Teacher Training
Ok, you’ve probably found yourself a job or you have been looking and now you want to know about training? Do you need any experience to teach? Do schools train you or help you in anyway. The majority of teaching work in Taiwan requires no experience and training is usually provided.
If you don’t have any experience teaching before don’t worry. Schools primarily target university graduates who they know have no experience in teaching. Why do they do this? Simply because it makes it easy for them to “train” teachers to use their materials and teaching style in class. This only applies for the cram schools throughout Taiwan. If you are looking at working public schools or a university, obviously they would prefer you have some kind of experience.
How much training a school provides you really does vary. Some of the bigger “chain” schools will provide up to several weeks of intensive daily training. This can run from 9am to 6pm Monday to Friday. It can be tiring but if you have never taught before you’ll get to know all the ins and outs of how to teach English at that school. Some schools won’t provide any or only one day of training. This kind of attitude shows you that cram schools aren’t too concerned with education and are just happy to have a foreign English speaking person in classes to keep parents happy.
You may also find that your school has follow up training. This, once again, is usually the case at the bigger schools and you’ll go off to training workshops once every three to six months. These are usually just for a couple of hours a day and are typically held in the morning so you don’t miss evenings classes. Not all schools have follow up training but if you are concerned about your lack of experience teaching and want to do the best job you possibly can, then you might want to consider applying for positions where you know the schools offer ongoing training to help you be a better teacher.
{ 17 comments… read them below or add one }
I was grateful to run across this website, it’s a wonderful starting point and has answered a lot of my questions! I would love to teach in Taiwan and don’t have any problems with a lot of the things mentioned here (I’m young, live frugally, am very interested in the language culture and would happily commit to a year or more teaching there, etc. etc.), but one thing that worries me a little is, by the end of this year I will be certified by an internationally recognized Canadian governing body as a teacher of ESL, with teaching experience of my own. If I want to work in Taiwan, will this certification and experience actually hurt my chances of getting hired, as you mentioned schools like to give their foreign teachers training to mold them in that school’s preferred style of teaching?
@Ellenz, of course not, but just don’t try and tell the school how to run their classes. Many owners of schools have very little, if any, understanding of how to teach languages. All I can recommend anyone new to teaching in Taiwan to do is to just smile and do what your boss wants you to do.
I am planning to move to Taiwan to teach in February and I don’t have my passport yet. Will this be a problem? I see some of the big companies have a minimum amount of time that you have to have your passport before you can apply. Can you reccomend any good companies that I can check out that wouldn’t require that.
@Wayne, You will need the passport before you can apply to schools. They’ll need to see a copy of it. Never heard of any problem about how long you have had your passport, but most require that you at least have more than a year remaining on your passport.
“Schools primarily target university graduates who they know have no experience in teaching.” Would this make having previous experience teaching in a British school a disadvantage? I was thinking of doing a Post Graduate Certificate of Education after completing my history degree, perhaps teaching for a year or two to build up a cushion of cash and then going over. I have contacts already in Taipei, so that should be useful for finding the actual jobs, but would this experience i am planning on gaining be avoided by some schools?
@Edward,
Not at all, but just don’t expect schools to want to do it your way because you happen to hold a PGCE/education related degree etc. Also, don’t expect schools to pay more. Experience is not a bad thing, but it can be a problem because schools have their own way and they don’t like employees questioning their methods. Take this with a grain of salt because you may find the occasional school that is open to ideas and suggestions about how to improve their school, but they are rare.
Hell-o, I am just starting with the TESOL course with additional electives for tutoring, business, medical and grade school level students. My question, I am 61 how are my chances for finding a position in rural Taiwan? My partner is from Taiwan with family all over Taiwan. I have been in and out of Taiwan for the last 15 years. So, living in the country would suit me better than the cities. Any comments?
Cheers
@Bill,
Hard to say because you didn’t mention what kind of qualifications you have besides the TESOL course. Also, and don’t take offense to this, the term “partner” is very vague. Is this a wife, boy friend, girl friend or what? It is important because it can affect your status here in Taiwan. However, the biggest issue is your age. Being in the country might be your best option, because they probably have a hard time trying to get younger teachers to make the move there. It is very difficult for me to give any concrete advice, because there’s too much I don’t know. Best of luck.
Hell-o and thanks for the input. I do have an undergrate degree in science with minor studies in business and international marketing. It took me a while to decide what to do back then. I was a medic in the war with advance training. After that I taught emergency medicine at the University of Missouri at Columbia for over 5 years. This is when I decided I had seen enough and changed from premed over to business. I have been in business for myself sense the 80′s. My partner is my wife [ partner is Australian phrasing]. I have traveled in and out of Taiwan for over 15 years. Cities are ok but I love the country. SO, we have a place in Taiwan with a bunch of family memebers all-over. I am looking at a TESOL program offered by ATA and ATTC [have you heard of them?]. Both offer a base 60 hr. in-class formatt with “electives’ of 60hr. blocks as on-line access. I am leaning towards the ATA because of the electives offered. 60 hr. courses for specific child age groups, tutoring to adults, business people , medical students and test evaluation & class structuring.
