Taiwan Teaching Jobs
Want to know the best way to find English teaching jobs in Taiwan? ”Like” this page and gain access to my video that shows you how to easily find teaching jobs in Taiwan from the comfort of your own home.
Like This Post To Access The Job Search Video!
{ 90 comments… read them below or add one }
← Previous Comments
@Jayrome,
I strongly suggest China for your teaching job. You could in theory get a job teaching at a university in Taiwan, but you would need a PhD for it to be full-time. Again, I am not saying it isn’t possible, but China has a lot of universities and their rules and regulations for hiring people are much more relaxed than those in Taiwan. Good luck!
I’m currently teaching English in China. I’ve been here for two years. I’ll be going back to Ireland(my home） in September and would like to stay there until Christmas. My question is what is the best time to apply for jobs in Taiwan If I want to go there around the end of January/start of February?
@Kieran,
Usually just before Chinese New Year or around July/August. However, I’d make sure you have some English cram schools or other places where you plan to work lined up in advance. Good luck!
would like to teach in taiwan and south korea this year
@themba,
Good luck. Feel free to browse the other sections of this site to learn more about teaching English in Taiwan.
Hi there,
This blog has been extremely informative. I have a few questions for you. Regarding the contracts, do all schools require you to sign a contract? Also, does this contract require you to stay for an entire year period at once? The reason why I ask, is because I will most likely need to come back home to the states to do a few interviews. I don’t know if leaving for a block of time to do the interviews would break my contract or not. I understand that it may depend on the contract itself. My other question is how soon could I get a job in Taiwan? I plan on going out there in August and to look through classified ads and others of the sort to find a job. Do you think this is too much?
@Josh,
Thank you for the feedback on the site. I appreciate it.
I would say 99.9% of schools will require you to sign a contract, especially if they sponsor you to get a working permit etc. The only people who typically don’t sign contracts are those who are working illegally or simply don’t need a work permit. So, put simply, you will need a contract. Contracts are for one year and they do allow short breaks if you give notice in advance, but I would say that a week or two at the very most would be tolerated. If you need to take a month off or longer, then I doubt a school would be too happy.
You could get a job quickly here if you don’t really care what kind of pay or conditions you work in. It really depends on what you want and how picky you are. Could you turn up in August and get a job within a week or two? Definitely, just don’t ask for too much and you’ll find an employer who is more than happy to take you on-board. Good luck!
This website is very informative and helpful, I have two quick questions for you though. first being, if I have three years of college and a Diploma is there any possible way of getting a teaching job without a university degree? Secondly, is there a age requirement for being to young to teach?
@Amanda,
Please check the page about Who Can Teach English in Taiwan as it gives you the details on what credentials you need to teach here. As far as I know there is no age requirement, just a university degree or AA + TEFL. Good luck!
Hi mate,
Currently working in the public school system on the mainland and also did a stint in Seoul’s public school system for a year too – it seems difficult to get information regarding public school positions in Taiwan; any help on the matter would be appreciated.
Cheers,
@Paul,
You are right about there being very little info about public school jobs in Taiwan. The main reason is that recruiters control “most” of the hiring for these jobs. The MOE also hires directly, so my recommendation would to be contact public schools directly, or the MOE and just ask. Sorry that I can’t offer any more info beyond this, because most of the jobs are sourced by recruiters. Good luck.
Hello!
Great job on the site-I’ve done a lot of research on teaching in Taiwan and your site is one of the most straightforward and informative ones I’ve come across.
Quick overview:
-I graduated college this past May. I’ll be headed to Taiwan in February 2012 and staying with some connections I’ve gotten through Couchsurfing in Tapei. My thought process was to travel for about 2-3 weeks throughout the country on a Visitors visa going from top to bottom. I’ve stored up a good amount of savings for the travel aspect and will be arriving in Taiwan with about $10-$12 grand.
—I’ll try not to repeat any questions—
-I haven’t seen a lot of talk about Kaohsiung. After a good deal of researching the areas, this city seemed like the one that would fit my interests–great outdoors, port city, good cost of living, 2nd largest city with decent public transport, etc. However, you’ve advised that looking for jobs beyond Taipei and Taichung might result in minuscule findings-do you have any experience/input for Kaohsiung?
