I worked in the sales department.

1. The starting salary is quite a bit higher than 22K: NT$32K plus a NT$5K service bonus. There is a one-month year-end bonus, with additional bonuses paid separately once a year.

2. The people you deal with are relatively straightforward, and the supervisors are generally fairly easy to communicate with.

3. There is a company sales vehicle, which adds convenience.

4. Basically, the protections required by the Labor Standards Act are provided (although after the implementation of the one fixed day off and one flexible rest day policy, I don't know what changes the company will make).

1. You have to serve a group of eccentric teachers. Not only are they isolated from the outside world, some of them will even put on airs and give you a hard time.

2. You have to arrive at school before 8:15 a.m., while most of the materials have to be sorted, bound, and distributed by the sales staff themselves. (The simplest example is putting on stickers: for 2,000 posters, every single one must have a sticker with your name on it.) As a result, although work officially starts at 8:00 a.m., it is difficult to leave work punctually at 5:00 p.m.

3. There is no compensatory leave or overtime pay for holiday workshops or group holiday training sessions. Even when activities are held outdoors, there is no additional compensatory leave or overtime pay.

4. Following from the second point, some people of course sneak off early. They may even leave on time—or not report back to the warehouse—and take these things home to finish. However, when sales, warehouse management, handicrafts, and marketing are all your responsibility, it is easy to develop a habit of working overtime. Sometimes you may work until 11 or 12 at night, yet still have to get up at 6:30 the next day to serve teachers. Your physical and mental well-being can easily reach the verge of collapse.

5. Teachers' endless demands and the special nature of the industry. This is not to say that all teachers are bad or terrible; it's just that there are a few rotten apples who damage the industry. For example, they may ask for something today and demand that it appear on their desk by 8:00 the next morning, or else they will file a complaint... All I can say is, I was speechless.

The special nature of the industry is that this sales job is very much like working in the service industry. The people you serve do not have to spend money to purchase your products, so they do not have a strong personal interest in learning more about the products. Sometimes they even determine the textbook edition by guessing the page number. You may find that absurd, but yes, this is a situation that occurs in Taiwan's educational field.

6. The point above also explains why working overtime is the norm for textbook sales representatives in eight or nine cases out of ten. The relationship between textbook sales representatives and their customers is heavily lopsided. Unlike real estate agents or insurance agents, who at least have some specialized expertise of their own, or other types of salespeople who need specialized knowledge, customers are often far more knowledgeable than you during the sales process. This means you have to rely primarily on personal relationships and constantly beg and plead; that is the key point to maintaining strong sales performance.