Needs Advice: Chinese Canadian interested in Taipei

Hi Forumosa users,

I’m seriously considering becoming an English teacher in Taipei. I have browsed through this forum carefully and found some useful/insightful advice and comments.

However, I do have a few questions,some of which are quite specific. Thus, I’d really appreciate it if anyone could help me out here.

First off, a little bit about myself. I do have dual citizenship, and will hold both valid TW and CAD passport by the time I’m in town.Strictly speaking, I’m not a CBC. But I do believe that my English is at a native-speaker level. I immigrated to Canada when I was 9. Thus, I am quite fluent in Mandarin and can read and write Chinese quite well. I just graduated this past May from UBC with a BSc. Considering moving back as my significant other may be moving back…I have some solid volunteer/work experience for a 23 yo, but I doubt they’d care in TW. Have done one-on-one tutoring for almost 2 years. Considering getting a TESOL (month-long w/practicum) before heading back. I’m expecting to visit for about a month in the Fall and if I’m heading back, it would be sometime around the end of this year or early next year.

As a Chinese/Taiwanese/CBC(I don’t even know what to refer to myself as…lol),I do understand that things will be harder for me. However, I’ve also read that it is not impossible to find a half-decent job as a Chinese. But the process will be much more grueling and tedious…Good thing is, I won’t have to worry about rent/housing once I’m in Taipei…Whew…

Anyways, here are my burning questions:

  1. I’ve browsed through the ads on tealit , it seems to me that most the ads are too good to be true. For example, most taut “no prep time”, “guaranteed x hours”, “600/hr and up”, “first-timers, no experience welcome”, ‘prepared and organized curriculum”,etc, etc…

What I’ve come to realize is that either, a) yes, these opportunities do exist, but only those that are experienced, connected and ‘foreign’ will be hired for such positions, or; b) it’s complete bs. Can someone please confirm if these ads are actually anywhere close to the truth?

2.From my understanding, it is illegal for foreigners to be teaching kindy. Does that mean some schools will considering hiring FBCs for kindy positions since we are not ‘illegal’?

3.This question is for the FBCs that are out there: Do you believe it is better to tell your institution that you don’t speak Mandarin when you actually do? I’d imagine it to be somewhat advantageous at smaller schools where teaching staff/admin are not very fluent in English…But some ppl have said that some schools treat you differently (in a bad way) once they find out you speak Mandarin…In other words, they prefer the FBCs to be as ‘foreign’ as possible…

  1. I understand that as a CBC, it is harder to find a decent teaching job, thus, is a wage between $400-$500/hr somewhat reasonable for someone in my shoes?Also, How long should I expect my job hunt to be? I’ve read posts where people said it takes about ‘a few’ weeks for FBCs to find work. Still true? or has it gone up to a couple of months? A few weeks doesn’t sound too bad…considering the situation in TW…

  2. Should I look for a position prior to coming back? Some say schools rarely respond their e-mails while others say don’t bother knocking on doors…But what seems to be agreed upon is the fact that they may suddenly withdraw their interest in you upon seeing your photo or meeting you in person.Oh well…

  3. Would any Asian teachers like to share their experience with either HESS or KOJEN? These two schools seem to be the better choices for inexperienced Asian teachers.

Thanks in advance for your help! ANYTHING is greatly appreciate at this point. :slight_smile:

  1. I’ve browsed through the ads on tealit , it seems to me that most the ads are too good to be true. For example, most taut “no prep time”, “guaranteed x hours”, “600/hr and up”, “first-timers, no experience welcome”, ‘prepared and organized curriculum”,etc, etc…

What I’ve come to realize is that either, a) yes, these opportunities do exist, but only those that are experienced, connected and ‘foreign’ will be hired for such positions, or; b) it’s complete bs. Can someone please confirm if these ads are actually anywhere close to the truth?

I would say (a) but since you are CBC, your pay will NOT be 600-700NT, more like 400NT an hour. White face is 600NT+ It is discrimination, but there is no law in Taiwan against it, which is a shame.

2.From my understanding, it is illegal for foreigners to be teaching kindy. Does that mean some schools will considering hiring FBCs for kindy positions since we are not ‘illegal’?

  • It is illegal but widely done.

3.This question is for the FBCs that are out there: Do you believe it is better to tell your institution that you don’t speak Mandarin when you actually do? I’d imagine it to be somewhat advantageous at smaller schools where teaching staff/admin are not very fluent in English…But some people have said that some schools treat you differently (in a bad way) once they find out you speak Mandarin…In other words, they prefer the FBCs to be as ‘foreign’ as possible…

  • No… it does not matter. All that matters is that you are ‘white’

  • You may think it is a benefit of being able to speak chinese. but let me tell you now, in Taiwan it is not considered as one.

  • Bear this in mind, although you consider yourself a foreigner, your face will never be ‘white’ so don’t expect your pay to ever match a white faced one.

