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Teachers > Teaching in Taiwan

Using Agents to Find Teaching Jobs

One option available when searching for a teaching job is to use an agent, chances are that most teachers will be contacted by an agent at some time. You should have some kind of understanding about how agents work. Generally speaking there are two types of agents, Personal Agents and  Contract Agents.

Personal Agents

A Personal Agent basically arranges for English classes between individuals or small private groups and English teachers. They will arrange for you to go to the student's home or office and take a percentage of your hourly fees for their services.  That's basically how they work, some of their methods of getting students to use their services borders on the line of good ethics, but I don't want to get into that. They don't offer any kind of curriculum, and totally depend on the teacher for supplying all teaching materials. And for this service they could take as much as NT 300 to NT 500 an hour from your hourly wage. As well they restrict you from telling your student your hourly pay, nationality, and the length of time you have been in Taiwan.

So you are probably wondering why students actually use Personal Agents? I'm not sure, maybe it's because they feel they can't find an English teacher on their own. So why do teachers use Personal Agents? Well this is a question that I think you will have to ask yourself. Possibly you are new to Taiwan and desperate for some quick cash or you are just not sure about how to get a teaching job in Taiwan. A lot of teachers who use Personal Agents because they are new to Taiwan and are just not sure how agents work.

Now that you are aware of how Personal Agents in Taiwan work you can decide. If you are comfortable with receiving a lower than average wage and knowing that your Personal Agent is taking a portion of your hourly wage then feel free to use some of the agent services listed below. 

Contract Agents

There are two types of contract agents, the first type of contract agent is a signing contract agent - they basically earn a minimum of NT25,000, and sometimes up to NT40,000 referral fee for introducing you to the school. If the school agrees to hire you they are paid 60% of this fee. Once you pass your probationary period they collect the remainder of this fee. If you quit the agent must find the school another teacher, and you will lose whatever deposit that you originally had deducted from your first paychecks.

The second type of contract agent is a monthly commission contract agent - this type of contract agent usually approaches people who are still living abroad and offers them a teaching position in a school. Once you are hired you may be paid a monthly wage of NT 50,000 to NT 55,000, but what you don't know is that the school is actually paying the agent NT 70,000 - NT 75,000 every month. From this amount the agent keeps NT20,000 and pays you your salary. On top of this you have to pay 20% tax on your NT 50,000, you can receive some of this back however, see the tax section on our web site.

Some of these contract agents are completely above board, however there are also a number who specialize in dealing with illegal schools. Illegal schools being schools that are not licensed or for some reason or are not allowed to hire a foreign teacher, of course the agents won't tell you that this is the type of school they are representing. But you think to yourself they are offering me an ARC, they must be legitimate. Wrong! there are many scams out there of ways to get an ARC, the most common is an ARC under another school's name, which does you no good if you aren't working at that school. So be very careful when dealing with agents and ensure that the name of the school on your ARC is the same as the school you are working out, have one of your Taiwanese friends help you out with this.

Another method a contract agent may offer to provide you with an ARC is to enroll you in Chinese classes. This may get you an extendable visa and ARC, but this still doesn't allow you to teach in Taiwan. And once again if you are found teaching illegally you are on a one way trip back home.

Things to consider

I think there is one other important point to consider when you are dealing with agents. If the school is paying the agent and he in turn is paying you, then you are always at risk of losing a months' salary or more if the agent goes under or simply disappears.

Most agents don't know the curriculum or the policies of the school before they contact you? This usually means the school using an agent is an independent. Most major chain schools have in-house recruiters. A lot of the schools and kindergartens who are using agents are  new, therefore you must be prepared for disorganization and a curriculum that has not yet been proven; if they have one at all. In addition to this you must also rely on everything the agent tells you, and remember he gets paid when he finds the school a teacher.

Points to remember

• If you are just arriving in Taiwan for the first time try to bring enough money to cover your cost of living for a month; this way you're not pressured into taking a job you really don't want.
  
• Some agents won't tell you they are agents, so ask them if they are agents and what kind of agent they are.
  
• Ask them how much and how they are being paid for introducing you, and if they would be willing to share part of this fee if you agree to accept the job.
  
• Get some details about the agent himself:
  1. How long has he been in business.
  2. Does he work for other schools.
  3. How many teachers does he represent.
  
• Ensure that you are clear as to who is paying you, the agent or the school.
  
• Confirm and make sure you understand all the details about the position, visas, salary,  school rules and regulations, contract length, deposits and penalties.
  
• Remember everything is negotiable, and a lot easier to negotiate before signing a contract.