Alternative options to teaching English

Work Working in Taiwan
1

I’m planning on moving to the other side of Taipei (and even further away from my current Buxiban job) in a couple of months.

I’m not keen on an irritatingly long commute for a job I don’t particularly like, and so I’ve been keeping an eye out for new teaching positions closer to where I’ll be living.

But I’m also thinking about whether I’d be happier if I left teaching altogether and tried for something completely different. While I enjoy some parts of teaching, I’m very introverted and group kids classes are taking their toll on my sanity.

How easy is it to move out of English teaching in Taipei with just an undergraduate degree and no specialist work experience? What kind of options would realistically be open to me? I feel like I’m quickly getting stuck in the land of Buxiban teaching and there might be no way out.

2

What is your degree in?

I know a few places hiring.

I moved from teaching to IT a few years ago.

3

There’s a Facebook group for non-teaching jobs for foreigners.

How’s your Chinese? That will obviously make a difference…

Even having no specialist work experience, do you have any skills?

I’ve seen editing work advertised, which personally I find more mind-numbing and less rewarding than teaching, but that is non-teaching work that you can probably get with no Chinese and just a BA in whatever.

4

I’ll take a look at the Facebook group, thanks!

My Chinese is in progress but not yet anywhere near good enough to be used in a professional setting. So I would be restricted to English only positions.

I know you say it’s mind numbing, but I actually don’t think I’d mind editing. I did do some work as a content writer several years ago which is the same sort of area.

5

My degree is in Psychology, so not that useful in the IT industry unfortunately. I’m glad to hear that moving out of teaching is possible though.

6

This is wrong. Have you ever heard about UX/ui research? Even if you work as a designer it’d be useful

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7

I think you need to figure out what it is you want to do, study it, learn a skill needed for it, get certified if possible and then seek a job in that field. With your existing degree you have a good shot. Whilst doing all that you can continue making good money teaching English and work on your Chinese where possible.

8

I was going to suggest something similar before I saw your post.

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9

UX/UI as pointed out by another person. Product concept. Marketing. And more importantly, you should have a solid statistics knowledge, so data analyst could also be an option. Look also for companies working on robotics (there’s at least one in Taipei).

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10

Note down your interests.

Do some research into relevant positions that tie into them.

Potentially upskill in those areas as you probably don’t have much experience now.

Apply for jobs or do personal projects so you can show your capabilities.