School is trying to cut as many hours as possible to save money. What are my options?

Work Teaching English in Taiwan
1

Hey, i’ve been working for a well known school for some months now and almost every month I am arguing about pay and hours that I should have earned. I calculate it and they management calculates it their way but don’t give me a clear answer and taking off usually around 3-10 of my 20 guaranteed hours per month.

I finally brought this up again recently and after being ignored for 4 days I was finally told that the school isn’t doing so well and they are trying to save money but then not giving me the ability to reply to that excuse. If I worked the hours then surely I should be paid for them.

I love my job and the children I work with and wouldn’t want to work anywhere else so i’m really afraid to bring it up incase they fire me and tell me to find another job, but i’m tired of being cut off every month. I have spoken to another teacher at my school who also has a similar problem and is a little too afraid to speak out incase he loses his job (especially looking for a new job in the current coronavirus situation), and he is in the same situation as me.

Any help or advice would be great

2

Find another school to fill the hours you’ve lost. You can add schools to your ARC, legally.

3 Likes
3

Welcome to Taiwan. Unfortunately this is how many companies here operate. They’ll screw you anyway they can so start looking for something else and jump ship ASAP. Lots of schools looking for teachers so now is the right time. Just remember that cram schools are businesses. Their main goal is to make as much money as possible and everything else is secondary regardless of what they tell you, the parents, is written in your contract, or their flyers they hand out.

4

Find another school and keep evidence as to the way they treated you and then add them to the blacklist (only with evidence).

5

This is law. You can fight it out, but you need some proof. It’s not hard to prove hours you’re clocked in, but it might be hard to prove hours taught. You would almost certainly be out of a job, but then you could sue for retaliation. But in the current situation, I would chill, gather evidence if you’re able, and plan for better times. If your school goes under, you can decide to go to the labor borough or whatever it’s called now and see what your options are.

6

I don’t know if foreign teachers could do tutoring. But if it’s allowed perhaps you could try it.