I decided to go for a Bushiban after working in a private school in Taipei for 10 months. All I can say that the experience was hellish: resentful staff, lazy kids, no curriculum, no materials, no support, no Chinese co-teacher…Basically I am here just waiting for my paycheque. I had a high degree of autonomy but ain’t worth it teaching like that.
Now question is which bushibans would you recommend me to start applying for?
I have a BEd and I am a qualified teacher back home.
Perhaps you should consider teaching adults? They tend to be much better motivated.
You could still probably retain much of your autonomy, but without the drag of kids not being motivated.
Why are you so adamant to go the cram school route when you could be making what you deserve at an international school? If you really want to teach young kids, why not work for TYPA Tiger Tots? Or work at the Dominican School? Or Bethany? Or Morrison? Or even TAS or TES? Shoot, if I had full certification I wouldn’t waste my time even looking at anything less than that.
That’s good advice, I think. May we ask where you got teach credentials?
You might want to send around your resume. In the meantime, though, you may wish to bide your time, and check out the local buxibans carefully to find one suited to your aspirations.
Many of them are not even schools in what I would view as critical aspects:
no books (apart from the basics)
no supplementary materials (apart from a workbook, some flashcards)
no deviation from their so-called ‘system’ is allowed, therefore weak/strong students are both punished as are ‘young’ learners, or those whose level/age are out of sync with the ‘system’.
even a well-known supposedly ‘british’ chain school here (no names, guv!) has about as much flexibility as a rebar.
the boss primarily cares about $$$, not educational quality…
teacher turnover is HIGH, even among Chinese Teachers (usually sign of managerial level INcompetence)
student turnover is HIGH, as a result of #6.
At the interview, ask about supplementary materials, story telling, readers, … Remember, many don’t!, an interview is a great opportunity to see, hear, and grasp the atmosphere of a school. So ask the interviewer as many questions as you dare.
[quote=“KenTaiwan98”]That’s good advice, I think. May we ask where you got teach credentials?
You might want to send around your resume. In the meantime, though, you may wish to bide your time, and check out the local buxibans carefully to find one suited to your aspirations.
Many of them are not even schools in what I would view as critical aspects:
no books (apart from the basics)
no supplementary materials (apart from a workbook, some flashcards)
no deviation from their so-called ‘system’ is allowed, therefore weak/strong students are both punished as are ‘young’ learners, or those whose level/age are out of sync with the ‘system’.
even a well-known supposedly ‘British’ chain school here (no names, guv!) has about as much flexibility as a rebar.
the boss primarily cares about $$$, not educational quality…
teacher turnover is HIGH, even among Chinese Teachers (usually sign of managerial level INcompetence)
student turnover is HIGH, as a result of #6.
At the interview, ask about supplementary materials, story telling, readers, … Remember, many don’t!, an interview is a great opportunity to see, hear, and grasp the atmosphere of a school. So ask the interviewer as many questions as you dare.
This is sound advice. I chose my current cram school based on the fact that it had a library that contained books other than the ones published by the company. Many of the books in my school’s library are the same books I used to teach children back in the U.S.–same grammarials, reference books, and children’s fiction. I asked to see the library during my interview and asked specifically how often those books were used. I got a satisfactory answer and am very happy to be working where I am. I have some flexibility with the program, and the materials to teach the way I’m used to teaching. Not to mention, great support from my trainer/director.
Chose a school that matches your teaching style. So, make sure you know what that is, and then look around for evidence of that during your interview. If they hedge on any of your questions, pass on them. Follow your gut and go where you think you’ll be comfortable.