Congratulations! You’ve been hired by Gloria English School to teach English in Taoyuan City, Taiwan. You have met the necessary requirements: 1. having a college degree, 2. having a pulse.
Let’s answer some frequently asked questions:
1.
Q: Is Gloria a legit English school?
A: Yup. It is a well-established “buxiban” or cram-school that operates in Taoyuan County, Taiwan. Gloria runs about 18 branches around the county.
2.
Q: What is a cram school?
A: A cram school is a school where students go after their regular classes are finished. Many students study from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at their regular school, then go to one or more cram schools from 3 p.m. to 7 or 9 p.m.
Some cram schools offer help and tutoring in all subjects. At Gloria, we just do English.
3.
Q: Does Gloria pay on time and reliably?
A: Yes. The starting rate for teachers as of July 2013 is 600 NT (New Taiwan dollars) per hour - $20 per hour. If you teach a two-hour class, you’ll stop at reception on the way out and they will hand you 1200 NT, cash.*
*Each time you start a new class, Gloria holds the first two weeks of your pay as a “performance bond.” This means you will start a class, teach it for two hours, but only get 100 NT from reception as car fare. (Cab fares round-trip to most schools about about 300 - 500 NT.)
4.
Q: What about the dorms?
Gloria provides two dorms for teachers to live in. One in the north in Taoyuan City and one in the south - in Jung-Li (Zhong-Li). The dorms are basic but reasonably comfortable. Living in the dorm, you’ll pay a cleaning fee of 1000 NT per month ($33), and you will also pay for your electricity usage. Electricy runs 1000 to 1500 NT in the summer when you’ll be using the AC.
One small downside of the dorm is having to plug in to an ethernet cord to get Internet. Many modern laptops don’t have an ethernet port anymore.
5.
Q: If I work at Gloria, will I be able to travel?
A: Gloria runs classes Monday to Saturday and most teachers work six days a week. Sunday is “day-trip” day when teachers often take the bus to Taipei and its surrounding area. Working six days a week leaves little time for longer trips.
6.
Q: How's the vacation policy?
A: Gloria promises each teacher 6 - 8 weeks vacation a year. Like any job, you’ll want to request time off as early as possible. It’s not always possible to take the time off you want. Vacation is unpaid, and taking vacation also makes you lose your “attendance bonus” - a monthly bonus for perfect attendance.
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