Advice for newbies

Hello all! My boyfriend and I are arriving in Taiwan February 9th to teach English. On the advice of numerous postings, we are waiting until we arrive to find a job rather than using an agent or trying to find something from overseas. However, I’m unsure of what our plan of action should be once we arrive. We would like to teach outside of Taipei and we would prefer to teach older kids or adults. How do we go about finding openings and scheduling interviews? We taught in Europe for a few years, we both have BAs, and TEFL Certs. I also have my MA in ESL Ed. and I’m a certified teacher in the U.S. I’ve been to tealit.com and buxiban.com, so I’m aware of those resources, but what additional job search methods should we use upon arrival? Thank you!! (Sorry if this posting is redundant. Feel free to point me to other threads I may have missed.)

You are way overqualified for a buxiban job if you’ve got an M.A. in ESL. You can have your pick of university/college jobs around Taiwan. However, it is too late to sign up for the coming semester, so you’ll probably have to wait until August for one of those positions.

If you want to find a buxiban job, the easiest way is to look at bulletin boards at foreigner-oriented restaurants/hangouts/hostels; you’ll find plenty of ads for jobs posted there. Or put up an advertisement of your resume on forumosa.com or tealit.com, you’ll probably get offers from employers.

What cities/towns are hot spots for teaching outside of Taipei? Taichung is already on our list. Is it easiest to base ourselves in Taipei and then make a few day trips to other places?

Are you of Polish ancestry, by chance? Your handle reminds me of something my Polish-Canadian friend used to say.

Peachca,
Why do you want to live outside of Taipei? Taiwan’s biggest city does have its drawbacks - namely housing costs, weather, and commuting - but seeing as you are coming here with your boyfriend, the costs of an apartment would be split. Taipei offers the greatest variety of work and there are lots of interesting things to do. The good public transport system means that it’s not necessary to buy a scooter.

Be warned that many smaller cities here have more “big city” problems than Taipei; for example, places like Chungli and Taoyuan are ugly, crowded, polluted shitholes.

Taichung is a popular destination for foreigners, too popular I think and the competition for jobs is pretty high. Still, given your qualifications, I’m sure you’ll be able to find work anywhere you choose. Given Taichung’s central location, it wouldn’t be a bad place to base yourself during your job search phase.

Are you arriving with enough money to have a look around the island?

We taught in the Czech Republic for a couple of years - hence the nickname.

[quote=“almas john”]Why do you want to live outside of Taipei? Taiwan’s biggest city does have its drawbacks - namely housing costs, weather, and commuting - but seeing as you are coming here with your boyfriend, the costs of an apartment would be split. Taipei offers the greatest variety of work and there are lots of interesting things to do. The good public transport system means that it’s not necessary to buy a scooter.

Be warned that many smaller cities here have more “big city” problems than Taipei; for example, places like Chungli (Zhongli) and Taoyuan are ugly, crowded, polluted shitholes.

Are you arriving with enough money to have a look around the island?[/quote]

Thanks for the advice, aj, I’ll try to avoid the shitholes. We are arriving with about US$3,000 between the two of us. After that, we’ll have to break out the Visa.

[quote=“almas john”]
Be warned that many smaller cities here have more “big city” problems than Taipei; for example, places like Chungli (Zhongli) and Taoyuan are ugly, crowded, polluted shitholes.[/quote]

I guess you guys were expecting a bite… some of us happen to not agree with this. There are places, such as where we live, that are not crowded polluted shitholes, are literally a few minutes from mountains, farms and rice paddies and farm villages. The cost of accom is half(plenty of brand new complexes too), there are good schools with good paying jobs, good supermarkets, cinemas, malls etc…and Taipei is a 25min ($50NT) bus ride away to a central MRT.
It depends what you are into. We like the local (i.e. less western) feel here, and I think our stay in Taiwan is better for it.

[quote=“truant”][quote=“almas john”]
Be warned that many smaller cities here have more “big city” problems than Taipei; for example, places like Chungli (Zhongli) (Zhongli) and Taoyuan are ugly, crowded, polluted shitholes.[/quote][/quote]

I feel better and better as I leave the city behind on the way to my little country town.

Relax guys. If you are happy living in your pig pens, that’s great! :wink:

I am no PR man for Taipei; infact, I have mixed feelings about having moved up here from Chiayi four months ago.

I’m simply saying that peachca shouldn’t dismiss Taipei as an option.
Here are three common misconceptions about places that foreigners have before setting foot on Treasure Island.

  1. “I want to stay away from the big cities. It’ll be less crowded and polluted in a small town.” The reality can be rather different. Some of Taipei’s nicer suburbs have more green space (and better views) than shitholes like Taoyuan.

  2. “It’s close to the mountains. There will be nice views.” The reality, once again, is somewhat crueler. Dust, pollution, and moisture in the atmosphere often reduce visibilty to a few kilometers. You can live near mountains without seeing them for weeks on end.

  3. “It’s on/near the coast. I’ll be able to go to the beach.” Not an unreasonable assumption, but as we know only too well, beaches are few and far between. Practically the entire western coastline is a lost cause.

Yes, I live up a mountain away from the hustle. If I had to live in the pipgpen area it would be different.

Is this true with regard to having your pick of college/university jobs with only an MA TESOL? I was under the impression that such positions were increasingly difficult to get with only an MA and that colleges/universities were really looking for Ph.D.s… who are published, no less.