-I am going to get a TEFL certificate more so for my own benefit. I’ve realized that it isn’t a huge deal and probably won’t give me much return on my investment. I’ll be signing up for TEFL 120 hr online i-to-i when I get back to the states in October. Do you have any tips/price ranges (current $380) on choosing a cert aside from my current plan?
-You’ve highly advised to get a job before coming over. As I won’t be in immediate need of landing a job, do you think my chances are good looking in a city like Kaohsiung around mid to late February?
I appreciate any advice/heads up you can give me. Thank you for the info and good luck with all your endeavors!
Jonathan
@Jonathon,
Kaohsiung is going from bad to worse. Can you find jobs there? Of course, but the number of teachers has increased dramatically over the years, but the economy in Kaohsiung is nothing like Taipei. Schools are offering fewer and fewer hours. Most people are OK finding part-time work, but full-time is proving to be more difficult.
What kind of TEFL/TESOL certificate you get doesn’t really seem to matter, unless of course you got a CELTA, which would cost considerably more. Just get whatever you think is best.
Jan/Feb is the best time to look for jobs anywhere. You are bringing more than enough money with you, so you obviously shouldn’t be too worried. However, as I have repeated again and again on this site, job prospects decrease dramatically the further you get away from Taipei. I am sure you could find a job in Kaohsiung, just be prepared though.
Good luck.
Hi there, I’m a BBC and a final year university student and hopefully should be graduating next summer 2012. I have always loved Taiwanese culture and have recently visited Taiwan. I want to know more information about teaching English in Taiwan, how much is salary? is there lesson plan etc? the working hours? how are the students and teachers in Taiwan? is it a long term job because thinking of living there. And any tips, guides- websites that directs me to teaching English in Taiwan in particular, thank you for your help and enjoy your stay at Taiwan.
@Kelly,
Most of your questions are already answered on this site. I would recommend you check out the English teacher pay link for starters. Best of luck!
hello. ill have an associates degree and a tesol. will that be enough for me to teach in taiwan? thank you very much for your assistance.
@landry,
Yes, you can, but you will find more specific information regarding qualifications on the Who Can Teach English in Taiwan page.
thank you so much for your quick response. i just forgot one question. with an associates degree/tefl, does the associates degree have to be in education or can it be in any field? thanks again for your help. its very appreciated.
@Landry,
Your AA or BA does not have to be English or education related. There is currently no requirement at all regarding what your BA or AA is in. This means a BA in Basket Weaving and a BA in Education are treated equally when it comes to applying for a visa to teach in a cram school.
haha. thats really great. thanks so much for your help. just as long as im able to apply for a visa to teach in a cram school with an AA/tefl then that is great. thanks again. youre the best.
i love this sight.
1. i wanted to know whats the best way to find a cram school job online? whats the most popular internet sight?
2.what time of year is taiwan REALLY in need and looking for cram school teachers?
3. what months would you say is the best to to start looking and researching for cram schools?
4. are there contracts to sign for cram schools?
5. whats the least amount you think i should request for pay?
im not looking to go to taiwan so that i can get rich. but as long as i can make enough money to survive and gain the experience that would be so great. so im sure i will not have high money demands.
thanks so much for your attention.
Hiya, i recently found a job advert for YG expert and wondered whether you had heard of them? it seems legit but i’m not sure.
Thanks in advance
@Becky,
I have heard of them, but you can read more about agents HERE.
1. i wanted to know whats the best way to find a cram school job online? whats the most popular internet sight?
2.what time of year is taiwan REALLY in need and looking for cram school teachers?
3. what months would you say is the best to to start looking and researching for cram schools?
4. are there contracts to sign for cram schools?
5. whats the least amount you think i should request for pay?
im not looking to go to taiwan so that i can get rich. but as long as i can make enough money to survive and gain the experience that would be so great. so im sure i will not have high money demands.
thanks so much for your attention.
Hi again
Thank you for responding to my previous query – I had a few laughs!
I have just started my TEFL course which I am sure will work in my favour.
I so desperately want to go, you have no idea!! I understand the process. But now it’s about finding a job… I know that many people go first, and find jobs there. I can’t take that risk as I just don’t have the funds.
Any suggestions?? Don’t you have any contacts/connections?
I am a 25 year old female from South Africa, and I also have a BA degree. I teach extra English as well. All I want is a departure date!
I know you receive tons of questions, and my ones may be repetitive, but I am just a bit anxious about this. Your help will be greatly appreciated.
Hey there Dave,
I’m currently an ESL teacher in Korea, working every hour god sends in a private school.
I teach a mix of Kinde, Elementary and Middle school, however I’m primarily a Kindergarten and lower Elementary teacher.
My contract is up on March 1st and I’m embarking upon a 6 month tour of Asia, taking in Taiwan from April 20th-May 1st. I’m thinking of taking a teaching job in Taiwan and have a few questions that I hope you can answer. (My start date would be around August-September 2012.)
1. I don’t have a TEFL or anything similar, although I do have a good Uni degree and all that jazz, is this a problem?
2. I’ll probably be applying with a friend. Are there many couples jobs available, especially for two men, or should we seek separate jobs in the same city?
3. Are there any reciters I could meet during my time in Taiwan that you can rely upon. I have 10+ days after all, why not do some research?
4. Is there a big disparity between Private Academies and Public schools as there is in Korea?
5. Can I expect a relatively high level of English from even young children? As I currently relish the rather complex conversations I have with my 6 Year Olds.
I can be in Taiwan whilst looking for a job. I can always fly back in August If I need to. So I work a lot of this out on the fly but I just through I’d ask.
Thanks for your time,
Ta,
-Tom
@Tom,
1)
TEFL is not required for cram schools, but more and more schools “prefer” you have one because it means they can filter out the undesirables. There’s been an influx of English teachers here and as a result schools have started to ask or state they prefer TEFL holders etc. It’s not required in most places, but it wouldn’t hurt if you had one.
2)
If you wanted to be placed with a friend, then I’d say look in Taipei. Lots of English cram schools there, so it means even if you don’t end up working for the same school you would at least be in the same city.
3)
Avoid recruiters. I can’t stress this enough. DO NOT use them at all. You’ll regret it.
4)
I am not sure what you mean by this exactly. Without a teacher’s license you can’t teach legally in a public school, and even working in a private school is a very grey area. Happy to answer this question in more detail if you can provide some more info.
5)
The English ability of people here is generally abysmal. I definitely wouldn’t expect any conversation with kids that goes beyond the scripted “Hi, how are you” etc. Of course there are exceptions, but I think it would safer to assume that the only English you’ll be speaking with kids will be very limited, especially kids aged 6. When they get to around 12 or so you can expect some conversation, but only from the ones that work hard or are gifted at languages.
Hope that helps and good luck!
hi,
just beginning the search.
how do i contact schools directly?
when is the soonest i might expect to be posted to a particular school?
are there any ‘unsafe’ neighborhoods in the city of Taipei?
are there any schools that might sponsor (or advance funds for) a flight from the US to Taipei in order to work for them?
thanks,
Kelly
@Kelly,
The video above shows you one way of finding schools and how to contact them directly, but the problem is many of the smaller schools in Taiwan won’t be interested in hiring you unless you are already in Taiwan. Obviously being in Taiwan means finding schools is much easier to do. I’ll work in providing more information about how to contact schools as soon as I can. Taiwan, generally speaking, is safe and much safer than most if not all western countries. No school will pay for your flight in advance, especially cram schools, but most of them do offer you an end of year bonus that should be able to cover at least half of the price of the ticket. Good luck!
How do you feel about the fact that teaching in many “cram schools” during the morning is illegal?
In other words .. the fact that working as a Kindergarten teacher in Taiwan is simply ILLEGAL for any foreign teacher? Do you recommend teachers avoid such morning-Kindie/afternoon ESL jobs .. or just not worry about it?
