| Q |
Welcome to
the ajarn hot seat Dave. You've been in Asia for quite a while but never
actually worked in Thailand. Is that correct? |
| A |
I've been in Asia for a
total of 15 years Phil, but you're absolutely right - I've never worked in
Thailand. I started off with Shane Language Schools Japan and did four years
there as a teacher and later became a senior teacher. Then I moved to
Taiwan, which has been my home, or shall we say my base, for the past 11
years. I moved to Taiwan originally to take up a director of studies
position (again with Shane Language Schools) and got promoted to principal
about five years ago. The job keeps me very busy. When I first got here, we
had two schools and employed seven teachers. We now have 50 schools and over
150 teachers on our payroll. The growth has been just phenomenal and it's
nice to have been an integral part of that. |
| Q |
Tell us a
little about your recruitment trips to Thailand? |
| A |
I generally come here
about once a month. In fact it's got into such a routine that I now maintain
a small studio apartment in the Sukhumwit area. While I'm here I meet with
teachers and teacher trainers, and the trips also give me the chance to
socialize with old friends and play a bit of golf and football. I always
enjoy coming to Thailand. Although I love Taiwan and consider it home for
the time being, I haven't ruled out the possibility of settling down in
Thailand one day. |
| Q |
When you
meet with teachers in Thailand, what seem to be their primary objectives.
Why are they leaving or thinking about leaving? |
| A |
I think you can divide
teachers into two groups; the 'short-termers' and the 'long-termers'. Short
termers haven't put down any real roots in Thailand so it's easier for them
to move on and experience the culture and lifestyle of another country.
They're looking for academic support and ongoing teacher development. Let's
just say that money isn't usually the primary concern. In contrast, for
long-termers, money is very often the driving force. Unfortunately many
long-termers have family ties. Taiwan and Japan can be a great experience
for a single teacher, but for someone dragging a family around with them,
life can be very tough indeed. I think this is one of the reasons Thailand
is so attractive to many teachers. It's relatively easy to survive here. And
of course your Thai wife won't be the 'fish out of water' that she'll
certainly be in Tokyo or Taipei.
Shane Schools has recruited some fantastic teachers
from Thailand but I won't deny that the single folks are usually the most
employable. You need total honesty in my position and if that means putting
teachers off the idea of relocating somewhere like Japan just because
they've heard the streets are paved with gold, then so be it. If I sense
deep down that a teacher is not going to make it because family ties are
sure to be a burden - then I'll tell them straight.
|
| Q |
Before we
take each country in turn Dave and discuss the pros and cons, what benefits
do you offer to new arrivals? |
| A |
It varies a little from
country to country, but in Taiwan we pay up to 21,000 baht for outward
flights and the teacher receives a week's training on arrival. Once a
teacher is put in the classroom they can expect to earn a starting rate of
530-570 baht an hour with the potential to earn about 700 an hour,
especially in franchise schools located in out-of-town areas. |
| Q |
OK, but
what about class sizes? How many days a week? And I presume much of the
teaching is with kids? |
| A |
I would say 70-80% of the
teaching is with children, but class sizes are manageable (11-12 students)
Teachers work a five-day week. They wouldn't work on Sundays and they'd get
another day off during the week. |
| Q |
You said
that the benefit package varies from country to country? |
| A |
Well, Japan doesn't pay
for outward flights, but the teacher does get an end-of-contract bonus, so
the money is made that way. |
| Q |
OK then,
Taiwan. Sell it to me. |
| A |
I love Taiwan. What more
can I say? As a teacher it's possible to save fairly decent money. I would
guess in the region of 2,000 -3,000 pounds a year (200,000 baht). It's also
relatively cheap to live there. Think of Thailand and then add about 50%.
You can get on a bus 24 hours a day / 365 days a year and go off and explore
the most wonderful places - beaches, mountains, all sorts. There are also
some great western-style bars and pubs. Taiwan is the size of Wales and
because of its location, the climatic changes can be incredible as you
travel from north to south. It's when you come to Thailand you realize just
how much you miss that changing of the seasons.
