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Anyone just go through the Hess initial training like 2 weeks back? I got picked to help out with the training and be one of the trainers watching the small group demo classes. Felt odd being on the other side of the training, and getting to hear a bit of the ins and outs of it. Edit: Hess recently changed its pay policy. Previously: $560nt/hour starting, raise of 10-30nt every 6 months. Now: $580nt/hour starting, raise of 20-40nt every year. Paycap is $750nt/hour. Possibly higher if you're a head NST or something. Around where I am, everyone has 20 hours of teaching time a week, maybe more if they do kindy. You don't get paid for anything else besides facetime with the kids. Multiplying that out to ~4 weeks in a month and you get 46,400nt/month pre-tax, 38,000ish after the 18% tax you pay for at least half the year. That's ~$1,300us a month after tax. Double edit: I live in Taipei, right near the CKS Memorial, in a nondescript apartment building, 4th floor. It's got the main room, bathroom, kitchen, bedroom and a rear concrete stairwell that houses my washing machine. It's been redone really nice, and costs me $17,000nt + utilities a month. A decent apartment in the middle if Taipei is expensive. Also, I recently got married to another foreigner here in Taiwan. So if people have questions about that kinda thing, I might be able to help. Ravendas fucked around with this message at 18:05 on Mar 5, 2012 |
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Mar 5, 2012 17:48
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TetsuoTW posted:Holy poo poo y'all, I can understand the attraction of living alone or whatever, but god drat do some of you pay a lot of rent. Anything in the middle of Taipei near an MRT with 4 rooms (mainroom, bedroom, bathroom, kitchen) will cost at least 14,000 a month. We've been looking around for a new apartment, but nothing so far is better and cheaper than the apartment I've got now. I am married, so it's not me alone in here. My first apartment was in Ximen Ding, a studio single room deal with a bathroom in a dirty alley for $9,500.
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Mar 6, 2012 04:36
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Haraksha posted:Cargnegies or Wax would be the most awful things ever for everyone around us. Both of these places are terrible. I went to Carnegies once, and it's the whitest place I've seen in Taiwan. Had an old man that looked exactly like John Hammond from Jurassic Park hitting on my 20something year old Taiwanese friend nonstop, with tons of other weird old dudes going after Taiwanese girls that could be their granddaughters. It felt sad that all these people needed a white bubble in Taiwan to hide in. Never going back. Wax is just lovely because it gets incredibly crowded so you can't move anywhere, it's essentially a dirty basement, and they'll have 2 bartenders on staff at a time, which means your endless drinks are endless, as long as you wait 30 minutes in line for that drink. If you want to get drunk, you just get your drink, then loop back in line. Not too fun.
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Mar 7, 2012 04:18
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Haraksha posted:Oh, I'm totally aware of all of that. These are terrible, awful bars. I think the reason they were even suggested is because of how bottom rung they are for places to go out to. I think we were picking places ironically. The only good thing about Wax is it's walking distance from my apartment. Carnegies is kinda annoying to get to. Edit /\/\ Roxy99 has a church directly above it. I always wonder how many drunks they have to sweep off their porch every Sunday morning Ravendas fucked around with this message at 05:49 on Mar 7, 2012 |
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Mar 7, 2012 05:45
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I got into a fight with some gangsters in Pasoul 4 years ago. Haven't gone back since.
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Mar 7, 2012 12:51
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Spanish Matlock posted:
Didn't realize there was a 'that guy' for that kind of thing. This was... actually 5 years ago now, back when I didn't know any white people here, and went clubbing with a bunch of Taiwanese people to their typical places. At that time, Pasoul was 99% Taiwanese patrons, and some gangster types (literally, a friend there recognized some from her gangster boyfriend) took umbrage at me dancing too close to their table. Or something. I really have no idea specifically why I got targeted, besides being the only white dude in the club. One guy dragged me over and then punched me in the back of the head after offering me a drink. I pushed them off of me and the bouncers flew in as if they were expecting something to happen. One of my friends and I got escorted out by some bouncers, who asked if I was ok, and held back the other group while we made our escape. Fun times! Up until that moment though, Pasoul was A++ would go to again.
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Mar 7, 2012 18:58
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Haraksha posted:We could always do another goon meet at someone's place. I have a couple of fake guitars and a fake piano. Does someone have some fake drums and a mic? I do in fact. PS3 ones, from Rockband2.
