Job Discussion Forums

sarah_bell · Joined: 03 Nov 2005 Posts: 2 Location: CANADA

Hello everyone, I am very very keen to teach English in Taiwan next summer Aug 2006 ( I have in mind). I was just wondering if some of the following questions could be answered by someone out there. There are so many posts and different answers for the same questions that I am a little overwhelmed. Please Help, thank you kindly

Q1: What is the best teaching course to take to be certified. Note, I do not have my undergraduate degree.
Q2: What is a realistic idea of the pay in Taiwan for teaching?
Q3: What are the restrictions for your visa and the details that surround this issue. How often will I need to leave the country..etc?
Q4: How are living conditions?
Q5: If I decided to stay in Taiwan for a year, would I be able to transfer to another country after? I've read that Taiwan is a great place to really learn how to teach for newbies
Q6: Are there many other incentives besides pay? Examples travel etc?
Q7: How much money should I bring over with me to set up?
Q8: How long should I plan to stay for or be prepared to stay for?
Q9: Is August the best time to try and find work? I read that.

Anything else that I have not asked would be greatly appreciated. I would like to educate myself the best I can before I decide to actually go or not, but it is a dream of mine I would love to achieve...

Thank you again, look forward to the replys

xoxo

Pop Fly · Joined: 15 Feb 2003 Posts: 429

kuberkat · Joined: 03 Jun 2005 Posts: 358 Location: Oman

Pop Fly has been kind enough to provide some brutal but valuable truths. As the McEnglish industry becomes more professionalised (and I fully agree with that this is a good thing within schools per se), degrees will become more essential. But where a warm native English speaking body is more important than qualifications, you will always find work- the terms just may not be as good. Adventure you will find a-plenty, but security may be thinner on the ground. In Taiwan, just about every teacher is forced to work illegally for a while as they wait for documents, and it's no fun.

If the cultural experience of an Asian country is what you're after, plenty other places can provide that on different terms. (Though since you're considering Taiwan, maybe culture's not what you're after...? Wink

) In Thailand, for example, there are teacher volunteer programs where a degree is not essential. What's more, they throw in a TEFL course in exchange for your work (Just google tefl thailand). That's also a far cheaper, more convenient and adventurous place to stay- though income is proportionate. There are places that will accept CELTA certificates without degrees, but you may need a foot in the door and then to prove your worth. The CELTA is the industry standard at the moment, and you can take the month-long course in Bangkok at around USD2000. It's very practical and should leave you ready to face real classes, with credibility to boot. You are planning far into the future (I admire that: for all this talk of security my so-called TESOL career is lived on a whim).

Perhaps this board's members will be better able to advise you if you explain your reasons: do you want to teach, travel, make money, or all of the above? To teach and to travel is quite doable, but do yourself the favour of staying on the right side of the law.

teacha · Joined: 25 Aug 2005 Posts: 186

I'd like to add a summary note: You don't wast to come to Taiwan dude, they are warning you the odds are next to none that you will put yourself in a FORTUNATE position. You can't expect a shady illegal job to a) last & b) be worth living in......if you found one by some miracle....its like the grass is geener until you se it was the lighting....people came before you, we know it's nothing to participate in. Bad news. Beware. Don't do it MAN !

Pop Fly · Joined: 15 Feb 2003 Posts: 429

argonfly707 · Joined: 31 Aug 2005 Posts: 46 Location: Taiwan

Hey,

I am over here working on a Diploma and a TESL certificate although I have not recieved my ARC yet. But 2 other people I work with ahve their ARC with a Diploma and a TESL/TEFL.

Argon

Bryanpass · Joined: 12 Jul 2005 Posts: 24 Location: Kaohsiung

ramakentesh · Joined: 05 Mar 2005 Posts: 145

indeed you can get an ARC with diploma and TESL - my friend has that.

if your after decent money teaching english and reasonable hours I would suggest Korea over Taiwan.

Taiwan isnt the most interesting place in asia - actually its the least and ive been everywhere other than bhutan, brunei, Korea and Japan.

Secondly the majority of expats are weirdos in taiwan - reminds me of that cartoon 'Charisma man' - where a dwebby westerner who is socially alienated heads to asia to become 'charisma man' where people dont notice his social inadequacies and he is treated with more respect.
'Charisma man's' arch enemies are other westerners who see what he is really like.

But seriously - ive met so many freaks over here its not funny - socially handicapped people flock to taiwan for some reason.

Pop Fly · Joined: 15 Feb 2003 Posts: 429

ramakentesh · Joined: 05 Mar 2005 Posts: 145

What? Are you disputing this? Ill put it to you this way. In my building there were five other foreigners - there was a guy that had one inch fingernails and had a foot long beard.
There was ridiculous comb-over man whose combover was so elaborate that it would take two hours to prepare every morning and who runs from other westerners because they stare at him.
There was skinny white guy who perves at every taiwanese chick like she is an object inj such a way that it actually concerns me and makes everyone else notice and shake their head every time he does it.
There is 'rainman' a guy that obviously has autism.
And then there is the nice english guy who ripped me off to the tune of $4000 NT.
Nice guys...

clark.w.griswald · Joined: 06 Dec 2004 Posts: 2056

kuberkat · Joined: 03 Jun 2005 Posts: 358 Location: Oman

er, just to reincarnate this thread, ramakentesh wrote:

SanChong · Joined: 22 Nov 2005 Posts: 335

Out of curiosity ramakentesh:

If you are responding to someone's serious question and ask for help in reference to teaching in Taiwan with the comment that "All foreigners in Taiwan are weird" then what exactly does that say about you?

It takes a certain kind of person to jump on a thread like this and add something of absolutely zero value while insulting an entire country and all the foreigners living in it (your comment about Taiwan being boring was also entirely unhelpful).

To add something useful to the thread: Sarah Bell, I would agree with the posters who say it's a bad idea to come without a degree or a diploma/TEFL.
It's illegal and the risks are too high....
Just not worth it.

Get your degree and then come out and join us!

imani360 · Joined: 05 Apr 2005 Posts: 7

RAMAKENTESH:

really. you're a complete idiot. your english is shit and i'm unsure why you spend your time on these message boards. (although being a moron and of below-average intelligence certainly plays a role in your non-existent social life, i'm sure...) nowhere in your rambling, incoherent response did you even come close to anything that might be construed as an actual thought. your ability to organize your thoughts and respond to a question rivals that of a retarded ape. seriously: order some children's books (dr. suess is an interesting place to start) sit down, inject some ridelin, and learn english. in five or six years, when you're speaking like a junior-high-schooler, then you can join in the conversations here.

BigWally · Posted: Fri Jun 01, 2007 1:19 am Post subject:

why has this thread been reincarnated just to trash the previous poster? ok what he was saying was ridiculous, but what better way to prove that by letting threads like these die a peaceful death?!?