An insightful article (“Taiwan short of over 1,000 substitute teachers with school year starting soon,” Aug. 25, page 1) highlights a problem that has been long overlooked. This issue runs much deeper and can be divided into hard and soft factors.
The remuneration for substitute teachers is so low that even a part-time job at a 7-Eleven can be more attractive. A substitute teacher at a high school earns about NT$550 and NT$620 for a 50-minute class. They teach a class of about 20 to 29 students. Lesson preparation, and grading of homework and exams are not covered.
Teachers rarely have more than four consecutive hours of teaching due to organizational constraints at schools. Thus, for two hours of teaching, a substitute teacher earns about NT$1,100 to NT$1,240, with perhaps 30 minutes of travel time and 30 minutes for preparation and follow-up. During exam periods, additional unpaid grading time is required.
Specialized cram schools with good reputations pay between NT$600 and NT$1,200 for small classes. Although these schools cater primarily to students’ needs, they can more easily organize classes due to their smaller size.
The disparity is even more pronounced at universities, although the remuneration is somewhat higher. Part-time instructors must first input their lesson plans into the university’s system for free, which is time-consuming and a potential opportunity for colleagues to steal ideas.
Depending on the university’s rating, students in lectures might be less motivated. More demanding part-time instructors who work in the private sector might face negative evaluations if they enforce punctuality and homework completion. The preferred university instructor, from the students’ perspective, is often one who is more friendly and accommodating.
At universities, more extensive and challenging assignments must also be graded for free. Additionally, many universities are on the outskirts, adding to travel time. If a part-timer drives, universities are often not hesitant to charge parking fees — unless time-consuming paperwork is filled out.
From a financial perspective, teaching at schools and universities is unprofitable for part-timers.
The soft factors should not be underestimated. Public officials are not necessarily socially adept. Until about two years ago, there were enough teachers, especially at universities. Consequently, part-timers were somewhat looked down on.
As a part-time lecturer at a university, I had established myself and taught several courses. Everything was going well until a new dean arrived and brought his own team. Almost all of my courses were canceled without notice; I only learned about it from students. A bit naively, one student asked me why I was in trouble.
The new dean also immediately revoked my access to the university network and I never received a faculty ID. To log into the system, I had to ask students for their access credentials.
A high school persuaded me to take over a four-week teaching block. At 11pm on the evening before the course started, I was informed that the first classes had been canceled. Again, this was short notice with no apology.
Although it has no financial importance, it was inconvenient, as I had already rescheduled other appointments. The frustration was considerable.
Many part-time teachers experience similar frustrations. As a result, they have established themselves professionally elsewhere.
Financially, teaching is unprofitable, and sympathy for the school system and its representatives alone is unlikely to lead to success in employment. Some universities, often language departments, are now hiring freshly graduated students as teachers due to the shortage of experienced substitutes.
The education system is missing out on the practical experience that part-timers bring from outside the academic bubble, leading to further quality loss, particularly at universities.
Claudius Petzold works at a law firm in Taipei and is a subcontractor for several travel companies. He previously taught law and German as an assistant professor at Taiwanese universities.
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