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Mar 8, 2012 12:05
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Sounds like she just got the lovely newbie schedule that lots of people get. Morning kindy plus evening buxiban, with a long break in the middle (UGH UNPAID WORK[no, go home you idiot]). My schedule is essentially Mon-Fri, 2 classes a day, 2-4,4:40-6:40. So I get there at 1:20 or so to prep and grade homework, and leave at 6:40 when the bell rings. 5 hours and 20 minutes for 4 hours of pay. So I basically teach 20 hours a week, and am at the branch for 26ish hours. Fulltime kindy at Hess is morning kindy (9-11:30, aka 2.5 hours), and then afternoon kindy (1:30-4, another 2.5 hours). Sure, it's 7 hours with 5 hours of pay, but you get a 'normal' work schedule with evenings off, and you get a big fat 2 hour break in the middle to leave and do whatever you want. My branch does have little events sometimes, but they're completely optional for NSTs, and when we do choose to go, we have no part in setting anything up. Go to the nice restaurant, eat, maybe win a prize, and go home.
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Mar 8, 2012 16:27
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I used to have a 2nd job for a director and producer, teaching their actors and actresses English. It was 4 hours a week for about a year. It all got reported to the government for tax purposes, and I didn't get in trouble. I also used to have up to 6 hours a week doing privates. Just keep it small, and based out of coffee shops and you're fine. One ex-coworker had the grand idea of renting an apartment and outfitting it as a mini-school, and running entire classes of children out of it. He quickly got reported and deported.
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Mar 9, 2012 03:59
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Yeah, I tutored actresses and showgirls mostly, with a single junior high student who is the cousin of a friend. Don't snipe your own school's students, that might get you in trouble. Edit: Fun showgirl fact: There are two main pay scales for them, based on English proficiency. Basically, if they can speak English, they will get like double pay. Tutor a showgirl today! Ravendas fucked around with this message at 05:52 on Mar 9, 2012 |
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Mar 9, 2012 05:49
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Haraksha posted:Only in this thread could a post like that be taken completely at face value. What Duckfarts (heh!) said. The expo and events girls, the ones that pass out fliers dressed in costumes, stuff like that. Got that job through a friend of a friend, back when I used to teach the Subway restaurant staff in Ximen Ding. One of their regular showgirls was part of the group, and she introduced me to a few others. I used to be a cool kid when I first came here. Then I worked for Hess and it all went away.
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Mar 9, 2012 14:45
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TetsuoTW posted:Christ, you must have some stories. I can only imagine the kind of poo poo that happens to them given the throngs of drooling, spotty perverts that congeal around them at every show. One of the first questions "What's it mean when a guy touches you, or grabs you, and you don't want it?" as she made a shoulder/boob rubbing motion. "Grope? You get groped?" "Sometimes, but not often." Ugh! The 3 main ones I used to tutor/hang out with have gone on to other things now.
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Mar 9, 2012 16:22
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SnowWolf posted:There is a whole subculture involving shooting/filming show girls at these expos. Part of the appeal is getting practice using expensive camera equipment, but the girls are the main draw obviously. I have a lot of fond memories going to expos in Taiwan so I subscribe to a few of these guys. It's like a little community, many of these guys have coverage of the same events And the showgirls have to pander to them to get more jobs. More photographers on them = more interest by the vendors/companies after all... My one friend basically said a few guys practically stalked her, going to every event she went to. They were all terribly goony from what I saw.
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Mar 10, 2012 04:18
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Capt. Carl posted:When's the latest I should apply through HESS for a TEFL job starting this summer/fall? I've been looking at Korea vs. Taiwan and Taiwan looks a lot more attractive. I should probably get started on my TEFL cert too. Apply any time, as while there are some major times when they do hiring, they do hire year round in smaller batches. Mostly to fill in those people that couldn't deal with the country or the job and fled. I came in in a small group. The last big training group was about 50-60 people. Mine was 10.
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Mar 11, 2012 04:01
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Here's how I did it 6 years ago now. Toss my resume, a little letter explaining who I am and why I want to come to Taiwan, and a picture of myself to every school that seemed decent on Tealit. I think I sent out 25ish. About 8 replied, only 5 were interested if I was currently in the country. 3 were interested and told me to fly over. I flew over with enough money (and a friend's apartment to crash in), and hit up those places. They liked me, I chose the best seeming one, and they hired me. That's my story.
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Mar 14, 2012 04:08
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DontAskKant posted:Do expats actually have roommates in Taiwan? That terrifies me. Of course I have had some pretty crazy roommates as those are the people attracted to the cheap places I could afford. Lots do. I never did, except for my girlfriend (now wife).
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Mar 14, 2012 18:32
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AquaticIguana posted:Is a BA pretty much required for all the teaching positions? I only have an associate degree, but I have 5+ years working in childcare. It's the government requirement to get a working permit/ARC, so yes.
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Mar 15, 2012 02:50
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duckfarts posted:This is accurate for Americans, and it's an amazing pain in the rear end because it needs to be notarized, translated, and notarized again. Ugh, was thinking about getting an APRC soon too.
