Taiwan - ESL Graveyard

Work Teaching English in Taiwan
1

Teaching in Taiwan is not what it used to be.

  • Jobs are harder to find.

  • Good block hours are harder to come by.

  • Salaries have not increased much.

  • The currency has been pretty sick for a while.

This is old news for many, but developments back home make our stagnation worse than it might at first appear.

  • Many of our home countries (in my case, New Zealand) have been experiencing strong growth. Salaries are up, and so are house prices. A decade ago house prices in Taiwan seemed very high - now they seem reasonable. Likewise, my income was once okay (in absolute and relative terms) but I now earn much much less than anyone I know in New Zealand.

  • We are no longer entitled to many of the benefits (pension, health care etc.) that we once were back home.

  • Our work experience in Taiwan is not valued back home (well, nor in Taiwan for that matter).

I still enjoy living in Taiwan but I just want to give a warning about the money side of things. It’s easy to cruise comfortably for ten years, and suddenly sober up one day to find that your options are a bit knackered.

This post was inspired by Buttercup’s rant in a thread about how much teachers charge private students.

In another thread Buttercup wrote [quote]I live in Taiwan and have done for 6 years. I paid for my education in sterling. Because I work in Taiwan, and am paid in NT, I haven’t finished paying for it yet, in my 30’s. Add to that, I have no property because in Taiwan, I can’t save enough money to get a mortgage from a system that lends money to Taiwanese people or those married to 'em.

I have inadequate health coverage so if I get cancer, I’m basically fucked because I work on yearly contracts. I have no family to take care of me. As I have been away so long, I have lost ‘habitual residency’ in my own country so am no longer entitled to National Health Service Care there.

It will also be unfeasibly difficult for me to go back into education to train to do something more lucrative in my home country because of the loss of habitual residency means I have to pay the same fees as the Taiwanese people I help to get their language skills up to the level required by British universities. The tuition alone is about what I make in a year.

I have no private pension and am not making contributions to the British state pensions system.

In their 30’s my ‘poorest’ friend earns 3 times what I do, back in Britain. Most of my Taiwanese friends earn more than I do (They are possibly not typical of the whole population, but it’s still true).

My students are much richer than me. While I’m sure some of them struggle to find tuition for English, I’m not going to weep into my pillow over whether someone can afford 800 or a 1000 for their 1 to 1 private language lessons. It’s absurd.

The rights and rewards I have given up in my own country to live in Taiwan are considerable and I do it because I like it here. While none of this is anybody’s problem but mine, I’ve realised the longer I stay here, the bigger a hole I’m digging for myself and I have to leave for my long term security.

And I’m lucky. I AM worth a thousand an hour (My boss, students and the market dictates that, not my ego, by the way.)

This is quite a bitter rant, and I accept that it’s totally my own stupidity and lack of foresight that got me to a stage where I’m approaching middle age in a rented apartment and I have to supplement my income by illegally working on my weekend to tutor people. When we are young, we think these things don’t matter, but they do. Working in Taiwan as a teacher is great for a couple of years and I’m not knocking the teachers, students or cram school administrators/ownwers. Whatever makes you money and gives you purpose in life. But pity the silly cow who thought she had a ‘career’ here…[/quote]

2

Years ago I was living in a share house in Sydney. Many of my friends were in their late thirties or early forties whilst I was quite a bit younger at 30. One day I looked at them and thought wow you guys are gonna be seriously broke by the time you want to retire. So I packed up and moved back to Asia thinking I’ll make more money there and I did. However, those 13 years have seen the biggest boom Australia has ever enjoyed. All my surfing, hippy mates being about 40 bought houses out of some latent sense of responsibility and when I went back to see them in February were all smarting about how easily they’d made their fortunes. I’d been working my guts out here for years and all for naught. I should have just stayed, got a job, saved a little deposit and surfed.

However, I did meet sandman, maoman, and a lot of you other guys in the mix so I guess that makes up for it.

