Job Discussion Forums

[wayne1523]

My current situation is that I've been back in Canada for more than a month after teaching in Korea for a year so I have 1 year of experience under my belt. My part-time CELTA course is going to start in the beginning of October so I will stick around in Canada for at least another 3 months. So, going into the next hot hiring season, or the beginning of a new semester (which I assume is around February/March?), I would like to make Taiwan my next destination with the following credentials: a BA degree, a CELTA certificate, and 1 year of teaching experience at the elementary level in Korea. And since I've read that appearance and race does matter in the Taiwan ESL industry, I am a 23 year old male Canadian-born Chinese that speaks perfect Canadian English.

However, after seeing this Taiwanese forum, the prospects look sort of dim. One thing I really screwed up on in Korea, being the young foreigner who was abroad extensively for the first time, was I blew all my money with no financial conscience/management for my next destination, something I really learned to not do next time. So, I will be on a real shortage of money even if I do catch that flight to Taiwan before all the uncertainty and applying-like-a-maniac-before-going-broke stage begins. So, with my average credentials, considering that Taiwan doesn't pay for your airfare and housing (like Korea) and given the considerably competitive market, and the fact that there's no guarantee that you can land a job in time and might have to go home, would anyone here still recommend giving all that a shot? Would it be wise to apply online first to just financially secure oneself first (Kojen, Shane, Joy, cram school etc.), before looking elsewhere in person if discontent? What would, in general, be the smartest steps of actions to take? And, how different are the prospects in big cities like Taiwan and Taichung vs. the southern rural areas? I, ofcourse, would prefer to be where it's all happening, but the small towns aren't entirely out of consideration.

One thing I will have is the persistence and will to try to make this happen by all means, if I do fly over there. My backup option, if nothing else, is Vietnam. Anybody briefly know what Vietnam's ESL market is like compared to Taiwan?

This is a long one and it's my first serious post regarding my next destination after coming back from Korea. I figured its about time to really start thinking about it so I must start somewhere. For now, these are the immediate questions off the top of my head. Thanks for any help =)