Questions from a Taiwanese American, schools in Tainan?

Hi all,
I’m planning on arriving in Tainan this fall and ultimately, hopefully, finding a job teaching English (hitting the streets and handing out my resume). Also planning on staying a year and taking a semester of Mandarin classes at Cheng Kung University to get myself oriented, but the sooner I can find a job, the better.

I’m Taiwanese American, moderate Taiwanese language skills, pretty godawful Mandarin, graduate from top-ranked American university if that makes a difference, no teaching certification. I’ll be living with a distant relative but only expect housing, not guidance, from him. There is a very small chance that I may be able to get a Taiwanese passport… but that’s not definite. (Would that be worth it? A passport still doesn’t mean I speak Mandarin…)

So, does anyone have general tips on what I should expect/watch out for in my specific situation (and especially in Tainan)? I’ve read through a TON of these forum posts and they’ve really helped me figure out how I want to do this. Anything else? What is the best I should look for/expect? Are there specific schools in Tainan that are Asian-American-friendly but won’t expect me to be bilingual?

Sidenote: My BA is in Linguistics, and I’m pretty confident I could persuade an employer that I am specially qualified to teach phonetics/phonology. Are there schools where this might matter?

Also, brief note: I’m not coming to TW to make a ton of money-- mostly I want to improve my Taiwanese and Mandarin skills, and (though it sounds corny) get more in touch with my heritage. Hopefully I can make a tiny bit of money though? Maybe?

Any and all thoughts appreciated. Thanks! :bow:

[quote=“daoni”] graduate from top-ranked American university if that makes a difference,
[/quote]
It makes a difference if the Taiwanese have heard of it. I knew a guy who graduated from Rice - it impressed me - but after a while in Taiwan started to plaintively wail, “but it is a famous university.”

[quote=“bababa”][quote=“daoni”] graduate from top-ranked American university if that makes a difference,
[/quote]
It makes a difference if the Taiwanese have heard of it. I knew a guy who graduated from Rice - it impressed me - but after a while in Taiwan started to plaintively wail, “but it is a famous university.”[/quote]
Northwestern University. According to my mother, it’s well-known among Taiwanese despite not being an Ivy. But I’m not sure how recent this information is…

I assume that you’ve already asked your Taiwanese relatives to look into finding you teaching work.

Why would you want a Taiwanese passport? Your U.S. passport is golden.

P.S. I can’t speak specifically about the teaching/employment situation in Tainan but generally speaking, they really like the Western face. However, being an Asian American who doesn’t speak Mandarin might actually be a blessing in disguise. The second most important quality they’re looking for is North American accent with no traces of Chinese.

Good luck.

[quote=“super_lucky”]Why would you want a Taiwanese passport? Your U.S. passport is golden.

P.S. I can’t speak specifically about the teaching/employment situation in Tainan but generally speaking, they really like the Western face. However, being an Asian American who doesn’t speak Mandarin might actually be a blessing in disguise. The second most important quality they’re looking for is North American accent with no traces of Chinese.

Good luck.[/quote]

I agree about the passport thing, US passport is golden. Sadly, she can’t get double nationality.

[quote=“super_lucky”] Your U.S. passport is golden.
[/quote]

I thought they were blue.

If she has to renounce. But usually the convenient path is to hold a Taiwanese passport and then get a US passport without renouncing the Taiwanese one. It WOULD be convenient for her, and no worries about military service either. But seems like it’s out of the question here.

Your degree won’t serve for anything more than proving you have the basic qualifications for a work permit to teach English. No one will care about your phonetics work (it’s undergraduate, too, not graduate-level) and if you have an Asian face, you may find that some employers will care more about that impediment than about your real abilities to teach English well.

Most Engrish schools won’t expect you to speak Chinese, and won’t let you speak Chinese if you do (in many cases). But if you look Chinese, the story may be different (did you take Sociolinguistics along with the Phonetics? :smiley: then you know what I mean.)

If you don’t go nuts going out every weekend, eating all Western food and drinking a lot, you should be able to save money, particularly if you have some help with housing. Just beware the “one more year” trap…you could find yourself still in Taiwan in your 30s!

:roflmao:

[quote=“Nuwanor”][quote=“super_lucky”]Why would you want a Taiwanese passport? Your U.S. passport is golden.

P.S. I can’t speak specifically about the teaching/employment situation in Tainan but generally speaking, they really like the Western face. However, being an Asian American who doesn’t speak Mandarin might actually be a blessing in disguise. The second most important quality they’re looking for is North American accent with no traces of Chinese.

