One of the most common questions Nick and I receive about people interested in teaching English in Taiwan is about whether or not they should apply to Hess. We both almost always say “Yes!”
It’s not that we think Hess is the most awesome buxiban in Taiwan to work for, but it’s also not the worst, and it has some unique advantages for those new to Taiwan and overseas English teaching.
What’s So Great About Hess?
I think it needs repeating: Neither of us think that Hess is the most super awesome place to teach English in Taiwan. So why do we recommend it for first timers? Nick wrote a post about teaching at chain schools in general, and most of this applies directly to working for Hess as well.
I came to Taiwan alone in 2005. I did not know a soul here. I did not speak a word of Chinese. I only had a few thousand dollars in the bank. I had never lived outside of America.
The support that Hess offered was absolutely and unquestionably invaluable. I didn’t have to worry about transportation from the airport to the hotel. I didn’t need to find accommodation as Hess both arranged and paid for the hotel, and then they helped with finding an apartment. I got a few weeks of training and practice before walking into a classroom full of children that did not speak the same language as I did.
I was still incredibly nervous and I cannot imagine what it would have been like without their support.
But I Read Online That Hess is Terrible!
This is probably the most commonly used rebuttal when I recommend Hess to new teachers. I’m sorry for sounding like a broken record, but this is a good time to yet again say: We don’t think that working for Hess is like landing a super sweet gig at Google.
However, from our experience (as well as many of our friends) it’s far from most of the negative reviews you stumble across on random web forums. So why are these reviews there?
I have a few guesses as to why you can easily find tickets for sale for the Hess hate train, and while there isn’t any way to really verify these, I still stand by them:
- People love to use the Internet to complain, but rarely use forums to report on their day-to-day work experiences when they are going OK.
- Hess hires a lot of fresh graduates, and when the glamour of working overseas wears off and the reality of what your first full-time job really is sets in, it’s easy to blame the company.
- For many people teaching English in Taiwan for Hess, it’s their first experience both in Taiwan and in the ESL/EFL industry. When it’s not what they expected they blame the company instead of their own expectations. This would have most likely happened at whichever school they first ended up at.
- Hess hires and employs more teachers than any other school on the island, thus all things being equal, they will receive more hate.
Does that Mean Hess is the Best?
Absolutely not. What it means is that it can be a great choice for a beginner and for people with zero contacts in Taiwan. It doesn’t mean that all the negative things you have read are totally false and should be ignored. There is a reason or two why I only worked there for one year. What are some of the legitimate downsides to choosing them as your place of employment?
- They offer a starting salary which is below the industry standard (they do have guaranteed raises though).
- While their structured teaching system may be helpful for a total beginner, after you get a few months of experience under your belt it can become boring if you don’t like the rigid structure.
- Some branches may try and get you to do occasional unpaid events or other duties (this is a common issue for many buxibans)
- You have a very limited choice in choosing which area of Taiwan you will work (you can tell them your preferences, but they usually don’t guarantee a location)
So We’re Back to it Being Terrible?
If you have read this far and have not figured this out yet, the answer yet again is NO. They are not amazing, nor are they terrible. They offer a low-risk soft landing to teaching English in Taiwan.
Consider your first year working for Hess as an entry level position in the world of TEFL. If you like it there then you can stay another year (or longer). If you don’t, then just move on after your first year and it’s no big deal.
In summary, know that while you can find something better you can definitely find something worse, especially if new to the island and the industry.
When you applied initially and listed/discussed your top three choices were you eventually placed in one of those cities?
I can’t speak for Nick, but I didn’t actually request anywhere in particular. I have a friend that was pretty determined to work in Taichung, and he got what he wanted. I think it really depends on which cities have openings at the time of your desired arrival.
I was already in Taiwan (not typical for most Hess applicants) and had just arranged an apartment in Taipei, so I told them I could only work in certain locations. It happened to work out because they had a branch open nearby. I’d say 100% of people I know got their top 3 locations — you might just not get your first choice (especially if it’s Taipei City).
I notice this blogger uses many of the same “talking points” on the HESS website. That alone makes it dubious, but I will assume this person wrote this on his own volition.
Applicants to HESS, note that this blog does not address the following “negative” points:
1) At HESS you will either a) have split shifts (kindy contract) or b) work 40-50 hours per week but only get paid for 20-24 (HLS-Tree House contract). By requiring so much unpaid work and not compensating NSTs for administrative work in any way, for example, office hours which Taiwanese employees receive, HESS is violating the Taiwan Labor Standards Act, Article 24.
