Workplace reviews and discussion: 巨匠電腦股份有限公司(巨匠電腦)(巨匠美語)

Computer Maintenance Information Assistant, Equipment Engineer – Gjun Information Co., Ltd.

After reading the reviews here, I’m even more certain that the interview experiences shared on 104 are a harmonious fabrication. It can’t be helped—the companies are the ones paying, and offending the employer means losing your livelihood.

The following may serve as a reference for those working as front-desk or course-promotion staff. Since each store manager has a different management style, work assignments may also vary from store to store. As a result, you may or may not take on administrative duties outside your core business responsibilities.

Job duties

1. Responsible for managing and maintaining computer classrooms, with proficiency in troubleshooting computer hardware issues

(Responsible for maintaining the equipment in all classrooms at the branch. There are approximately three or more classrooms, depending on the branch size. This work is usually handled by only one person.)

2. Administrative duties such as student services and contact, class administration, course scheduling, opening new classes, and related tasks

(On average, one new class starts every 1–2 days. Each class has approximately 10–40 or more students. Each student requires 3–5 minutes of notification, answering related questions, and handling all relevant back-end administrative work before, during, and after the class begins. For example: Is an instructor available to teach? Is a classroom available? Can the classroom accommodate the number of enrolled students? Is there enough teaching-material inventory for the students who need it? Are the required software programs installed on the classroom computers? Does the number of software installations exceed the legally licensed quantity? Are all peripheral devices connected to the classroom computers functioning normally? Many aspects require attention. If classes are suspended or instructors postpone classes before, during, or after a course starts, the related workload increases accordingly. This work is usually handled by only one person.)

Work outside the responsibilities of business-related staff may be handled by only one or two employees, such as the duties listed above. Branch cleaning is handled internally; no external cleaning staff are hired. Public areas, classrooms, IT equipment, and restrooms are all cleaned by branch employees. Details depend on the branch, so you can ask about them during the interview.

Jobs not mentioned in the posting: Accounting—managing all accounts generated by branch operations and administration, such as digital-product purchases and sales revenue; warehouse management—handling course materials, digital teaching materials, gifts, and merchandise for sale; distributing promotional materials outside the store—everyone may need to set aside time to distribute flyers and tissues to mailboxes outside the store. It is physically demanding work. Branch employees may all be asked to take on the duties mentioned above, so you can ask about them during the interview.

3. Assist with promoting renewals to existing students; be lively, outgoing, and enjoy interacting with people

(Admissions and enrollment work, or recommending new courses to existing students to increase individual and branch-wide performance. Staff who are not responsible for sales may choose not to promote products.)

4. Two days off per week; day shift: 08:50–17:50

(It is difficult to leave at exactly 17:50. Under explicit or implicit instructions from supervisors, most employees must finish assisting students attending evening classes before leaving work. The two types of employees who leave on time are those with an urgent personal matter or those who are particularly stubborn.)

Evening shift: 13:30–22:00

If the branch’s performance is poor, employees may be required to work all day, from opening to closing—day shift plus evening shift—with no overtime pay. You can refuse, depending on your personal determination or financial situation. If the branch falls behind its target, there is a high chance that everyone will be fined by a higher-level supervisor without exception. The amount is not large, usually a few hundred dollars per month. Fines may be more common during the busy season, when the economy is weak, or when the branch is performing poorly. As for employees who do not participate in enrollment activities and earn only their base salary, opinions about this vary from person to person.

Compensation

Monthly salary: NT$30,000–50,000 (the base salary has remained more or less unchanged for over ten years)

This is a relatively high-pressure position that provides experience across many areas. It is suitable for people willing to challenge themselves.

The branch has a high employee turnover rate. Anyone who has taken classes there for a long time should be able to notice that the staff are replaced in batches. There are many aspects to managing a branch, but everything ultimately comes down to performance.

A sales company held back by its connection to the education industry. The highest operating principle for each branch is to generate performance and revenue. Each branch is responsible for its own profit and loss, so competition is intense within and between branches, and various problematic practices arise. For example, staff may create a sense of urgency by telling customers that a product will be discontinued next week and that the current discount will no longer be available. However, when customers ask another branch the following week, they may find that the product is still being sold. This may not necessarily happen, but it is something to be aware of. A branch is essentially a sales unit, so you can learn professional marketing skills. Regardless of whether you continue working in sales afterward, this can be valuable experience for your career.

If the branch consistently performs well and meets its monthly targets, the atmosphere naturally improves. If performance fluctuates significantly or the economy declines, the atmosphere will of course be poor. When the branch manager is under immense pressure, none of the employees at the branch will have an easy time, including those who are not responsible for sales. This is an industry in which monthly performance resets to zero and everyone starts over—for example, insurance, real estate brokerage, and direct selling—and this company is no exception.

If you are interested in becoming a branch manager, you can aim for an annual salary of NT$1 million. If the branch achieves its annual target, the head office will make up the difference even if the branch’s revenue is insufficient to provide the manager with a million-dollar annual salary. Some employees have advanced through the organization from sales representative to branch manager to district manager and beyond, though not many. Quite a few capable salespeople move into other fields to pursue higher salaries.

The employee turnover rate is far too high. Every few years, each store replaces nearly its entire staff, and less than one-tenth remain. The gaps in experience are too significant. Compared with other companies in the same industry, business-related and non-business-related duties could be separated, with each person handling their own responsibilities to ensure the branch’s basic operations. Performance is important, but every aspect beyond performance is important as well. The company should not let branches and employees fight among themselves over performance; when internal relations are poor, it is also difficult to present a friendly face to customers.