It's already Nov. 1 in Taiwan, but back home I know you all are knocking back the booze and donning your trampy costumes as I type. And by you all I mean my friends, not my family members who read this. My family members are probably just going to sleep.
The cram school kids were out of control last night. Who can blame them? I probably would've called social services and would've asked to be taken away had my parents made me go to EXTRA SCHOOL on Halloween night.
Between classes the school owner asked James and I what Halloween was like for us when we were kids. Did you go out and trick-or-treat every year? Oh yes, of course. Did you always dress up? Yep. Sure did.
Then he told us when he was a boy, back when Taiwan was still under martial law, no one was allowed to celebrate Halloween. Chiang Kai-shek was born on October 31. And the Generalissimo didn't want kiddies dressing up like monsters on his birthday.
If I ever come into command of a police state, I will make everyone dress up in my likeness on my birthday.
Showing posts with label cram school. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cram school. Show all posts
Friday, October 31, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
No Jobs for James
James: I have another interview tomorrow.
Me: Yeah?
James: They asked me if I was ABC.
Me: Why?
James: Because I talked about having family here. I told him I was half, and then he asked me if I look white.
Me: What did you say?
James: I said I looked mixed.
Me: Well, that's a lie.
James: No it's not. I have too much body hair to look completely Asian.
Unfortunately, the interviewer probably wont inspect James' hairy toes to determine his inner Caucasian.
By now we should be used to the racism thing, but it still confuses and amuses me. First off, there are plenty of locals teaching English in this country, whites don't monopolize the English-teaching industry. And James speaks better English than all the local teachers I've met to date. So what gives?
The interviewers always give some line like, "Oh the parents like white teachers ... so we have to pay you less," which basically sounds like an unsophisticated ruse to trick ABC (American-born Chinese) guys into working for less money. Parents don't have any say in teacher pay. Or do they come in after work and go, "That one, he looks Asian. I hope my cram school fees are being spent in greater proportion on the white people you employ around here."
The strangest part today was the person who James spoke with on the phone was an ABC (or so he told James). "It's very difficult for us. We have to work harder, we get paid less..." Sure guy. Can we say Uncle Tom? Then ABC guy made James write him a cover letter to prove his English ability. I applied with ABC guy and didn't have to write any such letter.
The whole thing is either absurd or incredibly, coldly pragmatic: There's huge turnover in foreign teachers. Work visas cost schools money. And, most foreign teachers come with the barest qualifications: a college degree in any subject, native English speaking skills and, hopefully, a passing ability to deal with children. So if teachers are pretty much considered interchangeable (and they are), I guess, as a school owner, you may as well hook one that looks foreign too.
As I mentioned in this post, marketing and appearances are most important to the average cram school.
Me: Yeah?
James: They asked me if I was ABC.
Me: Why?
James: Because I talked about having family here. I told him I was half, and then he asked me if I look white.
Me: What did you say?
James: I said I looked mixed.
Me: Well, that's a lie.
James: No it's not. I have too much body hair to look completely Asian.
Unfortunately, the interviewer probably wont inspect James' hairy toes to determine his inner Caucasian.
By now we should be used to the racism thing, but it still confuses and amuses me. First off, there are plenty of locals teaching English in this country, whites don't monopolize the English-teaching industry. And James speaks better English than all the local teachers I've met to date. So what gives?
The interviewers always give some line like, "Oh the parents like white teachers ... so we have to pay you less," which basically sounds like an unsophisticated ruse to trick ABC (American-born Chinese) guys into working for less money. Parents don't have any say in teacher pay. Or do they come in after work and go, "That one, he looks Asian. I hope my cram school fees are being spent in greater proportion on the white people you employ around here."
The strangest part today was the person who James spoke with on the phone was an ABC (or so he told James). "It's very difficult for us. We have to work harder, we get paid less..." Sure guy. Can we say Uncle Tom? Then ABC guy made James write him a cover letter to prove his English ability. I applied with ABC guy and didn't have to write any such letter.
The whole thing is either absurd or incredibly, coldly pragmatic: There's huge turnover in foreign teachers. Work visas cost schools money. And, most foreign teachers come with the barest qualifications: a college degree in any subject, native English speaking skills and, hopefully, a passing ability to deal with children. So if teachers are pretty much considered interchangeable (and they are), I guess, as a school owner, you may as well hook one that looks foreign too.
As I mentioned in this post, marketing and appearances are most important to the average cram school.
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