2) Not only are there no paid days off at HESS, but the teacher is responsible for finding his own substitute. No other major school in Taiwan does this. In practice, this makes taking time off extremely difficult.
3) You will only have one day off per week. Anyone who thinks this is a good gig for an off year needs to be slapped upside the head.
4) HESS violates Taiwan labor law by fining foreign workers who leave before the contract is up. This is another clear violation of the Taiwan Labor Standards Act, Article 26.
5) During Chinese New Year, a 9-day holiday, you will get no pay. In addition, HESS Kindy and Young Scholars are closed for the preceding and following two weeks, where foreign teachers are effectively on half-pay. That typically amounts to four weeks of half pay and nine days of nothing.
The above five points are true for all branches.
Yes, the good points about HESS which this blogger points out are true. The training is useful, as is the initial transportation. But for many people looking to come to Taiwan, anyone one of the above five points is a “deal breaker” which recruiters like to avoid mention of. At the end of the day, it’s up to you the applicant to decide what is important for you. Keep in mind that HESS literally cannot recruit amongst teachers still in Taiwan. That is no coincidence.
If this post stays up I will be very surprised.
Hi Casey,
Thanks for stopping by. In regards to you post, I assume you mean me when you say “this person.” I am not sure if you took the time to check out the rest of the site, but if so, you can clearly see that both Nick and I write our own posts. We have no ties to Hess other than the fact that we both started our life in Taiwan as Hess teachers. You will also find that we both left Hess as well, that is, if you take the time to check out more of this site than this single post (We currently have 50+).
It’s apparent in your tone that you don’t like Hess. That’s fine. To each their own. Again, as I have stated before, I think it’s a great place to start but I personally left after one year, because I wanted something different. I am going to go over your list and share my personal experience in regards to these “negative” points, because quite frankly, they go for most cram schools in the country and are not simply a Hess matter.
1) I have no idea how you spent so many hours there. I was on an HLS – Tree House style contract, and I NEVER spent 40+ hours at the school. Was grading homework annoying? Yes. Did it add THAT much time to my schedule? Absolutely not. I worked with teachers that were even more efficient than I was, but I also worked with teachers that liked to complain and sit around the office as well. If you want to spend 50 hours a week there, no one will tell you to go home. But if you manage your time well, there isn’t any reason to spend that much time at work on that contract.
2) This is actually quite standard in many cram schools. I don’t like it, but it’s par for the course. If you think getting time off at Hess is hard, try working for a school in which you are their only foreign teacher.
3) I had a 5-day work week for about 95% of my contract, so I again have to disagree. This must be something that differs from branch to branch.
4) I am not a lawyer, but over the years the understanding that I have picked up from this is that they cannot withhold money from your final pay, but they can fine you (you pay AFTER you get your money). Again, it’s something I don’t like, but you did sign a contract. Also, many schools toss some kind of fine into their contracts, but they don’t put you up in a hotel (for free) for several weeks and train you. And yes, it’s unpaid training, but again, it’s free rent and food. Also, the 30,000 NT INTEREST FREE loan kind of made up for the unpaid training in my opinion.
So, is Hess perfect? Of course not. No cram school here is, and that is my point. Most of your negative talking points can be viewed as blanket statements for the industry as a whole, and the rest, well, we had vastly different experiences.
Thanks for stopping by, and hopefully you find a job that better suits your needs.
Best of luck,
Tim
Tim I appreciate the response but forgive me for trying to clear some things up: Newcomers to Taiwan read blogs like these and shouldn’t be coming here on outdated information.
I don’t know what year it was when you took that contract at HESS, but just from that post I can see that neither of you are in touch with the situation in 2013. My points were not “blanket statements” but concrete, exact things which are directly attributable to HESS right now.
This is an important blog post because people are looking for actionable advice. That’s why this blog post needs to be seriously amended before it does more damage than it already has. In any case, this is what HESS is in 2012-13.
1) Tree House now involves makeup classes, homework grading, test grading, play writing, telephone tests, quiz grading, and grade compiling, as well as original comments for each student on two week and six week basis, all of which must be printed out by the teacher and placed in each book individually. On average Tree House classes have 15 students. I reiterate that will take close to the actual time spent in the classroom and likely more in the event of 20-minute makeup lessons, which are required any time a child misses class.
