Cousin in USA wants to come here to teach. Can you answer a couple questions

Hi,

Just got a call from my cousin in the USA. He’s late 20’s and ready for a change. He was asking about coming here to Taipei to teach English.
I live here now but I’m not a teacher so can’t really answer his questions.

He has an associates degree. Are there any teaching jobs in Taipei that require only an Associates?

Does he have to apply for the job from the USA or can he come here on the 90 days exempt and than apply?

Thanks everyone!

Ben

Hi Ben, to get a work permit as a teacher he needs either a BA or an associates degree AND a TEFL certificate, so he’d need to look into getting one of those. Some places would still ask for a BA, however.

It’s harder to get jobs outside the country, unless you apply through a chain (Hess, Shane, KoJen, etc) because they want to see your face, and there’s also more of a risk with the teacher (might not turn up, might hate it and go home). Also out of country jobs are often the ones no-one in the country wants. However, it’s not for the faint of heart to come with no job at all.

Thanks for the response. So there wouldn’t be an issue getting a work permit if he was already here on his 90 days exempt?
I’ll tell him to get his Tefl certificate in the meantime. :slight_smile:

Visa wise, I believe he would have to leave and come back in to be allowed to work. Could just be a hop to Hong Kong.

I took a quick TEFL course through Oxford Seminars. Combined with my Associate’s Degree, that qualified me to teach. I searched online for jobs, did interviews via Skype, and took a position with Giraffe English Schools. I’ve been with them 9 months so far. No problems now. But when I was applying, they didn’t think I could work here with only an Associate’s Degree and a TEFL. Your brother CAN teach here with just those credentials. My school was confused because nobody seemed to know the current law, not even the government. I was very persistent and told them to check again. They finally said “oh! Looks like you can!” There will probably be some red tape for your brother too. Just a heads up. Apart from Giraffe, I’m pretty sure Hess accepts Associate’s + TEFL also. They have a bigger marketing department since I see their ads everywhere, but I’m not sure if they’re good to work for or not.

Teachers can convert visa exempt to ARC without leaving the country. There are multiple steps (visa fees) though.