Teach English in Taiwan

Teaching English in Taiwan

What do I need to find a job?

All the places you will teach require teachers to have at least a bachelor’s degree. You can major in anything. I double majored in Asian Studies and Psychology and was able to find employment. It also helps to be friendly and open minded about new cultures. You don't have to have a degree in English to teach.

I have never taught before, is that okay?

Of course! I never taught either, fresh out of university I just packed my bags and left (well, not exactly). But my school and most schools do offer guidance and training on how to teach. Like most things in life, teaching just takes practice and experience. It’s always rough at first, but you will be able to do it!

Should I go through an agent to find a job before I get to Taiwan?

It depends. If you have about $1,000 US dollars saved up and can pay for airfare, you can easily stay in Taiwan for a month to find decent housing and a job. If you are concerned about not having a job beforehand, then using an agent may be the best choice for you.

Should I get a job with a school before I get to Taiwan?

Some schools hire teachers before they get to Taiwan. This can be both good and bad. The good is that the school that hires you will sometimes pay for your airline ticket and return flight after one year. You also arrive in Taiwan knowing you have a job and this results in one less thing to worry about. However, I always like to see things before I sign on. It's a matter of preference.

Where can I find the name of some language schools in Taiwan?

When I was in Taiwan, the major language centers were Global Village, David's English School, Elite, Merica-Jordan, among others. Email me which city you would like to live and I can help you find some schools.

What should I look for in a language school?

Talk to the teachers who work there, ask the students if they like going there. Determine the location of the school from your apartment and look at the general area surrounding the school. Visit the school at different times in the day. Morning and early afternoons likely won't be too busy since students are in school. Check out the school in the evenings and after school. You want to make sure you work at a school that has decent business.

Where will I be teaching?

Public schools - I have taught several classes at the elementary and junior high level while in Taiwan. While it may be difficult to just go to the school and get a job, I was able to get a job because the language school I worked for would arrange the classes for me. The cram school I worked for would check my available times and then contact schools to arrange for teaching jobs for me. I enjoyed teaching at public schools in Taiwan and liked to see the differences between the education system in Taiwan and the US.

Private cram schools ("bu xi bans") - The majority of English teaching jobs are cram schools or "bu xi bans" in Chinese. There are many of these everywhere and the quality, number of classes, management and pay varies greatly. Here is my experience - I was paid an hourly rate. The school would arrange classes for me during the day, afternoon or in the evening, I even worked Saturdays. You can work as much or as little as you want. Students pay memberships that allow them to attend classes at the cram school. My school had a membership program where you pay for 6 months, a year, or lifetime, and you can take as many classes as you want during your membership period. You could also pay for each class individually if you wanted. The classes were small, medium and large depending on what was being taught. Sometimes I only had 3 students and sometimes I had classes with 40 students. It all depends.

Companies - like teaching at a public school, my language school arranged for me to teach class at a company. My work at companies included teaching a weekly evening class for 2 hours for 18 weeks. Sometimes I would give a speech on certain topics, such as how to email, business English or business telephone English.

Private tutoring at private residences - if you look like a foreigner, you will sometimes have people approach you to teach their children. Really! I've had friends in Taiwan who were approached at department stores, grocery stores, etc. to teach the children of the parents. I found my students from word of mouth.

Besides Taiwan, where else can I teach abroad?

Other popular places are Korea, China, and Japan. I know there are some other places, but those are the most popular.

Anything else I need to know

Don't end class early!

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