I am 24 years old currently living in Las Vegas, NV. I am currently attending community college and had planned on waiting to move until I got my bachelor’s degree and TESOL certificate so I could teach English in Taiwan. However, I don’t want to wait that long and am looking to move as soon as I get my ducks in a row. I have family living in Taiwan but I want to find a job and continue college online so I can eventually teach English. If anyone can point me in the right direction in how to look up what type of visa I will need, how to find a job and housing I would really really appreciate it. 謝謝！
What is your relationship to the family and are they taiwanese citizens?
I guess they would be my second or third cousins. It’s my grandmother’s cousin and her children(adults). And yes they are Taiwanese citizens. I visited them in 2016 and keep in touch but haven’t had the chance to go back.
Bachelor’s Degree: you’ll need that for any serious teaching opportunities. I’d recommend staying until you finish.
If you’re intent on moving asap, you can finish through Phoenix University, which is an online degree program, but their bachelors is not universally accepted as an accredited degree.
TEFL: University of Toronto offers an online TEFL program.
https://teflonline.teachaway.com/
Solid program, fully accredited. Don’t know how useful that would be in Taiwan, since serious programs want a degree more than TEFL.
Best of luck!
1 Like
Suggest you read the forums. This is every newbies first question. But basically you just land in Taipei, go to a hostel/AirBnB and gradually find your feet same as everyone else.
Good things come to those that wait. If you’re too impatient to wait for your bachelor’s degree, then you’ll have an infinitely harder time getting a job here. Just suck it up and get it done. Then come out. Better in the long run.
4 Likes
How much longer are you talking about here?
Job will be hard like everyone mentioned. But can you stay with your cousins in the beginning? They would know better how to find housing in the area too.
Yeah I’ve looked into different programs for TESOL certification but I’ll definitely wait until I get my bachelor’s before I get the certificate. Thanks!
3-4 years of school left and then however long it takes to get the certificate, so I figure about 5 years. I haven’t talked to them about it yet because I just started to seriously consider moving there early today.
Thanks!
3-4 years left? On a bachelor’s?? Did you just start going for it at 24? Also you can get a TESOL certificate the same time you’re getting a bachelor through night classes or online classes.
Haha yeah. I took some time off to work and I’ve been going to school part time for a while.
As others have mentioned, finish that degree before you come.
You can’t teach legally without it.
You already have an uphill battle being an ABT. Finding a job will be harder and pay lower just based on how you look. I assume you are an ABT because you said your cousins are Taiwanese.
Add no degree to being an ABT and finding a teaching job will be 99.9% impossible.
Put in a further 4 years to finish your degree and get that TESOL certification. Even better, get a teaching license if you can. Once all of that is done, then think about coming here to teach. Those 4 years will go very quickly.
1 Like
Unless you can get a TW id card (citizenship) or have it already.
I’m pretty sure all you need for an ARC and work permit to teach English in a Buxiban is an Associates Degree and a TEFL certificate. Make sure you have 3 to 4 thousand dollars American to get you set up in Taiwan. Don’t forget your background check.