Teacher Pay
What do teachers get paid for teaching English in Taiwan? Unlike most jobs, you won’t get paid considerably more if you are more qualified. This isn’t to say that you won’t make more money, but usually the extra amount you get paid is minimal compared to the time and cost of obtaining those extra qualifications in the first place.
Kindergartens
Kindergartens usually offer the lowest of pay ranges in Taiwan. Many schools start teachers off at 550NT to 600NT per hour. Unless you are working both kindergarten and cram school, I personally wouldn’t recommend accepting any job that pays less than 600NT an hour. Kindergarten classes usually run from Monday to Friday and anywhere from two to four hours a day.
Kindergartens usually offer raises every three to six months and have a ceiling on the hourly pay around 650NT – 700NT per hour. The longer you stay at a school the more you will be paid, but only slightly more.
Cram Schools
Most cram school teachers start off at 600NT an hour. However, it is not uncommon to see cram schools advertising positions and only offering 550NT per hour, sometimes even less. I would strongly recommend that you don’t take any job that offers less than 600NT an hour as the starting rate. Cram school classes usually run Monday to Friday and from 5pm to 9pm. So you would be working four hours a day.
Like kindergartens, cram schools usually have a ceiling around 700NT per hour for teachers. Raises are given every three to six months. Some cram schools may offer slightly higher than 700NT per hour, but the majority of schools pay around this.
Public Schools
Many public and private schools will pay teachers a monthly salary and not by the hour. The exact rate will vary depending on the school, however, once you take into account the amount of so called “office hours” and extra work that may be required, public and private schools typically pay around the same as what cram schools do.
Universities
Universities will usually pay slightly more than cram schools. Expect a university position to start off around 650NT an hour. This is only a slight increase over what cram schools pay but to work at a university you must have at least a Master’s degree. The time taken and money spent earning the Master’s degree isn’t shown in what university teachers get paid. Don’t expect to be paid considerably more in Taiwan just because you hold extra teaching or education related credentials.
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@Mark,
You are basically correct. You won’t be able to teach in a university or the public school system without the right credentials. However, you will be able to teach in cram schools, as many as you like, without worrying about applying for a work permit etc. This is possible because if you are married to a Taiwanese you have the same work rights as a Taiwanese person, so you can work anywhere you want provided you meet the requirements for that position (hence needing at least an MA for universities and a teacher’s license for public schools). I hope that helps. Good luck!
I have been offered a job in a Teaching Village. I see from some of your posts that you are weary of these types of schools. Could you elaborate please? Thanks a bunch!
@Brian,
. Good luck!
I am more wary of the recruiters than the actual schools. The English villages are good in theory, but they very quickly become nothing more than repetitive drilling lessons. You do the same “lesson” again and again, which is good if you don’t like the idea of any prep etc. I shouldn’t say they are BAD, but from the people I have spoken to who have done them before they quickly become very boring. If you accept the job and don’t expect much and focus more on enjoying Taiwan, then I think everything will be fine. Remember, all posts on this site are my own thoughts and views, I could be very wwwwwwrong
Hi,
Thanks for this website.
I’ve been an ALT in Japan for a year and have worked for a language school as an instructor for about eight years.
I’m thinking of working in Taiwan.
I have blonde hair, blue eyes, fair skin and am an Australian female with a CELTA.
However, I am in my late 40′s .
I haven’t found any comments about whether or not Taiwanese people, companies and schools will hire people my age.
Any insights would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance,
kit
@kit,
Hmm, the comments are on this site BUT they are probably buried on page 50 and not easy to find. Are you too old to teach English here? Yes and no. It depends on where you teach it. If you were a public school teacher then I’d say no, but for cram school jobs you are definitely getting close to being classified as undesirable. You aren’t too old, but there are many “young” people here who can do the job just as well and obviously have an edge over older teachers. However, being a women it will make it easier to find work.
Long story made short, I think you could still land a job but don’t be surprised if people turn you away based on age. My comments here and on the blog may sound a little pessimistic, but I think you shouldn’t have any major problems if you plan to come and stay short term. If you are planning on staying long term, and by this I mean several years, then I honestly think you’ll find it increasingly difficult to find work once you hit 50. I’d recommend you find a place you like working at and stay there if you want to hang around for a few years, because I really believe it is going to become much more difficult to find work in the coming years with the flood of economic migrants from the USA and UK looking to Asia for greener pastures. Best of luck and I hope my muddle brain reply answered your question
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