Finding a Teaching Job
Making sure you know the ins and outs of how to find teaching jobs in Taiwan can make all the difference to your stay. There are many different ways you can find jobs and they’ll be listed from what I believe to be the worst to the best.
Agents/Recruiters
This would have to be the absolute worst way to find teaching jobs in Taiwan. Why? Simply because agents make their money by finding teachers to fill available positions. This means that agents often end up having jobs or positions that are available in very remote areas of Taiwan (because schools don’t know how to find new teachers) or the positions they do have are extremely low paid or have long hours.
There might be a few sincere agents, but the majority are more concerned about making money than making sure you are 100% happy. While many won’t lie to you, they will often leave out certain information about positions or they will make some jobs sound better than they really are. Some agents may take advantage of the fact that you are new to Taiwan and most likely know very little about the working conditions, pay and living in Taiwan in general.
Newspapers/Websites
The most common and reliable way to find work in Taiwan is either through local newspapers (not much help if you aren’t in Taiwan already) or through classified websites. There are many different classified websites where both schools and agents list positions they have available in Taiwan. When browsing through these websites, be aware that many ads posted are from agents. It is best that you apply for positions that are offered by schools directly and not a middle man.
Friends/Contacts
The best way to find work in Taiwan is through your friends or contacts. If you are new to Taiwan or haven’t arrived in Taiwan yet, then this won’t be of much use. Just keep this in mind as usually the positions with high pay or best working hours rarely are advertised online and instead are gained through contacts or knowing people.
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I am interested in teaching English for a few months, probably no more than 3 or 4 months. Are there short term opportunities?
I appreciate your advice!
Jess
@Jessica, you won’t be able to work for 3 – 4 months legally. Minimum is 1 year.
I just graduated from Lee University with a Bachelor’s in History and a minor in English.. I have no teaching experience whatsoever.. how hard is it to teach English to others? I’m willing to work as hard as possible, I’m just not exactly sure what to do to prepare.. etc..
Any help would be wonderful.. if you could just email back thats fine.. but you can reply on here if that’s better.
@Davi, first, don’t stress. You already have a minor in English, which is probably more than 90% of other foreigners teaching in Taiwan. Schools provide you with their own curriculum, and all you have to do is follow their steps. One big hint, teaching English here is 90% about keeping the students happy so that their parents keep them enrolled at the school. It isn’t rocket science and most of the teaching you will do is very basic.
Hi David,
Love the work you’ve done here with the website! You offer very straight forward info, from a new foreign teacher’s point of view and draw a very “real” picture of what it’s really like out here for the newcomers. Cheers!
My question: I really like the advice you offered to Davi right above, when you wrote “teaching English here is 90% about keeping the students happy so that their parents keep them enrolled at the school. ” Definitely worth remembering at all times when teaching kids. Are there any more of these simple but “real” advice that you can offer, as an experienced teacher, things to be mindful of when teaching kids at a cram school, perhaps in point form?
Thanks again, cheers!
@Justin,
Thanks for the feedback. I realize these kinds of tips would be of great help, so I will see what I can do. I appreciate the suggestion.
Hello
Great website.
I am living in Israel (but am a native English speaker and hold a US passport) at the moment and would like to teach in Taiwan during the next school year. What month do you suggest I head to Taiwan and would I be able to obtain a visitor’s visa from outside the US(Israel) before I go?
Thanks for the help!
@Guy G,
I can’t see why you can’t obtain a visitor’s visa before you go. A quick trip to your travel agents would resolve this problem. Anyway, the best time to come to Taiwan for jobs is just before CNY, which would be in January. Taipei is the safest place to go as they are usually “always” hiring throughout the year. It is just that you’ll find the most jobs advertised before/around CNY.
Hi,
I’ve been offered a job through a recruiter advertising on esljobs.com – and wondered if you have come across him before – Bryan Wu at esljobtaiwan. He’s offered me a job very quickly and I’m a litle unsure!
Thanks,
Debbie
@Debbie,
It depends on the job, but recruiters usually have jobs most people won’t touch. By this I mean they are located in remote areas with low pay and long hours. This isn’t ALWAYS the case, OK. Recruiters also get jobs for people in public schools, but the cram school jobs are usually rubbish. I would check the hours, pay, and conditions of your job and compare it against what else you see online. I strongly recommend finding work yourself, and only use a recruiter if you really have no alternative. Good luck.
Hi there,
I’ve just finished 2 years of teaching in Korea and will be completing my TEFL and online diploma in a few months. I am looking to start working in Taiwan in the summer for a few years. What are opportunities for teaching adults or at University level?
