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If you’ve done your homework you know that it’s hard to come by good full time jobs. There are a few jobs every year that you might find geared toward people like you with an abundance of education and some experience. I wouldn’t expect over 80,000 NTD a month for a full time contact, in any case. Now, if you find a good part time job, paying up to 800-850 NTD per hour, 10-20 hours a week probably being what you can expect, get your ARC through that job and start networking yourself to businesspeople. Tutoring business people can net you 1000 NTD an hour or so, and doing that 20 hours a week is a tax free job (albeit illegal if you’re not married to a local). If you’re making 64000 (800 x 20 hrs x 4 weeks) a month from your real job, and 80000 (1000 x 20 x 4) from tutoring, that translates to about 144000 NTD a month, or 52,000 USD a year.
I don’t know what kind of person you are. Harvard Graduate School indicates you probably have some brains and determination, and you seem to have planned this out carefully (or are at least in the process of doing so). Therefore, I assume you know you’re not about to get rich quick in ESL. Especially in Taiwan (there are other countries that will pay people with relevant MAs much more).
You mention university jobs. I also looked into this… It seems that most university positions regarding ESL require a PhD in Linguistics, English, Applied Linguistics, or similar focuses. You may be able to land a poorly paying part-time job as a tutor or something for the English department.
If you’re comfortable living on less money you can work part-time and live quite comfortably without working too hard. However, 40 hours a week, 20 hours tutoring and 20 hours teaching, is a very tiresome vocation. You can probably plan on another 20 hours preparing for lessons.
Some things you should know: Most schools in Taiwan don’t offer much for paid vacation. Chinese New Year break is standard, but if you were hoping to get Christmas or another holiday off to travel, expect to sacrifice your one or two weeks of vacation and possibly your sick days (all of which you won’t be paid for).
If you work for a public school, YOU WILL NOT BE TAXED. Since you have a teaching license, you do have that choice. You may also get a longer vacation (maybe a summer vacation? better ask someone else), but you don’t get an unpaid vacation. And you still have only one week of sick days, I believe.
Do your homework before you come to Taiwan. You’re right, some jobs may discriminate against you because you’re Taiwanese. Some jobs are illegal (teaching kids 3-6, for example) but won’t tell you up front that they are. I would suggest elsewhere for someone like you. Besides, people like you are taking all the good jobs 
Maybe some other people on the forum would like to correct me on a few points, or elaborate, but from what I’ve seen, and my own limited experience, that is what I’d expect if I were you.
Websites where you can find some jobs:
esl99.com
tealit.com
eslcafe.com
taiwanted.com
eslisland.com
To get you started…
I’d also recommend one specific agency, Reach to Teach. viewtopic.php?f=35&t=76469&start=0
I’d certainly say read everything in that post and go ahead and apply to a few different agencies. Within weeks you’ll be getting job offers, and some might be right up your alley.
Good luck!
Thanks for the detailed response! It was really helpful. I should clarify that I still hold a Taiwanese passport and am registered in my family’s household registry, so I don’t need an ARC and already qualify for national health insurance. I’m not particularly interested in getting crazy rich (seems unlikely, given Taiwan’s economic state) but more on finding a good balance between studying at Shida and making enough money to live comfortably on and hopefully pay off some student debt. From your answer, I take it then that I should keep 800NT as a sort of benchmark for a regular position and around 1000NT for tutoring. That’s quite helpful, since some schools have contacted me with offers in the 550-600 range, and I keep an eye on the Taiwanted/Tealit postings which also vary somewhat. Thanks again for the response, and I welcome advice from any other forum members!
[quote=“XinBiDe”]Now, if you find a good part time job, paying up to 800-850 NTD per hour, 10-20 hours a week probably being what you can expect, get your ARC through that job and start networking yourself to businesspeople. Tutoring business people can net you 1000 NTD an hour or so, and doing that 20 hours a week is a tax free job (albeit illegal if you’re not married to a local). If you’re making 64000 (800 x 20 hrs x 4 weeks) a month from your real job, and 80000 (1000 x 20 x 4) from tutoring, that translates to about 144000 NTD a month, or 52,000 USD a year.[/quote] :roflmao:
Theoretically possible, but not likely. Overly optimistic. All I have is my own experience and network of contacts, but after 4 years here, I don’t know a single person making that kind of money teaching ESL.
