Job Discussion Forums

[modal_particle]

Hi All,

I'm considering teaching in Taiwan as early as next summer. I will be finishing my M.A. TESOL at the end of this school year and I will complete a 6-month practicum as part of the degree requirements. I also speak and write Mandarin on an intermediate level. Most of the jobs/advice I see around here simply says you need a B.A. and a TEFL certification is a plus. Could I get a more desirable job with my qualifications?

My other concern is schools that try to force you to teach in a certain way - my courses towards the MA stress the importance of having your own teaching style. Would this be in conflict with methodologies of some schools?

Thanks

[Solar Strength]

it can really depend on the particular school you work for and the kind of school it is - i.e., university, college, high school, conversation school.

for university classes, I'm hearing that over the last few years they have been moving towards a more uniform syllabus with teachers not being able to choose their own textbooks. Certain books will be assigned to certain courses.

High schools and conversation schools will also likely ask you to use their chosen materials and textbooks.

That being said, you can use your own ideas and adapt your own methodology often to teach the material that you have been asked to teach. This has been my experience - so long as you cove the material you have been asked to cover.

Bottom line, I'd say you are more likely to find schools that tell you what to teach as opposed to choosing the material and content yourself.

The law, last I heard, requires a foreign teacher to have a TEFL certificate to teach legally in Taiwan. So no, you do not need a B.A. degree. Most schools ask for a B.A. degree, though. I've known people, though, who only had 2 year college diplomas and a TEFL certificate get jobs legally in Taiwan. But if you're about to graduate with an M.A. it doesn't matter to you.

All jobs in universities require an M.A. degree.

[Taylor]

Hello All,

Everything that Solar Strength wrote seems to be exactly what I would say, too.

As for teaching in universities, an MA will only get you a part-time job.

Moreover, you are limited to four (or possibly eight) hours per week at a given university. That is, the day programs are separate from the night/weekend programs. This allows you to teach 4 hours per week in two different 'tracks' at the same university, if your schedule allows it.

The hourly pay is $575 NT in most cases, unless something has changed within the past couple of years.

Also, you have approximately 50 students in these classes.

It can be fun to teach in a different environment such as a university, but it's a lot of work for relatively little money.

So, you'll be technically over-qualified for a lot of jobs out there at children's English bushibans. This may not be a bad thing, since there seems to be an overflow of teachers due to the weak economy in the US and Canada.

Looking forward to hearing others' comments and responses.

Taylor
Kaohsiung & Texas

[Solar Strength]

[forest1979]

Some interesting comments.

Part-time teachers at universities teach a maximum of four hours. And not paid very well as has been shown on this thread.

MA holders - yes there are many at different universities but look closely. Most MA holders have been in Taiwan for years. New recruits tend to have PhDs although this is not a strict rule. However MAs when they leave at some places, e.g. Ming Chuan, are not been as readily replaced type-for-type as they used to be. Also places like Ming Chuan are encouraging their MAs to undertake PhD studies in TaiwaN. Many in the ELC there are registered for PhDs so in fact will in 5-6 years time not be instructors but profs - and ones unlikely to leave the island until retirement. However, going back to my original point, places like Soochow have instructors who have been there for donkeys years as does Ming Chuan.

Outside of Taipei I would not at all be surprised if new recruits are mere MA holders. But for me any foreigner taking up such a post would have to remember that there will be few opportunities for professional development in such posts. I certainly can't see foreign instructors at rural unis putting in research grant applications in Chinese to the NSC!

Final point, class sizes and qualities for part-time teachers can very greatly. For me I had classes at a private uni for postgrads, not great students, that had 5 students or less, and other classes at other institutions with almost 70 students - unmotivated, uninterested, remedial level students - in the class. For the pay I got, and the time it took to travel out to suburban and out of town campuses, it hardly made the NT$575 an hour worth it. In fact adding on travel time the pay came to about NT$400 an hour.

[JZer]

[forest1979]

The MoE's rules on many things are lightyears behind many other parts of the the civilised world. Low pay is just one part of a very jumbled and backward picture that exists in Taiwan.

Expect many changes in the coming years if only because the declining birth rate will mean less newcomers will go into higher education. Ironically those places outside of Taipei presently recruiting MAs might be the first to close down when the financial cake based on student numbers can't get cut up amongst all 160 higher ed institutions.

[modal_particle]

So here's an update 8 months later, for those of you in a similar situation as me.

A Taiwanese classmate found me a couple job postings, and I was able to get a position at a university in Taipei county, full time, 14 teaching hours/week plus some admin. I read recently on a thread here that university salaries are set to ~55,000/mo regardless of institution, which would be consistent with my contract.

I start in August, so I can update again accordingly.

[forest1979]

I think the entire argument being used in this thread that most university teachers have a MA and not a PhD is pointless,

Most instructors have been in Taiwan for many, many years. Take MCU's ELC staff. Some of their MA holders have been there for 20+ years, and a large number of the others for more than 10 years.

It would therefore be more accurate to state that even though many universities do have staff without PhDs the numbers of staff being recruited now with MAs is not the same as it once was. Ok, it is possible to get a university job without a PhD - I am not denying this - but this is increasingly the exception rather than the rule. Departments and ELCs are under great pressure to recruit new staff with PhDs. Note: MCU's ELC has now got more professors than it ever had.

Model - Can i offer some advice? CHECK YOUR CONTRACT! If you are being expected to teach 14-15 hours a week then you are not on a faculty contract. A faculty contract for a MA holder is for 11 hours teaching per week. 14-15 hours per week of teaching is for a staff contract. This means you do not have the same rights/protection as 'normal' teachers have. You are basically working on a contract designed for local people and the 'admin' you are asked to do will constitute many hours were you are expected to be on campus. I'd check the salary level too. Staff contracts offer nearer to NT$45,000 a week than NT$55,000.

[Taylor]

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for the update and responses.

I don't think that modal_particle was trying to be argumentative. However, I do appreciate the clarity that forest1979 brings to the discussion.

Best wishes to modal_particle as he begins this new job. It will be a challenging undertaking.

I hope we can hear more about how things work out.

Taylor

[modal_particle]

Taylor is right, I'm not trying to argue, just clarify what is available/what I'm being offered. Thank you for the good wishes and advice.

As for the admin, it is heavy, 12 hours/week, but they have been up front about it. It's mostly staffing a writing center and conversation practice center (they call it a chat room, ha ha) by appointment only. If there is no appointment, I am excused from the responsibilities for that time. The contract says it's a faculty contract and the salary is NT$55055/month. I'll be sure to watch my back.

Thanks

[creztor]

modal, so that is 14 hours of class with a possible 12 hours of admin? Making it about 26 hours a week for 55k or so a month?

[Shimokitazawa]

[modal_particle]

For those of you who are curious, it's:

12 hours/wk classroom teaching
4 office hours/wk
up to 12 hours/wk admin

Which makes a total of 28 hours/week.

Do you guys really have jobs out there where you're only on campus for a total of 15 hours/week? Even at the university where I did my MA in the US, full-time instructors in the IEP (Intensive English Program) have a minimum of 20 hours/week between coursework and admin.

[creztor]

The only uni jobs I have ever heard of with 14 - 16 hours are those in China and the pay seems to reflect the low number of hours. Thanks for the update/clarifying the hours. Appreciate it.