Thanks
David
@David,
Feel free to check the Who Can Teach in Taiwan page for more info. Taiwan does not recognize online degrees, and university positions require an MA or higher. Good luck.
I recommend Tealit for find jobs and other life-aspects
I’m a graduating bachelor’s student and will be moving to Taiwan in August.
I have a few questions I hope you can help me with:
1) My main purpose for Taiwan is to learn Mandarin. Do you think it is possible for me to have time to both study Mandarin intensively and teach English (with a salary high enough to fund my stay)?
2) Is August a good time to arrive or will I have trouble with programs that have started already?
3) I had seen somewhere that you could get an employer to pay for your airfare and all before you leave your home country. Do you think this a wise thing to do or is it not worth it?
Thanks!
@Lili,
Best time to come is just before CNY. However, there are always jobs throughout the year if you aren’t picky. Studying Chinese intensively may mean something different to you than it does to me. Most English teaching jobs want you to do about 20 hours a week on class. Keep that in mind when you go looking for a school to study at. Good luck!
Hi there,
My fiance and I have just come across your website – it’s giving us a great insight so far… thanks.
We’ve just arrived in Taichung and are both looking for work – we were just wondering which newspapers are best to get when job hunting as we got the taipei times, and china post yesterday and there wasn’t really anything in them.
Also, with CNY just around the corner what do you recommend a foreigner does to really immerse themselves in the celebrations?
Thanks in advance and keep up the great work with the site.
Cheers,
Neil
@Neil,
Unfortunately, as you have just found out, newspapers aren’t very useful. The ads appearing in them has dropped over the years, so don’t waste your time buying them anymore. This is why I say it is probably best for people to line up a job before they come. You should see an increase in the number of jobs either just before or right after CNY as they try to fill English teaching positions in the last minute. Wish you and your finance the best of luck!
Hi there,
First off, thank you, your website has been a great wealth of knowledge!
Let me just give you a quick run down on me. I’m an (almost) 28 year old American who has traveled/lived abroad for the last 4 years: nannying, bartending, doing odd jobs, and teaching English.
I’m currently looking to find a teaching job in Taiwan and am just a bit stuck. I see you’ve mentioned to find one before going but thats where my issue comes in. I seem to be able to find loads of jobs for Korea but none for Taiwan. The few I have found say they require teaching certificates? I was under the impression that most positions don’t require a teaching credential?
Would you have any websites or information that would be able to help in my search. Cheers!
@Julie,
Good luck!
I really should get around to it but the bad news is there just aren’t that many places to find jobs. I’d just Google online and you’ll find only one or two main sites to use. Obviously you don’t need to find a teaching job before you come, but it just means you don’t have to worry as much. The teaching jobs I think you have found are ones in public schools. These are handled by recruiters and there are only a few of them. Look for cram school English teaching jobs. Welcome to the fun of finding a teaching job in Taiwan
Hi to you,
As a 44 year old female, do you think i have just as much chance of finding a teaching job as someone in their 20′s or will it be harder?
Many thanks
@Emma,
You will have much more difficulty than someone in their 20s. This isn’t to say you won’t be able to find a job, but it will mean much more time hitting the pavement looking for work.
Hi There,
I’m a New Zealander just finishing my degree (Bachelor of Engineering (Hons I), Bachelor of Commerce Conjoint). I am very interested in doing some travelling for a year in 2012. But want to support it with work. I’m very interested in teaching English in Taiwan. However, are there any other employment opportunities for foreigners in Taiwan?
Cheers,
@Matt,
Are you fluent in Chinese and willing to work for about 25,000NT a month doing 10 hours a day? There are things to do here besides teach English, but you only get into them by doing something on your own or by having years of experience and connections in the industry you want to work in. Simply put, teaching English is almost about all anyone fresh off the boat can do here.
Hi
So far I can gather that the best thing to do for Taiwan is to perhaps apply for a few but look at loads of jobs before coming there. Get a visa first and then once there find a job independent of an agency. My only real question here is what to do about accommodation? How do you find somewhere to live before you get there or even once you get there? Is there anything you should avoid? Are there any reputable agencies? Is the best thing to do to live in a hostel until you find a job and then rent somewhere?
I am an arts graduate with some English teaching experience and am looking to head out in the next 5 months.
@vivien,
I would definitely recommend you find a teaching job before you come. Many schools will provide you with temporary accommodation, or you will just have to pay for a hotel for a week or two until you find a place to rent on your own. Schools typically will help you find a place to rent, as they usually want you to stay and know that helping you, even a little bit, will increase the chances of you staying on. That’s what most people do when they make a move to Taiwan to teach English.
