Newbie question : how is the job market for English Teachers

Work Teaching English in Taiwan
1

Hi:
I am a newbie. I was born in China. I came to Canada when I was 3 years old. I am Canadian by citizenship. I am a native English speaker who is ok with basic Chinese conversation, very basic though.

I have a bachelor degree in Computer Engineering from University of Waterloo, one of the best schools in Canada. I have been working as a software engineer full time for the past 4 years. At this point in my life, I would like a change in life style.

I would like to know what are my chances for finding a good job teaching English in Taiwan. Obviously, I am not expecting to make tons of money by doing that. All I want is something different. By “good job teaching English”, I mean a decent school who treats their employees well and pay them on time :slight_smile:

I am currently living and working in Seattle. If you know any additional information, please let me know. I have sent out a couple of resumes to postings on
tealit.com/
but haven’t heard anything

2

I can’t tell you much about the teaching market here–I hear things are pretty tight.

Employers in Taiwan almost never hire or respond to online applications or email. You have to be here and apply in person.

3

really? i guess that is horrible news for me then :blush:

4

But I think some of the big chains like Hess recruit overseas. Do some searches on this site.

5

Kojen, and Global Village are good ones to check out too. Gloria English School in Taoyuan will hire anyone. :wink:

6

Really? Is Gloria English School a sweat shop? or it is a proper school that pays your decent wages and pays you on time. I mean, I am obviously not looking to get rich there. But I would like to know if salary would cover basic living cost+expense.

Also, would making phone calls acutally better than sending resume?

7

Also, should I consider teaching Bu Xi Ban? Is it better for me then?

8

It is a buxiban and I know that they recruit overseas in Canada as well. They have a cookie cutter training system for their teachers so you’ll learn, and there are even dorms for the desperate. Many foreigners actually live in them. Teachers are all paid the standard rate and they are pretty fair and lenient - except for holding back 2 weeks pay before completing your contract from what I remember. There is another downside as well: You’d have to live in Taoyuan :doh:

9

Thanks for the heads up. I will definitely check them out as well. Another question, some of my friends told me people in Asian countries sometimes discriminate people whom are of Asian origin. Take me for example, I am Chinese. However, I came to Canada at a very young age. My first language is English. I cannot even speak Chinese well. If I decide to pursue an English teaching position in Taiwan, will I face any sort of discrimination, or be turned away? If that is the case, I’d rather go somewhere else like Israel or other European countries or just keep on staying in the IT industry.

Please let me know.

10

[quote=“doglin82”]

Please let me know.[/quote]

Some discussion and links here.

11

TLI hires teachers of Asian background.