sifting websites like flour
November 30, 2009 1:12 PM
Which website/company should I go through if I want to teach English in Taiwan?
I've read through a bunch of sites, dug around looking at AskMes. What I know: I think I'd like to work in Taiwan (better climate, Mandarin is a language I'd like to learn), though Korea is a close second (I have friends there and it looks like they pay better). I have a strong preference for working a 6-month contract, but might be down for doing the year-long contract, since that seems to be the standard. I don't mind skipping the bonus money that comes at the end of a year contract and presumably wouldn't come at the end of a six-month contract.
Another thing I haven't found on the sites I've been looking at is whether or not there are typical start/end dates, or whether the hiring process is year-round.
Any opinions on cities in Taiwan that I should be focusing on (or things I should keep in mind) would also be appreciated. I prefer to ride a bicycle to get from A to B, and I'm not a fan of air pollution.
I will have a Bachelor's degree (not in English/Education), no TOEFL certification, and am from the USA.
Please feel free to include personal anecdotes; I like those. Thanks for your suggestions!
I've read through a bunch of sites, dug around looking at AskMes. What I know: I think I'd like to work in Taiwan (better climate, Mandarin is a language I'd like to learn), though Korea is a close second (I have friends there and it looks like they pay better). I have a strong preference for working a 6-month contract, but might be down for doing the year-long contract, since that seems to be the standard. I don't mind skipping the bonus money that comes at the end of a year contract and presumably wouldn't come at the end of a six-month contract.
Another thing I haven't found on the sites I've been looking at is whether or not there are typical start/end dates, or whether the hiring process is year-round.
Any opinions on cities in Taiwan that I should be focusing on (or things I should keep in mind) would also be appreciated. I prefer to ride a bicycle to get from A to B, and I'm not a fan of air pollution.
I will have a Bachelor's degree (not in English/Education), no TOEFL certification, and am from the USA.
Please feel free to include personal anecdotes; I like those. Thanks for your suggestions!
I spent almost 4 years in Taipei, and I love the city very much. For good teaching deals, I think it better to stay in big cities, Taipei, Taichung: the pollution is terrible, but it is very easy to get out of town, by bus or train. I second Dave's ESL Cafe for info, also check out the Taipei Times for some information on Taiwan in general, and google some fresh blogs and find people there now for some current information. I wish you a grand adventure!
posted by bwonder2 at 2:14 PM on November 30, 2009
posted by bwonder2 at 2:14 PM on November 30, 2009
Thirding Dave's ESL Cafe, since that's how I got my first job in Japan (while still living in China). It's a good reference site for basic, entry level jobs (it seems most of the better jobs tend to be advertised in-country, for people who are at least there, on the ground). Even better, look through the forums, once you start to think about a couple places to apply. You might find people complaining about how evil a certain company is. If it's just one or two, you take it with a grain of salt. For my part, looking into going to Japan ten years ago, the avalanche of comments about, for instance, NOVA, Westgate, and Interac kept me from applying to them.
As for cities, I was only in Taipei for two weeks, but it was a good two weeks. It's easy to get around the city, though traffic is pretty bad. It's also close to one of my favorite spots on earth, the north-eastern shore near, I think Keelung. The sandstone formations on the shore look like mushrooms due to water and wind erosion, and all in all it's a beautiful place.
posted by Ghidorah at 3:16 PM on November 30, 2009
As for cities, I was only in Taipei for two weeks, but it was a good two weeks. It's easy to get around the city, though traffic is pretty bad. It's also close to one of my favorite spots on earth, the north-eastern shore near, I think Keelung. The sandstone formations on the shore look like mushrooms due to water and wind erosion, and all in all it's a beautiful place.
posted by Ghidorah at 3:16 PM on November 30, 2009
If you are looking at Korea, may I suggest that you check out Jobsee.kr, by MeFi:s own stavrosthewonderchicken. The site is in its infancy, but would be a good start.
If you are looking at Taiwan, you can definitely get some great advice over at Forumosa. Their "Teaching English in Taiwan" forum is chock full of good information, and a good resource for asking Taiwan-specific questions and getting answers by people actually living there.
I highly recommend Taipei. I studied there for about 8 months, and it's a lovely city to live in. It's small and easy to get around, and yet it's interesting and full of surprises. I had two friends who taught English in Taiwan a while back, and they enjoyed it. One one of them is a MeFite, I'll point this post out to him to see if he has time to add some info.
posted by gemmy at 4:04 PM on November 30, 2009
If you are looking at Taiwan, you can definitely get some great advice over at Forumosa. Their "Teaching English in Taiwan" forum is chock full of good information, and a good resource for asking Taiwan-specific questions and getting answers by people actually living there.
I highly recommend Taipei. I studied there for about 8 months, and it's a lovely city to live in. It's small and easy to get around, and yet it's interesting and full of surprises. I had two friends who taught English in Taiwan a while back, and they enjoyed it. One one of them is a MeFite, I'll point this post out to him to see if he has time to add some info.
posted by gemmy at 4:04 PM on November 30, 2009
You might consider applying for the Huayu Enrichment Scholarship as another way to facilitate spending time in Taiwan while learning Taiwanese.
posted by soviet sleepover at 8:57 PM on November 30, 2009
posted by soviet sleepover at 8:57 PM on November 30, 2009
Thanks for the heads up Gemmy!
Well, well, well... You're thinking of moving to Taiwan to teach, eh??? I spent last year in Taipei working as an English teacher / studying Chinese. Sort of a 'gap year' between several years of working of the East Coast and starting up at B-School. It was a challenging experience, but was well worth it!
I've read through a bunch of sites, dug around looking at AskMes.
The first stop you'll need to make is www.tealit.com (for Teaching English and Living In Taiwan). This website is by far the best on the subject and doubles as a Craigslist for the island. It features jobs, apartments, restaurants, school reviews, legal info, cars / scooters, etc. My life revolved around the site and I recommend you go through it thoroughly before you head out there.
What I know: I think I'd like to work in Taiwan (better climate, Mandarin is a language I'd like to learn), though Korea is a close second (I have friends there and it looks like they pay better).
I only know a bit about teaching in Korea, but from what I understand Taiwan the better spot. For one, I'm almost positive that teachers in Taiwan make a lot more than those in Korea. Granted, most Korean schools pay for your flight out there and provide you with housing, but I believe that even when those things are included Taiwan still is the better option financially.
I have a strong preference for working a 6-month contract, but might be down for doing the year-long contract, since that seems to be the standard. I don't mind skipping the bonus money that comes at the end of a year contract and presumably wouldn't come at the end of a six-month contract.
Sixth-month contracts are exceptionally rare. The standard is one-year. On that note, some school will try to hold back a percentage of your pay check each month (most schools pay monthly) and then give it to you once you've finished the contract. THIS IS ILLEGAL. Do not, under any circumstances, agree to this. It is not uncommon for a school to, well, start abusing your services and use the 'bonus' as leverage for keeping you around.
Another thing I haven't found on the sites I've been looking at is whether or not there are typical start/end dates, or whether the hiring process is year-round.
The best time to find a job is last Jan / early Feb. Chinese New Years occurs during this period and there's typically a large flux in foreign teachers coming/going. That being said, you should be able to find a job year round.
Any opinions on cities in Taiwan that I should be focusing on (or things I should keep in mind) would also be appreciated. I prefer to ride a bicycle to get from A to B, and I'm not a fan of air pollution.
Taipei is great, but I also like Taichung. I had a few friends that taught down there and they loved it. I would also recommend Kenting - it's paradise. As far as pollution is concerned, Taipei has a fair amount of smog due to the swarms of scooters on the streets. Also, I would not advise riding a bicycle on the streets. Once you arrive, you'll understand why... I bought a KYMCO 125cc scooter while there for 500 USD and it served me well (although I rarely drove it downtown for fear of getting into a nasty accident). Also, the subway in Taipei (the MRT) is EXCELLENT. I took it everywhere. Additionally, buses are a fantastic way to get around the island: Lazy-boy sized seats with personal LCD's hooked into a media servers full of pirated movies in English.
I will have a Bachelor's degree (not in English/Education), no TOEFL certification, and am from the USA.
As long as you have a bachelors degre you're set. Indeed, By law you're not supposed to be able to teach without one, although I knew quite a few teachers who got around this. Don't bother with the TEFL certificate,schools don't require it and you won't need it.
Please feel free to include personal anecdotes; I like those. Thanks for your suggestions!
Personal anecdotes: Where to begin??? I lived in a industrial 'borough' of Taipei called Banciao. A little dirty, but I had a beautiful three story house that I shared with my girlfriend and several other teachers. If I had to do it again I'd have lived somewhere else, but hey - it was very interesting! We were the only foreigners in the area and people treated us fairly well, except for the old woman across the alley from us. She was a nuisance, but I found her comical.
I don't know much about you, but I did find the teaching community a little whack. A lot of aimless types that thrived on partying and sleeping around. I'm a pretty goal oriented person and am a bit older than the average teacher, so I made few close friends while there. One thing that I do recommend you do is setting goals and planning an exit strategy / date before you even arrive. There's also a tendency for everyone to rip everyone else off, which is was a major disappointment.
My girlfriend and I moved there together and she had a much more difficult experience than I did. Chinese culture isn't easy for women in many ways and can be especially trying for western women in particular. So be nice to the girls - locals and foreigners alike - they'll appreciate it!
I could go on and on and on. If you'd like to chat about your plans feel free to send me an email and we can exchange digits. Otherwise, best of luck and enjoy the ride!
PS: I'm quite confident that the above post is full of typos and grammatical errors and I feel a little guilty leaving it unedited when writing about teaching English in a foreign country. That being said, I'm in the midst of finals week and need to get back to the books!
posted by Dr.James.Orin.Incandenza at 10:39 PM on December 2, 2009
Well, well, well... You're thinking of moving to Taiwan to teach, eh??? I spent last year in Taipei working as an English teacher / studying Chinese. Sort of a 'gap year' between several years of working of the East Coast and starting up at B-School. It was a challenging experience, but was well worth it!
