Schools. They bring out fresh faced grads to teach in their schools, throw them in the deep end and it’s sink or swim. I’ve just been through eight weeks of the most intensive training that I’ve ever had in my life and realised that I’d never have gotten anything close to that in Taiwan. I, as a Manager, never provided that kind of training either. Sure, eight weeks may be overkill, but I really don’t believe that enough time is given to training foreign staff in Taiwan. Yeah, a lot of lip service is given to it and some schools have programs in place, but there is a lot lacking as far as training goes.
I was just reading a thread about a guy “derek” that just got a job and then had to ask on Forumosa what he should do. Man, that is a HUGE problem here and just isn’t good enough. Teachers should never be in a position where they don’t have a clue about what to do and can’t get the help that they need at the school where they work. Heck, I could never get the resources that I needed when I started out and battled to get training for my staff when I was a manager. It’s crazy. It makes for poor quality.
I am in the mood to give the schools that I was working with a good, long distance, telling off. Time outside Taiwan has shown up some of the stupidity that I just saw as normal for many years.
The same people will also try to tell you that there isn’t anything to learn and any idiot can teach English in Taiwan.
Truth is many idiots are teaching in Taiwan and that is half the problem and there isn’t anything to really screen them out.
Everyone is so apathetic and won’t raise the bar. It’s a half assed anything goes kind of world that just wouldn’t wash anywhere else. The people that are doing it right are few and far between. Then there are those that, in my opinion, cop out on the training and make cookie cutter teachers. Sorry, that’s not a teacher, that’s a trained seal (in my opinion).
Then there are those that would say, “Hey, this is Taiwan, what do you expect?” Well, yeah, and perhaps Taiwan is attracting the wrong kind of people that are expecting the wrong things. How many times have I heard teachers complaining about not earning enough money??? But, the truth is that those teachers seldom deliver the results that are expected of them and after a short time on the island are TESOL experts. Fact is, some of them don’t deserve to make as much as they do. I have performance targets in my job now and I don’t think it would be a big ask to have the same things in English teaching too.
Ok, so a lot of this falls on the head of the schools, but too many teachers would never stick around if they had to take things seriously.
That being said, there are a lot of schools out there that take advantage of those good teachers and give them suck deals. There is no excuse for that either. I’ve been there.
So have I. Trying to get out of it, even if it means having to go home. I didn’t just get the sink-or-swim treatment, I got drop kicked into the water over the Marianas Trench of teaching.
That’s not the point. Too many schools just throw a book at a teacher five minutes before their class.
The boss should be more knowledgable about the job than the employee. This is not the case in Taiwan. Sure, you hear a lot about how unqualified a lot of teachers are, but many of the laobans I’ve seen in Taiwan are just as bad if not worse. Half of them don’t even speak English themselves, and yet they’re trying to run a business teaching kids English? Probably 90% don’t even have anything resembling an education or management degree, and if they have a degree at all it’s most likely in Hotel Communications from Podunk School of Pharmacy in Hicksville, ROC. If a teacher has a problem teaching, what’s the laoban’s advice?: “Teach better.” That’s it. Seriously, that’s the extent of all of the advice I’ve ever gotten from any boss in Taiwan. Nothing constructive or helpful, or the least bit knowledgable…just “try be better.” If the boss or manager doesn’t know anything about how to do the job themselves, how are they supposed to help the teacher with the job?
That’s why the best teaching jobs in Taiwan, the manager or boss is/was a teacher him/herself, and so know from experience what they’re doing. Also, at the bare minimum, the boss should at least speak English - they know from experience how to learn the language, and can pass on the most effective methods of absorbing English that they learned themselves.
I’m sorry, but JD’s “advice” to “improve or get fired” falls into the non-constructive category. It tells me nothing.
I’m sorry, but JD’s “advice” to “improve or get fired” falls into the non-constructive category. It tells me nothing.[/quote]
Actually JD’s advice says something. I had the chance of being interviewed for my current job since the previous teacher got sacked for irresponsiblity as the boss said.
If the boss does/did the language teaching, it’ll be more interchange of teaching methods or where the problem(s) lied.
If the boss has never been a teacher but a reasonable buxiban invester, he/she will probably listen to the professional (if the hired teacher is good ) though profits would still be the biggest (a big) concern.
If the boss knows nothing/little about teaching but constantly thinks his/her way is the best since he/she has been running the school for blah blah years, all the boss can get will be most likely “obedient” followers.
That’s not the point. Too many schools just throw a book at a teacher five minutes before their class.
