TeachME

[maria156]

Does anyone know anything about this company? I had an interview with them this morning and something about the boss lady just didnt feel right. She came across as being a bit rude and unprofessional, and asked a lot of really bizarre questions (for instance about my ethnicity/citizenship, if i was married (wtf), and so on).

She also wanted to provide contacts for my prior jobs, and wanted me to make a demo complete with PowerPoint and video for the second round of interviews. And this is just some cram school job.

The people there seemed nice enough but it was the manager who just seemed a bit crazy and gave me doubts about working for her.

[Baxter]

Here’s my personal experience.

I had an interview, made a demo. During the interview I had asked about the salary, was told I had to talk to the boss about it.

A few days later I receive a Line message saying they want to hire me. They send me a list of documents (criminal background check, health check, etc.) I need to give them to issue my work permit. I remind them that I’m on a tourist visa (was clear about that during the interview), they say it’s ok, they can still provide the work permit.

I come again to sign the work contract, find out for the first time about the salary on the contract and point out to the guy that we never negotiated that amount and that I find it too low. The guy repeats himself, I need to talk to the boss. I say alright, I’m not signing until you take me to the boss. We wait for the boss, when she finally arrives and is explained the situation she snaps at me she’s not the one in charge of that and orients me to another teacher/partner. After an hour waiting I sit with him, finally discuss the salary and we reach an agreement. We modify the contracts and I sign, but I leave both copies at the school for the boss to sign them.

I’m given a few hours with students. One doesn’t follow up on having classes with me, another class is canceled without anybody at school telling me (I learn about it when reaching out to the secretary on the same day, pointing out I haven’t received any material for the class yet). There’s also that one class where they ask me to teach something outside of my expertise, I need the money so I go for it, I prepare based on what the secretary told me the content of the class is (high-school level, I kind of get what the class is about). When I sit with the student I realize what she wants to review is different than what the secretary told me. I do my best to help her. Next day I get a text from the secretary telling me the student’s cousin showed up and told them “everything I taught the student is wrong.” I explain the situation to him, he recognizes he did wrong.

Payday comes but nobody mentions anything about how I’m supposed to get my first salary. I show up one day, ask them to get paid. They say I need to talk to the boss. I wait for her an hour, when I catch her she coldly says I should have taken an appointment with her and she can’t talk to me now.

So I take an appointment, but a few days before the secretary texts me on Line about how to get the salary. Turns out I don’t need to see the boss, we arrange another day and time for me to pick the salary up. When I come and do, I find out they’re paying me based on the first salary they offered me, not the one I negotiated. I complain about this, they reply… I need to talk to the boss.

They haven’t given me any other student since then. Never got my work permit either (pretty sure they found out it’s impossible to get one for a tourist visa holder), never even got a copy of my work contract (the boss was supposed to sign it).

Bottom line, what I saw was chaotic management and a boss thinking nothing more of her teachers than what a Texan slaughterhouse thinks of the illegal immigrants working between its walls. Best to avoid.

[RustyShackleford]

Interviewed with them back in May. Everything about them told me that they were a scam.

[mokkie]

Does the Taiwan government have a registry for scam schools?

[Brianjones]

That read like a nightmare.
Guys, find another line of work to get into!

[DrewC]

This place sounds like an absolute nightmare, but it sure made for entertaining reading.

[SunWuKong]

@mokkie

Does the Taiwan government have a registry for scam schools?

Nope. But they can lose their ability to hire foreign teachers or even run a school. I’ve heard there was a blacklist of teachers kept by the Dep’t Ed, but the link that was posted here years ago is long dead.

Teachers that have worked in other countries have told me that there are blacklist websites that foreign teachers keep of schools. There is a blacklist thread on Forumosa.

[BiggusDickus]

If you fail to complete your first year teaching you may have some issues when trying to find work in the future.

I’ve never heard of an official blacklist of schools.

[SunWuKong]

@BiggusDickus

If you fail to complete your first year teaching you may have some issues

Is it only the first year? I thought any school could file a form saying the teacher didn’t show up for three days or so and the teacher would be put on a ban list by the DE.

[BiggusDickus]

@SunWuKong

@BiggusDickus

If you fail to complete your first year teaching you may have some issues

Is it only the first year? I thought any school could file a form saying the teacher didn’t show up for three days or so and the teacher would be put on a ban list by the DE.

I believe it’s only within the first year, but I could be wrong. I don’t live my life thinking breach of contract.

[tempogain]

Yeah for the real underground teachers it’s just additional cred.

[Hanna]

@Brianjones

Guys, find another line of work to get into!

I think this is easier said than done for most foreigners. It’s basically impossible to escape the buxiban racket if you don’t have some other professional skills.

[Brianjones]

@Hanna

It’s basically impossible to escape the buxiban racket if you don’t have some other professional skills.

I don’t really agree but it can be hard initially. I mean you usually need a degree in the first place to be a buxiban teacher.

[Hanna]

@Brianjones

I don’t really agree but it can be hard initially.

I like to think I charmed my way into my office lady gig. I‘m pretty sure they prefer advanced degree holders, and I only hold a bachelors. But I imagine they don’t regret it because I kick ass at my job regardless.

[BiggusDickus]

I think the main problem is an initial drop in salary. English teaching pays well.

It’s also comfortable and easy. That makes it difficult to opt out of.

[Hanna]

@BiggusDickus

I think the main problem is an initial drop in salary.

I actually have a higher starting salary and better benefits at my current job than any teaching position I’ve held. But then again, I only taught for a couple of years.

[Brianjones]

These days there’s less and less of a differential for the average job in Taipei even for starting salaries .

In the boondocks, yeah English teaching generally pays better. Or the only job you’ll get anyway.

[Lao_Wang]

@Hanna

I actually have a higher starting salary and better benefits at my current job than any teaching position I’ve held

Do you work for a foreign firm Hanna?

[Dr_Milker]

@Hanna

It’s basically impossible to escape the buxiban racket if you don’t have some other professional skills.

A good number manage to transition into editing and tech writing, but probably less than before.

[Brianjones]

There’s less and less reasons to work in Taiwan as far as I can see (comparatively)
But if you make an effort at sales and marketing or talented at design you can get somewhere.
I knew plenty of folks with a background of English teaching, they tried sales and marketing the problem was that I don’t think they were well suited for it in the first place. Or they are free spirits already…Or the pay and holidays were too low and too few and they didn’t want to stick it out. Cos it can take years to build up expertise.