Hi everyone. I’ve heard late summer/right before the beginning of the fall semester is the best time to look for teaching jobs (at buxibans or otherwise…) Is this true?
When exactly is the beginning of the fall semester? Late July or early August? Late August?
Many thanks in advance! 
The best time to look is from June to August. The semester starts in late August or early September but schools that are on the ball try to hire their teacher in June/July. You might not start work for a month though.
So if I were to be hired in mid June I may not start working til mid July? Or do you mean that if I’m hired in June I can expect to wait to start working til the beginning of the semester (i.e. late August, early September?) If and when I sign the contract, will they start applying for my work permit right away? Thanks for your reply!!
So if I were to be hired in mid June I may not start working til mid July? Or do you mean that if I’m hired in June I can expect to wait to start working til the beginning of the semester (i.e. late August, early September?) If and when I sign the contract, will they start applying for my work permit right away? Thanks for your reply!![/quote]
Every school is different. Some will have you do training with a reduced schedule for a month. Some will fill positions in June/July that don’t start until August. It will also take you close to a full month to take care of the health check/work permit/ARC process.
Another thing that is a little confusing is that each buxiban has a different semester schedule. late August/early September is when the elementary schools start but a lot of buxibans work year-round with a 2-4 wk summer break. So a buxiban might start its semester in early August.
If it was me and I had flexible time and enough money I would arrive by mid-July and give myself the best odds at landing a decent job.
Hey I am also planning on flying to Taipei to job search and was wondering about the best time to go. I taught in Korea for 2 years and am currently living off the money I saved from that. However, my money is running fairly low, so I am keen on getting my job search going fairly soon.
I was thinking mid or late May would be a good time to get to a hostel in Taipei and scope out the jobs. I would have a 60 day visa so that would give me til mid or late July presumably to get a job and an ARC. Is May too early to go? I need to book a flight and get going on this soon.
Also, should I bring a criminal background check with me? I know that was important to have in Korea.
no criminal background check needed. They only get concerned about your past when you try to marry one of the native woman (and apply for your JFRV).
One thing to be aware of is that it will take 20 or so days to complete your health check/work permit/ARC paperwork. so plan accordingly since that is part of your 60 days.
So I should fly over there in May then, or maybe wait til June?
I figure if I get there early I’ll have more options to choose from. Does it really matter when I fly there since buxibans hire year round?
buxibans hire year round but the biggest hiring period will be for the new semester that starts sometime in August (each buxiban has their own schedule).