  1. I understand that as a CBC, it is harder to find a decent teaching job, thus, is a wage between $400-$500/hr somewhat reasonable for someone in my shoes?Also, How long should I expect my job hunt to be? I’ve read posts where people said it takes about ‘a few’ weeks for FBCs to find work. Still true? or has it gone up to a couple of months? A few weeks doesn’t sound too bad…considering the situation in TW…
  • Wage your looking for really is about 400NT … 500NT is a stretch. Too many stingy cram school owners about.
    Taiwanese teachers: 350NT
    ABC, BBC, etc: 400-450NT
    White face: 600NT minimum
  1. Should I look for a position prior to coming back? Some say schools rarely respond their e-mails while others say don’t bother knocking on doors…But what seems to be agreed upon is the fact that they may suddenly withdraw their interest in you upon seeing your photo or meeting you in person.Oh well…
  • Best to do that when you are in Taiwan. Bring with you at least 1 months cash to live on whilst you hunt for a job.
  1. Would any Asian teachers like to share their experience with either HESS or KOJEN? These two schools seem to be the better choices for inexperienced Asian teachers.
  • Hess crap, Kojen better.

I went to the interview at HESS not knowing about the difference between Chinese teachers and foreign teachers.
They placed me as a chinese teacher even though I told them I have a Canadian passport and my English is better than my Mandarin. (I went to Canada around 9 as well.)
(Umm…I was interviewed by two ladies…One didn’t speak a word of English and the other spoke very little.)
As a Chinese teacher at HESS, I had to do lots of things, including writing…which I wasn’t very good at.
Anyways, to cut it short, I quit HESS. I am still looking for a teaching job right now! it’s been…yep! I’ve been unemployed for a couple of weeks now!
Mind you, I graduated from SFU, majored in Linguistics and I do have a TESOL certificate.
So, yep! Do bring some $$$ over!

Umm, I think it’s probably also because I look and dress pretty asian, so the schools don’t really wanna hire me as a foreign teacher…?
I was hired by another school as a foreign teacher after, but then the boss started forcing me to speak Chinese and do what other Chinese teachers were doing. So I was working as a Chinese/ foreign teacher. Ugh, another bad experience!

But yep! I think there are very few schools that take FBCs as foreign teachers.
So!
I advise you to speak English and when asked, just say you know very little Chinese…if you don’t want to lie…that much

I believe there are good schools out there…we as FBCs just have to look harderrrrr!
Best of luck!!!

There are SOOO many “English” teachers in Taiwan, it’s not funny. Most of them teach at private kindies like Hess, Happy Marian or buxibans (Kojen, etc.). Having read and heard so many stories, I think the best way to distinguish yourself from the pack and get better pay/treatment/deals, etc from the schools of your choice, is to get a teaching license or MA in Education or TESOL. Then get a couple of years of teaching under your belt in your home country. This allows you to break away from the pack of “English” teachers and lets you be more choosy about the schools that offer better benefits, salary and overall treatment to their teachers. There are so many private and public schools (from elementary to high school) that are looking for good teachers with stability. Many times they will overlook the experience and qualification slightly, if you already have a spousal ARC or have dual citizenship.

Example: My husband never taught before, did two years time at Hess (I call it “time”, because it was just that, they treated him horribly, despite the “white” face) and got himself a salaried position with one month paid vacation, parking spot and overtime pay at a local private elementary school. The biggest contributing factor being that he has a spousal ARC (I have dual citizenship). He doesn’t have a teaching license or TESOL certificate or years of teaching English but the school was willing to hire someone with a couple of years of experience in exchange for not having to sponsor their ARC. Also the fact that he has family is usually an indicator that they’re more likely to be stable, which is something they also value. He later finds out that the school has hired CBCs and ABC’s in the past and have worked out quite well.

I know this is one example but if you don’t want to be miserable for the unforeseeable future while teaching at one of these overcrowded buxibans or kindies, consider your status (someone who doesn’t need ARC sponsorship) and try to make it work for you! Buxibans and kindies are totally different animals compared to other “real” educational institutions. Pretty much anything goes at these buxibans and ABCs/CBCs/White people alike get taken advantage of. Also, you won’t have pay discrimination at a real school, as the schools have to pay you according to the Ministry of Education guidelines and their pay grade. Everyone starts out the same (~NT$65,000 - ~NT$75,000 depending on school and years of experience). You also can’t teach more than x hours (usually 25) per week per your contract and anything over that, you get overtime pay, which amounts to over NT$700 an hour. You won’t be doing “unpaid” office work either. When you work out the hours actually worked v.s. your total pay, it’s probably better than working at a buxiban if you’re looking at a lower hourly pay for a CBC.

How to find out which schools are hiring? Just do a Google search in either English or Chinese. To get your started, here’s a list found on the Ministry of Education website of schools in Taipei, private and public. Each school listing contains the school website, go to the website and find out if there is an English department, read about the school and get down to a list of schools that you might want to apply to. Many of these schools do not advertise on tealit or other community forums, some use agents and many don’t. Many schools will only hire Chinese teachers who majored in foreign language or English with a teaching degree/license. Yet many others will hire “foreign” teachers that meet their “qualifications”. Since you have some time and you’re young, I’d highly recommend spending the time to figure out what’s going to work best for you so you don’t waste your time working at a dead end job at a buxiban and be treated worse than your fellow foreign teachers. Plus you’re fluent in Mandarin Chinese, why not make that work to your advantage?

tp.edu.tw/neighbor/sch_address.jsp (this is all in Chinese, there doesn’t seem to be a corresponding English version)

Good luck!