2) No other major cram school, not Gloria, not Shane, and not Kojen, require teachers to find their own replacement for a few days off. I worked for Gloria and they don’t require it. I know people who work at both of the latter and they don’t have to do that either. Those are the three next biggest chains in Taiwan.
But even if I am mistaken, the fact is that HESS requires teachers to find their own replacement, and in practice that makes it very difficult for employees to have a day off, which is an important thing for those looking for an off year. So again, why would you recommend HESS to someone looking for an off year without mentioning this?
3) Six day work weeks are pretty much for everyone now. That’s what trainers now tell all the applicants after training. There’s no “disagreeing” with a fact. Rhein Hein is the one who “broke the news” to all 70 of us that summer. I just gave a real name of a real HR person whom you can probably call up right now. Again I wonder what year you guys worked at HESS, but that is simply not how things are now.
4) The Taiwan Labor Law is not open to semantics games. A “fine” to employees for leaving, when brought to a labor judge, is and always has resulted in a 90,000 NT fine to the employer who does that, no matter what. Here is a link to a labor lawyer here in Taiwan affirming my point: http://www.tealit.com/article_categories.php?section=arcs&article=deposits
That link is standard stuff every newcomer needs to know regarding his basic rights here in Taiwan. I’d appreciate if you guys leave it up. If not, this whole conversation will go up on my blog.
By the way, HESS does try to directly withhold this money from employees’ paychecks if they leave before the contract ends. I’m sure you knew that, though.
And again I reiterate that foreign employees will be furloughed for nine days and on half pay for the four weeks around Chinese New Year.
In fact, I feel like your post about HESS was directed at me personally. That’s why I’m taking such time to respond to it: I’m probably the loudest “ranter” on HESS on the internet (“mega ranter,” even!), and I feel a lot of the things you say about people who speak out about HESS are unfair and mean-spirited. I have plenty of work experience, including working as an associate at a fortune 500 company. I’m now a columnist for a Wall St. publication (yeah… I found a more suitable job). I know what is professional and what isn’t. I was not fresh out of college when I took this job. In fact I’m probably just as old as you two.
I’ve been attacked and flamed numerous times. People have sent me correspondence from HESS HR people attacking and slandering my character to new applicants because they are angry I made the videos I did. This is why I was initially suspicious of this blog post. There’s more going on right now than what you guys may be aware of.
Sincerely,
Casey “Oberon”
Hey Casey,
First, I just want to make it clear that neither Tim nor I know who you are. So the notion that we would waste hundreds of hours on this site writing 60+ posts just to sneak in one post attacking you personally is silly
Second, Tim and I have no affiliation to Hess HR or anything like that and if you read any of the other posts that would be pretty clear.
Third, we know a lot of Hess teachers and most of them have (or had) perfectly fine experiences. Some had gripes and others didn’t. When my sister came to Taiwan a couple years ago I suggested she worked at Hess. She stayed here for a year and had a fine experience (not wonderful and not terrible).
So perhaps the people I know have gotten lucky or perhaps you just got really unlucky and had a bad experience. Either way, you’ve made your point and people can take the time to read your comments and evaluate whether to work at Hess.
But we didn’t write this post so that we can debate the merits of Hess as there are plenty of other places online to do that. So I’m happy to leave your initial comments up, but want to end this discussion here.
Hey Casey,
I’ve been teaching English in Spain for 2 years now, and am looking to make the move to Asia. At first I considered Korea and Japan, but I’ve recently become interested in Taiwan. Considering I have no contacts in Taiwan, I was hoping to find a government program or academy that could give me a job before I show up. I had seemed set on looking into the HESS company until I read your responses. If not HESS, what other academies/organizations could I apply to before I arrive to try to secure work ahead of time?
Thanks,
Alex
Sounds like you never worked retail mate. most of that seems fairly standard for most jobs.
Hello Tim and Nick,
Thank you for taking the time to write such a detailed post about HESS and for sharing your experiences in Taiwan. Your feedback is appreciated.
If you or your readers have any further questions about HESS, please feel free to contact the English Human Resources Department via email at hesswork@hess.com.tw.
Thank you, and have a nice weekend.
Hi,
Thanks for stopping by our site. We both try to give the most non-bias and objective reviews that we can from our experiences and observations. While they may not align with everyone else’s views, we feel they are fair and honest.
Hey Tim and Nick,
It seems like there hasn’t been posts here for about a year.
I see that HESS is the biggest education business in Taiwan.
Meantime I am teaching english in China and working towards a reputable TEFL certificate during my own time.
