What is the Search Web site?-Juliana

Thanks again. That is a nice suggestion as a diplomatic way to get straight answers and see if the school is actin' shady.

I have e-mailed my contact and asked for examples of foreign and local hire packages. I also asked why we are being offered local hire packages when we are not in Taiwan.

We'll see how it goes from there. I hope they are willing to bend. We are hard working and smart, with degrees from nice Uni's, so they should be!

At the same time, this could be a foot-in-the-door experience with the international school system, even if we have to put up with some junk for one year.

I used to be a lowly newspaper reporter for a greedy corporate media company (i.e. the whole shabang was run by the king of fraud, Conrad Black). In-less-than-perfect circumstances, I got valuable experience and won a few awards. There are positives and negatives to every work environment, but I think you have control, ultimately, over the good it does you. You know?

Hi there. We haven't signed a contract or negotiated yet. So I could, reasonably, ask for 140,000 TWD per month?

Keep in mind that I have almost no teaching experience, and my boyfriend is a first year teacher. I want to negotiate, but I don't want to negotiate my way out of an offer.

However, I think they should give us an overseas package. It's ridiculous that they haven't.

Thanks for clueing me in to the cost of living!

Hi all. My boyfriend and have each been offered positions at an international school in Taiwan. We are thrilled to have an offer to teach at the same school, in the same city.

I'm seeking opinions to determine whether or not this is a good deal for us and where we have room to negotiate.

I would teach English classes (to teach writing-all students speak English); he would teach Social Studies. We would also each coach a sports team.

The contract specifies 25 teaching hours a week, not including the coaching. They offered him 75,000 TWD per month - me, 70,000 TWD. In return, we each requested 75,000 to 80,000 on the official applications but have not yet signed a contract. The job includes health insurance, but not flight or housing. Is this a good deal? I have heard that schools in Taiwan don't pay for housing and flight too often, so I expected that. But I'd like to negotiate for flights if I can.

The contract is for 12 months, (Aug. 1 to July 31) but indicates we are paid 10 times with a bonus at the end. June and July are vacation months. But why the extra month if we are only to receive 10 paychecks and a one-month bonus? 11 paychecks for a year-long contract caught my eye. Is this common?

Also, I need to ask if health insurance is covered for the full year.

They have indicated this is a local hire package, though I suspect other teachers at the school receive better, foreign-hire packages if they get their jobs through placement agencies for international schools. We worked directly with the school. And we are not currently in Taiwan.

We're not in it for the money, but I do want to make sure we're fairly compensated and able to pay lingering bills back home.

Also, I would suspect it is fair to get some kind of stipend in the contract for coaching. I'd like this to be spelled out. It currently isn't.

Any thoughts/relative experiences/opinions/advice would be greatly appreciated.