Job Discussion Forums

[scb222]

if i came to taiwan without first having arranged a job, do you think itd be pretty easy to find something? where would you suggest i look: taipei, or is there somewhere better/nicer? i have teaching experience and and ba degree and pgce. cheers.

[WorkingVaca]

Yes, it is easy to find ESL teaching jobs. Whether or not they're good is another story, so you should give yourself enough time to find the perfect job by:

1) setting aside at least $3,000 USD to bring with you

2) arranging a 60-day EXTENDABLE Visitor visa from your home country: it requires 2 photos and a round-trip plane ticket or itinerary.

3) Arrange some interviews by e-mail before you go. Try to land a good job within your first month in Taiwan, because it takes another month to process all your paperwork for the ARC (alien resident card). Otherwise, you MIGHT have to leave the country before your visa expires, and come back to finish the process. Or, you MIGHT be able to buy a new visa from the foriegn affairs office as long as your employer gives you proof that your work permit is "in the works." To get a work permit you will need: your B.A. degree, passport (of course), photos, and a health check certificate.

4) A health check certificate? Once you arrive in Taiwan, get a health check for a work permit from a government approved hospital ASAP (it takes 7 days to get the results and is required for your work permit). The only hospital I know of qualified to do the work permit health check is JEN AI. Look it up when you arrive. Once you have this certificate, you'll be ready to just hand it over once you accept a job, instead of racing against your visa expiration date.

The rest you can figure out from a Lonely Planet guide or something--places to stay, Taiwan cities, food, etc.

[taiwan boy]

The China Post has lots of ads for jobs in Taiwan. Taipei is probably the easiest city for a fresh arrival to Taiwan to adapt to and jobs are plentiful.

[scb222]

is this proof of sooooo much US$ really necessary? ive virtually never had that much on hand at one time in my life. surely you dont need to be showing a bank statement for that much just to get a visa???? comments please.

[TaoyuanSteve]

Hi. Yes, the Taipei economic and cultural whatchemecallit (defacto emabassy) will ask to see a bank statement proving you have sufficient means to support yourself for the full 60 days of your tourist visa. I'm not sure if it's always US cash. I came from Canada. I think they asked for a similar numerical amount in Canadian cash (making it a lower actual amount of money due to the exchange rate). It's not a bad idea to come here with some cash. You really should have a few thou with you when you get here. You may need/want to support yourself for a while so you can take a mini-vacation, get over the jetlag and turn down crappy jobs. God knows the money came in handy for me. If you must, you can always borrow the money and have it in your account just long enough to show the TECO officials. Alternately, I understand that the HESS language school chain arranges your work permit ahead of departure (the only one I've heard of that does this). This would by-pass the money thing because you wouldn't be arriving, technically speaking, as a tourist (when everyone, including TECO, knows damned well what you're really coming here to do).

[Stephen]

[scb222]

well i looked at the Hess site, and it looks good to me, and pay is pretty average for taiwan, 55,000-60,000NT$. i havent seen anywhere advertising more, but i have seen lots advertising less. Hess also looked good cos they offer the work visa upfront - saves a lot of mucking about. and because theyre a big chain school it's pretty certain youll get paid on time - whereas ive heard stories that smaller schools continually delay. scarey when it costs so much to set yourself up in Taiwan to begin - including the outlay of the air ticket, yikes... expensive!!! as for Thailand, the country is great, true, but the pay sucks. even the international schools pay peanuts. Japan would certainly be a goer, but im so tired of seeing on all their posts - "must currently reside in Japan". it seems very few people score jobs in Japan from overseas. and i cant afford to just "hang" in Japan looking about for one. if you can give me some names of these international schools in Taiwan, great. but otherwise, i havent seen any contracts offering more than Hess, except perhaps if youre willing to work long long hours, and well, i aint!

thanks for your advice Stephen. but what makes you think Hess's pay is so crappy? i can only go on what i see on their web page. but it looks pretty standard to me. personally i dont care who i work for, i just want a kindergarten schedule and 60,000NT$. is that too difficult to score do you think??? cheers!!

[taiwan boy]

The main advantage of working for one of the big chain schools is that you can be sure they will process your work permit/ARC with no hassles. The major downside, as previously mentioned, is that their rates of pay are at the lower end of the scale.