As I am heading in that direction, I could see that HESS is geared towards beginners. With that, would you know if HESS would also be okay for those who are somewhat experienced and have a TEFL?
Peter
Hi Peter,
Thanks for visiting. I of course cannot answer for them, but I think there were a couple of people in my training group way back when who weren’t total beginners. They hire each quarter I believe, so depending on their demand, their hiring habits most likely change slightly each time.
Thanks for addressing the Hell/Hess parallells. There is so much negativity out there it has almost scared me away. I have a couple of questions about life after Hess, and thanks in advance for even taking the time to read them. First I have just started a TEFL course because I feel like I owe it to my students to be able to do the job. I understand Hess offers their own TEFL Certification (consisting of the few days of training and practicum from being thrown into a classroom). Do any other schools accept Hess’s certificate in lieu of a 100-120 Hour Certification? I am guessing that I will be glad that I paid for a seperate course if things don’t work out with Hess, but if I complete that contract will that experience and the Hess TEFL qualify me to teach elsewhere in the world? It seems like so many people have taken the time to say Hess is horrible, but none has taken the time to point out better buxibans where a newb could get started with even remotely similar support. Do those exist? Is there another way to go about getting started without the experience or paying for a TEFL internship and working for a stipend (about half of what Hess pays) for 6 months? If there is some secret “golden runway” advice it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again.
Thanks for checking out the blog. Hess has been a perfectly fine place to work for the vast majority of people I’ve spoken to about it. If you like it you can stay after the first year and if you don’t then you can leave and go to another school (plenty of Hess teachers stay there a long time). Or you can just go to Taiwan and find a job if you don’t want to work for Hess.
There are no universally accepted TEFL requirements/certifications so having a TEFL from Hess (or any other place) doesn’t necessarily mean that another job in the future will accept it. In Taiwan, no one cares if you have a TEFL and it won’t help you get a job or higher pay so it’s not an issue/concern here.
As for the other question, the vast majority of people who don’t work for Hess just come to Taiwan and then find a job when they are here. There are several FB groups (just search English teaching and taiwan) and also sites like Tealit that posts jobs.
I’m pretty set on working in Taipei, for my first year I don’t want to really work anywhere else. Do I have a chance of getting Taipei through Hess? Should I choose a different chain school?
this is a very accurate video about hess https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DgN7ofiRLM
this was the worst job of my life and a big mistake. almost made me leave taiwan altogether because i thought that taiwan was as shitty as hess. luckily i quit and found that outside of hess, taiwan is wonderful. DONT make the same mistake i did. skip hess
Hi, Thanks for the post. I’m looking into teaching in Japan but also now in Taiwan. I was offered a position at Seiha in Japan but everything I found online is very negative. I only found one positive review. I’m just wondering if you have heard anything about Seiha in Japan considering you lived there for a year? Thanks!
Hey guys, so you all talk about HESS being a good place to start out, what about people like myself with a bit more experience? I have 1 year training experience and 4 years working in Kindergartens. What would be a good option for somebody like me in Taiwan? I dont fancy working in another language center, where you have to work weekends, i really found that schedule very anti social for me.
I would suggest coming to Taiwan then and scoping things out. That’s how almost all the teachers here find jobs and it will allow you to meet with a few schools and pick up a job that interests you and provides a schedule you want.
In Shanghai I know of websites that list jobs, such as craigslist, enjoyshanghai.com and smartshanghai.com those kinds of sites. Are there any websites or places to go where I can seek out jobs? For me just turning up there, I wouldnt have a clue where to start looking and thats my biggest concern. Thanks btw for the advice so far, much appreciated.
Tealit is the most used one. And then there are several different Facebook groups that advertise (just search for them). However, 99% of jobs will expect you to be here already unless otherwise stated and if you apply overseas most won’t bother contacting you back. The vast majority of people come here and stay at a hostel for a few weeks and find a job when they’re on the ground.
even without experience?
Yeah, for everyone. if you’re really concerned you can always apply to Hess. They are one of the only places that recruits abroad.
Thanks for addressing in detail about HESS. Nearly every review online bashed the company, but one of my brother’s friends worked with them in Taichung for like 3 years before working in another Taiwanese school. I applied with them just mainly for the experience since I don’t have any classroom experience (I currently teach as a conversational tutor online, but it’s soooooo informal compared to a legit school). and the fact that they really do help you out and are willing to give you a loan if you need it. It seems like the best paying jobs can only be obtained in person. If I end up not liking HESS or want a job that pays more I can always leave after a year.