Job Discussion Forums

[tonijo]

Hello,

I am American and my husband is Danish. We are both going to Taiwan for a year, I to teach and he to experience something new. He is obviously not a native english speaker, nor does he hold a degree. Will there be other job possibilities for him outside of teaching? He is prepared to live off of his savings (and me), but would like to work if possible. Is this even legal?

Thanks in advance.

[Fortigurn]

Yes it is legal for your spouse to find non-teaching work (if that work is itself legal).

You will find a list of non-teaching jobs in Taiwan here.

[Aristotle]

In the past any white face would do as far as qualifications for teaching English on Taiwan. Non native speakers are generally willing accept lower pay rates than native speakers thus they may have an easier time finding work. It is not that unusual for students to speak English with a German or Russian accent on Taiwan or for that matter speak German or Russian phrases not knowing that it is not English they have learned. The vast majority of English teachers in public schools are unable to speak English thus students may never realize they have not learned English.
The only requirement for getting an ARC as an English teacher is that your passport or degree comes from a country that uses English as native language.
Working without an ARC is less common than it used to be simply due to the fact that the government has eased restrictions authorizing ARC's for teachers.
The reality of the situation is that your nationality and education will not be a hindrance to finding work. The biggest problem at this time is the shrinking job pool. Both pay rates and number of overall positions are decreasing at an alarming rate. Some estimates put the pay rates and available positions for foreign English teachers in Shanghai alone surpassing all of Taiwan in the next 12 months.
Good luck,
A.

[clark.w.griswald]

Aristotle do you even read posts before you reply?

The OP was asking about non-teaching jobs and clearly stated this. Fortigurns post followed on with information about non-teaching work. Then you come on and post a diatribe about teaching work. You might want to read before you post and save yourself from wasting time.

Yes, there is work for non-teachers, but it can be hard to come by unless you have a specific qualification in an area that requires a foreigner. I believe that in most cases valid experience is more important than qualifications once you get out of the field of teaching.

[Mozilla]

I've got a friend from Romania who has a heavy accent but has never had a problem finding work. It helps that she is white, blond hair, blue-eyed and attractive.