So here is you friendly neighbor in central Taiwan.
Basically I went to sub on a buxiban for a full week and now I’m having problems collecting.
So I was told to go sub for a couple of weeks at a local buxiban with “the promise” of a job after the current teacher’s contract was over (very soon, no specific date given).
Anyways, even tho I don’t have any experience teaching here, I do have plenty of experience teaching in general, I even did some weekly volunteer teaching for Spanish speakers back home for years and kids at Church.
So I went there and even tho I got a little assistance from the owner to teach the first 2 classes I was left alone for the rest of the classes I taught the whole week. At the end of the first day the owner told me that day was only a trial and that she was going to pay me by the day afterwards. So I kinda agreed (I thought she meant paid everyday like most subs, or meaning without a contract), I wasn’t going to complain the first day, like sure no problem, so no contracts and she didn’t even asked for my ARC, transcripts or anything but I went back next Monday on time and even tho I got told where to find stuff needed for the lessons, I can’t really call that training but was easy enough and I figure out most stuff easily.
So I only got to teach 2 hours a day most days, nevertheless I had to stay there 7-8 hours a day. I got to teach 4 hours on Wednesday and 3 on Friday and another 4 1/2 on Saturday (6 days week), let say a total of 17 hours on one week, but I spent 45 hours in the Buxiban the “first week”.
So when I left Saturday and the owner was gone, next Monday I called to make sure it was open since it was a holiday and nobody told me anything about it and the owner texted me it was a day off but also the Teacher was back and they no longer needed me, until her contract was over (“very soon” in her own words).
I was kinda relieved because back home my freelance job was picking up a little bit and had time to meet a few deadlines, and started feeling like I shouldn’t sign a contract (the hours and other stuff that wasn’t great) and I just told her that I would be visiting during the week, I was trying to be polite about going to pick up my money.
So I did, I went, twice, and when I found her she told me that when the teacher was back immediately told her that she wanted to stay another year, so I said it was ok with me, and if they needed more subbing to just call me.
When I was about to ask about my money she just told me to comeback 2 weeks later, “To get paid?” she said yes. Oh well, a little longer than I wanted.
I went back to my normal life and next week she called me to teach a 1-1 to a guy for TOEIC and offered 550nt an hour, 3 hours once a week, I agreed and then asked me to go cover 2 classes from an absent teacher that same day. I did both.
Today I sent her a message about going to prepare the 2nd class for the guy, she said it was moved to another date and to call her later. But since the 2 weeks passed I asked her if I could go pick up my money tomorrow, and reminded her that I had taught 17 full hours (17 out of 45 spent there excluding the first 3 “trial” hours and a total of 7 hours I spend that day). She didn’t messaged me right away and later said that we had a agreed that I was going to be paid only for training, not by the hour, but even to we didn’t set an hourly teaching rate, I wrongly assumed she was going to pay me 550 or even surprise me with a 600 even, so if a few days I only taught 2 hours and she think is too much, how much I’m I going to be paid? I was expecting the ridiculous sum of 10,000 for the week or even 8,000-9,000.
So I’m going tomorrow to pick it up and if I learned something from her, she will be unavailable and probably just left an envelope with a surprise inside.
My question is: Can I do something about it if I’m not satisfied with the money? If she is paying me minimum wage it will be less than 5,000 right, for a 45 hours week? And how can I work a day as a free trial and a week as paid training? Still doesn’t make sense to me. Would taking the money mean that I agree with he amount? For one she haven’t even seen my ARC, no even a copy. I mean is shady as heck. I mean I could just go pick up the money and never go back, but I will never forget myself if I don’t say something. Can I get Labor involved at all? What would they say if they knew I was working “without” an ARC (again I have it but was never asked to show it).
Thanks guys you are the best. I’ll update tomorrow afterwards.