Good luck.[/quote]

I agree about the passport thing, US passport is golden. Sadly, she can’t get double nationality.[/quote]

Shes Taiwanese American so either her mom or dad is Taiwanese. If its her dad pretty sure she can get her Taiwanese citizenship. If its her mom, then she should have to look a little harder. Ask a lawyer. It would be helpful if she can get Taiwanese citizenship, then she can dispense with all the visa problems. But its probably not a real biggie in her case as she may only be staying a few years and if teaching can get an ARC on that basis. And if she marryies a local later on, she can stay on.

All in all it would be helpful if she intends to stay long term. And she wont have to give up her US passport.

And she should do fine. Many Taiwanese Americans do fine in Taiwan.

Getting TW citizenship also means opportunities in other lines or work and not just teaching english.

:roflmao:[/quote]

I speak from experience…came over at 28, left at 40 (!). (And I’d be back if I could…)

Nearly all my relatives have left Taiwan by now, and I don’t think the few connections they might have would help me at all.

[quote=“tommy525”]Shes Taiwanese American so either her mom or dad is Taiwanese. If its her dad pretty sure she can get her Taiwanese citizenship. If its her mom, then she should have to look a little harder. Ask a lawyer. It would be helpful if she can get Taiwanese citizenship, then she can dispense with all the visa problems. But its probably not a real biggie in her case as she may only be staying a few years and if teaching can get an ARC on that basis. And if she marryies a local later on, she can stay on.

All in all it would be helpful if she intends to stay long term. And she wont have to give up her US passport.

And she should do fine. Many Taiwanese Americans do fine in Taiwan.

Getting TW citizenship also means opportunities in other lines or work and not just teaching english.[/quote]
Yep, both my parents are Taiwanese (with expired TW passports). But since I don’t expect to stay over a year, and certainly not over 2, I don’t think I could get citizenship (right? not too clear on the details yet). And I don’t think my lack of Mandarin fluency is conducive to opportunities outside of teaching English. Either way, I have no intention of renouncing my US citizenship (so… powerful…).

But I was wondering, if I obtained a TW passport, would that allow me to bypass ANY of the visa/work permit stuff?

Another question: In smaller, non-chain buxibans, WHO is doing the hiring? Are they foreigners who would be able to tell whether someone’s accent is perfect?

Thanks for all the responses so far!

If you get TW citizenship it would mean you are open to getting jobs in areas outside of teaching english. And no visa issues. And in your case it wouldnt require giving up your US citizenship. You should look into it. Ask a lawyer in Taiwan. It may be easier then you think.

I guess you havent been in Taiwan any length of time yet. What if you decide you want to spend substantial time there? Having citizenship would allow that option.

If I were you, I would certainly look into it. It adds OPTIONS for you.

[quote=“tommy525”]If you get TW citizenship it would mean you are open to getting jobs in areas outside of teaching english. And no visa issues. And in your case it wouldnt require giving up your US citizenship. You should look into it. Ask a lawyer in Taiwan. It may be easier then you think.

I guess you havent been in Taiwan any length of time yet. What if you decide you want to spend substantial time there? Having citizenship would allow that option.

If I were you, I would certainly look into it. It adds OPTIONS for you.[/quote]
Passport and citizenship are not the same thing though, right?
The way I understood it, I can get citizenship only after a while of residency, where I would still need to go through everything all other foreign teachers go through to work in TW. Would any of that change if I had a passport prior to arrival?

FAr as I know passport means you are a citizen of that country. I dont know what the laws are in regards to you getting ROC citizenship, but I would look into if if I were you. While you are in Taiwan and teaching and entering in your US passport. If you enter on a ROC passport you wont have to leave and get another visa.

:roflmao:[/quote]

I speak from experience…came over at 28, left at 40 (!). (And I’d be back if I could…)[/quote]

I know, and that’s why I’m laughing. So many people are like you here!

[quote=“daoni”]Another question: In smaller, non-chain buxibans, WHO is doing the hiring? Are they foreigners who would be able to tell whether someone’s accent is perfect?

[/quote]
This depends on the buxiban. Some smaller, non-chain buxibans are owned or run by foreigners, others have no foreign teachers and are owned by Taiwanese. In my experience, the smaller Taiwanese-owned schools either don’t care if someone’s accent is perfect, or have no way of telling. The owners often have exactly the same preconceptions as the majority of Taiwanese: white = American = native speaker of English. So they’ll happily hire white people from Spain, Russia, Italy, wherever, who often can’t speak English at all and in any case are certainly not native speakers or even close, but will refuse to hire a native speaker of English of some other race.
The big chain schools will usually hire non-white teachers if they are from one of the officially recognized ‘English-speaking countries’ - and again, it is the passport they need, not the accent. At the Kojen branch I worked at, for example, all of the foreign teachers were from the USA, Canada, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, or Ireland, as the government requires, and all had an ARC. They were all presented to the parents as native speakers of English, but actually fewer than half of them were.