[quote=“mk604”]
Umm, I think it’s probably also because I look and dress pretty asian[/quote]
What? You can’t help your asian features but how do you dress asian? Are you in full han clothing everyday?

[quote=“loo”][quote=“mk604”]
Umm, I think it’s probably also because I look and dress pretty asian[/quote]
What? You can’t help your asian features but how do you dress asian? Are you in full han clothing everyday?[/quote]

Would YOU hire a man who dresses like a clown?

Koka 131:

You will find discrimination here in the buxibans, but may have a better chance at the private schools. They are more careful about visas and passports, so they may, in some cases, go for a Taiwan ID cardholder with a foreign passport over a white foreigner. That doesn’t mean the job is totally legal, however. But you would be unlikely to get into any real trouble. The pay’s not bad either.

One of the main problems you may encounter is not being sufficiently engaged intellectually. If you are a bilingual science grad, teaching basic English at a buxiban could get old very fast. However, teaching at a private school with a “multiple intelligences” curriculum, you could actually teach some science-based material, from time to time.

Getting a CELTA might help you get a job with a private school or better buxiban / language center.

Good jobs in the EFL sector are quite rare in Taiwan, however.

Best of luck.

[quote=“koka131”]Hi Forumosa users,

I’m seriously considering becoming an English teacher in Taipei. I have browsed through this forum carefully and found some useful/insightful advice and comments.

However, I do have a few questions,some of which are quite specific. Thus, I’d really appreciate it if anyone could help me out here.

First off, a little bit about myself. I do have dual citizenship, and will hold both valid TW and CAD passport by the time I’m in town.Strictly speaking, I’m not a CBC. But I do believe that my English is at a native-speaker level. I immigrated to Canada when I was 9. Thus, I am quite fluent in Mandarin and can read and write Chinese quite well. I just graduated this past May from UBC with a BSc. Considering moving back as my significant other may be moving back…I have some solid volunteer/work experience for a 23 yo, but I doubt they’d care in TW. Have done one-on-one tutoring for almost 2 years. Considering getting a TESOL (month-long w/practicum) before heading back. I’m expecting to visit for about a month in the Fall and if I’m heading back, it would be sometime around the end of this year or early next year.

As a Chinese/Taiwanese/CBC(I don’t even know what to refer to myself as…lol),I do understand that things will be harder for me. However, I’ve also read that it is not impossible to find a half-decent job as a Chinese. But the process will be much more grueling and tedious…Good thing is, I won’t have to worry about rent/housing once I’m in Taipei…Whew…

Anyways, here are my burning questions:

  1. I’ve browsed through the ads on tealit , it seems to me that most the ads are too good to be true. For example, most taut “no prep time”, “guaranteed x hours”, “600/hr and up”, “first-timers, no experience welcome”, ‘prepared and organized curriculum”,etc, etc…

What I’ve come to realize is that either, a) yes, these opportunities do exist, but only those that are experienced, connected and ‘foreign’ will be hired for such positions, or; b) it’s complete bs. Can someone please confirm if these ads are actually anywhere close to the truth?

2.From my understanding, it is illegal for foreigners to be teaching kindy. Does that mean some schools will considering hiring FBCs for kindy positions since we are not ‘illegal’?

3.This question is for the FBCs that are out there: Do you believe it is better to tell your institution that you don’t speak Mandarin when you actually do? I’d imagine it to be somewhat advantageous at smaller schools where teaching staff/admin are not very fluent in English…But some people have said that some schools treat you differently (in a bad way) once they find out you speak Mandarin…In other words, they prefer the FBCs to be as ‘foreign’ as possible…

  1. I understand that as a CBC, it is harder to find a decent teaching job, thus, is a wage between $400-$500/hr somewhat reasonable for someone in my shoes?Also, How long should I expect my job hunt to be? I’ve read posts where people said it takes about ‘a few’ weeks for FBCs to find work. Still true? or has it gone up to a couple of months? A few weeks doesn’t sound too bad…considering the situation in TW…

  2. Should I look for a position prior to coming back? Some say schools rarely respond their e-mails while others say don’t bother knocking on doors…But what seems to be agreed upon is the fact that they may suddenly withdraw their interest in you upon seeing your photo or meeting you in person.Oh well…

  3. Would any Asian teachers like to share their experience with either HESS or KOJEN? These two schools seem to be the better choices for inexperienced Asian teachers.

Thanks in advance for your help! ANYTHING is greatly appreciate at this point. :slight_smile:[/quote]

You have a BSc, in what? Anything usefull? If you have a dual citizenship why would you limit yourself to teaching English? Can you read Chinese? How about translation work?

He wants a job with decent pay as a beginner. So translation is out.