What a helpful website you have! Thanks for putting it together.
I have a job question for you. I am planning on going to Taiwan to find an English teaching job this summer. Originally was planning on going early August, because I heard it was a good time to go for jobs (and I will be available then), but recently found out about a friends wedding at the beginning of September. If I ended up going early September, would that lower my chances of finding a good job, or finding a job quickly?
Thanks!
@Ryan,
It really depends on the city you go to. Most of the big English cram schools hire teachers seasonally, but there are smaller ones which are always looking. If you do not care about the pay, work conditions or location of the job, then you could definitely find a job quickly. It all comes down to what you are looking for and where you want to work.
David, thanks for putting in the time with the website. I’m writing in hopes of finding some answers (1) my friend and I are planning on coming out soon and hoping to teach together at the same school, or at least in the same city-is this possible? (2) I was looking into the Hess progrma but I’ve been hearing some pretty terrible, any comments? (3) After reading over the website I’m getting mixed reviews, is it best to show up and look for work or to have a job before arriving? Thanks again for taking the time for this!
@Tara,
Getting work in the same city is possible, but you will need to make sure it is a big city, i.e Taipei. You’ll definitely see a lot of negative comments about HESS, but the problem is that it really depends on the branch you work at. Cram schools typically have a different branch manager for each branch, and this means that they are the determining factor when it comes to how good or bad that specific branch is to work at. This applies to ALL cram schools and not just HESS. I would strongly suggest you find work before you come, unless you have deep pockets and don’t mind burning through some savings as you try and find work. You’ll learn a lot about how the English cram school “game” works in the first year, and this will put you in a better position to find a different school for your second year, assuming you wish to stay that is. Good luck!
Hello,
I was wondering what to expect in terms of square footage of a one bedroom apt. or studio in Taiwan?
@Shirley,
Hi,
Taiwan doesn’t use the imperial system. Things are measured in “pings”. A studio apartment is usually anywhere from 10 – 15 pings in size. I don’t use the imperial system either, but it appears that 10 – 15 pings is about 300 – 500 square feet.
hi David,
thank you for the great website. lots of useful info!
a couple of questions:
1. I have a CELTA certificate in addition to BA from an American university and just did the Delta (the first two modules, waiting for the results.) I don’t have an MA though. Would I be able to find a job teaching adults, not children – if not at a university then maybe to business people?
2. I am a (white non-native speaker with mild European accent, born in Germany, holding a Canadian passport. Will they give me a hard time about not being born in Canada? will they be able to recognize my accent? Most of my students have no idea where I am from – they presume I am Canadian or American. Will people who interview me be more tuned in to a slight accent like mine?
Thanks a lot in advance,
Diana
@Diana,
Without an MA you cannot work in a university. Since you hold a Canadian passport I think you technically could work here, but some schools might start asking questions about your accent etc. It really depends on the school. Being a woman is a definite bonus, and if you say people can’t tell where you are from or can’t hear a heavy accent, then I would say that you should be able to find some place to teach. There is very little work teaching adults in Taiwan, especially full-time work. So just keep that in mind.
Hi David,
Very interesting website actually !
I have MA in teaching English as a foreign language from Aleppo University in Syria, the question is : do non native speakers of English have the chance to find a teaching job in Taiwan?
Cheers =)
Thank you David for your prompt and detailed answer. All the best to you!
@Ghonah,
You could find work, but honestly speaking I think you will have difficulty. Not because you aren’t a native speaker, but because the kinds of jobs that can employ people from non-native English speaking countries are very rare. Most jobs are in cram schools teaching English to children, and these jobs require you to be a passport holder from one of the countries listed elsewhere on the site. Basically I would suggest you do a LOT of homework before you came here, because if you don’t you may find it difficult to get work.
Hello!
Your website is very informative, yet I find myself in an interesting position and would appreciate your informed opinion. I was born in Kaohsiung in southern Taiwan, but I’ve lived almost my entire life in New England and I hold both US and Taiwan passports (I’ve checked with the Taipei Economic and Cultural office in NY). I know I already have a Taiwan ID number and a household registry and all that so I can stay in Taiwan indefinitely (leaving every 4 months to avoid military service) without jumping through the hoops of needing a work visa or resident alien card. My concern lies in the fact that while I am currently on a leave of absence from UConn, I do not have a bachelor’s degree in anything and I don’t speak/read/write Chinese fluently and have no teaching experience to speak of. I have family in Taiwan that is looking to see if they can help me find work teaching English, but it would help me greatly to get your opinion if I stand a chance at getting work at all (if they would hire someone without a degree, but who is a native English speaker). I plan on traveling to Taiwan on July 19th for my cousin’s wedding, and staying for the duration of ~2 weeks if I cannot find work, so a prospective school or company looking to hire me would not have to pay my travel costs. It would be doubly helpful if you knew someone actively hiring people with my dubious qualifications within the Da-An district.