I've read through a bunch of sites, dug around looking at AskMes.
The first stop you'll need to make is www.tealit.com (for Teaching English and Living In Taiwan). This website is by far the best on the subject and doubles as a Craigslist for the island. It features jobs, apartments, restaurants, school reviews, legal info, cars / scooters, etc. My life revolved around the site and I recommend you go through it thoroughly before you head out there.
What I know: I think I'd like to work in Taiwan (better climate, Mandarin is a language I'd like to learn), though Korea is a close second (I have friends there and it looks like they pay better).
I only know a bit about teaching in Korea, but from what I understand Taiwan the better spot. For one, I'm almost positive that teachers in Taiwan make a lot more than those in Korea. Granted, most Korean schools pay for your flight out there and provide you with housing, but I believe that even when those things are included Taiwan still is the better option financially.
I have a strong preference for working a 6-month contract, but might be down for doing the year-long contract, since that seems to be the standard. I don't mind skipping the bonus money that comes at the end of a year contract and presumably wouldn't come at the end of a six-month contract.
Sixth-month contracts are exceptionally rare. The standard is one-year. On that note, some school will try to hold back a percentage of your pay check each month (most schools pay monthly) and then give it to you once you've finished the contract. THIS IS ILLEGAL. Do not, under any circumstances, agree to this. It is not uncommon for a school to, well, start abusing your services and use the 'bonus' as leverage for keeping you around.
Another thing I haven't found on the sites I've been looking at is whether or not there are typical start/end dates, or whether the hiring process is year-round.
The best time to find a job is last Jan / early Feb. Chinese New Years occurs during this period and there's typically a large flux in foreign teachers coming/going. That being said, you should be able to find a job year round.
Any opinions on cities in Taiwan that I should be focusing on (or things I should keep in mind) would also be appreciated. I prefer to ride a bicycle to get from A to B, and I'm not a fan of air pollution.
Taipei is great, but I also like Taichung. I had a few friends that taught down there and they loved it. I would also recommend Kenting - it's paradise. As far as pollution is concerned, Taipei has a fair amount of smog due to the swarms of scooters on the streets. Also, I would not advise riding a bicycle on the streets. Once you arrive, you'll understand why... I bought a KYMCO 125cc scooter while there for 500 USD and it served me well (although I rarely drove it downtown for fear of getting into a nasty accident). Also, the subway in Taipei (the MRT) is EXCELLENT. I took it everywhere. Additionally, buses are a fantastic way to get around the island: Lazy-boy sized seats with personal LCD's hooked into a media servers full of pirated movies in English.
I will have a Bachelor's degree (not in English/Education), no TOEFL certification, and am from the USA.
As long as you have a bachelors degre you're set. Indeed, By law you're not supposed to be able to teach without one, although I knew quite a few teachers who got around this. Don't bother with the TEFL certificate,schools don't require it and you won't need it.
Please feel free to include personal anecdotes; I like those. Thanks for your suggestions!
Personal anecdotes: Where to begin??? I lived in a industrial 'borough' of Taipei called Banciao. A little dirty, but I had a beautiful three story house that I shared with my girlfriend and several other teachers. If I had to do it again I'd have lived somewhere else, but hey - it was very interesting! We were the only foreigners in the area and people treated us fairly well, except for the old woman across the alley from us. She was a nuisance, but I found her comical.
I don't know much about you, but I did find the teaching community a little whack. A lot of aimless types that thrived on partying and sleeping around. I'm a pretty goal oriented person and am a bit older than the average teacher, so I made few close friends while there. One thing that I do recommend you do is setting goals and planning an exit strategy / date before you even arrive. There's also a tendency for everyone to rip everyone else off, which is was a major disappointment.
My girlfriend and I moved there together and she had a much more difficult experience than I did. Chinese culture isn't easy for women in many ways and can be especially trying for western women in particular. So be nice to the girls - locals and foreigners alike - they'll appreciate it!
I could go on and on and on. If you'd like to chat about your plans feel free to send me an email and we can exchange digits. Otherwise, best of luck and enjoy the ride!
PS: I'm quite confident that the above post is full of typos and grammatical errors and I feel a little guilty leaving it unedited when writing about teaching English in a foreign country. That being said, I'm in the midst of finals week and need to get back to the books!
posted by Dr.James.Orin.Incandenza at 10:39 PM on December 2, 2009
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When you say, "a bunch of sites," have you seen Dave's ESL Cafe and its forums? There's a wealth of good newbie advice there, though I suppose the regulars are a bit jaded and negative. After all, there's a lot of problems with the industry: employers withholding pay and passports, a huge focus on hiring white faces rather than competent teachers, companies backing out of promises to hire, etc. But, like with anything, there's good and bad to be found.
posted by SpringAquifer at 2:08 PM on November 30, 2009