From an academic point of view, if you get with a
good school (and there are many of them about) a teacher gets full academic
support, peer observations and ongoing teacher development. Taiwanese
students are also excellent. The kids are generally very well-behaved (not
always a comment I hear about Thailand) and the parents actually want their
kids to learn. This is not babysitting while Mom and Dad swan off around the
department store on a Saturday morning. Teenagers and adult learners are
also very motivated. All of this does have a downside if I can call it that
inasmuch as the Taiwanese speak their mind. If a lesson hasn't met their
standards then they will be sure to let the teacher know. The Taiwanese are
very unlike the Japanese in that way. Of course there are teachers who
appreciate these honest appraisals and direct feedback but it does add a
certain level of 'pressure'. |
| Q |
It all
sounds too good to be true. The downsides? |
| A |
Well I suppose you have to
watch out for the typhoons (laughs) and the pollution and traffic congestion
can get you down a bit, particularly in the industrial areas down south and
of course the capital city, Taipei. Things have improved a great deal though
over the past few years. Taipei built itself a decent public transport
infrastructure with bus lanes and an underground train system, which is
modern and clean. The pollution and traffic chaos is nowhere near as bad as
it is in Bangkok. |
| Q |
Let's move
on to Japan. |
| A |
Japan is great for the
culture vulture. That really goes without saying. It's also terribly
convenient - everything runs on time. You have the four seasons as well. It
gets unbearably hot in summer and it can be brass monkeys and welding work
in the winter months. Japan's a nice clean-living sort of place. You feel
healthy and 'alive' there. |
| Q |
It all
costs a fortune though? |
| A |
Oh yeah, Japan is
certainly not cheap. Transportation is pricey so it's difficult to get away
for the weekend. Everything is expensive. I don't really know where to
start. |
| Q |
But the
potential is there for a teacher to earn money? |
| A |
Well.....yes and no. The
days of earning 'megabucks' in Japan have by and large disappeared because
schools have capped teaching hours at around 25 hours a week. This means the
teacher avoids going into a higher tax bracket and also means the school
gets away with paying less tax as well. Of course, teachers still supplement
their income with lucrative private work even though contractually the
employer forbids such activity. One of the
difficulties for any new teacher arriving in Japan is the set-up costs. Even
the most basic studio apartment will eat up 25% of a typical teacher's
salary and that's assuming you can find one. We always provide our teachers
with a basic studio apartment and things such as fridges, washing machines
and cutlery. It takes a lot of the stress and headache out of those first
few 'difficult' weeks as you adjust to your new surroundings.
|
| Q |
I suppose
I'm most interested in hearing about China. Probably because I get such
mixed reports. |
| A |
(pause) China. How can I
summarize China? It's a kind of 'frontier teaching' meaning very often it's
not for the faint-hearted. Teachers can get messed around a lot if they land
themselves at the wrong school. many schools will have the teacher work
in-house at the weekend and then outsource them to elementary schools during
the week. This can result in lengthy commutes from one side of the city to
another. China just isn't as structured as say Taiwan or Japan and as we all
know - for the Chinese, business comes first and people come a very definite
second. Salaries are not bad but you won't save as much money in China as
you will in other countries. I don't want to
paint a completely negative picture of China though because it certainly has
its good points. Teachers are often promoted to higher positions very
quickly here. I've seen teachers get promoted within 12 months of starting a
new job. More often than not there will also be a western manager who acts
as the 'buffer' between the sometimes unpredictable Chinese bosses and those
people in the teacher's room. You always need to be aware of cultural
sensitivity in China though. You can definitely live cheaply in China but
the same rules apply as they apply to Thailand. Spend half your life in
western bars and fancy restaurants and your money can go very quickly. I
would say big cities like Beijing and Shanghai are more expensive than
Bangkok - but you can save money. |
| Q |
We haven't
talked about Korea yet but you don't recruit teachers to go there anyway
right? |
| A |
No I don't, but I know
plenty of teachers who have worked there. Korea is easily the number one
choice if money is your primary goal. You can save a packet in Korea if you
get with a good school. Unfortunately there are a hell of a lot of bad ones
out there. Korean people can also be notoriously difficult to get along
with, especially outside Seoul. There is something of a growing
'anti-foreigner' sentiment, which has mainly been the result of postings on
popular discussion forums. Many foreign teachers are sadly looked down upon
as almost 'sex tourists with fake degrees'. It's sad to see how opinions
have developed for the worst, but the Koreans are a proud people and they
are far more aware of what gets said about them on the internet than for
example the Thai people are. |
| Q |
There's
good and bad about every country Dave. I think you've proved that. Can
teachers contact you if they have any questions about working in any of the
places we've mentioned? |
| A |
Oh I'd love to answer any
questions. Teachers can e-mail me at
ajarn@shane.com.tw |
| Q |
Thanks for
the interview Dave. Good luck to you and I hope we see your beloved
Cambridge United back in the football league. |
| A |
Well, we look to have a
useful team this season so anything's possible. Speak to you soon. |
