I’ve been teaching at Kojen for a few months now and I am extremely unhappy there, to the point where I am exhausted and near depression. I have been on the receiving end of many negative comments from my director who said I’m receiving complaints from parents of my classes. I’m trying hard to build rapport with my kids but I just don’t think it’s a right fit, or if I even am fit to be a teacher. I am really at a lost here.
I have been thinking of various ways to leave and go home, but being a new teacher with only years of volunteer teaching experience back home, I am afraid that I won’t be able to qualify if I leave to teach at another school from scratch.
I am in my fourth month and did not anticipate on staying for more than a year. If I were to sign with a new school at this point, I am not sure if any school would want someone who would teach for another 7-8 months. If I do end up leaving Kojen (or if and before they get to firing me) on my own terms, I will face repercussions, including “buying out” my contract and paying for some of the expenses they’ve covered, which I am not sure if I have the financial ability to.
Has anyone been able to leave Kojen before their 1-year contract?
I was in a similar situation. If you hate it and can’t see a reasonable chance of things improving there’s no point prolonging the inevitable.
Do you want to leave Taiwan or get another job there?
If they give you bs terms for early contract cancellation there’s really nothing stopping you from just upping and going without saying anything I don’t think.
If you still want to work in Taiwan it would be harder. I had an interview and they were suss about my resume not having completed a full year at my previous job. I tried to shrug it off but I never heard back from them and I think that’s why. Of course you could bend the truth, say you were there longer than you really were, that it was a 6 month contract, the school burnt down or pretend you never did it at all
I agree with this.
If you want to stay in Taiwan, try to complete the contract. It’s 8 months left to tough out, not the end of the world.
If you don’t care about staying in Taiwan (and don’t care about screwing over your employer) then sure, break it. But it’ll be hard, maybe impossible to get work here in the near-term.
I find this quite telling. Why did you come to Taiwan with the intention of only staying a year? If you came here for some fun, fair enough. You have mentioned “near depression”. Do you think this will be less likely should you return home?
I think you have more issues to address than a shitty buxiban boss. Unlike other posters here I would definitely advise you to quit your job, but I would also advise you to beware of similar problems occurring once you return home.
More practical advice, in terms of cancelling your contract within the first year:
You really should serve your contractual notice period. Unless it’s making you ill.
Your employer cannot deduct any money from your pay. Well, they can do it but you can contact the Council of Labour Affairs and they’ll have to give it back.
Your employer has the potential to complain about you leaving within 12 months. Should you wish to work in Taiwan in the future this could be an issue.
I’m not legally qualified and I am a tad old, so double-check on any of this.
I had a great job that I loved back home but felt like it was the perfect time to experience living and working abroad for a year. The main premise was fun, but I also wanted to try my hand at a challenging job, being someone who is usually bad at public speaking. I would like to go back home and continue building a career in the corporate world but wanted to gain some international working experience. I was sorting my emotions from leaving home within the first week, but my boss, being a nervous wreck, heightened it and it has prolonged for far too long.
I don’t think going home will solve my issues and I am not planning on doing for the remaining 8 months I have here, but I think being in a toxic work environment for long enough will leave lasting effects.
I have thought about toughening out the next 8 months but I just cannot foresee my myself being on the receiving end of the abusive treatment on a regular basis for that long. I’m afraid a lot of mental and emotional, and maybe physical issues may arise if I continue to tolerate it. I also have a feeling that my contract will be terminated very soon if my boss does not feel that I’ve made “progress” in her pov, which I would rather take over having to pay the expenses that they’ve initially covered.
From what you say, I don’t think this kind of language teaching environment is a good fit, as you say. Probably best to go home as you say you were happier there, and re-engage in the field you were in before you came. Just my 2 cents.
You may be right. But it may also have been a bad fit from the get-go. I did not feel like I was well-trained and i have invested and sacrificed a lot to be here and would not like to give up easily. So if there is an alternative and possibly a way for me to find a job at another school, I would do it
Perhaps he would be willing to, but while it was a great job, it wasn’t challenging for me and I took the job because of its flexibility while I worked on my plan to come here.
You cannot find another job here, unless you are at the very least willing to serve out your contractual leave notice period, which usually is 60-90 days. See what it says on your contract. Even if you do do that, your employer might still make trouble for you if they’re a jerk. They might refuse to release you from your work visa, so it’s hard to sign with a new employer until the one year contract period is over.
Teaching can be extremely stressful. I know this from experience. What I like to do is just slow down. Slow everything down and reevaluate the situation. It’s very likely that you are dealing with some culture shock. If your boss wants to fire you that’s their business. It don’t really matter bro. You can apply for a six month arc extension and just wait for the right opportunity to come along. You found your challenge now you must decide how to overcome it.
It’s the Ministry of Labor now (for the last five years, Bigge!), but for most purposes you should contact your local labor department at the city/county hall in the jurisdiction where you work. They can give free advice (including advice from a lawyer when available), arrange mediation between you and your employer, and tell you how to file a labor inspection request if need be.
They won’t hire you if you break your contract. So the license is almost a moot point.
My advice would be to give contractual notice (60-90 days) at his current employer, and come back to apply again for the new school year in 6 months when his original contract period would have expired (in the meantime he could also get his license). Or tough out his current contract to completion, but he’s indicated he’s not willing to do that second one.
