Job Discussion Forums

[mandalayroad]

I lived in Taiwan back in the early 90s and am thinking of going back with the family this time. Do the universities hire Americans these days for full-time faculty positions? Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

[surrealia]

Yes, Taiwanese universities hire Americans for full-time faculty positions. This is probably the best time to apply for a position for the 2008-2009 school year. Unfortunately, most universities in Taiwan do not place job ads on The Chronicle of Higher Education or Dave's ESL Cafe, so it's a little difficult to find these jobs.

[forest1979]

Taiwanese universities are pretty open-minded when it comes to recruiting overseas staff. The bottom line is that nationality does not really matter, qualifications do! What that really means is you need a PhD - the days of having a MA and working full-time at unis are over.

It is not strictly true to say Taiwanese unis do not advertise at the Chronicle of Higher Ed. Occassionally they do, and this is both public and private unis who do so. However, I do concur that the vast majority of unis dont advertise overseas or at reputed educational websites, so local contacts are a big, big need. Many put jobs on their websites so you've got to therefore check their websites on a regular basis. But, as I've already said, no PhD means forget it before you even start.

If you're serious about working at a Taiwanese uni then you really need to get organised. Most universities want an application portfolio. Here's an example (from an advert of a national uni on the Chronicle of Higher Ed.):

1.Curriculum vitae with educational background, autobiography, list of publications, a brief plan for future research, and a 2-inch photo.
2.Photocopies of Ph.D. diploma, M.A. diploma and B.A. diploma.
3.Certificate of associate/full professor if you apply for the position at the level of associate/full professor.
4.Official transcripts of graduate studies.
5.A copy of national I.D. card or passport photo page
6.Three recommendation letters.
7.Syllabi on courses taught (or to be offered).
8.Ph.D. dissertation.
9.Copies of three publications within the last five years.

BTW, as someone who worked at both private and public unis in Taiwan, and was a member of many a recruitment committee the way people are receruited varies from place to place, and always takes place within a greatly different cultural milieu. For instance, one committee meeting for a new Professor meant sifting through 25 or so applications. Some were superb. Others amateurish. To cut the story short the less professional application (unstapled loose papers, shortest CV, smallest application materials, etc. - an appalling application) got the job. Reason - he knew someone already in the department! This influence (guanxi) can be monumentally strong.

[surrealia]

Michael Turton's website has more information about teaching English at universities in Taiwan:

http://www.michaelturton.com/Taiwan/teach_index.html#college

[forest1979]

Michael Turton's website is an excellent starting point, even if one or two of the factual points are now a little out of date. Having said that though it is probably the best starting point that there is, and Michael being the affable chap that he is also puts stuff onto his blog so bear that in mind too.

[Smooth Operator]

Taiwan must be a great place to live because the salaries at universities seem pretty low compared to Japan and Korea and the requirements (PhD) even higher. One of life's little mysteries...

[forest1979]

Number of points about Taiwan, and its higher education system:

- Is Taiwan a great place to live? I can certainly think of worse places, yet probably better ones too.

- Need a PhD? Yes! Not because Taiwan has the best colleges in Asia but because they are overstocked with people holding just MAs. Consequently the recruitment drive is to ensure new faculty have PhDs so that the ration of MA to PhD holders is more balanced. However, the whole issue of having a PhD to get a uni job is no different many other places in the world, so I don't see the problem with it. If it improves the system why not although in reality Taiwanese unis and their research levels are appalling low. There are some exceptions to this but such a big deal is made out of getting a single publication in Taiwan. In HK or SNG you need top level publications to keep a job!

- Low salaries? Yes, in comparison to western nations unis dont pay so well. But the pay level too has been hit by the weakening NT$ against currencies such as the Euro and Pound. So what was a great wage a few years back is far less competitive. However, the cost of living is lower than Japan so in relative terms you can have a damn good lifestyle in Taiwan, whereas in Japanese cities in would cost an arm and a leg.

[surrealia]

[forest1979]

12 hours a week is still a hell of a lot of hours more teaching than in other parts of Asia. And the class sizes in Taiwan can be much, much larger too. I remember having to take classes (not lectures) with 70 students in them. Additionally, if you want to save the $s then you need to be teaching part-time as well so that the cash can really add up in the bank account given the weakness of the NT$.

