The short version: a blog for people considering working at Hess in Taiwan

Update May 2010- wow it's been a year since I wrote this blog. A couple of quick things, then I think I'll probably never log in here again-
1) Apparently Hess pissed someone off even more than they pissed me off. Here is their website: http://www.hesstaiwan.com/
2) Really you ought to read these links to get an idea of some of the 'special' things you'll be doing as an English teacher for Hess: special events, school promotions and performances
3)I know I make a big deal about how they didn't transport my surfboard with me. Yikes, I get it, maybe I'm being a little silly. But I think the most important point to this story is HOW THEY DEALT WITH IT. Brushing me off, lying to me, etc. You may not have a surfboard, so you might think, this won't be a problem for me--- but chances are, you will be lied to. And that's the point. Otherwise, I wouldn't have spent hours of my precious time writing this blog. There are a lot of terrible companies out there-- but how many flat out lie to your face? None that I've worked for before...
4) Quick update--- I LOVE MY LIFE IN TAIWAN!!!! I'm still here, and have no plans to leave. Ever since I quit Hess I've been so happy. I LOVE MY NEW JOB!!! I was just offered a contract for a second year at my new school and gladly accepted. I think I've been on the phone ONCE with my manager about an issue and that was a paycheck issue. I've had zero complaints, my students love me, and I'm a happy camper. Don't waste your experience here being overworked. This is an amazing place. Right now, I'm living on 13 hours of work a week. I deny myself nothing as far as money goes- 13 hours is plenty in Taiwan and if you want to save more, work more. There's no reason to come here and work six days a week and be stressed out. Even my friends who technically 'like' hess complain that they have zero free time.
In the end, I have no regrets cause Hess got me here to Taiwan.
Anyways, this is ms. beware the hippo, May 3rd, 2010, and I am outta here!

BAck to the original blog...
K so this blog is already super long and I haven't even gotten past my first week at Hess yet- and I'm supposed to talk about 10 months?
If you don't have 10 hours to read this whole damn thing, here's the sixty second version (you remember those commercials, I think it was blockbuster that aired them in the states- "such and such movie in 60 seconds" I loved those commercials- anyways here goes.)

Due to an unfortunate series of events which caused a major lack of funds, I ended up signing on to work at Hess language schools in Taiwan. The day to day teaching was rewarding because of the children, but working for Hess was tough, especially because of special events, school promotions and performances.

During training in Taipei(which was informative yet annoying) I found out that I was not going to get the contract I wanted(contract C, two kindergarten classes) and that instead I would be working split shifts, beginning at 8:30 am and ending at 8:30 pm, and teaching classes I did not want to teach. (CRAP!)
I refused to sign the contract but said I would try out the new schedule anyways. The schedule was actually worse than I had imagined.
At the end of training I got another surprise which was that Hess had made no arrangements to transport my surfboard with me to my new home even though they had repeatedly promised that they would do it. When I became suspicious and asked about it they told me to stop worrying - if they would have just told me the truth (that they weren't planning to transport it) then I could have made my own arrangements. (BASTARDS!)

Arriving at the branch I discovered that the job which paid 'hourly' required you to work way above and beyond your paid hours- and that my two co-workers were working 12-14 hour days and only getting paid for 6 of those hours. (MOTHER #*^&@%!!!!)
I refused to work so many extra hours but soon found that the only people who suffered when I didn't do the extra work were my underpaid co-teachers and the children- so I ended up working hundreds of unpaid hours for Hess. (WELL SHOOT MY BOOT, WHAT A CRAPPY SITUATION!)
After 10 months of increasingly ridiculous work situations, I finally left Hess (but not until after they threatened to take 20,000nt from me, told me I'd have to leave the country, neither of which happened). And now I am much happier- the end.
Oh and by the way there are of course good things about Hess- it's just a pretty raw deal for the teachers. I write more about the positive things at Hess in my long version.
Anyways, don't take my word for it, read feedback from other Hess teachers to get a broader picture- and any Hess teachers reading this, please feel free to leave a comment.OTHER TEACHERS FEEDBACK
If you want details, keep reading. I do get pretty long-winded though- I figure this is cheaper than therapy =)
As you can see some of the words in this post are links to other pages- I tried to link anything especially informative or mildly amusing. Might be better to click on those words rather than read this long rant which is only useful to myself because of it's therapeutic value, or possibly as feedback for Hess Educational Organization, if they care for that sort of thing.
For the sake of reading ease, this blog is kind of written backward- meaning the beginning posts are at the top, and if you want to continue reading, you have to click on 'older posts'.
xie xie and good luck with your Taiwan adventures! It's a wonderful country =)

I want to add some links about 'advice about coming to Taiwan' cause I know that's what a lot of people are really after. Here's some experiences and advice on various things. Of course, individual experiences will vary and this is based on my own experiences. Things are probably very different in Taipei than in Yilan (where I live). If you have lived in Taiwan, please feel free to leave your own experiences in the comments section. Please also feel free to be respectful - doesn't everyone find those fights in forums and on Youtube pretty stupid? Anyways, here goes:
getting your health check for a work visa
food in Taiwan
surfing in Taiwan
people in Taiwan
dating in Taiwan
Hess's 20,000 Training Reimbursement Fee
Changing jobs in Taiwan/Visa Extension/Quitting Hess early and changing jobs
And finally, if you just want to know about non-work related Taiwan, you can check out my personal blog for lots of pics and videos.