How is the job market for English teachers right now?

Work Teaching English in Taiwan
1

I missed this forum a lot while I was gone. I went back to school to take some accounting classes and it took me awhile to hunt for my current job in the US. I work for an accounting firm right now. I am looking to start applying for jobs in TW again and I was wondering how is the market right now considering the US economy has thousands of jobless people. Has the US economy affected TW in terms of more Americans moving to TW to teach English since they are laid off? Or have schools cut back on teachers in TW to save money?

If I come on a tourist visa, how many days do I have before I need to secure employment before my visa expires? I plan to apply to some big chain schools before I move to TW. But assuming I can’t get a job with them, how likely am I go get a job if I just move to TW and start looking? I’m an ABC with no experience in teaching English. I have a degree from the University of California. I am relatively young also. How likely am I to secure a contract if I move to TW say in January of 2009? How do you recommend applying to jobs once I’m here? Thanks and Happy Holidays.

2

Shit, go to Korea if you want to make a living. Taiwan is OVER. There are way too many Canadian teachers scrambling for the last few remaining jobs and hours there are. You will not find a decent job in Taiwan. You’re outnumbered. There are 10 applicants for any job you apply for. Korea - now that’s the place to be, from what I’ve heard. Taiwan is dead as far as English teaching jobs are concerned. Those of us that are still here are all struggling to get by. Times ain’t the times they used to be.

3

Taiwan’s economy, being so heavily dependent on exports, is doing poorly. Corporations are tightening their belts, which usually means training budgets get slashed. Schools who cater to corporate training will have a tough ride.

I’ve heard random tales of parents who had to pull their kids from cram schools because of their recent financial difficulties.

My high school cut 10% of our hours. We still teach as many classes as always, but we no longer proctor exams or get paid typhoon days or national holidays.

Not sure if economic woes elsewhere have caused any increase in the already steady flow of newbies coming here looking to make some quick bucks teaching. The market is already saturated and laobans have figured out they can save a lot of money preying on the naivete of the FOB’s rather than paying for experience. This has significantly suppressed wages and quality of work life.

If you take some time to browse the rest of the forum, you will find lots of other examples and answers to your questions. While there are a few who have successfully landed good jobs, and it is still possible, it’s become more and more difficult. (IMHO)

4

Yep, this about sums it up. Actually, I think it would be very easy for you to find a job. It’s just that all the jobs suck balls – terrible hours, crappy wage, absolutely no benefits of any kind.

Taiwan is not a good place to come. I don’t think Korea’s a good idea either though. In addition to a market almost as saturated as here, the Won has lost something like 35% of its value against the US$. The Middle East seems to be the place to now if cash is your main objective.

5

says the man who (lets see if I got this right)

  1. has worked here for one year and is leaving
  2. works in the middle of Taichung County

Being foreign here is not a license to print money. Good jobs are available if you look for them. There are indeed bosses who pray on the innocence of the noobs (as said by CraigTPE above), but there are also others who will pay top dollar for good people because they are sick to the back teeth of fuckwits who claim to teach when they answer the phone in class etc.

The jobs are out there, the question is, will people leave them if they know that are only shite alternatives elsewhere?

6

[quote=“Funk500”]says the man who (lets see if I got this right)

  1. has worked here for one year and is leaving
  2. works in the middle of Taichung County

Being foreign here is not a license to print money. Good jobs are available if you look for them. There are indeed bosses who pray on the innocence of the noobs (as said by CraigTPE above), but there are also others who will pay top dollar for good people because they are sick to the back teeth of fuckwits who claim to teach when they answer the phone in class etc. [/quote]
I’ve been here 3 1/2 years and am not going anywhere, unless my partner can somehow get legal status in the US, which is not likely anytime soon. I’ve been around the block a few times during that period.

There are absolutely a fair number of irresponsible foreigners. That’s where the deposits and penalties for tardiness and missing classes came in. No doubt about it. It’s also the easiest way to set yourself apart, by being responsible.

I wish I had some real numbers to back up my personal observations, but I don’t. Maybe that’s why this is a forum post and not a NYT article. I agree there are good jobs out there, but they are vastly outnumbered by the crappy and mediocre ones. You say you just have to look for the good jobs, but typically those are going to go to people who have been here a while with experience and a good network. A newbie has a better chance of winning the Lotto than landing a cherry job fresh off the boat.