The boss should be more knowledgable about the job than the employee. This is not the case in Taiwan. Sure, you hear a lot about how unqualified a lot of teachers are, but many of the laobans I’ve seen in Taiwan are just as bad if not worse. Half of them don’t even speak English themselves, and yet they’re trying to run a business teaching kids English? Probably 90% don’t even have anything resembling an education or management degree, and if they have a degree at all it’s most likely in Hotel Communications from Podunk School of Pharmacy in Hicksville, ROC. If a teacher has a problem teaching, what’s the laoban’s advice?: “Teach better.” That’s it. Seriously, that’s the extent of all of the advice I’ve ever gotten from any boss in Taiwan. Nothing constructive or helpful, or the least bit knowledgable…just “try be better.” If the boss or manager doesn’t know anything about how to do the job themselves, how are they supposed to help the teacher with the job?
That’s why the best teaching jobs in Taiwan, the manager or boss is/was a teacher him/herself, and so know from experience what they’re doing. Also, at the bare minimum, the boss should at least speak English - they know from experience how to learn the language, and can pass on the most effective methods of absorbing English that they learned themselves.
I’m sorry, but JD’s “advice” to “improve or get fired” falls into the non-constructive category. It tells me nothing.[/quote]
You have some good points here ML, and I think the training a school provides also needs improvement, and the fact that some schools are so desperate that any foreigner will serve their purpose doesn’t help the situation.
But if poor teachers were getting fired left and right for poor performance in the classroom, maybe everyone and their brother wouldn’t stop off in Taiwan for a year or two to make a quick easy buck, and teachers would be forced to improve the quality of their skills or rethink their present occupation.
That was more my point. Not a bit of advice, more of an observation really.
[quote]If the boss or manager doesn’t know anything about how to do the job themselves, how are they supposed to help the teacher with the job?
[/quote]
Sorry, I’m not a teacher so maybe things are different in that world, but when I come to a different country to do a job, I am expected to know how to do that job better than anyone else, including my boss.
I realize that there are a lot more politics involved in teaching in Taiwan, but is it the bosses job to teach the employee how to do what they are hired for?
I am not trying to be confrontational here, I’m just trying to understand why things are so different in the teaching field. Is it just because there are many young teachers coming here fresh out of school without experience?
That’s not the point. Too many schools just throw a book at a teacher five minutes before their class.
The boss should be more knowledgable about the job than the employee. This is not the case in Taiwan. Sure, you hear a lot about how unqualified a lot of teachers are, but many of the laobans I’ve seen in Taiwan are just as bad if not worse. Half of them don’t even speak English themselves, and yet they’re trying to run a business teaching kids English? Probably 90% don’t even have anything resembling an education or management degree, and if they have a degree at all it’s most likely in Hotel Communications from Podunk School of Pharmacy in Hicksville, ROC. If a teacher has a problem teaching, what’s the laoban’s advice?: “Teach better.” That’s it. Seriously, that’s the extent of all of the advice I’ve ever gotten from any boss in Taiwan. Nothing constructive or helpful, or the least bit knowledgable…just “try be better.” If the boss or manager doesn’t know anything about how to do the job themselves, how are they supposed to help the teacher with the job?
That’s why the best teaching jobs in Taiwan, the manager or boss is/was a teacher him/herself, and so know from experience what they’re doing. Also, at the bare minimum, the boss should at least speak English - they know from experience how to learn the language, and can pass on the most effective methods of absorbing English that they learned themselves.
I’m sorry, but JD’s “advice” to “improve or get fired” falls into the non-constructive category. It tells me nothing.[/quote]
Moral of the story as I see it: never, ever, work for a boss who doesn’t know how to be a teacher.
[quote]If the boss or manager doesn’t know anything about how to do the job themselves, how are they supposed to help the teacher with the job?
[/quote]
Sorry, I’m not a teacher so maybe things are different in that world, but when I come to a different country to do a job, I am expected to know how to do that job better than anyone else, including my boss.
I realize that there are a lot more politics involved in teaching in Taiwan, but is it the bosses job to teach the employee how to do what they are hired for?
I am not trying to be confrontational here, I’m just trying to understand why things are so different in the teaching field. Is it just because there are many young teachers coming here fresh out of school without experience?[/quote]
to put it very simply, the vast majority of people coming here to be teachers aren’t teachers - they are people who have some kind of degree that will enable them to qualify for a work permit. the degree may well have nothing to do with teaching (or english), though the person bringing it must come from an “english-speaking” country.
further, i’ve been here a while as well, and found that no matter how much i wanted to put into various jobs, it almost never mattered. most school’s first priority: keep existing students; second: get new ones; distant third: train teachers and have students actually learn something.
in the situation we find ourselves in here, where the majority aren’t teachers, the situation from the top to the bottom should be one which fosters a sense that you should do your best. however, chabudoh is very prevelent, and can seep into even great teachers’ mentality if exposed to it for long enough. further, when one considers that most bonuses are “luck-of-the-draw” attendance based rather than bonuses for actually communicating material well so that students can gain a grasp of it and make use of it … few surprises here.
) though profits would still be the biggest (a big) concern.