So as one chapter of my teaching career ends, another begins. I became an English Teacher at Golden American School on December 29th. And although my tenure has been brief, thus far I really enjoy it. Here are some reasons why (many are the opposite of why I left Kojen):
- I'm back to working more normal business hours with Saturday & Sunday off.
- I only have two classes each week. I have kindergarten every morning and afternoon and 3rd graders MWF.
- There are only 12 kindergarten students and 10 3rd graders. The kindergarten kids (6 girls, Barbie, Emily, Victoria, Candice, Selina, & Zoe and 6 boys - Kenny, Jonathan, Neo, Kevin, Sky, & Harry) are adorable and help make up for leaving my Day Care kids behind. The 3rd graders are alright but I only teach them 3 hours a week so it's all good.
- My hourly pay is a little bit higher.
- I have a shorter commute.
- No homework or quizzes.
- Teaching is supplemented with games rather than handouts to keep the learning fun and to keep the kids happy.
- My boss seems really nice and I get along with the other Foreign Teachers and Chinese Teachers.
All in all, I'd say I'm happy with my decision thus far.
Also, I am excited that I will continue private tutoring with Sunny, the 5th grader I had as a 1-on-1 at Kojen. Her parents really liked me and wanted to keep me as her tutor even though I was leaving the school. This works out great as Kojen charged a ridiculous amount just to provide a classroom but I only received my normal teaching rate. Now, we've compromised and her parents will pay less than before and I will make more than before. Chao hao! Plus, she's a sweet girl and a good student.
Hopefully this is all just the start of good things in 2009...
January 09, 2009
Sucks To Your Asthma, Kojen
As many of you already know, after 7.5 months and a great deal of debate, I have said goodbye to Kojen English Language School.
In many ways, it was a very tough decision. I have made a lot of good friends there amongst my fellow Foreign Teachers and Chinese Teachers. I enjoyed almost all of my classes and most of my students. I liked the structure of the classes and I liked the books they used. Our boss is a douche but he was always nice to me. And I wasn't sure I could ever say goodbye to some of my Day Care kids.
On the other hand, some of my favorite FT's were leaving or had left. I'm sick of working on Saturdays when most of my friends have off. Despite the niceness shown to me, our boss is a douche. And most importantly, I was getting royally screwed as we were only paid for our classroom hours. While not a shabby paycheck by Taiwan standards, I was only paid for 24 hours a week rather than the 45-50 hours I spent working at the school. That time was mostly spent marking required homework and daily quizzes. I finally had enough and pulled the trigger on a new job.
And any doubts I had about leaving were soon gone when Kojen wanted to penalize me 2 weeks pay for only giving 3 weeks notice rather than 4 weeks. Not only did I tell them that was bullshit because I was always a good employee and deserved better, but I also pointed out that it was 100% illegal and would have my legal team of Vaughan, Siepel, Dunsing, & Dunsing on the next flight over if needed. Fortunately, they quickly realized they wanted nothing to do with my football loving, scotch guzzling team of lawyers and dropped their threat. But the damage was done and I realized this was not a company I wanted to associate with any further.
I've now been Kojen-free since January 3rd and I'm loving every second of it...
In many ways, it was a very tough decision. I have made a lot of good friends there amongst my fellow Foreign Teachers and Chinese Teachers. I enjoyed almost all of my classes and most of my students. I liked the structure of the classes and I liked the books they used. Our boss is a douche but he was always nice to me. And I wasn't sure I could ever say goodbye to some of my Day Care kids.
On the other hand, some of my favorite FT's were leaving or had left. I'm sick of working on Saturdays when most of my friends have off. Despite the niceness shown to me, our boss is a douche. And most importantly, I was getting royally screwed as we were only paid for our classroom hours. While not a shabby paycheck by Taiwan standards, I was only paid for 24 hours a week rather than the 45-50 hours I spent working at the school. That time was mostly spent marking required homework and daily quizzes. I finally had enough and pulled the trigger on a new job.
And any doubts I had about leaving were soon gone when Kojen wanted to penalize me 2 weeks pay for only giving 3 weeks notice rather than 4 weeks. Not only did I tell them that was bullshit because I was always a good employee and deserved better, but I also pointed out that it was 100% illegal and would have my legal team of Vaughan, Siepel, Dunsing, & Dunsing on the next flight over if needed. Fortunately, they quickly realized they wanted nothing to do with my football loving, scotch guzzling team of lawyers and dropped their threat. But the damage was done and I realized this was not a company I wanted to associate with any further.
I've now been Kojen-free since January 3rd and I'm loving every second of it...
Jinguashi & Jiufen
This was back on December 7th. I went with my new girlfriend, Judy, Doug, and his girlfriend, Joyce, to Jinguashi and Jiufen. These are a couple of old mining towns on the northeast coast of Taiwan about an hour from Taipei. Jinguashi is known for the Huangjin Pubu (Golden Waterfall) and Jiufen is famous for it's traditional teahouses. Also, the views of the mountains and coast from both places and in between are amazing.
We went to Jinguashi first and visited the coast, the Huangjin Pubu, and the Gold Ecological Park. Then, we tackled the shops of Jiufen and relaxed the evening away in a teahouse sipping on some great cha. I even made a special Jiefu Cha. Chao hao chu! (Very delicious!)
Be sure to check out my Picasa site for all the wonderful pictures.
And yes, I very casually mentioned that I have a new girlfriend. Her name is Judy. I met her through my friend Bevis at Roxy 99 a while back. After hanging out with the group a few times, I worked up the courage to ask her out, she shockingly said yes, and we've been together ever since.
Good talk. See you out there.
We went to Jinguashi first and visited the coast, the Huangjin Pubu, and the Gold Ecological Park. Then, we tackled the shops of Jiufen and relaxed the evening away in a teahouse sipping on some great cha. I even made a special Jiefu Cha. Chao hao chu! (Very delicious!)
Be sure to check out my Picasa site for all the wonderful pictures.
And yes, I very casually mentioned that I have a new girlfriend. Her name is Judy. I met her through my friend Bevis at Roxy 99 a while back. After hanging out with the group a few times, I worked up the courage to ask her out, she shockingly said yes, and we've been together ever since.
Good talk. See you out there.
What happened? I blacked out.
I really haven't blogged in over a month!?!? Wow, really???
Well, I guess not that much happened. Let's see, there was a wonderful day trip, Merry Mustachmas, Taiwanese Christmas, Alex's birthday, Taiwanese New Year's, another poker night, a new girlfriend, and a new job. Yep, same old stuff.
Enough stalling, time to blog...
Well, I guess not that much happened. Let's see, there was a wonderful day trip, Merry Mustachmas, Taiwanese Christmas, Alex's birthday, Taiwanese New Year's, another poker night, a new girlfriend, and a new job. Yep, same old stuff.
Enough stalling, time to blog...
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