Basic Qualifications - still good enough?

My wife and I are planning to come to Taiwan in March / April in search of employment. We are both native English speaking (American) and have 4 year college degrees. Other then that, no other experience in teaching or ESL certifications but have built successful careers in our respective industries. We are 28 and 31, fit, standard looking Americans.

From what I have been reading and our experience contacting schools thus far, it seems perhaps more difficult to gain employment without a ESL certification and / or experience. Is this now the case (as it apparently did not used to be)? Are we being reckless by coming over and looking for a job without a TEFL/CELTA/etc? Is a company like HESS our only option? Even the KOJEN, Shane, and Giraffe websites state a ESL certification is required.

Chains’ websites say many false things, and they’re infamous for their creative mischief with work contracts (I’m not speaking from experience, though, since I saw the warning signs before applying for work at such places.).

Why did you pick Taiwan?

Thanks ehophi. So you are saying I shouldn’t be concerned? Also, I know April is not the most ideal time to arrive, but will there be jobs to be had (most likely Kaohsiung)?

Why Taiwan - warm climate, mountains, demand for teachers, pay, cost of living, relatively safe. And Taiwan has monkeys.

I’m not blah-blah-blah certified, and I’ve never worked for a chain. I’ve not yet met a certified instructor (among acquaintances in Taipei) who knew as much about the English language as I do. Some of them don’t even know what determiners or relativizers are!

If your English is good enough to fix the mistakes in your original post, you should fare no worse than any other inexperienced newbie would.

You may want to update your research on those fronts.

You’re not coming at a good time… At all. Wait until July or so if you want a better chance at landing a job. Yeah, you’ll get that 20% tax but you’re less likely to feel… stranded…

I seriously recommend caution here. This market has too many foreigners chasing too few hours, and it likely is THAT competitive that a certification would really help. Especially for newcomers.

Do you really want to come halfway across the world in the hope of calling a bluff?

Ktown has too many teachers- and hard to find work.

[quote=“rockwejh”]

Why Taiwan - warm climate, mountains, demand for teachers, pay, cost of living, relatively safe. And Taiwan has monkeys.[/quote]

You know, if I were a newbie, I would be looking at Vietnam instead. I think that statistically there may be more crime than in Taiwan, but I spent some time there and felt relatively safe (petty theft can be a bit of an issue in touristy areas though). At any rate it checks all of your boxes and the cost of living there is much lower than the cost of living in Taiwan.

If you’re smart enough to finish a four-year college degree (caveat: in four years), you’re probably smart enough to figure out that coming to Taiwan would be a big mistake.

I’m a newbie who has come to Taiwan within the last month. I can’t speak for everyone, but my girlfriend found a job within the first week and a half (we’re in Kaohsiung). I’ve had a few interviews and am waiting to hear back. We’ve recently befriended some other newbies who arrived a little over a week after we did. The girl of the couple landed a job within a week and her boyfriend has been interviewing with several schools. When I was doing research it seemed like a lot of people on the forums were trying to convince people not to come. I’d say save up some cash and make the hop over. We have found that a lot of the expats here in K-Town are more than willing to help you get set up and find jobs–jobs that are not always advertised via the usual channels. Hope that helps.

I’m pretty sure the “where” is a big part of whether or not a young buck to the island will be able to find work easily (with minimal qualifications). There is a lot less competition outside of the main city areas, and it’s cheaper. I personally don’t know how long I could live and work too far off the beaten path, and I have done it for a bit, but for someone who wants to really experience Taiwan (and not just life in an international city), looking outside of the big cities isn’t a bad idea. It also gets you some experience, should you decide to stay. It’s also cheaper. :2cents: