My new coworker claims his preivous school(Joy) would pay for props and toys that teachers needed. It’s something I never thought to ask about. At first, he didn’t seem to mind that our school doesn’t do this but today got some heat for using too much paper. (Lol. I know, I know! My frigging boss keeps track of all the paper we use by making us fill out a request form for paper.) I can understand why he is annoyed(although he is lazy as hell and uses so much paper cuz he just gives kids tons of coloring pages) because the paper system is ridiculous.
My question, though, is do most schools pay for your props and /or toys you use for class? I just always assumed no cram schools paid for it and it would have come up, I think, with friends I have that also teach in cram schools.
I ask cuz I think my coworker is going to make a fuss about it and he even suggested today that it was my fault because I had always bought my own stuff. I really can’t be sure because I have only worked at this school.
Ummm…why would you be paying for materials that you need to use to do your job? No offense, but your school is a for-profit entity and you are working for them, helping them to make money. They should be providing you with the resources needed for you to do your job.
If you were volunteering somewhere where people were legitimately poor (I don’t think there are cram schools in any locations where there is legitimate poverty in Taiwan) and unable to afford materials, I would say there becomes a moral issue with demanding reimbursement, but otherwise, you should not be subsiding your employer by buying things that are needed for you to do your job. (moral issue going in the other direction in your case)
Your school has a budget, you just need to ask. Many will insist that they “don’t have the money”, in which case, you should work with what they have already or find a different place to work. In the public schools, I’ve always found they “didn’t get the money from the government yet” into mid-December, only to waste hundreds of thousands of NT before January 1st on a bunch of garbage that they don’t need. Cram schools don’t operate on public budgets though, so there shouldn’t be any year-end problems.
When buying things, you need to get a fapiao (發票), which will require the school’s tax number. Ask them for it. The school would then have you fill out a reimbursement form (probably). The other way to do this is to make a list of what you need and send it to the office person and ask them to buy it for you.
Please don’t waste your own money on anything else for your school.
I can’t speak for all cram schools, but the few I’ve worked at have had all stationary, toys and props for teachers to use.
I’ve always just asked the manager for anything extra I need that the school doesn’t already have, and someone will go out and buy it.
I’ve never been told no, BUT I think it is the kind of thing that doesn’t get mentioned by cram schools in the hopes that teachers don’t ask, and just assume they need to pay for these things themselves.
I always worked on the assumption that if the school bought it, it was theirs, but anything that I bought was mine and could be used wherever I saw fit- I was on a JVRC and worked at a lot of buxibans.
Alright. I have been a fool it seems. Also is there a way to edit my OP? Feel like I was unfair to my coworker in the OP. He is just using what little is there probably.
I’ve worked in English language schools that literally had no books for teachers or students to use. Now, if I am looking, it’s one of the first things I look for. One well-known chain seems to have literally no books, except for ridiculous slides and e-learning. How can students learn without books, a small library, nothing to read, no toys, flashcards… The answer is that often the chains are branding themselves as all-in-one solutions so outside books are seen as brand depleting. Of course, teachers and parents know the truth.
Save the receipts they can use them to reduce their taxes. Yes, they should pay, but I would guess most companies now are hurting or just want to squeeze you like a lemon. . Your colleague is correct in my opinion., if you pay for materials then everyone else would be expected to do that. However, I guess if you definitely want your contact renewed paying for a few props might be wise in the real world.
Professional occupations require the investment in professional tools for the trade. Before arriving in Taiwan to teach in kindergarten school contacts, I had already bought and packed a lot of teaching materials and tools. I wasn’t asked to do so or forced to do so but, based on what the school had been providing, and the sufficiency of my salary, I consider that purchasing these teaching tools that I could keep as my own would be a wise investment.
To this day, I tend to spend at least 10% of my income on purchasing tools for teaching or teacher training. Of course, at the end of the day, these are my possessions. As a volunteer, I do buy and donate books and other materials to schools but these schools are remote or rural schools that are typically lacking resources.
I’m the past, if the school is not willing to upgrade or provide suitable teaching tools for their kids, even in private schools, I would be more than happy buy and donate appropriate materials and give them to classroom teachers to share with their kids. Again, I considered this an investment in my career as well as an opportunity to contribute. Since these schools are “for profit” they will tend to spend at little as possible. Giving a sufficient income, a pleasant working environment, and positive relationships with other teachers, I personally believe that these relatively minor expenditures are very beneficial to students’ learning.
True. But I’ve built a whole library of teaching resources that I now can provide to in-service and pre-service teachers (particularly for those in rural remote settings). This does benefit me in several ways, for example in invitations for workshops and speeches. At the end of the day, I basically break even given the extra chances I have for both research and service, as well as the stipends that come with being a guest speaker or host.
In context, this month I spent 20% of my salary on watches and shoes, 16% on rent, and 20% on booze. Buying teaching materials is the least of my concerns.
Ok , I think that is good of you, just think the schools as you say are for “Profit” should provide more in the way of props. Anyway, it has benefitted you , and the kids, I respect that from you, but not those schools.
Fair enough. Thanks for your kind words. To be honest, I would say that there is specifically one school that could definitely afford to pay for teaching materials but couldn’t be arsed. I left that job before my contract expired. Another school that I worked at for about 7 years was basically running break even, since they did give a lot of scholarships and invested a lot of their own time and money into the business. They were by no means a rich school and I knew them personally. Although I bought a lot of teaching materials or educational toys for the classes, the bosses did reprimand me and say that I shouldn’t be spending that money and even offered to repay me for it. I declined. I guess it just comes down to personal priorities. At that point in my life in Taiwan I had decided that saving a lot of money was not my major priority. So, given the circumstances, I was much happier spending that money on enhancing the education experiences of underprivileged children that I was on saving it or using it for personal purposes. Again, it all comes down to personal preferences.
PS. The whole thing about using too much paper to print things such as worksheets is totally BS. Therefore I can sympathize with the OP in terms of a cheapskate work environment.
Low salary + work pressure/demands + insomnia (self-medication) + high tolerance = dependence on booze to even have a chance of falling asleep. The 20% value is a guesstimate. Was lower when I quaffed 高粱 on the reg.
There are only a couple of situations where I think it’d be reasonable for you to pay from your own salary - essentially if you can write it off as (i) personal/career development, (ii) voluntary/charitable work for disadvantaged kids or whatever, or (iii) an investment to support other income streams like private tutoring or speaking invitations.
All three of those seem to apply to @KongTaigi, but if you’re just talking about being a regular employee and everyday consumables needed to do your job like teaching materials and stationery, I’d say it’s 100% on your employer to buy those. Your salary is reimbursement for your time, IMO, not your time plus everything else you need for your job.
Alright. Clearly this has been oversight on my part. It’s never been something I even considered … as is obvious … because I never even thought to ask my other cram school friends. Keep in mind I only ever bought stuff I could genuinely see myself using many many times.
I’ll have to have my coworkers back on this as I have been at the school for awhile. It will help ease the embarrassment of letting my sneaky, although usually fair, boss pull one over on me.
