Teaching English in Taiwan

The Vital Information

Many questions arise when you are preparing to go teach English in Taiwan. What if I cannot find a job?  Will I need an English teaching certificate? If so, which is better, TOEFL or TESL? This article answers some of the most commonly asked questions posed by first time teachers including:

Do I qualify to teach? 

Do I need a teaching certificate? 

How much money will I make? 

What kinds of jobs are available? 

Please note that, since some of these answers are time specific (laws governing visa requirements change occasionally) important points should be double-checked using the links provided at the end of the article.

Do I Qualify?

To qualify for a teaching visa, you must have:

A degree from a recognized  University.

A passport that is good for at least six months from the entry date.

A two-month multiple-entry visitor visa. For more information on obtaining this visa, keep reading.

Do I Need a Teaching Certificate?

No. I have never heard of a school that required a TOEFL or TESL or any other kind of certificate. They may help if you are in competition for a particularly good job, or in a city where few jobs are available, but few people have them.

As a note, teachers with Education degrees are given preference for teaching jobs. Not surprisingly, people with postgraduate education (MA’s and PhD’s) have a much better chance of landing better jobs, such as University teaching positions, which generally require a minimum of a Master’s Degree.

How Much Money Will I Make?

The normal starting wage for an English teacher in Taiwan is NT$600 per hour. At the time of writing that was approximately US$18 per hour. Some schools will start teachers at up to NT$700 per hour. A very few long-term teachers make in excess of NT$1000 (US$30) per hour.

It is important not to accept a wage less than NT$600 per hour. If you do you are both short-changing yourself and all other teachers by contributing to the deflation of teaching wages.

What Kinds of Jobs are Available?

There are several kinds of teaching positions available in Taiwan. They are as follows:

Buxiban: This is the most common employer of English teachers. Buxibans are privately owned after-school schools for children. They are generally open between 2 p.m. and 10 p.m. These schools will offer a teacher up to 30 (and occasionally more) teaching hours per week. Full-time work at a buxiban is considered 15+ hours per week.

Kindergarten: Probably the second most common employers of English teachers are Kindergartens, which are unfortunately illegal. The law states that children are not allowed to learn English before Grade 1. Kindergartens are occasionally raided, and teachers occasionally deported, but for the most part schools know in advance about raids (through connections), or will have a plan in case of a raid. Kindergartens generally operate from 8 a.m. to 1 or 2 p.m., but this may vary.  Kindergartens, despite their illegality, are commonplace and often are able to give teachers work permits through association with a buxiban. 

Private Students: Many teachers prefer private students because the money is good and they are less stressful to teach than large classes of children. The hourly wage tends to be better as it is negotiated directly with the student or the student’s parents. The best paying jobs that I have ever heard of were private lessons for small groups where teachers made more than triple the average teaching wage.  For more Information Please visit following link

Teaching in Taiwan!