Korrnell Academy FAQ

Pros

*Decent Pay for Taiwan ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ *20+ vacation days (more if licensed) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Reasonable Foreign Dept. Management ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Opportunities for promotion ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Opportunities to branch into new areas of interest ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This school has had lots of negative press for a while. The reviews for Korrnelll Academy are also mixed up with the kindergarten reviews. I've been working here for 2 years and haven't experienced anything near the levels of hatred that some of the other reviews convey. A few years ago there was a major shift in management and company ideology. This has created a positive work environment. An example of this is while the contract hours are high, the actual teaching hours are around 24 (40min) periods a week. As of 2022, the number of vacation days was also raised for all teachers (not just licensed). There is very little friction between the staff of the foreign dept. staff and for people who don't speak Mandarin, the school offers great teacher support for interactions that require Mandarin (telephone, apartment rental, taxes...). Not all of the Taiwanese staff speaks English, but the interactions between the foreign and local staff are generally civil and often friendly.

Cons

*Odd system of payment ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------*Large class size *Occasional 12hr days on holidays ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------*English level of material doesn't necessarily match the level of the students. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The single largest complaint currently at Korrnell is the size of the classes, which is typically between 28 and 34. Classes this size, can be unwieldy and limit classroom instruction style. This large class size also contributes to lots of grading. If you aren't organized, this can be very time consuming. Salary wise, the school always pays on time. The odd part comes in with the schools system of raises and bonuses. You could get a pay raise in the form of a meal allowance. You get random bonuses on various monthly cycles. You can always ask what different things are and where you get paid for what, but it's generally impossible to say exactly how much you will get paid each month. The other major complaint is that the school likes to parade its teachers around during various holidays. The school on Halloween, for instance, requires their teachers to wear Halloween costumes, put together carnival games and work a 12hr day. In the context of Taiwan though, this isn't all that uncommon. The other major complaint is that the English level of the students is often below the content of the text books. This creates a situation where the teachers need to create supplementary language support for low level students. In a class of 33 students, that can prove to be quite difficult.

Advice to Management

Raise tuition, lower class size.

Pros

Salary, some students, nice campus, good colleagues

Cons

Awful, incompetent management; micromanagement; stingy; talk to you like you are a cockroach they’re trying to squash; fights over basic things; school too mean to have AC on in May lower than 28 degrees: it’s HOT in those classrooms, and kids cannot concentrate. Everything a show, in particular the American textbooks used which are culturally and linguistically out of our students’ range; far too many activities at the expense of classroom learning; managers who refuse to negotiate with their teachers - my way or highway approach; emails sent to teachers to nitpick and annoy, deploying threats and insults. Same occurs at the weekly meeting. Teacher turnover extraordinary high; dark, depressing school to work in. Staff are sad and overworked, and most just cannot wait to leave.

Advice to Management

They should retire.