hello everyone i was wondering if i could get some help on the topic of recruiters. i am coming to Taiwan in a couple of weeks and have spoken to some recruiters about jobs. are they a good idea, bad idea, what can they do for me etc… and if there is a blacklist of schools and recruiters please let me know where it is.
thanx
The last few months have been pretty lean for jobs. Are you an experienced teacher? If so, you don’t really need a recruiter. However, if you are fresh out of school and your budget is a bit tight, it may make sense to use one. They will probably send you to a small city where nobody wants to go. They will cost you (directly or indirectly) but it may well work out cheaper than being here and not finding work for a month.
Tell us more about yourself. If you can pass my “not a tosser” test, I can recommend an honest recruiter.
John.
Let’s hear more about this tosser test. Sounds fun.
I believe it is something along the lines of being able to down 12 beers in two hours without becoming boorish.
Quite a test for anyone, I’d say. The bloke I was forced to speak to at the pub while squeezing in to order a few beers last night failed miserably.
please tell what this test tosser test is?
thanx
Spack and Tomas,
Apart from passing the truth serum (dozen beers without becoming more of a bastard than me) part of the test, the main point is not to be pretentious. I’m too pissed to write a decent response so I’ll just say if you qualify for the “Van Gogh Club” you are a complete tosser.
[http://www.forumosa.com/3/viewtopic.php?t=10396&highlight=gogh
can you please tell me the name of a good recruiter
Woda,
I asked you to tell me something about yourself. I won’t recommend someone without knowing something about him or her first. The recruiter is my old employer and old friend.
Also, I can’t be sure that you need a recruiter without more info.
And if you are looking for a job, you should be more careful with your e-mails. Your previous e-mail which I have quoted above does have “please” but lacks punctuation (a capital “C” and a question mark).
And the answer to the ‘question’ would be “Yes, I can. Would you like me to?” - kids today, sheesh. There are whole chapters in language books about polite forms for questions.
Woda, I’ve been responsible for hiring at my place recently. I had over 80 applicants in one month. The ones who made it to interview were the ones who took the trouble in their applications to observe the grammar and punctuation rules they will be teaching. That simple rule of thumb enabled me to fill all our slots with quality people, and there was no need to give anyone else the chance they may have felt they deserved.
So, if you want the wookie’s help, could you please give him some more information about yourself? The alternative would be to work for IACC.
i cant believe how arrogant this forum is
i have never encountered such presumptuous people in my live
this place is just full of wanabe teachers who offer no real help at all
note: no capitalization or period sorry about that im not teaching now
and not time ti run a spel chek 
Aragon999 wrote:
[quote]i cant believe how arrogant this forum is
I have never encountered such presumptuous people in my live
this place is just full of wanabe teachers who offer no real help at all
note: no capitalization or period sorry about that I’m not teaching now
and not time ti run a spel chek [/quote]
Yes, there are some aggressive and arrogant posts on this forum, but there is also a great deal of help offered. What new posters get back depends on what they put in. If someone takes the time to write a proper post, then many of us “old timers” are willing to spend time writing informative responses.
Grammar, punctuation, and spelling are important if you are looking for a job. Without knowing the poster personally, it’s difficult to know whether he is just being casual or drunk 
, or whether he is semi-literate.
So, here’s about as grammatically correct as I can be (sorry I didn’t realize grammar was so important here). Anyhow here’s some information about myself and my wanting to teach English in Taiwan. Firstly, I will be arriving on the first of April and would like to gain employment in Taichung. I have previous teaching experience while in Warsaw, Poland mainly to hotel and restaurant staff. I have been searching for a job in Taiwan and have come across some recruiters but am a little skeptical as to their practices. Ideally I would like one that does not garnish some of my wages for “linking” me up with schools that are hiring. This is as informative as I would like to be at this point. If you can help it would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
When we first came to Taiwan, IACC ws paying us 53,000/each. They were also taking off deposits for the first 3 months off the top. We found out that the school was paying around 73,000/each for us.
What would you guys and gals suggest one do when looking for work in Taiwan? I am thinking of staying there for quite a while definitely more than a year. Should I pound the pavement looking for a job or go with a chain school?
Thank you
[quote=“woda123”]What would you guys and gals suggest one do when looking for work in Taiwan? I am thinking of staying there for quite a while definitely more than a year. Should I pound the pavement looking for a job or go with a chain school?
Thank you[/quote]
Woda,
When I came here, about 3 years ago, I didn’t have any jobs lined up. I simply went into as many cram schools as I could find. Some were interested and some weren’t. I then looked carefully at the ones which offered me work and I chose the one I thought was best.
It is possible that it may take a little while to find the right job, about 3 weeks for me, but I think you may ultimately find one you like.
To be as safe as possible, do a little homework before you come here about the average pay people are making at the cram schools, and find out about the hours and anything else you can.
When you go to the interview, look your best (hey, wearing a tie won’t hurt).
If you go to Dave’s esl cafe, there are some interesting comments by people working in Taiwan which may be helpful to you.
Best of luck to you.
[quote=“woda123”]What would you guys and gals suggest one do when looking for work in Taiwan? I am thinking of staying there for quite a while definitely more than a year. Should I pound the pavement looking for a job or go with a chain school?
Thank you[/quote]
If you decide to “pound the pavement” looking for jobs when you come to Taiwan, I suggest you bring enough money to tide you over for at least 3 months. Should you decide to apply for jobs with a chain school, (e.g., Hess, Kojen, etc.) you should contact them before you come. Big chains like Hess have a website where you can actually apply online. Chain schools offer more hours, as well as provide health insurance. If you plan on teaching for public schools (elementary, high school, university) you should at least have a Masters degree and a TESOL/TEFL certificate. Letter of Recommendations are also required by most of the schools here. If you can get them before you leave, it would be helpful. Public schools also do not pay as well as most cram schools do. Most universities only pay NT400 per hour–some might even offer you NT380, which is what they pay ESL Lecturers who holds a Masters degree sans a Taiwan teaching certificate.
Good luck!
[quote=“lizamli”][quote=“woda123”]What would you guys and gals suggest one do when looking for work in Taiwan? I am thinking of staying there for quite a while definitely more than a year. Should I pound the pavement looking for a job or go with a chain school?
Thank you[/quote]
If you decide to “pound the pavement” looking for jobs when you come to Taiwan, I suggest you bring enough money to tide you over for at least 3 months. Should you decide to apply for jobs with a chain school, (e.g., Hess, Kojen, etc.) you should contact them before you come. Big chains like Hess have a website where you can actually apply online. Chain schools offer more hours, as well as provide health insurance. If you plan on teaching for public schools (elementary, high school, university) you should at least have a Masters degree and a TESOL/TEFL certificate. Letter of Recommendations are also required by most of the schools here. If you can get them before you leave, it would be helpful. Public schools also do not pay as well as most cram schools do. Most universities only pay NT400 per hour–some might even offer you NT380, which is what they pay ESL Lecturers who holds a Masters degree sans a Taiwan teaching certificate.
Good luck![/quote]
Sorry lizamli but you are wrong about the pay scale for lecturers at Taiwan universities. The pay is in the 500-600 nt range. I sincerely doubt that anyone holding a master’s degree would even consider working for 400 nt at a university.