I think the comment about freedom to engage in curriculum designing is misleading. Is this really unique to Taiwan? Absolutely not, and at the end of the day most unis in Taiwan are ran by administrators so don't care what you do, what pedagogical points, or academic content you want to teach. As long as you're in the correct room, at the correct time with the correct students then they will never bother you, and as I am stating dont care what you do. But as much as 'freedom' existing to design curriculums there are hindring factors. Can you for example comment on the generally bad standard of Taiwanese uni libraries? With their lack of size and books how did this affect your ability to design first rate courses, and so your freedom to design modules? Personally I found the lack of information in uni libraries a massive problem when wanting to know about new research and so design up-to-date courses. As for engaging in research writing this in itself is a major challenge! No wonder so few Taiwanese Profs actually write!

Finally, I think you might have slightly missed my point. You have worked for many years in Taiwan, i.e. started working in unis before now, where there is now a much stronger movement to employ PhD and not MA holders. Does a MA guarantee a post in the better unis like it once did? No. Also I am puzzled by the comment: "I also know many other teachers who only have M.A.s who have found work teaching at Taiwanese universities and still work there now". Still working there now? This is the root of my point. The MAs who started many years ago can't be shifted out, they can't be sacked simply because they have a MA, but once they do move (for whatever reason) the MoE pressure is so great that often departments have no choice but to fill gaps with PhD holders.

[mandalayroad]

At most international universities outside the Anglo West, you're not likely to find significant libraries in English except at a few institutions such as Natl. Univ. of Singapore. These days, especially, they're relying more and more on inter-library loan and online resources. I can't blame them, buying thousands and thousands of books for a decent university library is expensive and never-ending. Let's face it we aim to teach in overseas universities because we enjoy the international atmosphere, otherwise teaching in an international university is a bit of a graveyard in academia. We'd be better off climbing the ladder from some tiny state school in Idaho to eventually reach a Univ. of California or Ivy League campus if climbing the academia totem pole was the aim. I assume for most of us here, that's not the motivation.

[forest1979]

Buying books be it in paper or e-form is a reflection of research culture. Or a lack of obtaining books is a reflection of a lack of research culture, because after all the vast majority of Taiwanese unis get their bread and butter from being teaching institutions.

True! Academic ladder climbing is maybe not everyone's ambitions. But on the other hand opportunities to professionally develop are, and in the context of international higher education if you're not publishing then you're not competitive in the job market.

[BJ]

Forest is right about the MOE and the pressure to employ more Phds, it is a numbers game, and with so many in service MA's who are being pressured to obtain promotion too, the days of easily getting a full time contract is small.
I have however seen the new trend of MAs for spcial projects, English Corner type things which do not have the same rights as far as I am aware.

The hours for an MA are 11 in Taiwan, And the higher the education position in the college this can go down to 5 hours, most PhD standard contracts are 9 hours.

The Money is not in education these days, the times of 38 NT to the pound have long gone. and 35 hour weeks for 120,000 NT not so easy to come by.

Wonder how many hours and how much lecturers are paid in England these days.

[mandalayroad]

Ironic that money is not in education these days... even in a place where the birthday of Confucius is a national holiday for teachers.

Perhaps the pendulum will swing back one of these years but I won't be looking for a job in Taiwan again any time soon until it does.

[forest1979]

BJ - A lecturer with a tad of experience will be clocking over 30 grand a year in the UK, which is about 2 million NT$s. Someone with more experience will be on 35-43 grand a year (upto 2.5 million a year). For a Professor in the UK you're on at least 50K, 60K+ (3.5 million+ NT$s) if you're a well-known academic. That's not including other perks, e.g. housing benefits, etc.

[mandalayroad]

One advantage to teaching in an international university for career ladder climbing purposes is that it can be easier to research if the country or region you're teaching in is a part of your research. If you want to publish on Taiwan politics then you're apt to be a more effective and in-depth researcher living in Taiwan than living in Idaho, or even New York.