The rent-a-white-guy thing was like 10 years ago.
I can’t even imagine what it would be like to deal with “budget-conscious clients” in TW because even many rich people are penny pinchers who expect the world for nothing.
Give it a try. You’ve proven already that doing the least amount of research along with high expectations have done wonders for your entrepreneurial spirit. What could possibly go wrong? A bonus would be that if it doesn’t work out the way you want, you can offset responsibility to your stable of substandard clients.
Honestly, I think they just didn’t think through the costs when they were planning the school. The school fees are insane, though not at TAS level. Probably the cost of the property, which I think they bought, is going to be at the top of the expenses. They also complain that staff are the “most expensive” thing in the school. They don’t pay well compared to other international schools, so I don’t even know how that shakes out, though they do go out of their way to buy NT800 lunch boxes whenever there’s a meeting that requires everyone to stay late, so they don’t really operate on common sense (or they think that makes up for not paying us overtime, which is illegal, and would be much more than NT800/person). I do know that TAS doesn’t pay for their building (it’s on government land?), TES is somewhat subsidized by those countries’ governments, and Kang Chiao is run by one of only two textbook companies that the public schools buy from, so they are basically funded by the Taiwan ed bureau. Otherwise I don’t think any of them would be able to support themselves on fees alone. Even just running the A/C isn’t cheap 
Their Hollywood style accounting practices
In Taipei, 1000/hr is cheap. You’d be booked full all day every day for that.
So what you’re saying is if you’re actually wise with your budgeting there is still plenty of money to be made in the cram school market?
Sexist and unnecessary given you were the one that replaced another woman.
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I don’t have personal experience but from what I see, places like Japan Taiwan Korea have given up on proper English education. So why would they pay you well?
It seems China is the new goto place for teaching English. From experience, at least the apps by Chinese developers are extremely user friendly and have proper localization support. Unlike the crappy Taiwanese apps.
Not a single Taiwanese bank has a fully functional English website. What does that tell you? How long does it take to translate standard industry lingo? Week? Month? Year?
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But there’s really not that much supply anymore. You should have seen it 15-20 years ago. Then when Ma Ying Jeou brought in some initial changes and started moving Taiwan closer to China there was quite an exodus.
I don’t think many established schools are concerned about that happening. These boards are filled with references to bosses making threats against teachers and the shitty conditions that weiguoren have had to suffer under.
The only real way for a foreigner to start up their own school is if they’re married. Having said that there’s loads of job offers for APRC and ARC through marriage.
I’m more concerned by how much control they try to have over you. All the way down to your bank account, holding your passport, and other dodgy things. Then there’s the bosses that have issues with you if you got your criminal background check done years ago, and passed, and they want another one done but the only place you can really go to is the Taiwan Police because you’ve been here too long.
Not true, foreigners can open buxibans. If you can stay here legally by virtue of a APRC for example, I don’t see what the problem would be. Doing it in your name is preferable actually for obvious reasons.
What do these things even have to do with one another? All schools are always concerned about losing students if they have any sense, but it’s just a possibility as I originally said.
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Is a buxiban holding your bank account a common practice? Is it possible for an ARC holding buxiban employee to establish an independent bank account without their employer?
Of course.
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Because some teachers accept low pay or work for free. They feel teaching is like a charity and money is not the point. Those ones deserve their low pay.
Who is holding your passport?
Nobody is holding my passport. But I’ve had multiple schools ask and I’ve said no to them. There’s absolutely no reason for any school to even ask for your passport once it’s established you have APRC or open ARC.
Yes it’s possible but it’s not easy. I’ve got a couple of accounts at different banks. At one school I always used to just withdraw all of my pay from that bank and then deposit it into a different bank. Every school I’ve had a contract with has wanted me to open a bank account with their preferred bank.
I’m not even gonna bother with the other reply. I’ve been here too long and seen too many friends ripped off and lost everything they’ve worked for.
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From starting a school? If the school is in your name because you started it, can’t see how it happens.
I know, that’s why I originally planned to move there. It’s hard to find a case over $800 in the city I’m in. And people don’t really want to learn English. Some parents complained that I “speak too much English” in my classes. They don’t want to learn English, they want flying colors. But personally I can’t bare it if my students were saying ㄟ逼西 instead of ABC. I just can’t. And they’re crazy about KK, which I thought has died out 20 years ago…
You’d be surprised at how much they pay an In house translator…
I can’t stand the air in China. I can’t even stand the air in southern taiwan… I’ve been to China a couple of times for business, and I couldn’t breathe and I thought I was going blind… It doesn’t matter how much they pay me, I ain’t going to China 
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I think this is illegal …
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