The supply of foreign teachers is overtaking the demand, suppressing wages and benefits, not that I’ve ever had a job that paid benefits aside from the government mandated health plan co-pay. Good jobs and bosses exist, but they are rare. The OP wrote that he’s an ABC with no teaching experience. What do you estimate his/her chances are for landing a good gig?

7

Isn’t there a chain that hires ABC’s with no experience? Hess, is it?

vip, do you speak and read Mandarin?

8

TLI hires ABC’s, too, but I’d rank those jobs as crappy to mediocre.

For sure there are jobs. The question is are they worth traveling 6000 miles for?

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MMM Hess. Nice. Don’t they start you off on NT$520 irregardless of previous experience? Make you pay deposits? Ridiculous prep time? Just what I heard, might be wrong. TLI’s an awful gig. Shite politics. GRAM will hire ABCs, but It’s salaried. Normally 2-4 hours teaching with 2 hours “office/prep” time. Actually very, very difficult for anyone who looks remotely Asian or “black” to find a good teaching job.

10

actually my point was a general one aimed at barfomcgee who seemed to suggest there are NO good jobs anywhere.

To answer your question though, I agree with you that the chances of the OP getting something great straight are indeed low. I’m just showing that you can’t make a blanket statement that all the industry is crap.

11

The guy has no qualifications or experience? Um, excuse my cynicism, but particularly if he is newb, he is potentially a good teacher with training and a huge amount of work, but for a school owner, particularly of a small place, he is just an enormous financial risk/a pain in the arse.

Why people go on about Hess as if it’s ‘too good’ for people who have absolutely nothing to bring to the table but a 20-something wanderlust or a mid-life crisis is beyond me.

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[quote=“Funk500”]actually my point was a general one aimed at barfomcgee who seemed to suggest there are NO good jobs anywhere.

To answer your question though, I agree with you that the chances of the OP getting something great straight are indeed low. I’m just showing that you can’t make a blanket statement that all the industry is crap.[/quote]
Fair enough. I shouldn’t have made a blanket statement. I was actually referring to the jobs that would be available to someone just arriving in Taiwan without any connections. Even people who have been here for several years seem to have trouble finding these mythical “good jobs,” but I won’t deny that a handful must exist somewhere.

Just out of curiosity, how would you recommend a person find a good job? Looking at Tealit, Dewey or ESL99 reveals there isn’t a lot of variation in the jobs advertised online, at least for my area (Taichung City/County). So it seems the only way to find a good job is by having connections. But is the job really worth the X number of years you’ll have to spend slogging it out in buxibans in order to make the needed contacts?

13

I don’t understand all this I’m a huachiao and I’m afraid of getting a job. FFS, employers are dying to get ahold of ABC’s, CBC’s and even BBC’s. Your of Chinese ancestry, speak English and have a foreign passport, than Taiwan is the place for you. Do you actually think people who use the term big nose as the word for foreigner, like to work with foreigners? Do you think they are f^&% all serious about learning English?

Jobs are much harder to come by than before. There are no benefits and the pay is great if you live like a monk or work like a madman. If you want a better quality of life and to eat better than pig intestines and noddles, I’d suggest staying in the US. That being said, if you want to travel around Asia and/or live in a different country before settling in the US, than do come and try it out.

14

Dude, come to Taiwan anyway. Even if your job isn’t so great, you will love Taiwan so much that you’ll want to stay anyway.

15

The chances of you not landing a job at a big chain school are ZERO. Don’t worry. January is a good time to come as many teachers will have left before Christmas or will leave after Chinese New Year. Schools will be looking to hire in January. Whether you apply before you leave the US or after you arrive in Taiwan doesn’t matter. You will get a job. Setting up interviews beforehand will just speed up the process.

How long you have to get your tourist visa changed depends on how long of a visa they gave you. I think they usually give a 30-day visa nowadays. You should find a job within your first 10 days so you can get the paperwork rolling and get your new visa before the old one expires.

16

What Peresphone says might be true if you’re really motivated and totally on top of your shit everyday, which will mean getting a cell phone as soon (the very day) you land. And all this will lead to “a job.” Nothing more can really be assured besides -probably- “a” job…

17

[quote=“Okami”]

Jobs are much harder to come by than before. There are no benefits and the pay is great if you live like a monk or work like a madman. If you want a better quality of life and to eat better than pig intestines and noddles, I’d suggest staying in the US. That being said, if you want to travel around Asia and/or live in a different country before settling in the US, than do come and try it out.[/quote]

I must disagree.