@AJ,
You could find a job, but I would recommend you look at any of the “small” cram schools. By this I mean the ones that typically can’t or don’t hire foreigners because they can’t apply for work permits or just don’t want to go through the hassle of applying for them. You actually shouldn’t have much trouble finding work. However, please note that you may not get paid as much per hour working in these kinds of schools. That isn’t to say you will get paid less, but just be prepared for some offers to be typical Taiwanese rates per hour. Good luck.
Hi David,
Thank you for all of this useful info and for responding to questions! Is it possible for anyone who doesn’t have a BA to get a job in Taiwan? My brother has an associates ( we’re from the US). A few more questions if I may, I’ve read that it is best to apply for a visitor’s /tourist visa and then get your work permit. A friend also suggested simply leaving Taiwan every two months, but this seems daunting. If I have a job lined up, would you recommend applying fora resident visa before going over there? One more thing, do you have any airline recommendations or have any idea how much it typically costs to fly to Taiwan from the US? Thank you so much for your response!!
-Megan
@Megan,
You’ll find that your question regarding what credentials you need to teach English in Taiwan is answered HERE. I don’t know of many people who get their resident visa before they come. The usual process is to do it in country here in Taiwan, because you need to do a health check and some other paperwork which is much easier to do if you are actually in Taiwan. Sorry, but I am not American so I don’t know of any prices or which airlines are the best to fly from the USA to Taiwan. Good luck!
Hi David,
I have been teaching English / Test Prep (SAT, SSAT) for the past year in China, and I have an MA in international business. I asked a few of my Taiwanese friends from school about places I could teach in Taiwan, but they didn’t have much experience or advice. One recommended Hess, but after the stories I’ve heard from their teachers, I am not interested. Do you have any advice about 1) where I should search, 2) any companies I should look into, 3) what terms/keywords I should look for in a job listing?
I would ideally want to teach university-age students, but adults or high schoolers are okay, too. Test prep is my specialty, but general English is cool, too.
Bonus question: what is the management structure like at most of these schools? I would like to use my business degree sooner, rather than later, but my current company is VERY hierarchical and entirely Korean-run, so the teachers can’t move up. Any chance of that in Taiwan?
Thanks for your time!
@jake,
Answers below:
Thanks for the bonus question
1)
You have an MA, but it is not English/TEFL/TESOL related. This means that most universities simply won’t want to hire you. I am sure some would, but finding them will be very hard. Also, universities, for the most part, only hire lecturers on a part-time basis. Basically they won’t be able to sponsor you for a visa.
2)
I would just check around and you’ll see on most job boards the kind of schools that are hiring. Most are teaching children or teenagers. There is a VERY small adult market here, and you will get paid less if teaching adults. You have test prep experience, which is very good, so I’d recommend you first get a job that gets you to the island and then you start looking around/making friends to see what else you can move into.
3 + Bonus)
There’s no magical keywords that will find you work in Taiwan teaching English. 99% of the jobs is the usual clown act teaching English to children. Of course there are other jobs, but they are extremely difficult to find. Also, don’t expect to be treated any differently by your boss just because you teach adults. This is related to your bonus question. Career advancement? I probably sound like a cynical bastard, but there is no such thing here. Again, this isn’t ALWAYS the case, but 99.9% of other teachers in Taiwan will simply tell you that there’s very little chance to actually advance/improve your position. You’ll most likely get a pay increase every few months up to a specific limit, and then that’s about it.
Again, take the above with a grain of salt. I am just trying to paint a realistic picture of Taiwan so you know what to expect. Good luck.
Wow, all bummers! Seriously, though- thanks for your earnestness. I have a few follow-up questions:
Is there any way for me to know which schools are reputable? Aside from the Hess nightmare stories, I’ve heard precious little info about any specific companies, and it seems like there are too many to count. Do you have any examples? (feel free to shoot me an email if you don’t want to name names publicly)
I’ve done the “work at a shady place to get there, then look around” thing in China, and it’s an experience I don’t really want to repeat. Would it be possible to do that on a tourist visa? or do companies need you to already have a work visa before they’ll hire you?
