And I’m explaining that there are people out there, using myself as an example, don’t get these socalled ‘benefits’ you go on about.
So we’re stuck accepting the bad and not getting these ‘benefits’ that only apply to a slim portion of people that enjoy teaching as a perpetual expat.
Some of us have different goals in our lives.
In a more-equitable situation, you wouldn’t need to worry or pay any heed about such ‘benefits’ and focus on yourself and your own personal growth.
Definitely, that’s why I am standing for all of us in working to convince the government in giving us a clear path to dual citizenship and equity so that we can focus on ourselves and be unencumbered by arbitrary glass walls and ceilings if we stray from a teaching path and want to do normal things…like buy a house and telephone. I’m not asking for red carpet treatment, in fact, I reject red carpet treatment. I just want normal things. Is that so fucking hard for people to understand?
Equity doesn’t have to mean that our salaries HAVE to be lowered to Taiwanese levels, it means equity. They can raise Taiwanese salaries too. In fact, there are 450 000 Southeast Asian foreign friends who make dirt and will never have an opportunity to grow as people as the pay they receive is not enough to save for a meaningful education. You live a privileged life. 90% of foreigners here don’t.
So No, @ChewDawg, it would not mean lower salaries for foreigners.
It’s good you have a goal like that, but a lot of people are just more focused on getting along in society. If they see social norms that don’t necessarily include a complete respect for the law when conducting business, they can’t really be blamed in my book for not being paragons and more or less following the norms.
I agree to an extent though, it’s better to present a positive example when possible. I used to think like @crusher that negative acts by others wouldn’t affect me because anyone I care about will judge me on my behavior, but I’ve come to think that that’s a bit selfish and that they may have an effect on others (or even myself while I’m unaware of it or brushing it off).
I would agree with raising incrementally, but the raising I think you would see as appropriate, would change Taiwan’s competitiveness. You start paying silicon valley salaries in Taiwan, especially in tech and SMEs, the whole model goes out the window.
If a person brings the skills to the table, then it shouldn’t matter.
There was no reason my friend, a legal Taiwanese-Canadian dual citizen, was paid $300/hr, half the wage when he taught English simply because he was Asian even though he has the same skills as I do.
There is similarly no reason why I can’t get a fair mortgage.
You don’t have to join the cause. You’re welcome to enjoy your life as you please.
I only ask that people conduct themselves with sensitivity for others.
Nah I think teachers’ salary should be based on their teaching skills. Are native speakers all good at teaching? No. Are Taiwanese teachers all less fluent in English? No. Are experienced teachers all better at teaching? No.
The whole system needs to understand that it’s unfair to pay people base on their race, accent and experience, but how much they could help the students. I don’t care about how much more or less I get comparing to a foreign or Asian teacher. I only care about how much more or less I get comparing to the teachers who do quality work as I do. This whole system that pays teachers the same amount of money regardless of their teaching quality is just ridiculous.
For better or worse, Taiwanese parents place a premium on their kids learning from foreign faces, thus the difference in pay. Also, knowing the grammar rules doesn’t guarantee that CTs can provide students with idiomatic or even grammatical input. Even so-called English “experts” here put out some of the most bizarre, ungrammatical English I’ve ever seen.
None of this helps when you need to access finance like a local or a local company has guanxi but you don’t. These are real barriers to business success.