Job Discussion Forums

[outoftowner08]

Hello. If I go to Taiwan, my work visa will not be arranged before hand.

While it is underway, how often will I need to leave to renew a tourist visa?

Is Hong Kong my best bet? I noticed flights are $500. I am assuming the school should pick up this tab as they arrange for my work visa.

Juliana

[outoftowner08]

Is flychina.com the best place to find flight deals?

[markholmes]

Best bet for flight deals to Taiwan would probably down in your local Chinatown.

If you get a two month visa you shouldn't have to leave the country at all. They will be able to get it done in that time.

You will need an onward ticket from Taiwan to get a visa. In order to get a two month visa have the onward portion (to Hong Kong, Bangkok, home, whatever) leave 35 days after your inbound ticket. That way they have to give you the two month visa.

A proper international school would pick up the tab, most ESL schools would not (but then you shouldn't have to leave anyway).

I would be interested to know how you get on Julianna.

You really need to be posting on those other two websites, as the rules / conditions / treatment of international teachers differ substantially from most ESL teachers.

[markholmes]

Also Juliana you should take a look at this;
http://www.tieonline.com/faqs.cfm#1

[BigWally]

[outoftowner08]

Know of any jobs in your neck of the woods? I ask because my boyfriend and I asked for a little more money and some help covering flights, and the international school with which we've been speaking retracted their offer!

They skipped a negotiation step and now we are sad and jobless for fall.

Blaaaaaa

[markholmes]

From what I understand you are probably better off not taking that job anyway. It seems retraction of the offer was the final red flag.

Why doesn't your boyfriend apply for other international schools where you will be able to teach ESL in the same city/town? You don't have teach in the same school do you?

Wages for ESL are reasonable in many Asian countries (many more interesting than Taiwan) and if your boyfriend got into a 'proper' international school his income would likely be double yours, so you would actually be better off than having gone with the school in question.

[outoftowner08]

This was our original plan. I don't even have to have a job to go to any given country, if he could nab a decent one. I don't care what I do. I just want to be able to write on the side.

But many of the Chinese international schools closed their application process by the time we got around to seriously applying (April).

We could go anywhere, really, in Asia. I wonder if any international schools this late in the year are still hiring!

[markholmes]

Most schools have stopped hiring now, but check the TES job board and also I just PMed you a list of current social studies jobs on TIE, although you'll have to sign up if you want the details.

There are always schools trying to fill space at the last minute, you never know.