What part-time job is paying 800-850/hour to start? Even with the background the OP has, good jobs are hard to find. People I know teaching in Uni’s here took years to land those jobs. Private tutoring has been more lucrative than part-time jobs, but how long does it take to build up a clientele to support 20 hours/week?
With the economy in a free fall, both job and tutoring opportunities are also harder to find. The OP asked for “Reasonable Salary Expectations” and you’re giving him Fantasy Island. Come on.
My suggestion to the OP is to review the abundance of threads on the forum talking about the ESL job market here. The links XinBiDe provided can help you in a job search.
Good luck.
You’re right, my estimate is a bit idealize, but actually I meant to illustrate that she isn’t going to be making much even working overtime. 800-850 is pretty impossible for starting pay, and cram schools certainly won’t offer that per hour. They’re more likely to throw a contract at you… 40 hours a week for 70-80000 with your credentials.
Still, if you hold a Taiwanese passport, many language schools will not hire you, or you will make MUCH less than even a white person with half your credentials could make. For example, my girlfriend is Taiwanese with a TEFL Certificate, 3 years teaching experience, and a degree in English. When she started working for HESS, she was offered like 400 NT per hour, while foreigners start with around 600.
Really? What cram school?
If you’re talking about cram schools, isn’t the more likely scenario a 20-24 hour/week work schedule at closer to 500-550/hr, credentials-be-damned?
I once knew of a foreigner in an admin position at a cram school, working 40+ hours/week (office and teaching) and his gross pay was in the range you mentioned. He had an MA in English Literature (I think it was) and had lived and worked at that school for 7+ years before getting the position.
Exactly. And that is even assuming you can find the “overtime” these days. All I’m trying to say is that while it’s theoretically possible to make the money XinBiDe is talking about, it’s not likely. A review of the posts throughout this forum should support the assertion that realistic monthly income is far less.
Really? What cram school?
If you’re talking about cram schools, isn’t the more likely scenario a 20-24 hour/week work schedule at closer to 500-550/hr, credentials-be-damned? [/quote]
I have to disagree with you here… I’ve just been offered a job for 620 NTD per hour starting pay, 20 hours a week in Taipei City. A few months ago I was offered a 10 hour job for 850 an hour in Taipei County (but I couldn’t take the position because of time). I’ve also seen posts on Taiwanted and Tealit asking for MA’s that offered around 72000 NTD a month or a bit more for full time work (but hours were rough… teaching 25 hours a week, but in the building from 8 am - 5 pm).
Public school jobs sometimes pay decently AND they don’t tax you!
Like I said, her real obstacle is being a Taiwanese citizen. A lot of employers, especially at the independent schools that pay more and focus more on race than credentials, will discriminate against her because she’s not the white face the students’ parents want to see.
Unfortunatly, qualified teachers will not be offered much, if anything, more than the next guy, and might not be wanted because they’re too professional and aren’t as easy to blame when student’s don’t learn, or whatever (in a cram school, I mean.)
An MA might get you a position at a university, but most will still try to find a PhD, if possible. Even if you were hired, there’s a nother thread around here pointing out that the money at uni is very little better than at a cram school.
Public school teaching might be a good bet, I’d guess about 60 grand NT a month-that was what I was offered in Taipei just before I left in 05, but you’ll usually work twice the hours for that than for the 50-70 that most cram schools offer for fewer hours per week.
International schools are a very good option for western certified teachers.
In the west, the more quals and ed you have, the more your likely to be paid. In Taiwan, education is like most blue collar jobs in that they are worth just so much and not more, no matter what. A cook at T.G.I.Friday is going to top out his wage and never be worth more, no matter how long he works there, nor how good a cook he is. If he tops out and asks for more, say he’s been there 10 years, or compleated some kind of cullinary ed course, he’ll likely just be replaced by the next new guy at the bottom of the pay scale.
Foreign teachers in Taiwan might sometimes earn $1000 NT or more per hour, but those are usually part time gigs, or test prep/business classes. Having advanced degrees and teaching qualifications SHOULD make you more in demand, but could actually work against you in some jobs; it also SHOULD open up more doors to better jobs, but there are just not a lot of options and even the best top out at 80 or 90 grand unless you can get hired by an international school.
