during that time too.
Fair enough.
Yes, I agree , but I think the thing he should be pissed off about is no income for three months.
Wrong thread…I thought you replied in the other one. Sorry.
He should be pissed at the government for that too. Let people work or give them relief.
I know a young person with a good degree in Zoology but the only job they can get is in a pet shop feeding white mice
So the real thing we should worry about is the Chinese saying foreigners can’t teach in China? We’ll soon be flooded with once Chinese employed teachers.
It’s how the scheme works . If you want to participate you have to make up the back payments. It’s tough but that’s the way it is set up. I pay for my family also.
He is.
Back the the Old Country I have friends and family who’ve had long stretches off work with nearly full pay. What they lost in earnings was saved in child-care/travel expenses, etc.
Turns out they kind of liked not having to get up at the crack of dawn every day…
Go figure???
That got me thinking…
Here in Taiwan, relief measures were always going to be more precarious. But the prospect of a government-subsidised sabbatical seemed like a gamble worth taking! I mean the authorities would have to step in, in some capacity. Right?
(If not, I would weather the storm.)
Yes, also true. But I have just been informed that my $40K government subsidy has been approved! (Ain’t gonna count my chickens just yet, but that’s the word on the street.) It would cetainly soften the blow.
Those few months off were just what the doctor ordered! I used them productively and spent very little money. So I’m not gonna complain too much.
(But I totally appreciate that everyone’s situation is unique.)
Yes. You’re absolutely right. Misdirected frustration on my part.
those who returned to work…how do you feel about the covid regulations at your school? seems a bit lax tbh, some kids taking off masks, noses out, some kids got paper masks that aren’t even considered masks…oh and is your school following regulations?
There is a dedicated thread.