Honestly, I find my quality of life far better in TW than in USA. I got a job where I actually put away a decent amount of cash for my age group and class especially with how horrible the world economy is doing. Additionally, national healthcare is great and I don’t know maybe I am a weird foreigner but I feel I eat much better in Taiwan than in US seeing as how food and all kinds of it is everywhere here-I have also never once in my three years in Taiwan eaten pig intestine. Finally, my apartment is great and far cheaper than what I could get in the US.

Bit tired now but I couldn’t resist responding to this reply.

18

[quote=“James651”][quote=“Okami”]

Jobs are much harder to come by than before. There are no benefits and the pay is great if you live like a monk or work like a madman. If you want a better quality of life and to eat better than pig intestines and noddles, I’d suggest staying in the US. That being said, if you want to travel around Asia and/or live in a different country before settling in the US, than do come and try it out.[/quote]

I must disagree.

Honestly, I find my quality of life far better in TW than in USA. I got a job where I actually put away a decent amount of cash for my age group and class especially with how horrible the world economy is doing. Additionally, national healthcare is great and I don’t know maybe I am a weird foreigner but I feel I eat much better in Taiwan than in US seeing as how food and all kinds of it is everywhere here-I have also never once in my three years in Taiwan eaten pig intestine. Finally, my apartment is great and far cheaper than what I could get in the US.

Bit tired now but I couldn’t resist responding to this reply.[/quote]

You aren’t weird. Many people who live in Taiwan feel exactly as you do (as does Okami when he’s not surrounded by the din of his loved ones).

19

I’ve found all my teaching jobs by simply hitting the streets and walking into random schools. It doesn’t take longer than a few hours to find a job.

20

[quote=“James651”] Honestly, I find my quality of life far better in TW than in USA. I got a job where I actually put away a decent amount of cash for my age group and class especially with how horrible the world economy is doing. Additionally, national healthcare is great and I don’t know maybe I am a weird foreigner but I feel I eat much better in Taiwan than in US seeing as how food and all kinds of it is everywhere here-I have also never once in my three years in Taiwan eaten pig intestine. Finally, my apartment is great and far cheaper than what I could get in the US.

Bit tired now but I couldn’t resist responding to this reply.[/quote]
When you’re not so tired, I’d like to hear more.

First, can you describe the quality of life issue?

Does your job pay the average for EFL teachers in Taiwan, or would you say higher than most? Do you lead a fairly frugal lifestyle? My salary is slightly higher than average for EFL, and although I’m not extravagant, I’m not frugal either. I put away about the same as I would in the US, as a percentage of my salary.

The national health care is certainly cheap, but is it really great? I saw a dermatologist once who examined me for a nano-second with waiting patients looking over my shoulders before making a diagnosis and prescribing a cream. I was in the waiting room for over an hour for this. At the dentist, I had to insist he fill a cavity, because he said “aw, it’s not that bad yet”. I went to a hospital emergency room to check a finger I smashed playing volleyball. They Xrayed and examined it (again with people looking over my shoulder) and declared there was nothing wrong with it. They taped it to a tongue depressor and to this day it’s still slightly bent at the joint with less mobility than before. It is really cheap, though.

There are a lot of inexpensive eating opportunities, but I’m not sure how healthy they are. I find most food at cheap places FAR too oily.

Can’t compare the real estate market in two different countries. It’s easy to say an apartment here rents for less than the US, but WHERE in the US? An apartment in Lansing, MI is a fraction of the cost of one in San Francisco, CA. Average income in the US is a lot higher, too.

But back to the original topic, the job market here is ugly. Wages are stagnant while inflation keeps raising the cost of living. Precious few jobs for foreigners have any kind of benefit package that might include sick days, holidays, or paid vacations. (I’ve been trying for 3+ years and still haven’t landed one.) Generally, employers here are exploitative.

Here’s how far one employer goes to keep wages low. This company’s starting pay for outside classes is theoretically 650/hr. (Inside classes start at 520.) A worker has been with them, on the same outside assignment for 3 years and is making 690/hr for that assignment. They asked the employee to take an additional outside assignment, but the pay would only be 650 because the employee was new to that customer. So even if a worker stays at this company for YEARS, they will start you over at entry-level with each new assignment.

Yes, you can pound the pavement and you will find a job. They love newbies here. They can start you at entry level pay and prey on your naivete to get you to sign contracts with illegal conditions. There are enough newbies arriving daily that few employers feel compelled to pay any premium for experience or longevity. Do your homework. Read through the numerous threads on the subject and you improve your chances of not being taken advantage of too badly.

The OP asked about the job market here, and that’s my take… :thumbsdown: