Your home for ESL teaching
The Ultimate guide to teaching English in Taiwan
If you are dreaming of living and teaching English in Asia, Taiwan is a great destination! The country has beautiful sceneries, good weather year-round, delicious food, and high demand for ESL teachers. From the exciting capital Taipei to beautiful port city Kaohsiung, and art lover’s city of Taichung, there’s something for everyone in Taiwan.
The average salary for an ESL teacher in Taiwan ranges from $2,000 to $2,400 (60,000 to 75,000 NT$) per month. It varies depending on your qualifications, the type of job you choose, where you teach, etc.
The requirements for ESL teaching jobs in Taiwan are quite strict, mostly due to the country’s visa requirements to work as a foreigner. You must have:
ESL teaching opportunities in Taiwan include:
There are numerous platforms and recruiting agencies out there you can look into. We can find a list of local schools in Taiwan here or help you find English teaching jobs in Taiwan! There are numerous daily job postings for teaching English abroad on our “Teach English Abroad Jobs” Facebook group.
Overall, it’s not recommended to arrive in Taiwan on a visitor’s visa then look for work. If Taiwan immigration knows that you’re looking for a job on such a short-term visa, you’ll not be granted the visa or worse, banned from the country for five years.
The cost of living in Taiwan is affordable, compared to other countries. Here’s an example of basic costs in Taiwan per month:
Most ESL teaching jobs in Taiwan come from these four major cities:
Taipei is the capital and largest city in Taiwan. The city’s significantly high number of English teaching jobs makes Taipei most accommodating for foreigners. Taipei is also an epicenter of publishing, arts, and music, while being the most expensive city to live in with furious job competition.
In the south of Taiwan, Kaohsiung is an industrial city and the second largest city. It has modern facilities, yet is lesser known to many Westerners living in Taiwan. The population of ESL teachers here in the past few years has grown rapidly.
Located a few hours south of Taipei, Taichung also has numerous English teachers. Taichung is packed with foreigner-owned restaurants and bars in one small area of the city. It’s the third largest city in Taiwan with more affordable real estate and great weather year-round.
Tainan is a smaller city with fewer teaching jobs, thus weaker competition. You’ll find a bit more of a culture shock living in this area if you don’t know the language. However, there’s a small bonding foreigner community living in this area.
Firstly, it helps to understand that Chinese parents have high expectations for their kids and use a different approach than Westerners do. The education system in Taiwan focuses on immediate results and usually employs memorization. Thus, examination and test scores are often the main metrics of measuring students’ success.
The work hours vary upon schools. On average, you’ll teach around 20 hours a week, excluding time spent preparing your lessons. For public school positions, you’re expected to work business hours (8am to 4pm Monday through Friday or 9am to 3pm for kindergartens). Buxibans/cram schools will have evening and weekend classes.
Owning a car in crowded metropolitan areas in Taiwan is pretty luxurious! The locals rely on public transportation, ride-sharing apps (Didi/Uber), taxi, or their own bike and scooter:
You don’t need to know Mandarin to live and teach English in Taiwan, though it would definitely help make your life easier outside of your school. There’s a large Buddhist population in Taiwan with many vegetarian options. There’s no tipping culture in Taiwan, so just pay the exact amount written on the bill.
Taiwanese people are friendly. You’ll see that young people are often occupied with their smartphones and electronic devices (but so are people all over the world!)
The work hours vary upon schools. On average, you’ll teach around 20 hours a week, excluding time spent preparing your lessons. For public school positions, you’re expected to work business hours (8am to 4pm Monday through Friday or 9am to 3pm for kindergartens). Buxibans/cram schools will have evening and weekend classes.
Here are some basic requirements you need to meet before you qualify for a visa and work permit in Taiwan:
You must hold a passport from a native English speaking country (valid for at least 6 months)
You must have a University degree (original copy)
You must have a job offer from a school or institution in Taiwan willing to sponsor your work permit
You must pass a criminal background check and a health check
You must provide 2 passport photos and a copy of flight itineraries
This work visa will enable you to achieve your Alien Resident Certificate, basically your ID and your visa in Taiwan, which allows you to own a scooter and rent an apartment in your name.
While the process seems lengthy, don’t worry because your employer or recruiting company will help guide you through this.
Are you looking for opportunities to teach English abroad in Taiwan? Check out our Teach English Abroad Facebook group for daily job listings.
The work hours vary upon schools. On average, you’ll teach around 20 hours a week, excluding time spent preparing your lessons. For public school positions, you’re expected to work business hours (8am to 4pm Monday through Friday or 9am to 3pm for kindergartens). Buxibans/cram schools will have evening and weekend classes.
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