@Michael,
You are absolutely right. Kindergarten jobs are 100% illegal, but people still take the risk and work in them because they either don’t know it is illegal or they aren’t worried. I obviously wouldn’t recommend anyone to break the law and work in any job that isn’t legal, but this doesn’t stop these kindergartens from advertising the positions and people willingly working in them. What’s the chance you’ll be caught? Probably very little, but that’s the risk you take.
Hi David,
I am currently living in the U.S. and looking around for adult English teaching positions. Any thoughts on the best path of meeting this goal. FYI: I have a bachelors and a TESOL cert.
@Michael,
Don’t come to Taiwan if you want adult positions. Sorry if I sound a little blunt, but there’s very few adult gigs in Taiwan. You would be much better off in Japan or China with your qualifications. You could probably get work that involved teaching both adults and children, or you could simply get two jobs, but I wouldn’t recommend this. Taiwan is all about kids, at least generally speaking.
Hello David,
I’ve been researching teaching jobs in Taipei for several years now. I am conisdering moving there to teach English part-time within the next several years after I retire at age 55. I have a Master’s degree and many years of work experience including teaching seminars and quality control work. I’m from the US.
One question I have is whether there is a preference for younger teachers over older teachers with work experience. Would you see any benefit for me to get a teacher’s certification? I am thinking of steering towards English for business.
I am great with kids and have been to Taiwan 10 times in the last 11 years. I look much younger than my age and have always wanted to be a teacher.
By the way, your website is very useful and I really like your first name.
Sincerely,
David F.
@David F,
Thanks for the feedback. Unfortunately your age will be an issue, at least for teaching children. You could land a job teaching adults, which seems like it would suit you because you only want to work part-time. Cram schools don’t really care about experience, at least not the majority of them, and I wouldn’t worry about getting any extra qualifications in order to teach. If you really want to get something, then I’d say just get a cheap online TESOL certificate that will cost you about $100 – $150 USD at the most. Your MA “could” land you a part-time job in a university, but this is a huge “could” and really depends on what the MA is in, what kind of visa you have while staying here and who you know. Best of luck.
Hi there! Thanks for an informative website
I am looking to come over to teach English. When would be the best time to come? Oh and please provide some info on the weather!
Thanks so much
Hi,
I am an English teacher with more than 20 years experience with young learners and adults in Spain, including British Council and university. I have a Tefl cert and am an IELTS examiner.
I am looking to move out to taiwan in this year sometime. Can you tell me.
1. When is the best time to go there for job hunting?
2. Do you think it would be easy to find a job teaching ielts.
3. What about examining? Who should I contact?
I have sent a few emails to places like Cambridge Taipei but haven’t had any replies. I think I probably don’t have the right contact emails.
thanks for any help.
@paulc,
Best time to find work is either just before CNY, around January/February, or around July/August. Schools will hire throughout the year but they do most of their hiring around those months. I have never taught IELTS, but I think you shouldn’t have a problem finding IELTS work. Will it be full-time? I honestly don’t know. You very rarely see IETLS jobs advertised, and the very few IELTS examiners I have spoken to taught classes primarily on the weekend. However, since it’s not my field I really can’t give you much more advice beyond this. Good luck!
Hi David.
Do I need a police clearance certificate to apply for jobs? Do I need to apostille my degree or can I just bring it along.
Thanks.
@Gerhard,
In the past you didn’t need to and most jobs still don’t, but this does seem to be changing. You definitely don’t need to get your degree verified or certified for any cram school or other teaching jobs that I know of, so what I did and I believe most people still do is just bring along your original. Should you get a criminal background check before coming? I would say it wouldn’t hurt to do IF they are easy and painless to get in your country. I wish I could give a clear cut answer regarding this, but I will say do one if you are concerned you won’t be able to find a job without one. Some schools are asking for them now because there are more and more teachers coming here, so it makes it easy to filter out the undesirables by raising the barrier to who can and can’t apply. Best of luck and I hope the above helps.
← Previous Comments