Teaching University Courses

No idea. It used to be Burkino Faso, I was guessing that the choice of passport has changed. They’re running out of options.

I’ve been a lecturer at this place for 3 semesters so far. I was told that the maximum is 4 credits however, the associate dean asked me to teach a grad class for him this past semester so I did 6 credits.

My paperwork didn’t come through on time so they told me they won’t be able to hire me full time for the spring. But, they do want me for the fall so … Anyhow this works out for me because I have 16 hours a week at a cram school which is super easy and this way I can make the transition a bit more gradual.

Things are a bit chaotic at the place. The program is being combined with another one and both the dean and associate dean are leaving soon. It’s a real Taiwanese operation. Oddly enough, this is the second offer I’ve had for a full time position in a year. The other one was too far away. But, both places are private universities which I know can be problematic.

So far the classes have not been too difficult to teach. The main problem is that a certain segment of the student body has no interest, whatsoever, in learning.

The remedial course will be in the summer and are funded by the government. So, I would be paid extra.

It’s still unclear what the required amount of time on campus is. The impression I’m getting so far is that things are quite flexible. As long as the work is done, then things are ok. I definetly agree that once one gets up to speed on various courses, the amount of time spent prepping decreases. I’m also getting the sense that there are courses the Taiwanese professors dislike and would love for me to take over. I’m fine with that since these are courses that involve (in my opinion) open ended discussions, lots of questions, trying to get the students to think a bit more critically about things rather than just someone standing on a podium and lecturing for and hour and a half.

Not that I know.

Thanks! (In that case I interviewed for a place offering much the same deal.)

On Swaziland, this makes me wonder whether they were buying legit passports (i.e. connected to the computer registry and recognized by the Swazi government), or whether some diplomat has been issuing unusable ones under the counter. Doesn’t TAS require students to enter Taiwan on their foreign passports? For the sake of comparison, the cheapest legit CBI programs start at around USD 50,000.

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I know this is a bit of topic, but…

How much do university professors get paid in Taiwan? I’ve seen job postings (in Chinese) for $60,000nt/month. Is this normal? I currently teach as a foreign teacher at a high school and although I’m overqualified for high school having been an assistant professor in the States, I like the fact that foreign high school teachers get paid more. Do foreign univ to professors get paid more?

薪資待遇 (公立大學 public univ.)
http://www.personnel.ntu.edu.tw/~persadm/payment94.htm

東海大學 Tonghai univ.
http://upto.thu.edu.tw/download.php?filename=55_fb8841a1.xls&dir=recruit&title=校長、教師暨助教薪級及薪資表


義守大學教職員工敘薪辦法

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=http://www.isu.edu.tw/upload/111/22/files/dept_22_lv_2_15213.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwj_stjn69zfAhWEdd4KHQdqArw4ChAWMAZ6BAgBEAE&usg=AOvVaw1WcgIQKok94CybSKwjc6tE

Teachers salary is usually based on this law.

教師待遇條例
http://weblaw.exam.gov.tw/LawContent.aspx?LawID=C0047000

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That’s the public uNi salary scale.

yeah that is a tough one

No they do not. And for newcomers starting in August (a typical arrangement), they actually get paid less as the flat 18% tax deduction makes the net pay lower than what our Taiwanese counterparts receive. While that first year is tough, in subsequent years foreign and Taiwanese university profs at the same rank and increment level are paid the same. And honestly, for smooth workplace relations, I not unhappy with this arrangement—at least after the first calendar year of residency.

In line with this parity, foreign university professors also have full access to MOST funding opportunities (one of the best things about working here). And if we hold APRCs (i.e. have permanent resident status in Taiwan) and work at the assistant professor level or higher, we are also finally eligible for a full pension under the same terms as our Taiwanese counterparts (this is a very recent change—kudos to the Tsai government for getting this done, though it would certainly be better if lecturers were also included in this change, as currently I believe they are not).

I hope this helps.

Guy

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If you guys think this is a challenge, try getting the nonstudent adults around you to do so! : P

Guy

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We don’t get paid more. I get about 65k NTD a month. But we have other perks, such as far fewer hours, no “deskwarming”, 3-4 months of vacation a year, more freedom when it comes to what we want to teach, and a much more manageable classroom environment. So it balances out.

If you want to save money and you make like 75k NTD at a high school, I understand. But if you want less stress and a more rewarding environment I’d say go uni even if the pay is the same or a bit less.

Also instructors don’t get paid more, but tenured professors might.

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The salary scale is set up so that your monthly salary goes up about NT$1000 every year. I usually interpret that as insulting, but I’ve been in the system long enough now that it makes a significant difference (plus it’s really nice that that scale carries over when you move to a different university). Then again, my impression is the education sector is similar worldwide: when you’re just starting, it’s a pretty good salary compared to your peers in their mid to late 20s. When you’re middle-aged, oof, comparing to my friends at home is NOT good for my mental health.

Note as well that there’s the CNY bonus of 1.5 months of salary, assuming you worked at the same university for the full previous year.

On salary variations: everyone gets paid the same basic salary, on the same scale. But I believe some schools do manage to arrange bonuses or subsidies or whatever to attract staff. My impression is this is much more likely to happen in areas where people don’t really want to live - i.e. outside Greater Taipei. I’ve never directly encountered it.

Caveat: I’ve only been at private universities. Not sure how things work in the public ones.

I’ve got to figure out this pension stuff. But on the other hand, I have approximately zero faith that whatever I’m told on a given day will hold true the following day, never mind a decade or two in the future.

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Those perks sounds incredible

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Is the absoulute minimum required to work in a uni a masters degree? lol

It is now. I hear in the old days (like 15 years ago) you could get a private uni gig with only a bachelor’s, but I’ve only heard that anecdotally. @Zapman have you considered doing your Masters?

I haven’t really looked into it no. It’s possible to do it in Taiwan?
How long would it take part-time?

Sure. You can do a masters online with a US university. They’re becoming more and more accepted.

I did my masters in residency in the states in just a year and a half, but I really went overboard with my class schedule. But it was worth it.

Check with the MOE before you take a distance qualification. They might not accept it.

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If not, there’s plenty of good Taiwanese universities you can apply for.