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Mar 16, 2012 03:07
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Haraksha posted:I'm not really sure about the pay. My guess is 500NT if you are an actual native speaker and less if they can get away with it. It's 5-6:30 MWF and 5-8 TR. I'm not 100% on that though. Add lovely pay to lovely location and hours. 500nt? Wow.
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Mar 16, 2012 15:05
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When I re-sign for Hess again this year I'll be at the pay cap of $750/hour 
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Mar 31, 2012 18:30
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Spanish Matlock posted:Does that mean they will be passionately trying to fire you so that they can replace you with a know-nothing tourist who just hopped off a boat six days ago? They've been trying that for awhile! Boss basically said that I have to show my usefulness, make them see why they pay so much more for me than some random new teacher.
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Apr 2, 2012 04:16
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Oz_Bonus posted:How long have you been working there and what was your starting pay? I'm always wondering what a reasonable raise is here (if a raise is something I can get at all). Hess used to be 560 starting, with a 10-30 raise every 6 months. Now it's 580 starting, 20-40 raise every year. Cap is 750.
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Apr 3, 2012 17:05
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HappyHelmet posted:It always blows me away how little HESS actually pays. Its especially bad when they don't give you any hours. Do they reimburse you for your plane tickets to Taiwan though? That would make it worth the lower pay grade. I was talking to some friends in Kojen. They said they get 560 or 580 starting (I forget) and a 10nt raise per year. Hess doesn't pay for plane tickets, but there are resigning bonuses (like 20k-40k or so, depending on how long you've been here), return rate bonuses (a pittance, like 800nt/class if at least 90% of the kids sign back up) and a starting loan of 30k interest free. I didn't need the loan, but the resigning bonus has been nice.
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Apr 6, 2012 04:07
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duckfarts posted:
My wife is Vietnamese, and this is HUGE in Vietnam. Like, they know their glass clinking hierarchy as beer seems to be drunk with almost every meal. When asking some random Taiwanese friends/coworkers, they said I was crazy and they never heard of that. Just hit dem glasses.
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Apr 15, 2012 03:59
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Haraksha posted:There is lots of boring food in Taiwan. This isn't to say that the food in Taiwan is boring. I have to agree with HappyHelmet completely when he says that his coworkers eat the exact same piece of fried meat every single day, sometimes multiple times a day. My wife's coworkers eat lunchboxes twice a day, every day, forever. When we told them we went to Tasty the other day (500nt/person, steak + a ton of courses place), they just divided it out and said "That's like the cost of 8 meals for each of us!!! Why would you ever do that!!!" I do however like the Taiwanese black pepper steak for ~200nt. Noodles, egg, random veggies with a steak on top, with the sizzling black plate it's served on. UGH so good and well priced.
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Apr 19, 2012 05:06
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dtb posted:Does anyone have any experience with taking evening classes to learn Mandarin in Taipei? Never done it, sorry. I learned Chinese at ShiDa, a university here in Taipei, which has 3 month long courses for ~600us, 5 days a week, 2 hours a day, in small (under 10 students) classes. It's odd reading "Mandarin" because everyone just calls it Chinese here.
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Apr 25, 2012 04:02
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Haraksha posted:I ran into a friend at the stationary store. He was buying himself a new whiteboard marker on his break. I couldn't believe it. Hess has the ink refill things on hand at all times. I've refilled the same markers for 3 years now, and I got them as a hand me down from a previous teacher.
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Apr 25, 2012 15:18
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I just bought a new phone this week actually, the new flagship of HTC, One X. Buying it straight up is 20,900 I think, but I got it through Taiwan Dageda with a contract. 7,500 up front, then a monthly bill of ~1300, which covers all the phone and texting I'd ever need, plus unlimited internet. No hassle due to limited ARC time or anything even, as I've had this account for almost 6 years now. They didn't even check. He's just like "Yep, you've been here forever, just sign the papers and you're good." If my wife wanted to sign up for the same contract and get the same phone, she'd have to spend the 7,500 up from on the phone, and then the entire difference (13,400) as a phone bill 'bank'. For the first 10 months or so she won't pay any phone bills as the deposit depletes itself. This is their way of keeping people from signing contracts and fleeing. I did try to get a 2nd number on my account (which is allowed) for my wife, but they said because it's a new number, even under an old account, so she would still need to pay the whole deal up front.
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Apr 25, 2012 16:38
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thegoat posted:But then you would have an android phone. My new HTC One X is amazing. I can throw whatever files I want on it, wherever I want on it, without having to run some stupid program that limits me as to what I can do. Plus, billions of free apps on Google Play. And now it's got Google Drive hooked up to it, which makes it amazinger. Edit: Normally 20,000nt (like 670us), only 7,500nt (250us) with a year long contract.