3

The marsupial-like Fox wrote [quote]Years ago I was living in a share house in Sydney. Many of my friends were in their late thirties or early forties whilst I was quite a bit younger at 30. One day I looked at them and thought wow you guys are gonna be seriously broke by the time you want to retire. So I packed up and moved back to Asia thinking I’ll make more money there and I did. However, those 13 years have seen the biggest boom Australia has ever enjoyed. All my surfing, hippy mates being about 40 bought houses out of some latent sense of responsibility and when I went back to see them in February were all smarting about how easily they’d made their fortunes. I’d been working my guts out here for years and all for naught. I should have just stayed, got a job, saved a little deposit and surfed. [/quote]

I hear you bro, all too loud and clear. And it keeps getting worse. Just saw in the Sydney Morning Herald that house prices are still running away.

[quote]Rise in house prices second only to NZ
The latest Economist magazine has ranked Australia number two on a list of global house price rises.

Australia’s 17.9 per cent rise in the year to March was behind New Zealand, where prices rose 22 per cent, but ahead of Spain (up 17.3 per cent) and Ireland (up 12.9 per cent). Prices fell in Germany and Japan.

Australian prices were at record levels as a proportion of average wages and rents, and would have to fall 20 per cent to come back to their long-term trend, the UK-based magazine said.

Measuring over a seven-year period, Australia came fourth out of 16 countries surveyed.

Prices rose 113 per cent compared to 174 per cent in Ireland, 121 per cent in Spain and 116 per cent in Britain.[/quote]
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/06/08/1086460288769.html?from=storylhs#

4

I live in Australia and have pretty much given up any hope of buying a house here… Many people that I know have resigned themself to renting for the rest of their life…

I guess the question that could be asked is - do you think your life in Taiwan is rewarding, or enriching?

Most of the people I know here work 9 to 5, are constantly juggling bills and rarely get any time to relax and enjoy the nice weather that Australia is famous for…

Im having a midlife crisis I think… Fed up with life here and looking for that ‘greener grass’ :s

5

pubba wrote [quote]Most of the people I know here work 9 to 5, are constantly juggling bills and rarely get any time to relax and enjoy the nice weather that Australia is famous for… [/quote]
Yep, most of the folks with great tans are foreign backpackers!!

Not sure, pissed much of the time so I guess it’s pretty good.

My post was just looking at the financial drawbacks of a long stay. Taiwan is a great place and i’m sure you will have a good time. Damn fine poontang at least.

6

:laughing:

I think the Taiwan tourism board should put me on their payroll… Ive been promoting Taiwan since I went there 3 years ago. The fact that people TALK to each other there is a nice change to where I live here. I have lived in the same house for the last 2 years and still have never spoken to either neighbour…

In Taiwan the neighbours knew my name, birthplace, annual income, marital status and what kind of food that I liked - all within about 3 minutes of arriving!

Sorry Im rambling here (again) and going off topic…

What Buttercup and you have posted is very sobering information indeed. Need to make some big decisions when I arrive in Taiwan and try and find my place…

7

pubba wrote [quote]What Buttercup and you have posted is very sobering information indeed. Need to make some big decisions when I arrive in Taiwan and try and find my place.[/quote]

You don’t need to worry too much mate. My advice is aimed at mid-termers; once folks have been here a few years they can get complacent. They may think they are bettering their situation - say moving from a small town to a city, or going from teaching kids to teaching adults - but it is pretty much the same thing.
You need to consider the future; regulations back home regarding health care etc., and acquiring useful skills/qualifications here in Taiwan. For example, once you are settled in, it is worthwhile considering doing a master’s degree through the internet. Actually, you can also do (in English) a master’s at several local universities.

The point is to switch from “holiday mode” after a year or two to something more serious and focused.

8

Maybe for some,setting some achievable goals might be the answer.I came to Taiwan four years ago in my mid thirtys broker than shit.I now have a car,scooter,nice furnishings and my nest egg is growing quite nicely.Life is Goooood!

9

gommerpyle wrote [quote]Maybe for some,setting some achievable goals might be the answer.I came to Taiwan four years ago in my mid thirtys broker than shit.I now have a car,scooter,nice furnishings and my nest egg is growing quite nicely.Life is Goooood![/quote]

Happy to hear that you are doing well. Would I be right in guessing you are from South Africa?

