Who Can Teach in Taiwan?

@Kerry,
Unfortunately I don’t know because I am not sure what your diploma is classified as. I would recommend you check out the list of recognized universities HERE (apologies, this list has “moved” and I don’t know where to). You’ll probably need to use Google translate, but you will, or at least should, be able to see if the place you studied is recognized. Not on the list? Then it means you’ll probably have to contact TECO and ask for specifics. Wish I could provide more information than that, but if your diploma isn’t a BA, then I am not exactly 100% sure on what is and isn’t accepted. Best of luck.

@Charlotte,
Hi! Unfortunately he cannot teach in Taiwan with just a high school diploma. Check the top of this page and you will see the minimum requirements for teaching English in Taiwan, at least for a cram school. Best of luck to your friend.

@Kevin,
With an AA + TEFL you can legally apply for a work permit to teach English in Taiwan. However, non-native speakers here are Taiwanese, so there will be very little chance of her working legally here. Does she hold a US passport? If she does then she could technically apply to work in cram schools like yourself, but without a US passport she is going to fight an uphill battle.

Regarding the colour of your skin, I think you will be fine. My advice to people who are worried that they don’t fit the “stereotype” teacher some schools prefer, or should I say parents prefer since they pay the tuition fees, is to go to Taipei. Taipei is “generally” a much more open minded place. It’s also a great place to land and start exploring Taiwan from. I do, however, hold concerns for your wife. If she has a US passport, then things will be much easier for her. I might offend many by saying this, but people from Southeast Asia face a lot of negativity in Taiwan. I am not saying people will abuse her, but they are usually involved in the kind of work or duties that Taiwanese don’t want to do (hard labour or caregiver work). Best of luck with whatever you guys decide on doing. If you have any more questions just let me know. Only too happy to help.

@Jeremy,
Do you have a passport from one of the countries mentioned at the top of this post? If you don’t, then you can’t legally work in a cram school. Also, Chinese ability isn’t an issue when it comes to teaching English, at least not for the majority of jobs. Anyway, all the requirements you need to teach English in cram schools in Taiwan are at the top of this page. You basically have to have a passport from one of the countries listed and hold a Bachelor’s degree or an AA with some kind of TEFL or TESOL certification. I hope that helps and best of luck with your future plans.

@Michael
Yes, you will have trouble finding work, especially if you want to teach in cram schools. I’d recommend you stick to Taipei because they are less concerned about skin color and that’s where most of the jobs are. Parents are the reason schools prefer to hire Caucasians, but this doesn’t mean someone like you can’t find a job. You will just have to look longer and harder than the other younger people out there who want to teach English in Taiwan. Best of luck and take care.

@Steve,
Have you not yet graduated? If this is the case, then you are correct by saying it is impossible to legally teach English here because you don’t have the required credentials etc. Could you find work tutoring privately? Definitely and there are several websites setup that allow you to do language exchange or advertise your services. Obviously I can’t condone anyone to break the laws of a country, but plenty of people tutor privately in Taiwan and 99.9% of the time nothing happens. The police and immigration office have much more to worry about than some Canadian guy teaching a university student English at the local Burger King. Provided you are sensible and don’t try to open up your own school with ads all over the place and piss off your neighbors, I really don’t see any problem with doing some tutoring on the side. However, if you don’t have a bachelor’s then I am not sure how long or why you are coming to Taiwan. I assume it may be to learn Chinese or perhaps just a short term holiday. Either way best of luck with your adventure in Taiwan!

@Vuong,
As shown at the top of this page, if you are not Caucasian, then you will have difficulty finding work. It won’t be impossible, but schools will turn you away as soon as they see you aren’t “white”. Solution? You will have to knock on a lot more doors and apply to a lot more teaching jobs in order to land a job. Public transport in Taipei is wonderful, but outside of Taipei it is shocking. There’s plenty of it around, but it’s confusing or just terribly slow. I’d recommend getting your own scooter so you don’t have to worry about public transport if you don’t end up in Taipei. Most cram schools will have you working 6 days a week, and only a few offer classes only from Monday to Friday. If you are set on traveling on your weekends, then I would definitely recommend you look for a school with classes from Mon-Fri only. Finding substitutes for your classes can be a pain, especially if you are doing it quite frequently and your school may start to wonder how “dedicated” you are to your job. Chinese is a difficult language and you won’t be “fluent” at it even after a years time. Luckily, language schools are cheap and you can attend group classes for a cost of around 150 – 200NT an hour. Some people live in Taiwan for years without learning the language, probably like a lot of immigrants who move to the US or CAN and never really learn the language. I am not sure if this is a good or bad thing, but learning Chinese will make life here easier but it’s not an easy language to learn. If you want nightlife then I will say stay in Taipei. It by far has the most pubs, clubs and just about everything that is related to night life. Other cities like Taichung and Kaohsiung naturally have places to go at night, but they pale in comparison to what Taipei offers. Be warned though, because Taipei can end up being a very expensive city to live. I hope this information helps and best of luck with your Taiwan adventure!

@Magdalene,
Hi, unfortunately it won’t be enough to teach in a public school. You need to be a certified teacher in your home country to teach in the public school system in Taiwan. You “may” be able to teach in a private school, but I have still heard rumors that this isn’t exactly 100% legal, despite private schools still hiring foreigners without a current teacher’s license. You will most likely be limited to teaching in cram schools, but I do want to warn you and say that you will face difficulty finding work as a S’porean in Taiwan teaching English. I guess you may already be aware of it, but thought it best to warn you just in case. Best of luck with everything!

@Stephen,
Your daughter would most likely have no difficulty finding private tutoring gigs in Taiwan, but it is illegal (something I have to obviously point out on a public site). She would also be able to find private tutoring gigs in China, again also illegal, but the question is how long does she want to do it? If she is just moving to Asia for a few months between finishing high school and starting university, then I would say it doesn’t really matter where she wants to go to teach English. However, for anyone looking at something long term, then I strongly suggest China. China is just how Taiwan was when you were in Taiwan in the 1980s. There’s a huge demand for English teachers, so that’s why I recommend people go to China if they are looking at something long term. Good luck to your daughter with whatever she decides on.

@Lorie,
Thanks for the post, but the problem is without a university degree you cannot legally teach English in Taiwan. There “may” be ways around this, such as being married to a local, but 99% of the time you will need a degree to teach here. This is a Ministry of Education law/requirement and while it is good to hear that you are motivated and patient, without a degree you simply cannot apply for a work permit to stay and teach in Taiwan. Take care.

@Dan,
As far as I know you do not need to show transcripts. You simply need to show that you hold a BA/BSc to be eligible to obtain a work permit to work in cram schools. I never had to show my transcripts when I first came to Taiwan, so I believe you wouldn’t have a problem. Provided you went to a “real” university, did NOT study via online/distance learning and have that piece of paper, everything else should be OK. I hope that helps and best of luck with teaching in Taiwan if you decide to make the move.

@Dan,
There is no problem getting work in Taiwan teaching, provided you are willing to go the extra mile. This may mean living in a city that wasn’t your first choice or a job with conditions and pay that wasn’t your first choice. As long as you are “flexible”, I believe you shouldn’t have any problem finding a job that allows you to get by and save some money at the same time. However, I would definitely have an exit plan prepared, because Taiwan will not be kind to those who come and remain a cram school teacher. I would suggest anyone who is looking at Taiwan for the long term to make sure they can get into something that is a little more specialized than just simple cram school work that involves teaching English to children. Best of luck.