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Apr 27, 2012 05:12
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Text/minutes? Not sure, didn't care really because I hardly call and have never gotten charged for extra texts. The standard 'goto' was the 699 plan for it. 600 for unlimited data, 1299 together a month. They had a list of plans and payments for the phone, and that kinda seemed like the sweetspot of unlimited everything for a decent price. Edit: Here's the plans in English. I guess I got the first one http://english.taiwanmobile.com/english/product/postpaidService.html Oh, anyone get the new internet upgrade in Taipei? 100/10 fiber? I was looking, and it's 220nt more a month than my 12/2 I currently have. I already download at speeds of 1.4megs/sec, so I was wondering if it really is an 8x boost, and what they had to swap out to get it set up. http://www.cht.com.tw/en/personal/fttx.html Ravendas fucked around with this message at 02:37 on Apr 28, 2012 |
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Apr 28, 2012 02:34
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Everybody wings it. It's expected. Being white means 2/3 of your job is done. Your main job is to keep the kids happy, and get them learning enough English so that their parents can see "My kid likes it, my kid speaks English" and continue giving money to your school. You don't need anything beyond a bachelors degree, anything else is either gravy or ignored. My original training at my first school was just following the current teacher around and watch him teach. His training? Watch the previous teacher for awhile, etc etc etc. Each school will have their own little training programs, but aside from getting you comfortable in Taiwan and trying to keep you from fleeing, they don't really teach a whole lot of teaching skills. "Hess formal training" lasts a week or so, and seems to be half team building exercises so you get a base of friends to fall back on so you don't flip out and flee as readily, and half going over the Hess specific curriculum.
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Apr 28, 2012 03:44
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OrangeGuy posted:Oh, okay. I think it's just that little bit of skepticism from not having been to Taiwan to see a buxiban for myself yet. You'd only need one school. The average hours at Hess are 20 teaching hours a week, maybe 4 hours a day Mon-Fri. My schedule is basically 2-4, 4:40-6:40 Mon-Fri, getting there an hour beforehand to grade and prep, then leaving as the bell rings. Base Hess pay is $580nt/hour (only teaching time is paid). Say that's 80 hours a month which comes to $46,400 pre-tax, ~$38,000 after the 18% tax. That's maybe 1,300us a month to live on. My first single room apartment in Taipei was 9,500/month, but you could get way better and cheaper out in the smaller towns for that. Some of the other posters in here make me really really envious of their living situations. If you don't have any debt back home, it's easy to live on.
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Apr 28, 2012 04:47
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My friend came back to Taiwan a few months ago, Hess hired him. He told them he used to live in Taipei, would need to get a job in Taipei, and they said "Yeah! No problem!" Arrived for the first day of training, they placed him in some little town outside of Taichung or something. He just said "Welp, cya" and found a different job elsewhere. It's not assured that you'll get to go where you want when coming through Hess. Edit: If he stuck through the training, I would have helped train his group on the final day. Heh!
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Apr 29, 2012 11:50
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B-Rad posted:And when girls wear them-- no matter how hot they are-- it makes them seem stupid and vapid to me. What's with the dirty simplified? This is the Taiwan thread! 對不對!
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May 1, 2012 13:53
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quadrophrenic posted:Kojen wanted some letters of recommendation from me, but that's probably because I did fairly poorly on the interview. Hess didn't care. Hess rejects you at the end of training, after the demo classes. It's really hard though.
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May 1, 2012 18:11
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I can hardly write my name, but I can type tons of Chinese, and read it. It's weird being able to read things you couldn't write if given a pen and paper, and when explaining this to people back home, they just don't 'get' it. I explain it like so: "Just because you see and recognize things, doesn't mean you can draw a picture of it, right? Same thing here. I can see and recognize what the characters mean, but if asked to write them, I just can't."
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May 2, 2012 18:35
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I used to live in Ximen/Shimen/Hsimen Ding. It was confusing at first.
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May 3, 2012 12:17
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If you were coming in August or September you might have come to my branch. Most of our teachers' contracts start then, and end then.
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May 4, 2012 04:23
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quadrophrenic posted:Well, my contract starts August 8th, so IDK. They tell you during training. Usually the 1st or 2nd day, so you can find who else is going to nearby branches, and you can have some buddies that will help keep you from fleeing the country. ~Culture shock~
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May 4, 2012 15:28
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Magna Kaser posted:Hey, what's a ballpark salary for someone teaching 18 hours a week in Taipei? My sister is applying around and has some offers. Average chain buxiban starting rate: $580nt/hour. 18hours x 4ish weeks = 72hours/month. 580x72= $41,760nt/month, aka like $1,350us. Before 18% tax.
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May 24, 2012 17:46
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