Many people are interested in coming to Taiwan to teach English (EFL). No special qualifications are required. However, if you want to work legally you must have a university degree and a passport from an English speaking country (USA, Canada, Australia, UK, Ireland, New Zealand or South Africa). Most jobs in Taiwan are teaching children, either kindergarten or primary school aged. If you like children then you will probably enjoy teaching them. If you want to teach adults the choice of jobs and teaching hours are more limited.

In the past English teaching was seen as a way to make easy money. However, the job market has tightened up in recent years and wages have remained stagnant. The days when you could jump of the plane and start a new teaching job the next day are long gone. Expect to spend a few weeks finding a suitable job and make sure you have enough spare cash to cover living costs before you start working. The decline in English teaching jobs is due to a number of factors including the global economic downturn, Taiwan's very low birthrate and more foreigners staying here long term. 

A TEFL certificate or other teaching qualification is not essential for teaching in Taiwan but it will certainly help you be a better teacher. If you are serious about teaching as a long term career then doing a TEFL course is a worthwhile investment. While it won't necessarily help you get a job in Taiwan it can help you get into areas like language testing. Most TEFL courses focus on teaching adults. Given that so many of the jobs in Taiwan are teaching children consider taking a course in teaching young learners such as the CELTYL.

Nanyang Street and the surrounding area south of Taipei Station is packed with cram schools (buxibans)

The most job opportunities can be found in the three major cities of Taipei (Taibei), Kaohsiung (Gaoxiong) and Taichung (Taizhong). Taipei is probably the easiest place for a newly arrived foreigner to adjust to living in. It also has the most competition for jobs, although it is not so bad in Taipei County. There are also jobs in other big cities on the west side of the island like Taoyuan, Chungli (Zhongli), Hsinchu (Xinzhu), Chiayi (Jiayi) and Tainan (and in other places, too, if you're adventurous). Typically you can expect to earn somewhere between NT$500 to NT$700 (US$15-20) per hour. With a teaching load of 20-25 hours per week you will probably earn between NT$50,000 to NT$60,000 (US$1,500-1,800) per month. These figures are a guide only; some people earn a lot more, others earn less. Click here for exchange rates to common currencies. 

Living in Taipei can be expensive. However there are hostels that offer accommodation at budget prices. This can be an easy way to get settled into Taipei before you set up your own apartment. Rental costs outside Taipei are generally a lot cheaper. Check this page of the guide for some information about living costs. 

Taiwan is an excellent place to study Chinese and this is a good thing to do with your spare time. It will make living in Taiwan a lot easier.  Some people come to Taiwan with the goal of learning Mandarin and saving lots of money by teaching. There is some conflict between these two goals. If you want to save lots of money teaching you will need to work long hours. If you are serious about learning Mandarin you need to go to class for two hours a day as well as spending additional time studying. You also need to pay for course fees.

Teaching in Taiwan gives you the chance to save some money which you can send home or use to travel around Asia. There are many popular destinations in Southeast and Northeast Asia are within a few hours flight of Taiwan. There are also many interesting places in Taiwan that you can travel to. Taiwan is a fairly small place so you can easily travel to many places on the island within a few hours.

Last updated: 10 January 2009