Wise words.
Listen to @ironlady
Yes, that is one reason why I think I’ll be successful. I don’t mind sharing a living space as long as I have my own room. In fact I bet I’m more likely to have access to a kitchen in a shared space, is that true? Also I wouldn’t mind having some roommates when I’m new to the country, and need to make connections.
Agreed. Except you may find you don’t want to cook as much as you might if you weren’t in Taiwan. It’s so cheap to eat out, but if you want good Western food you either have to pay quite a lot or make it yourself, which means a Costco membership for many people.
Western cooked at home may be healthier but some of that street food is reaaaaally good…
Do you have any suggestions on neighborhoods to investigate? I’d like to have a few in mind so I know where to start applying, after I land in country.
Do you know Chinese or have a friend who can help you? 591.com.tw is the website the locals use to find apartments to rent. I found my first place using that site, Google Translate, and a lot of broken Chinese.
When you first get off the plane, I’d recommend getting a hostel. Then, look for a job. Starting now, read through the posts on tealit.com to get an idea of the type of schools that are hiring. Feel free to email them… but it’s a bit late in the year (but it won’t hurt). But once you land, you’ll hopefully have a good idea of the type of shools you’re looking for.
I’d recommend looking for a job while you’re still in a hostel before finding a place. Some schools can be located in awkward locations and if you already have an apartment on the other side of the city, it can make things though.
I know everyone says stay away from Taipei. But this really depends on your personal preference. I, personally, love Taipei. If you’re a newbie to being an expat in Taiwan, Taipei isn’t a bad place to start. There’s a plethora of schools a job opportunities for foreigners here.
EDIT: Putting $1000usd/month into savings is reasonable, imo… if you live VERY frugally. But if you meant putting $1000nt into savings, that should be a piece of cake.
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@TheGuy
Having a background in STEM is both rare and very attractive to private schools.
Look online for Private Schools, they are desperate for a qualified Tech teacher.
Your best bet is to look for an “International School”, these are schools that teach subject courses in English.
The only hiccup you’ll run across is “Lack of teaching experience”, but being STEM, a lot of employers will overlook that. If you land a job, you’ll be looking at $65,000-$70,000 NTD a month ($2,200-$2,400 USD) a month.
If you’re seriously looking to save $30,000 NTD ($1,000 USD) a month, then I’m going to reiterate previous points: Stay away from Taipei. It may be the biggest city, but you will save a pittance.
Look to Taichung (just landed a job as a Social Studies and Tech teacher in Taichung), because they have a lot of schools, much cheaper housing, and the city is roughly comparable to Chicago USA in size.
Also to reiterate, your first year here, you’re going to save very little. After you’ve become accustomed to life and expenses here, which took myself and my wife about 6 months, you’ll be able to set aside a decent sum of money.
Best of luck!
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@TheGuy, if you dont have a teacher licence, local regular schools (elementary to high schools) cannot get a work permit for you. MOE requires a teacher licence to issue it.
The cost of transportation within taipei city is cheep. If you use public transportation(mrt, bus, u-bike) only, the maximum is 1280NTD/month.
Do you mean I will need a teaching certification for only public, but not private schools?
Private school too.
It is said in Article 4 of Regulations Governing Educational Institutions at All Levels Applying for Work Permits for Foreign Teachers and their Administration
http://law.moj.gov.tw/MOBILE/lawEng.aspx?pcode=H0030058
Before, the requirement included “or equivalent”, iirc. Government tightened the regulation.
So without a master’s in education in limted to buxibans? How common is it to teach at buxibans while earning a master’s online?
International schools might be possible, if there home country’s law allows 4yr degree without a licence to teach STEM subjects.
I’d advise to stay away from the street food. There’s a reason so many Taiwanese are fat and it’s because a little of what makes the soul happy also makes the belly fat!
I gained weight eating that local stuff and once I started cooking western style like I used to again I got in real good shape again. All those oils, fatty cuts of meat and MSGs will go straight to your waistline. Be warned.
*Disclaimer: Taiwan food is tasty! But certainly not healthy.
No. You do not need certification.
This is not true.
No, you do not need certification nor do you need a Masters. A Bachelor’s is fine.
Article 4
A foreigner who is employed as a teacher in the category referred to in Subparagraph 1 of the preceding article shall have the qualifications specified in the Act Governing the Appointment of Educators or in the regulations governing the appointment of such teachers.
A foreigner in the category referred to in the preceding paragraph, who is employed as a foreign language teacher at a foreign language center at a public or a registered private university or tertiary college, shall have a degree recognized by the competent authority, from a domestic or foreign university or independent college, and any language course taught by that person shall be a course on an official language of the nation that issued the passport of that foreign teacher.
If a foreigner is employed as a teacher in the category referred to in Subparagraph 2 of the preceding article, at a school for international residents, that school for international residents shall appoint a qualified teacher in accordance with the related regulations of the particular foreign country whose citizens the school provides education for in accordance with that country’s education system.
A foreigner who is employed as a teacher in the category referred to in Subparagraph 3 or 4 of the preceding article shall have a degree recognized by the competent authority, from a domestic or foreign university or independent college, and possess qualifications in or be qualified to teach the subject they will teach. The qualifications must indicate that they are permitted to teach the subject involved in the country that issued their qualifications.
The foreign language taught by a foreigner who is employed as a teacher in the category referred to in Subparagraph 3 of the preceding article must be the official language of that country that issued their passport. Language in which a subject is taught reffered to in Subparagraph 4 of the preceding article also must be the official language of that country that issued their passport.
There is NOTHING in here saying ANYTHING about certification for private schools. It does state you need certification to teach in a University or College.
Doesn’t this usually mean a teacher licence?
That portion is specific to University or College teachers.
I read and reread, I stand corrected.
It does appear certification is a requirement for private schools.
Apologies. This appears to have taken affect this year (2018).
I think it still stands true that %50 of teachers at public schools are not certified, but they still obtained an ARC. Strange.
It is applied to regular school teachers. Schools are complaining about that.
外師專法太嚴 學校憂聘不到人
https://udn.com/news/story/11319/3044710
This paragraph is worrisome:
該法規定，外師教的外語應為護照國籍之官方語；在中小學任教，除應取得教育部採認的大學學位，且要取得擬任課程合格教師或任教資格，應能證明他們得於母國教授這門課程。
The law stipulates that foreign teachers’ foreign languages should be the official language of passport nationality; teaching in primary and secondary schools should, in addition to obtaining a university degree recognized by the Ministry of Education, and to obtain qualifications for qualified teachers or teaching qualifications, should prove that they have taught this course in their home country.
So that means that not only do you need a degree and teaching license, but also have had taught in your home country as well.
THIS will hurt a lot of teachers who obtain their teaching credentials while in Taiwan. I know many teachers who obtained their certification while still living in Taiwan. They did their internship at qualified schools here and obtained the license. But they have never actually taught in their home country.
Translation of that part is “The qualifications must indicate that they are permitted to teach the subject involved in the country that issued their qualifications”.
That means a teacher with a licence of TEOS is not eligible, because that licence is only to teach foreign kids and not to teach all kids in the home country.
What about this part?
應能證明他們得於母國教授這門課程