10

Some interesting comments…

If I were more clear on what was expected of me as a teacher here in the States, I would of never continued being a teacher. Teacher requirements went way up and student scores went way down. They do all they can to stop you from being a teacher. I will spend close to $15,000USD on being “qualified” for a position I may not even stay for past 5 years (50% of the people who go through a credential program and end up being teachers leave the profession within 5 years).

The quality of education in the States is a joke. Administrators are people who don’t have the fortitude to make it in the classroom and so they spend even more money to get degrees that let them be in charge to fuck things up even more (they know they can’t make it in the classroom and so they move up).

My problem is that I stayed in Taiwan (it is not Taiwan’s fault) too long. I waited too long to make the change.

Money…I used to be “comfortable”. But now I am lucky if I have enough money in my pocket to buy a coke.

11

What I’m beginning to think the problem is that not just the teaching industry is crap here, it’s every one’s job is being affected. I don’t think anyone is getting paid what they are worth do to the variances in economies affected by global changes.

The whole thing is shifting.

12

Aside from salaries and the like, another major problem with teaching in places like Taiwan (and Korea, too) for a long period of time is that it is actually seen as detrimental by many employers in other parts of the world (Europe, the Middle East, etc.). I have been doing a lot of research on this, as I will be starting to apply for other positions this winter. The impression around the world seems to be that in Taiwan, all teachers teach is conversation classes and they really don’t know how to teach anything else. Part of the issue may be the lack of qualifications required for teaching jobs in Taiwan; anyone can get a teaching job and hence the educational standards of cram schools and the like probably suffer a poor global reputation as a result.

I guess one way of getting around it would be to add to your qualifications in the field, and to make sure future employers are made aware of what exactly you did teach in Taiwan (on your CV). It’s something for all of us to think about, as Taiwan isn’t a permanent home for most ex-pats, and for those who have made it more permanent, anything could happen that forces you to leave the country and look afar for other employment.

13

Happy to hear that you are doing well. Would I be right in guessing you are from South Africa?[/quote]

Negative.Truely Canadian.

14

It’s next to impossible to save $ as a teacher here in the States, especially working in a university. The tenured professors at my uni earn $55-$65K a year. That might sound like a lot, but not when you spent 10 years in college (BA-MA-PHD) studying your ass off and racking up massive student loans. Add to that federal income tax, state income tax, medicare, car payments, rent, cell phone, utilities, $1,100 minimum payments on student loans At the end of the day, with an annual salary of $60k, you’re spending your summer vacations at the local park.

I don’t make anywhere near that much -but I get free room, free board, free tuition, free transportation, and a pretty decent stipend, and I cannot save a decent lump of cash (and while those 6-packs of microbrews add up, they’re not often enough to offset the whole thing -speaking of American microbrews -I stole a can of Budwieser out of the fridge from my roommate, and could only handle one sip of it. Tasted like bad tapwater; Taiwan beer tasted almost as bad when I was back in Taipei last summer; Oregon, Washingon and Alaskan microbrews have elevated my beering standards to unsustainable levels).

I saved far more money in Taiwan, having to pay for everything. Saved more in Taiwan while still taking a month-long unpaid vacation every year. Think it’s bad in the ROC, try going back to the West.

15

After reading this I got whacked crazzyy silly greedy and did some calculator work… Thought I would be exact instead of using the “well I am WAYYYYYYYYYY out of debt, I got too much savings-need to get married have kids or visit Europe to bleed off my bloated savings account not to mention the long untouched mutual funds” general attitude towards income. (oooo I wonder if this post is foolish as now I am a target for ransoming- :help: well I left Lain America behind on the past vaction…) Righto so I will do a riddle:

I teach 22 classes a week two classes are long ‘teach the teacher’ classes. the other twenty are forty minutes long. So, my actual on the tarmac teaching time is 16 hours a week. So by my calculations I make 31.63 US Dollars every hour I teach… How much do I make per month?

Ha Ha anyhow I am teaching way less than in Korea. In Korea I taught 22 hours a week plus 4 hours extra every week overtime classes that immediately followed the regular school. I baged a whopping 3,000 a month and my apartment was paid for by the generous tax payers of Korea who were ever grateful to my public service in their public schools.

But I choose to come to Formosa for well this is a bit shallow sounding but :blush: … the warm weather. All things being equal the weather in Taiwan R00lzzz. Besides I can always try to work in Insane Diego again. But, that is a teaching county not easily garnered… I should get an ESL MA and learn Espanola perfecto… Or get a job in Kenting next contract…

Ben and Jerrys is so overpriced. Ben and Jerrys is great Happiness- ergo great Money is the means to great happiness. And then you fall asleep and your life is demanded of you… but at least you ate some Chunky Monkey first…Anyhow the whole point of this post is that I am a great and good person because I have plenty of money saved and I continue to make and save more money. As I am a man of means, I think you all will want to be my friends. I am hoping for a long line legation from besmitten beauteous Canadian and South African bells beaming to bask in burksome bulk and be my biking friend. Or, it could be that I am merely boasting in foolish greed confident in the temporal to last me through to the next World Burger…

16

Hilarious post, that last one. I want some of what he’s smoking.

Did I never comment on this thread? I’m in the anti-doomsday camp. I don’t see how anyone could teach 30-35 hours a week and not make in the $100,000 range each month. If you ain’t doing that, you don’t understand the teaching game in TW.

17

just blow your brains out at 60 and be done with it all.

18

[quote=“Tomas”]Hilarious post, that last one. I want some of what he’s smoking.

Did I never comment on this thread? I’m in the anti-doomsday camp. I don’t see how anyone could teach 30-35 hours a week and not make in the $100,000 range each month. If you ain’t doing that, you don’t understand the teaching game in TW.[/quote]

No, I don’t understand the teaching game in TW. Care to school us? :wink:

19

this is one of da best threadz i;ve seen yet. I’ll definitely fwd it to my friends in da industry, good sober look @ da industry.

However, it’s worth noting that the TW is higher than normal compared to the US (32.xx=1 US)
In case you wanna transfer your money back home.

20

I really prefer to help people learn how to make a very comfortable living (i.e. NT$100,000 or more per month) as teachers in Taiwan on a case-by-case basis. Feel free to PM me if:

  1. You speak fluent Mandarin. If you aren’t fluent, you can still pull this off. It just helps.
  2. You have 1-2 years of experience as a teacher in Taiwan, at any level.
  3. You have a real college diploma. Helps if you have a graduate degree.
  4. You are emotionally mature and can present yourself as a responsible adult (i.e. you aren’t offended by what I just wrote). A perpetual victim will never be successful in any field.
  5. You understand that helping your employer make money is the best form of job security.
  6. You are willing to devote 40-50 hours a week to work (just like anyone else around the world who makes a great income does), including preparation and travel time. Teaching time will be about 30 hours a week.

Some basic principles:

30 hours a week X 4.2 weeks per month = 126 hours/ month
126 hours a month X NT$800/hour = NT$100,800

So, you don’t take a job for less than NT$800/hour. That means you probably aren’t going to be able to teach kids, as most of the kids schools pay less than $700/hour. Go with junior high, high school, university, or adult buxiban jobs.

You also need to get into test preparation at some level. This will greatly boost your income potential in several possible ways.

It helps if you enjoy academic writing, and you have a contact with a good publisher. If you don’t, let me know I might be able to help you. The smartest teachers I know teach a few subjects (e.g. grammar and writing), and write books on those subjects based on the course material they prepare. Their students are a built-in market to drive sales, and they don’t spend a lot of extra time writing the books, because they’ve already got years worth of material in their teaching files.

You have to view teaching as both a passion and a profession. Because it is a passion, you do it as well as you possible can, with energy and attention to detail and a real concern for your students. Because it is a profession, you only work with professionals, and you only take work where someone with your abilities is adequately compensated. You can be both humanistic and pragmatic at the same time.

Again, if you want individual feedback, let me know in a PM. I’ve learned a lot from smarter people than me that might help you if you want to start making a very solid income. There are actually a few posters who i think could be doing much better than they are, but nobody likes advice given without having asked for it, so I’ve kept mum.

Cheers,

Tomas