For those of you who are from Canada (especially Ontario) you may best be able
to relate to this. You are a teacher by profession and you are here on a contract,
teaching EFL (or the bilingual program) here in Taiwan. You have sent your CV
file copies to various Canadian school boards, you get a few online interviews
with one of the Canadian school boards, and then unexpectedly you end up with
a job offer to be an occasional (supply) teacher back in Canada for this September.
My question to you is this: Would you rather stay here in Taiwan on your current
contract with guaranteed benefits, and working daily Mondays to Fridays? Or, would you rather go back to Canada for as an occasional teacher, and be in a precarious position of not being guaranteed a teaching assignment everyday?
My friend was a supply and he hated it. All he wanted to do was get a full time gig. Costs of living are higher and supply wages are crap in relation to costs. Stay here.
Depends how old you are, which area and if there are anything you can do on the side. I know a guy in B.C. who was on the sub-list for a few years but, he has buddies that he could do landscaping or the like when the phone wasn’t ringing. If it’s the GTA I’d say stay here. If you’re past your 30’s, stay here.
I am past 30 years of age, so I have a feeling that I am better off here. If I lose my job here in Taiwan, I can still move to Thailand or work elsewhere in Taiwan.
In fact, I only have 2 years of experience teaching in Canada. I taught full time as
a music teacher for an Indigenous reservation school, and it was a hell of a tough
gig. I didn’t quit, they just let me go after the end of the contract, with 10 days
notice before the contract ended.
Most of all I don’t have many perks back in Canada so yes I am better off here.
Like, you could certainly lower costs by teaching in a place like Algoma and make OK money, but Taiwanese cities blow Canadian small towns out of the water in terms of convenience and fun things to do while remaining relatively affordable to live in.
When I spent 2 years in Canada, I was in a rural area in Northern Ontario.
I rented a 2 bedroom cottage house near the lake for $790/month. The best
deal ever! So yes, working as a supply teacher in rural places such as Algoma,
Sudbury District, Nipissing District, or near Timmins is cheaper for me. I just
did an interview with a rural based school board in southeastern Ontario last
month. And up until now I have not heard from them.
