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Associate's degree & TEFL cert the minimum requirement?
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Liquidhazel



Joined: 25 Jun 2011
Posts: 9
Location: USA

PostPosted: Wed Oct 05, 2011 1:47 pm    Post subject: Associate's degree & TEFL cert the minimum requirement? Reply with quote

Hey all. I looked on the Taiwan message board but I was unable to find a clear answer in regards to this. I've also Googled it but keep getting mixed results. I'm interested in teaching at Taiwan, but I don't have my Associate's degree yet (only 3 classes away, though!!). I am TEFL certified and am from the U.S.A. Do they require the minimum of an Associates degree and a TEFL certificate to legally work as a teacher there?

Last edited by Liquidhazel on Tue Oct 11, 2011 5:30 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Vendetta



Joined: 29 Sep 2011
Posts: 10
Location: Taiwan

PostPosted: Thu Oct 06, 2011 5:46 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

That's what I heard on other threads in this forum.
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Liquidhazel



Joined: 25 Jun 2011
Posts: 9
Location: USA

PostPosted: Thu Oct 06, 2011 1:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thank-you! If anyone else can confirm this for sure I would appreciate it Very Happy
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yamahuh



Joined: 23 Apr 2004
Posts: 1033
Location: Karaoke Hell

PostPosted: Fri Oct 07, 2011 11:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

You are correct - B.A or college Dip / associate degree plus TESL certification of some sort is required to teach legally.
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Rooster_2006



Joined: 24 Sep 2007
Posts: 984

PostPosted: Tue Oct 11, 2011 4:17 pm    Post subject: Re: Associate's degree & TEFL cert the minimum requireme Reply with quote

Liquidhazel wrote:
Hey all. I looked on the Taiwan message board but I was unable to find a clear answer in regards to this. I've also Googled it but keep getting mixed results. I'm interested in teaching at Taiwan, but I don't have my Associate's degree yet (only 3 classes away, though!!). I am TEFL certified and have 5 months of experience teaching in China. I am from the U.S.A. Do they require the minimum of an Associates degree and a TEFL certificate to legally work as a teacher there?


I taught in Taiwan for a little over 1.5 years with my AA from Excelsior College and my CELTA. In fact, I got my AA first (instead of just going directly for the BS) with the specific goal of teaching in Taiwan! I got three work permits with those quals with relatively few hitches in the visa process. My employers were another story, but the visa process was relatively smooth, except when the immigration office officials were confused as to the length of my degree (once they learned it had taken me 2+ years and figured out how "transfer credit" works, they issued me my ARC, no problem).

Yes, an AA+TEFL works. In fact, I've heard stories of people with only the AA getting a visa, but that's dangerous and I wouldn't recommend tempting fate by doing that.

We had a candidate with just an AA and a TEFL cert who seemed good during the lesson demo, and we wanted to hire her. I noticed that her "TEFL cert" was only 60 hours and online and not accredited, but my boss seemed to think we'd have no problem getting her a visa. She ended up turning down the job, so we never found out for sure.

But yes, AA + accredited, 120+ hour TEFL is DEFINITELY acceptable, and I have three work permits backing up that statement! Don't let any "I'm-so-superior-because-I-have-a-bachelor's-degree" elitist arse tell you any differently!

BTW, while teaching in Taiwan, I was able to earn enough money and do enough studying on the side to finish my bachelor's degree, also from Excelsior College. I then used this BS to land a good position in Japan making roughly 3x the money I made in Taiwan. Cool But hey, Taiwan had good beaches and generally nice people.
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Liquidhazel



Joined: 25 Jun 2011
Posts: 9
Location: USA

PostPosted: Tue Oct 11, 2011 5:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thank you so much for the information! I am on a similar path, Rooster. I ultimately want to earn my BS, but I've been wanting to teach in Taiwan so I figured if I could hurry up and at least finish my AA I would be in a good place. I am TEFL certified 120 hours. I will be taking an additional 20 hours of certification in China in January (I will be teaching there for 6 months through an internship with the school I got TEFL certified from). So I will be 140 hours TEFL certified plus have an AA. I'm glad to hear you were able to earn enough money from working in Taiwan to finish your BS! I want to save as much money as I can to finish up college so I don't have to take out a ton of loans.

I ultimately want to get my BS so I can teach in countries that require it and also make more money! Especially Thailand and South Korea. This news made my day, thanks again Very Happy
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Rooster_2006



Joined: 24 Sep 2007
Posts: 984

PostPosted: Tue Oct 11, 2011 5:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Liquidhazel wrote:
Thank you so much for the information! I am on a similar path, Rooster. I ultimately want to earn my BS, but I've been wanting to teach in Taiwan so I figured if I could hurry up and at least finish my AA I would be in a good place. I am TEFL certified 120 hours. I will be taking an additional 20 hours of certification in China in January (I will be teaching there for 6 months through an internship with the school I got TEFL certified from). So I will be 140 hours TEFL certified plus have an AA. I'm glad to hear you were able to earn enough money from working in Taiwan to finish your BS! I want to save as much money as I can to finish up college so I don't have to take out a ton of loans.

I ultimately want to get my BS so I can teach in countries that require it and also make more money! Especially Thailand and South Korea. This news made my day, thanks again Very Happy
Yeah. It's possible. And I'm glad you enjoyed that information. Very Happy

For my BS, I made extensive use of online classes and also the Pearson VUE Center in Taipei (you can take exams like ECE there that yield college credit) and the Great Master IT Training Center in Kaohsiung (you can take UExcel exams there, which are a great source of lower-level college credit).

