Anyway I would like an honest appraisal of my chances in Taiwan.
Iām a UK born Chinese (parents from 1965 Hong Kong) Iām nearly 34. I could mingle in a crowd in Hong Kong and youād be hard pushed to pick me out. This does mean I am mostly Cantonese literate. I can talk to people all day in Cantonese and read newspapers and write traditional Chinese. Iāve been told the stroke order is incorrect as I always prefer the vertical strokes as opposed to the horizontal ones. Cantonese people think I talk funny sometimes because I use slang and colloquialisms which havenāt been used in decades and sometimes mix my dialects when I donāt focus.
I hold a UK passport.
I have an undergraduate degree in economics and English lit . CELTA, a PGCE-M (level 7) in teaching English in high schools and 6th form colleges. Iām just about to finish off my MA in education.
Iāve been teaching in the UK for about 5 years now. Primarily 6th form colleges, council adult education services and some university pre-seasonal EAP pay is good when there is work around. The problem is work is scarce due to budget cuts everywhere. Jobs in 6th form that used to pay Ā£23 now pay Ā£16.
I spoke to a couple of DELTA holders and they recommend getting some overseas work experience to compliment my CV.
So what are my chances of anything decent in Taiwan? I am well aware that there will be discrimination. I faced it when I travelled to Hong Kong a few years ago. Many places agreed to meet me but said the vacancy had been filled once I arrived.
Now that they scoured out all the Welshers.[/quote]
Just like to say, I didnāt āRecommendā your post. The layout of this site is shit.
R, IM NOT WELSH! Wales is great though and Iāve spent a fair bit of time there. But yeah, basically, STFU?
No, itās not a āsweet gigā, itās a fucking depressing, paying-your-dues psychic death black hole of pain and mediocrity, but itās the next career step for this chap in his Brit-FL career. Everyone does it, everyone hates it, but it is your initiation into the wide world, my child.
Ditto that. Everyone I know who worked there in Taiwan was either extremely miserable or very miserable during that time. Underpaid, overworked, little advancement.
Anyway I would like an honest appraisal of my chances in Taiwan.
Iām a UK born Chinese (parents from 1965 Hong Kong) Iām nearly 34. I could mingle in a crowd in Hong Kong and youād be hard pushed to pick me out. This does mean I am mostly Cantonese literate. I can talk to people all day in Cantonese and read newspapers and write traditional Chinese. Iāve been told the stroke order is incorrect as I always prefer the vertical strokes as opposed to the horizontal ones. Cantonese people think I talk funny sometimes because I use slang and colloquialisms which havenāt been used in decades and sometimes mix my dialects when I donāt focus.
I hold a UK passport.
I have an undergraduate degree in economics and English lit . CELTA, a PGCE-M (level 7) in teaching English in high schools and 6th form colleges. Iām just about to finish off my MA in education.
Iāve been teaching in the UK for about 5 years now. Primarily 6th form colleges, council adult education services and some university pre-seasonal EAP pay is good when there is work around. The problem is work is scarce due to budget cuts everywhere. Jobs in 6th form that used to pay Ā£23 now pay Ā£16.
I spoke to a couple of DELTA holders and they recommend getting some overseas work experience to compliment my CV.
So what are my chances of anything decent in Taiwan? I am well aware that there will be discrimination. I faced it when I travelled to Hong Kong a few years ago. Many places agreed to meet me but said the vacancy had been filled once I arrived.
Thanks for reading.[/quote]
Just kidding.
Your chances will be a lot lower because of your ethnicity.
Underpaid, no, not for Taipei. Advancement is international: Taipei is too small. But Brits, itās your apprenticeship. Everyone does it. Everyone will full time uni gigs in Brit EFL has done at least something there.
You have an impressive resume. The problem is that you are going to be applying for a select set of jobs (small in number). Chances of finding one of these jobs your first year in Taiwan without an understanding of where to look or any contacts is pretty low. Perhaps your 2nd year.
there must be better places than Taiwan for your skills. just my two cents.