If you are new to Taiwan then working at one of these schools might be a good way to get established and by teaching a few privates or picking up a few extra hours at another school you can earn some extra dollars quite easily.

Some of the major chain schools are KOJEN, Hess, Kid Castle and Joy. A search on Google should find their web sites.

[scb222]

do you know the web link for Joy? i couldnt find that one. ive just now found out that to get the work visa you need to have an xray and blood tests. what's this for? and is it paid by the school, or is it expensive to get done in taiwan?

thanks

[Stephen]

Regarding the blood test, it is compulsary, in Taiwan they do test for AIDS, also some drugs, amphetimines I think, maybe more. Cannabis is on the form, but isn't always tested for. They also do an eye test.

As for why I don't rate HESS, look at the hours to pay situation. How much do they pay an hour? Also, I don't think much of what I've seen of they're educational program, although the same same could be said of all chain schools. I must admit that I am not the best person to advise you regarding kindergarten, as I've never taught it, but generally the chain schools are the lowered paid jobs (in all the big fields:-Kindy, Elementary/Primary, JHS/SHS/Secondary and adults.) Also if you are going to work for a chain school look at how many hours you can be certain of getting. I have had friends who worked for KOJEN-ELSI who were getting very few hours; hence, very low pay. This was inspite of the fact that some of them were qualified experienced teachers; they were, however, expected to keep there schedules open for KOJEN-ELSI's benefit. Many chain schools pay you by the hour, so look into how many hours that school can give you; if they are salaried, then look at what the pay works out per hour.

Another word of advice about chain schools. In big chains some schools will be much better to work for than others. This means it is best to find out as much about the branch you will be working at as possible.

Stephen

PS. The work visa pre-arriving in Taiwan is good, but check if this is really what happens. To put it politely the Chinese have a different conception of honesty. No I better be direct, many Chinese employers will tell you things that in your own country would be considered blatant lies. Make certain it is a work visa. (Before I came over to Taiwan I was actually lied to about whether I could extent the visa I entered Taiwan on without leaving Taiwan by the Taiwanese Trade Office Official in the UK who issued it.)

PPS. I thought I posted this earlier but I guess I forgot as it isn't in my last posting. Try www.tealit.com for info regarding Taiwan.

[itchy]

Hess sucks. The pay is pretty much the same whereever you go. If you can make 70,000NT a month, you're doing better than 90% of the foreigners on the island. The thing about HESS is it's really strict and you have to follow their plan, and you get these "been in Taiwan for longer than you" annoying "head teachers" who like to boss you around and observe your classes. Some people leave HESS really pissed off about how they're treated. The best way to find work is just to head down the west coast of the island towards Kaoshiung and just stop in at the various little schools that you will find. If you like what you see, work for them. If not, keep moving. Be picky. You'll find a lot of places. HESS is the McDonald's of ESL in Taiwan. If you like that sort of atmosphere (if it makes you feel warm and comfortable) then work for them. If you like running your own show, then work at a little private school somewhere. If you make it all the way to Kaoshiung, you'll find tons of jobs. Kaoshiung is bigger than Taipei but is not so full of foreigners.

[TaoyuanSteve]

Please be aware of why I mentioned Hess as an option for the one seeking visa advice. Hess processes entry visas for foreigners in their own country, before they leave. This may be the only option for someone who lacks sufficient funds for a tourist visa. I agree with many of the criticisms of Hess re: pay etc. But that is not why I mentioned it. Hess is the only company that processes teachers in their own countries. It therefore may be the only option for someone who is broke. Arguing that pay at Hess is low is like saying the leaves are on the tree -- it's obvious. However, saying this doesn't help the individual who may have no other options, visa-wise.

[beenthere96-2005]

[englishmaster]

Based on the experience of a good friend of mine currently in Taichung, I wouldn't consider going to Taiwan without a job lined up. This friend has many years of experience in east Asian TEFL, but in nearly a year on the island he hasn't been able to land anything except for temporary, part-time gigs. Fortunately, he can crash with an old girlfriend who lets him stay with her for free; without her, he'd be lost.

This friend has sent out his CV to everyone he can find, and has used old contacts to search for jobs for him. As I said, after nearly a year he has come up with nothing solid.

Therefore, I would advise you not to come to Taiwan searching for work.

Just my advice.

[franky]

Take a chance. It worked for me and it will give you a chance to look round first.