Hess Educational Organization (何嘉仁文教機構)

Well in order to get a visa I thought you had to print out your itinerary and prove you have a flight, am I wrong? Do you just need to tell them when you plan to fly? Maybe I messed that up? Oh well. The reason I am in a hurry is because I got a job and I agreed to leave for Taiwan as soon as possible (I will begin training for my job on March 3rd). So I would have preferred to have more time, but I’ve done everything as quick as possible.

I have some good news though, I tracked my return envelope and it was received by the postal service and so it should be here tomorrow for sure. If not, I am going to just have to get another ticket for Monday night, because there is no mail on Sundays.

I have heard the less you know about esl the more likely they are to hire you because you will be a clean sheet for them to place their hess stamp on it, is this true? I have been an esl teacher for 6 months and I have been living in Taiwan for 9 months. What are the chances of me being hired?

I worked for Hess awhile back and I had people in my training group that had previous ESL experience in Taiwan/Korea/Japan. In addition, there were also plenty of people like me who had absolutely no teaching experience. I think you’ll get hired easily if you have some experience under your belt. Apply through their website and do the phone interview, it can’t hurt to try.

Edit*

By the way, in case your wondering we had about 40 people in my training group and I’d say about 25-35% had previous experience teaching ESL, and maybe another 25% were teachers or education majors in their home countries. So it was about half and half for those with previous experience and those without.

Did you make it here bubu?

Yes, I’m here. Arrived on Tuesday March 2nd. Just been busy with training at my school. And I haven’t been using my computer much. I did my health check the day I arrived and everything is done on my end. So I think everything will be fine. If not, then I’ll have to get a ticket from Hong Kong to Taipei and then another ticket back to Hong Kong. Hopefully I won’t have to do that though.

That was my first earthquake last week.

Where are you? Come to my place for some curry sometime. :lick:

I’m in Banqiao.

i will take you up on that offer when i get there mister! I hope you make a mean curry, and yes I know the question was not directed at me.

Well after reading all this, I think I am happy they did not employ me, I have read more horror stories than good ones.

Even though I have no teaching experience, being fresh of the boat, and was ready to accept their pay structure and out of hours work, they still didn’t employ me.

Maybe it is because I do have a lot of experience of working with kids anyway that they didn’t like, meaning that I might not of liked there structure possibly?

[quote=“Shearersheed”]Well after reading all this, I think I am happy they did not employ me, I have read more horror stories than good ones.

Even though I have no teaching experience, being fresh of the boat, and was ready to accept their pay structure and out of hours work, they still didn’t employ me.

Maybe it is because I do have a lot of experience of working with kids anyway that they didn’t like, meaning that I might not of liked there structure possibly?[/quote]
Nah, it’s not that. They just hate Geordies, kid.

[quote=“jimipresley”][quote=“Shearersheed”]Well after reading all this, I think I am happy they did not employ me, I have read more horror stories than good ones.

Even though I have no teaching experience, being fresh of the boat, and was ready to accept their pay structure and out of hours work, they still didn’t employ me.

Maybe it is because I do have a lot of experience of working with kids anyway that they didn’t like, meaning that I might not of liked there structure possibly?[/quote]
Nah, it’s not that. They just hate Geordies, kid.[/quote]

Ha me and my northern ways fail me again :laughing:

[quote=“Abacus”][url=http://tw.forumosa.com/t/current-lack-of-jobs/61804/1 even walked into a HESS branch to drop off a resume…[/url]
[/quote]

Ok, well this is going to out me as a total newb but…what’s so bad about Hess?
It keeps popping up in threads and being described as an evil organisation.
I’ve only been here 2 weeks but is it kind of like the Starbucks/McDonalds of English schools?

This may not come to you guys as a surprise, but Hess is not all that great. Let me emphasize, after 4 interviews and good size phone bill(overseas) this company told me I was certaintly hired. Otherwise I wouldn’t have left the states, after initiating the final thanks welcome to Hess blah…blah…blah. The lady in Canada ( I think) said, “I’m sorry I have to ask that you send a picture” Why they never intended to ask me for this before I have no idea. Wait gets better, as soon as I sent it in they ask for a copy of my passport. No problem, unless you sound white over the phone and happen to be asian. I never got a response after this nor a single piece of instruction when I arrive. Then finnally I was told I have one more interview, “WTF” I had 4 already. This one was directed to more of “So how would you feel if kids look at you differently because your asian” Seriously I’ve never felt discriminated till just about the time she said it is possible I may not get the job because I’m F’n Hawaiian/Chinese. Luckily I found two other schools that don’t care about race, but the kids and the actual person who is teaching. Yep, 1 week before arriving I still hadn’t got a response so I called and called.“Sorry sir so and so is out of the office, I regret to inform you that you were not selected for the position” In a way I see this as a blessing in disguise, got a couple great gigs that I’m happy with. Thanks again HESS!!!

:slight_smile:

Where did you finally get a job at? And are you female? It helps to be female if you look Chinese.

Askr: They’re known as being extremely manipulative and exploitative.

808MAUI: That’s something that really pisses me off about Hess. They have tons of Westerners employed in management positions. They should be telling the parents to fuck off if they don’t like the race of a teacher. Well, perhaps not that abruptly, but they should be at the vanguard of educating whatever percentage of local knuckle dragging fuckwits there are in this country who make a big deal about such things. I bet if they were back in the West, they wouldn’t try to pull that kind of shit, and they’d probably be the first to chew someone out for racism there, or even here. I bet if you were to tell a racist joke down at the pub with them, they’d be up in arms about it. It shows what a bunch of spineless, morally relativistic cunts many Westerners in this country are. Corporate whores, too.

I’m a little surprised to hear they said you wouldn’t get the job for being Hawaiian/Chinese. There were several Asian Americans working at Hess when I was there both as teachers and in management. It’s also weird that they didn’t ask you for a photo upfront; they asked me for one upfront and I sent it gladly expecting them lose interest as soon as they saw my picture. Also what’s the deal with four phone interviews overseas?! I had one interview from Minnesota and he did the calling. Your experience is definitely a departure from what I’d expect from the company although I’d never put anything past them.

I also thought that was one of the strengths of HESS; they were willing to employ ABCs and other groups who traditionally find it difficult to land teaching jobs. My friend is an Australian of Indian heritage and she shot up through the ranks at HESS when she worked there. Every time I met her she seemed to have scored another promotion.

Does anyone else know if there has been a change in the HESS policy? Perhaps they are beginning to find the business environment difficult and looking for excuses. I’ve always felt that the real squeeze in the buxiban business is going to be in the mid-range Macteaching schools that cater for the middle classes. As the middle classes have fewer children they are going to start sending their kids to the upper-range schools.

HESS marketing definitely has the air of desperation. They seem to be selling themselves not just as an English school, but a kind of all-round child development service. ‘You don’t have to bother raising your kids, we’ll do it for you’ kind of thing.

This is what parents here have always expected from schools and cram schools; raise their kids for them. Isn’t this from Confucianism?

This is what parents here have always expected from schools and cram schools; raise their kids for them. Isn’t this from Confucianism?[/quote]

I don’t know about that, CraigTPE. You may be right.

If it is the case then the HESS marketing dept. seem to be taking it to an extreme. If you take a look at the big screen outside their HO none of the ads shown seem to be about acquiring English. They’re all about kids behaving well, filial piety and stuff. The ad they had for CNY involved a NES with a class of kids saying Happy New Year in Chinese. Quite bizarre for an English language school.

If I didn’t know any better I’d have assumed from their ads that the HESS organisation were a bunch of western social workers.