The result? I finished up my BS in Liberal Studies and, by the time I graduated, had over a year of bona fide, legal teaching experience.

However, I should tell you, salaries in Taiwan aren't great right now (many schools only give you 15 hours a week or less, and you have to pay 18% taxes for a significant portion of the year, and classes are often cancelled at the last minute, meaning your salary is less than you expected), so in my case, I really had to be careful with my money. I washed my clothes in a bucket rather than taking them to the laundromat, which was too expensive. I slept under a raincoat during the winter because I didn't want to spend money on a blanket. I rented just a room without its own bathroom for the latter part of my stay to save money, and ate cheap biandang virtually everyday. Money was tight, but it was enough to finish school in the end.

But yeah, I say "Go for it!"

There is absolutely no reason you can't have your cake and eat it too when it comes to working in Asia/continuing your education.

In fact, I'm thinking of going back to school here in Japan at some point for a degree in Computer Studies so I can transition my career from teaching into computers. UMUC brick-and-mortar mini-campuses are present on several US military bases throughout Japan. I can continue to teach and pursue my brick-and-mortar Computer Studies degree without leaving Japan.
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yamahuh



Joined: 23 Apr 2004
Posts: 1033
Location: Karaoke Hell

PostPosted: Tue Oct 11, 2011 10:27 pm    Post subject: Re: Associate's degree & TEFL cert the minimum requireme Reply with quote

Rooster_2006 wrote:


BTW, ... I then used this BS to land a good position in Japan making roughly 3x the money I made in Taiwan.


Yeah but you were making half the money you should have been...

Laughing

LiquidHazel - Rooster had a bit of a rough go of things here with crappy employers and not enough hours and I can't imagine that washing your clothes in a bucket and sleeping under a raincoat in the hopes of saving a few bucks sounds too appealing.

While it is true that many schools may only offer you 15 hours a week, this is enough for them to apply for a work permit and you can then be issued an ARC which means you will be working legally. You can add another employer to your ARC and work more hours if you like.

However there are also many schools offering in excess of 20 hours a week paid hourly / monthly salary positions. My wife works about 25 hours a week and I am currently working about 30. No need to sleep under a raincoat when you're working those hours...

Wink
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Liquidhazel



Joined: 25 Jun 2011
Posts: 9
Location: USA

PostPosted: Wed Oct 12, 2011 2:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yamahuh, you're totally right...washing my clothes in a bucket and sleeping under a raincoat sounds less than appealing! I appreciate you sharing your story with me, Rooster...it just freaked me out a bit!

It's great to hear that it IS possible to find a good paying job and employer, all while working legally. Phew! Yamahuh, would you mind telling me which school(s) you and your wife work at? Or at least point me in the right direction of schools to apply at? Even websites I could check out...anything! I'm just hoping to find a reputable school and make decent money.
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yamahuh



Joined: 23 Apr 2004
Posts: 1033
Location: Karaoke Hell

PostPosted: Wed Oct 12, 2011 4:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

My wife is working for a small buxiban chain for about 16 hours a week and about 7 - 10 at an adult language school. I work about 15 hours a week at a small buxiban and teach about 20 hours a week (just increased today!! Rolling Eyes ) of corporate business classes and one on one tutor classes for an adult training center.

So far as websites - I've generally found Tealit to be a bit of a bust 'cos we're the wrong side of 40 but you may have better luck - ESL99 - ESLTeachersboard - Dave's - etc...

There are lots of jobs - hourly or salary - just be prepared for a bit of competition to secure a spot and the possibility of having to work at more than one place to make your 'decent money'.

Good luck.
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Liquidhazel



Joined: 25 Jun 2011
Posts: 9
Location: USA

PostPosted: Wed Oct 12, 2011 8:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for the information, Yamahuh! I will definitely check out those sites your provided Very Happy
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HerbDoc



Joined: 25 Oct 2011
Posts: 6

PostPosted: Sat Nov 19, 2011 9:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Rooster, I wanted to PM you, but I haven't posted 5 times yet. You have done exactly what I am interested in doing. I want to go over with my Associate+TEFL and work on a Bachelors. I know that several countries in Asia only except Bachelors from G7 countries. So it's interesting to know your Excelsior degree worked in Japan even though it was earned while living in Taiwan. I would like to know more about studying online while in Taiwan. What schools will work for this plan? I'd also like to know more about these classes you took in Taiwan. How did you find all this information?

And of course, if anyone else can shed some light on this subject, please do. Thanks.
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dangerousapple



Joined: 18 Apr 2006
Posts: 292

PostPosted: Sun Nov 20, 2011 1:53 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

HerbDoc, make sure you get opinions from more than one poster. Some posters here had an unusually rough time in Taiwan - much worse than what most people go through here - and what they present as "the situation" in Taiwan might not apply to anyone else but themselves.
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yamahuh



Joined: 23 Apr 2004
Posts: 1033
Location: Karaoke Hell

PostPosted: Sun Nov 20, 2011 6:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Very good point.
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HerbDoc



Joined: 25 Oct 2011
Posts: 6

PostPosted: Mon Nov 21, 2011 4:36 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

dangerousapple, exactly, that's why I'd like anyone to inform me on this issue. I'm not asking for stories about good experiences or bad experiences. I want to teach with an Associate+TEFL. I'm also interested in getting my Bachelor's from a G7 school while in Taiwain. I'd simply like more evidence that these options are reliable. So, you're in Taiwan, do you know many(or any) people working with only an Associate's degree and TEFL?
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