Underpaid, no, not for Taipei. Advancement is international: Taipei is too small. But Brits, itās your apprenticeship. Everyone does it. Everyone will full time uni gigs in Brit EFL has done at least something there.[/quote]
You know, despite your self-proclaimed omniscience, yes, they WERE underpaid even for Taipei. You donāt have any clue who Iām talking about. If you want to say things have changed since then, have a go. But the people I knew (very well) who worked at that organization were not well-paid by any stretch, especially considering the insane overtime. One of them did land a nice full-time gig in British higher education (not EFL specifically) but had to do an MA in Britain first to get it. No doubt the connections/resume helped, though.
I worked there for years. From when it reopened on Xinyi. Are you actually arguing with me about how much I got paid? They halved the salary? Your friends had a different contract from me? Yes, it was hard work. No, the people mostly werent nice.
Seriously, you could start an argument in a phonebox with no money.
Well, I do now, donāt I? Plenty of identifying detail in your post. Given that there were only five other teachers working there until relatively recently when they changed the layout. Couple of others joined later. Or do you mean of the charming group of local staff for the ELC? Some real winners there. Certainly not overpaid.
All the people Iām in touch with who worked there when I did have great jobs now, around Asia and back home. You could friend them on facebook and check their photos out, as youāre so close to em.
So back to the point. Youāre seriously advising a Brit at his career stage to avoid the British Council? That makes no sense. (Please be aware that this is not an opening gambit. You and I are not going to discuss anything. This is for the OP. Itās for him to decide with only 5 yearsā experience, no DELTA and an incomplete MA whether it is beneath him, but to be honest, heād have to do a pretty good interview to get in, and heād have to already be in Taipei because he wouldnāt get it on international hire.)
Well the MA is being done shortly. I thought Iād be pro-active and look now rather than in a few months when the MA cookie is baked. Iām uncertain about he DELTA tbh as my highest teaching qualification is already a level 7 and a number of places Iāve worked for give it parity. I am uncertain of the situation in Taiwan if they would view it the same.
TBH I donāt view much beneath me money and career development is money and career development. I think I need a change of scene. However I want to gun higher, elementary classes are easy and I have plenty of materials and pre-made lesson plans. But they donāt feel challenging and I feel they actually damage my vocabulary to some extent due to the need to level my language to teach these classes.
Well the MA is being done shortly. I thought Iād be pro-active and look now rather than in a few months when the MA cookie is baked. Iām uncertain about he DELTA tbh as my highest teaching qualification is already a level 7 and a number of places Iāve worked for give it parity. I am uncertain of the situation in Taiwan if they would view it the same.
TBH I donāt view much beneath me money and career development is money and career development. I think I need a change of scene. However I want to gun higher, elementary classes are easy and I have plenty of materials and pre-made lesson plans. But they donāt feel challenging and I feel they actually damage my vocabulary to some extent due to the need to level my language to teach these classes.[/quote]
DELTA: nah, itās not a thing in East Asia, apart from with BC, where itās useful. I wouldnāt bother: itāll be easy, expensive and dull for you. Iād just get your dissertation done and then if you want to be anywhere that asks for DELTA, ask them to observe you to -Q you up. With a Level 7 already, it all depends whoās accrediting, in the UK. BC (accrediting) favour the DELTA because ā¦ drum roll ā¦ they part-own the DELTA.
Really, no-one cares in Asia outside universities: your MA is the thing, and even then, not hugely.
Um, no, because ā I realize this is hard for you to get ā not everything is about you.
The people I know who worked for the British Council were not teachers, either.
Try to keep up, wonāt you?
If your folks are Hong Kongers why not try HK? Itās amore accepting place than Taiwan, and more cosmopolitan. Try the Hong Kong program that places folks in elementary and high schools. Canāt remember what its called.
