I’m looking for somewhere in Taipei, working ONLY Monday to Friday.
Is it reasonable to not to expect to have to work into the evening or is that a given?
I can’t think of anywhere legal for a full time cram school job. Are you qualified to work in a public school? Otherwise, kindy.
If you have open work rights then it might be possible to pick up a bit of day time work at several locations.
Is 25 hrs a week counted as full or part time? Because that’s roughly the numbers I have seen for some language center jobs being advertised.
That’s typical full time contact hours.
Bear in mind that most ‘full time’ jobs aren’t salaried in buxibans (cram schools). You get paid by the hour.
Paid by the hour is fine by me. The problem is trying to find schools that aren’t terrible but I don’t know who to ask/trust. Wondered if there’s anywhere to find out which ones are good or not.
I’d recommend finding a job at a big chain so you can cut your teeth and make contacts.
Sometimes it’s just trial-and-error and using your gut feelings. When you apply and are at the school in person, be sure to observe. Is the atmosphere professional/fun/disorganized? Does the staff seem capable/distraught? Is the interviewer giving you a chance to ask them questions, or are they putting pressure on you?
One piece of advice I read online, years ago before I even got here, was to ask to speak to current teachers. If they seem very wary, or outright refuse, what do you suppose that might indicate? I’ve worked at the same school for eleven years now, and they had no problem with me talking with their other teachers before I made a decision to work there.
EDIT: BTW, for buxibans, 14 teaching hours a week is considered full time. If you can get 25 hours a week at one school, that’s a lot better than going to different locations in my opinion.
Thank you, I was just thinking this. In the last half an hour I have stumbled across a list of such chains and similar recommendation. So thank you for backing that up, it seems like the best route for me. All the best to you.
It’s kind of like falling in love…you just have to take the plunge and learn as you go. No one can layout a failsafe method for you and you might get burned a few times as you find your feet. Trust your instincts, if a school offers you a contract with strange salary deduction penalties or too many free demo classes up front…walk away.
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The school is good and they don’t want me to butt in?
Asking current employees about their place of employment is “butting in” to what exactly?
Getting job… Taking hours… Replacing. Anyway, what do you think it shows?
For me, if the bosses don’t refuse a prospective teacher speaking with current teachers, it shows that they have confidence their school is at least halfway decent, that they’re not hiding away employees who will complain that the school is a hell hole to work at. For me, I felt like I got honest answers from the other teachers about the working conditions and therefore could make a more informed decision about working there.
Our teachers don’t seem too concerned about other teachers getting hired; if you’re at least trying to do a good job then you’ll get hours. Admittedly, this is really the only school I’ve worked at since I’ve been in Taiwan, so maybe it doesn’t fit the norm?
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