The 550-650 or so you said you were being offered is pretty typical for cram school offers–and has been for 15 or 20 years.
I agree with the above poster, too, that having a Chinese “look” may cause her to be offered less, or turned down for some positions. Sad, but true. It’s just not about education in those places.
You do realize that the OP will be studying Chinese at a university too (complete with crazy university H.W.), so working 10+ hours a day is not even close to possible, even if the hours were available.
When someone asks for reasonable salary expectations, it is probably better to low-ball a little.
Most cram schools/kindies want to start at 600NT/hour (some less, some a little more) but will credentials you can sometimes negotiate your way up to 650 (if you are lucky). It is true that some will pay more right from the start, but those are few are far between, and often don’t load you up with hours.
I have a Taiwanese friend who also had an MA in Education from Harvard. She was an associate instructor at Soochow University. Seems to me college level -even though they prefer PhD’s would be better for the OP, since it offers: 1, better salary by the hour. 2. better environment. 3. flexible/less hours
Maybe you could apply for a job with the International Programs offices, I know Tatung was looking for a helping hand. You could then employ your knowledge of education and assist foreign students. Thsi is a growing field, as schools become more competitive and want to become more attractive for foreign students -and get better raiting locally and internationally.
[quote=“Icon”]I have a Taiwanese friend who also had an MA in Education from Harvard. She was an associate instructor at Soochow University. Seems to me college level -even though they prefer PhD’s would be better for the OP, since it offers: 1, better salary by the hour. 2. better environment. 3. flexible/less hours
Maybe you could apply for a job with the International Programs offices, I know Tatung was looking for a helping hand. You could then employ your knowledge of education and assist foreign students. Thsi is a growing field, as schools become more competitive and want to become more attractive for foreign students -and get better raiting locally and internationally.[/quote]
What a smashing idea, Icon, and it could possibly have the added benni of getting the op free or discounted classes of her own.
Buxibans typically pay 600-650 an hour. Have you looked into working for a private elementary/high school? I used to work at an elementary school, 70,000 a month with paid CNY and a paid month off in the summer. I was working from 7.30am to 4.30pm and then studying at shida in the evenings but sometimes it was a bit too much and I quit in order to focus more on studies.
You can definitely work 20 hours a week and make enough to get by, so long as you’re not partying it up all the time!
[quote]You do realize that the OP will be studying Chinese at a university too (complete with crazy university H.W.), so working 10+ hours a day is not even close to possible, even if the hours were available.
When someone asks for reasonable salary expectations, it is probably better to low-ball a little.
Most cram schools/kindies want to start at 600NT/hour (some less, some a little more) but will credentials you can sometimes negotiate your way up to 650 (if you are lucky). It is true that some will pay more right from the start, but those are few are far between, and often don’t load you up with hours.[/quote]
I study at Shida and work 20 hours a week. 4 hours every afternoon.
Hi,
Just want to thank everyone again for the helpful responses. I’ve heard lots about the challenges that face teachers with an Asian look, so I’ve been trying to mentally prepare myself for that. I’m pretty open to public school or university positions teaching English, as long as the schedule isn’t crazy hours. It’s encouraging to hear that 20 or so hours a week can be enough to live on, does that take tuition for Shida into account?
Icon, I’d definitely be interested in working in an administrative capacity for a university; it’d be great if you could send me a PM if you have any details about what Tatung is looking for.
Thanks again, everyone, for all your help. 
HA! 20 hours will cover tuition for nothing. Basically, at 20 hours the average white person would probably make between 42000-52000 NTD a month. Enough to live on with a cheap apartment, but you won’t be putting much away in your savings.
You’d better get yourself a scholarship. In your case, I hope your qualifications help them ignore your ethnicity.
I was wondering if someone could tell me how much I should ask for in my situation. The school wants me to work 1pm-8:30pm Monday-Friday. Administrative work until 5pm where I teach for 2 hours then I get a half hour dinner break then the rest is more administrative. Keep in mind I do not have any teaching experience and have only done conversation classes. I am a native English speaker from the US but have a Taiwanese face (not sure if this is a factor in asking for money).
David’s English Center
Foreigner with white face: 600NT per hour (After 1 year, same)
ABC 400NT per hour (After 1 year, salary increase of 20-30NT)
Taiwanese 300NT per hour (After 1 year, salary increase of 20-30NT)