It sounds like test prep (probably SAT/SSAT) would be my best bet for gainful employment there; I have direct experience, I like it, and I’ve got the requisite scores myself. Do you have any advice where to look?
@Jake,
Again, Taiwan isn’t a BAD place, and it is nothing like China, from what I’ve heard, but the good days of easy money and teaching English are long gone. There is no way, sadly, to check how good or bad a specific branch of a chain school is. I’ve worked at one of the chain schools and other than the enormous amount of unpaid hours spent grading homework, the school and boss was actually very good.
Also, I didn’t mean get a shiess job first and come to Taiwan, I just meant get something “standard” like teaching children and then see what happens next. You honestly do have an advantage with your test prep experience, but here is the catch. How often do you see schools advertising positions for test prep teachers in Taiwan? I honestly can’t remember and I don’t personally know of any teachers who teach those kinds of classes. There is plenty of test prep going on here in Taiwan, but it is mostly taught by Chinese/Taiwanese teachers. The IELTS/TOEFL positions are very hard to come by, and if you do find them they are usually part-time. This all goes back to the problem of the adult market here being very small, especially when compared with China, Korea and Japan.
I’ll be honest with you and say I wouldn’t recommend you come to Taiwan. Could you find a great paying job that you really enjoy that also have career advancement opportunities? Sure, maybe, but I believe you’d have a better chance finding a job you enjoy in China or Korea. I only say this because those markets are much bigger and your MA would be much more useful than it is here in Taiwan because they simply will frown when they see it isn’t English related. However, I could be wrong. If you don’t want to take a job in advance, just come on over, stick to Taipei and look around. The worst that could happen is that you don’t find a job of your liking and then you just head somewhere else. Good luck with whatever you decide.
You are helping so many people with this blog. Thank you!
I was wondering if you could name some good cram schools that you have had a good experience with. I would like to teach in Taichung this September.
You can email me if you like.
@SP,
Unfortunately I can’t really recommend any schools. The main reason is because each branch in a school usually has its own branch director. It’s this person who makes a school good or bad, plus it also depends on you as an individual. I would recommend that you ask the school for contact details of other teachers working at the school, so you can email them and ask questions about the branch. Good luck.
I only have a few more questions:
1) Can you tell me a specific branch that has a director you liked?
2) If I contact the school do they have people that speak English that can talk with me?
3) Have you learned mandarin? I read your blog but I have been reading so many Taiwan blogs I can’t remember if you said so in it.
4) Have you made lots of friends ex-pats and native Taiwanese?
Thank you so much for your help! I am sure you have earned lots of karma.
Thank you again.
@SP
1)
Again, no I can’t. Because some branches I have hated and others working there liked. Plus, most schools will not let you pick the branch you go to. You apply to the school and then they send you wherever they want.
2)
It depends on the school. I assume by “school” you are referring to the typical private cram schools. The big schools will have someone who does the recruiting, so they usually have a department that will handle the hiring of new teachers.
3)
I learned Mandarin at university and continued to do so here in Taiwan. I am not fluent, but it’s good enough that I don’t need any help in my daily life.
4)
How many friends you make will depend on the city you go to and the type of person you are. If you want to make Taiwanese friends, then I strongly suggest you learn Mandarin. I say this because Taiwanese, generally, don’t speak English very well. Also, if you can’t speak Chinese then I suggest you stick to Taipei, as it is the most foreigner friendly city in Taiwan. Good luck!
Dear Dave,
I am interested in teaching in Taiwan but am hesitant because of the lack of objectivity in recruitment process. It seems like everyone is shooting an angle, even if some aren’t. Is there any way to objectively judge a school? I need to know because I can’t move to Taiwan then get stuck in a bad situation. This is because my medical/financial situation won’t allow me to simply break a contract and move to another school. I need the national health card from the start. Looking for advice/a little bewildered/still hopeful. Thanks.
PS Im looking at Gloria right now. Do they have a good rep?
@Chris S,
If you are talking about recruiters, then there is no way to protect yourself. They want you to join a school so they get paid. If you are talking about schools that hire directly, it is safer but still difficult to judge if a school is good or not. As I recommended to another person on this board, contact the school and ask them if you can talk to teachers who currently work or used to work for the school. This way you can get some idea of what it is really like working there. Failing that, just go for the big chain schools. They do pay less, but they are much safer and more setup to handle foreigners. Unfortunately I’ve not heard anything about Gloria, which can be good and bad. Good luck!
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