I have been a builder and property developer for many years now. DO NOT want to retire, so I think this would be a worthy think to do and next 10 years we want to Live in Taiwan, China, South Amarica and Lower Europe. So, with this info, what do you think are my chances
Thanks & Cheers
Bill
@Bill,
Anyway, since you have a Bachelor’s you won’t have any trouble working legally. If your wife is Taiwanese then you can apply for a JFRV and that will make work here much easier. Get her to look into that if you haven’t already got one. The biggest problem is still your age. Your best chances for teaching English would be Taiwan or China, and I tend to favour China for your situation. The problem is that in China you will still have problems regarding age, but since the darn country is so big it just means you could apply to a lot of places and hopefully one would accept you. Technically speaking, Taiwan would be “easier” since your wife is Taiwanese, but your age and the shrinking English teaching market here makes it difficult. You could do well in Taiwan with a JFRV and just private tutoring. I’d sit down and have a long talk with the wife. Good luck.
I am Australian and have never used the term partner, but that’s a moot point
Hi. I have a Masters in Education at an accreddited school in New York State and want to teach English in Taiwan. Is it possible for me to be able to make and save good money? I’m looking at not only the experience but also to come home with a good chunk of change.
@Joe,
How long is a piece of string? I am not trying to be a smart arse, so apologies if that is how I come across, but a “good chunk of change” is extremely vague. I honestly have no idea what you would consider worthwhile. I will say, however, that you can earn more teaching English in other Asian countries than Taiwan. So, if the sole purpose is money, then no, Taiwan is not the best place to bank coin. I hope that helps.
Hi,
Thank you so much for this website, it is truly an invaluable resource and I’m so glad I ran across it! Here’s my situation:
I am a white American, I have a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and a Master’s degree from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London in Middle East Politics. I do not have any teaching experience, besides private tutoring for about 4 years.
I would really like to teach at the university level in Taiwan, preferably in Politics or History. Do you think there is any chance of me getting a job like this? As a second choice, I would be willing to work in a cram school or international school for children or high school age. I am used to an urban lifestyle, and I know for certain I have to live in Taipei if I move to Taiwan.
My wife also wants to teach and has a bachelor’s. However, she is an immigrant to the US from Jordan and will probably have her green card in 6 months-1 year. So, she’s Arab and she’s medium skin color, not white but not dark. Do you think there’s any chance she can get work in Taiwan teaching or doing anything else, or would it be very difficult or impossible due to her lack of US passport? Thanks so much!
I forgot to mention, I’m 26 and my wife is 22 and her bachelor’s is also in political science.
@Joseph,
Your chances of working in a university are extremely low, and I think I am generous when I say that. I can’t say it is impossible, but your MA is not English/TEFL related, so that will be a problem for most universities. If you are lucky enough to find one that will hire you, the chances are it will only be part-time. You won’t be able to live on part-time wages in Taipei. The reason for this is that there are a LOT of foreigners here with MAs, so universities can pick ones with the most suitable credentials. There’s pretty much zero chance you’ll be able to teach subjects that are related to your master’s. Universities hire foreign teachers to primarily teach English related subjects.
Do I sound like a super negative guy? Maybe, but this is what you’ll face. You have a much better chance of landing a job in a cram school. International schools only hire licensed teachers, so if you have a valid teacher’s license from the US, then that is an option. Your wife, however, will have a much harder time finding work. She doesn’t have a US passport, so she legally can’t be employed by a cram school to teach English. Honestly speaking, her employment prospects here are low, and I would question bringing my significant other here.
Unless you can land a really good job here that pays well, other countries would be much more suitable. Your wife could probably get a job teaching English in China, and that would at least give her a source of income and something to do. I can’t tell you what to do, but if I were you I would think long and hard about what the reasons are behind my wife and I are for making a move to Taiwan. Good luck with whatever you guys end up doing.
Hello, Thank you so much for this website. This is the most information about this job that I have found anywhere.
I am a senior at a private school. I want to be an ESL teacher in Taipei. I have contacts and friends in Taipei City. I plan on going to community college for two years then transfer to a four year university. What should I major in to be well qualified to teach ESL, and what is the best type of school to teach at (cram school, kindergarten, public school). I know that I don’t want to work at a university. Is the pay enough to live on if I get that job? My friends there can help me get an apartment. I have been to Taiwan for three weeks once and I loved everything about it: food, culture, people, etc. I am not a picky person.
@David,
I would strongly recommend that you become a licensed teacher back home. However, it depends on how long you plan to stay here? I see you are still in school, so are you just coming to Taiwan for fun or do you want to live here long term? I definitely wasn’t able to make a decision like that when I was in school, but perhaps you can due to differing circumstances. If you are coming here for the short term, then I would do a BA at university in something you were interested in or wanted to build a career in later on after you are finished in Taiwan.
If you are coming here for the long term, then I would recommend that you do a BA in education or something like that which would allow you to become a certified public teacher in your home country. This will make it much easier to find a job in Taiwan, and public school jobs here are in excess supply, at least compared to cram school jobs. You’ll be able to live on the pay and provided you don’t live beyond your means, you will also be able to save part of your pay each month. Best of luck!