# Skin Colour **URL:** \ **Category:** Teaching English in Taiwan\ **Created:** [September 2, 2009, 3:35am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/skin-colour/53341 "2009-09-02T03:35:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Honey-Lemon](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/h/bcef8e/32.png) [@Honey-Lemon](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/Honey-Lemon)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2009, 3:35am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/skin-colour/53341/1 "2009-09-02T03:35:46Z")
Hi there, I’m looking to teach in Taiwan next year and were talking to some people and they said it may be harder for me to find a job there as I look completely Asian. Is this true? I really hope not… :noway: ---
**Author:** ![tempogain](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/user_avatar/tw.forumosa.com/tempogain/32/264650_2.png) [@tempogain](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/tempogain)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2009, 3:43am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/skin-colour/53341/2 "2009-09-02T03:43:15Z")
Hi HL, The short answer is yes it will be harder, but not impossible. Here are some relevant threads: [viewtopic.php?f=35&t=84618](http://forumosa.com/taiwan/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=84618) > [@Being An Asian English Teacher](http://tw.forumosa.com/t/being-an-asian-english-teacher/53137/1): > > Is anyone here an Asian person teaching English? I was born and educated in the U.S, this is my first time in Asia and I’ve been told by a recruiter that it will be very difficult for me to find employment as an English teacher due to people’s prejudice. Can anyone tell me if this is true? I’d appreciate any advice. Thanks! > [@A few questions from a hopeful black teacher](http://tw.forumosa.com/t/a-few-questions-from-a-hopeful-black-teacher/46559/1): > > Ok so Ive scoured this board on and off for a few months now, lurking in the backround using variations of the words: black,teacher, hire in the search box but have yet to see a thread with these specific questions.I plan on going to Taiwan next June right after I graduate with a BA. Im an american and I´ve had and will have had experience tutoring inner city kids in pubilc elementary schools, if that helps with answering any. Here goes: Is is better for a potential black teacher to aquire … > [@I am half-white and half-Chinese](http://tw.forumosa.com/t/i-am-half-white-and-half-chinese/29336/1): > > and I pretty much look like it. I could pass for Caucasian, but my skin is a little darker than most whites and my face might look a bit Asian. (My dad is American white and my mom is from Hong Kong.) Will my physical appearance keep me from finding a job? I am graduating from college this year and otherwise I think my background is similar to that of other first-time teachers. I will have a political science degree from a large state university. I am from Wisconsin and have lived in the U… > [@Here we go again - A black teacher's journey to employment](http://tw.forumosa.com/t/here-we-go-again-a-black-teachers-journey-to-employment/26340/1): > > How difficult was your job search? [poll](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/here-we-go-again-a-black-teachers-journey-to-employment/26340/1) Well, back in 2001, I began posting on [orienteguemosa.org.com.tw.com](http://orienteguemosa.org.com.tw.com) because I had heard all sorts of rumors about jobs being hard for black teachers and wanted to hear someone say something different (and also to find a place to live and a job). I was coming straight out of college with only two semesters’ of teaching experience, largely with adults, and a TESOL cert from my university. More than the average FOB, but I knew as a black person, I’d need … > [@Do I need to look really "white" to teach English?](http://tw.forumosa.com/t/do-i-need-to-look-really-white-to-teach-english/24137/1): > > Hello all, first time posting, long time lurker. I’m here in Taipei on vacation with my mom, and we stopped at a buxiban (Uncle Sam’s) after seeing an ad online that they were looking for English teachers. We walked into the place and were greeted by some lady who looked confused. I wasn’t prepared with my resume or anything, I just stopped by to maybe talk about what it’s like to be a buxiban teacher. After enquiring about teaching English to her (in English), the woman looked at me and sai… > [@So, I'm not a white teacher!](http://tw.forumosa.com/t/so-im-not-a-white-teacher/18038/1): > > I think my school is trying to cut down on my exposure in our public events. Comparing to all of the other foriegn teachers I work with, I have never been asked to host our shows or contests (where we parade our frightened english learners on stage for their parents), nor have I seen my picture in the reception area more than once (the others have had many), and I was the only FT who failed to appear in our bi-annual magazine! Coincedence? On top of that, I have kindly been told that I no longer… > [@Are Asian-Americans at a disadvantage?](http://tw.forumosa.com/t/are-asian-americans-at-a-disadvantage/17665/1): > > I am contemplating going to Taiwan to teach English but I’ve heard that schools are less likely to hire someone if s/he is not Caucasian? Now, I do consider English my native language as I was born, raised, and educated in America my whole life. I have so-so qualifications as I hold a college degree and I have some experience teaching to kids but are my chances of employment hurt because I don’t necessarily look like the typical English speaker that they may be looking for? Also, is it worth … > [@Discrimination against non-white (eg S Asian orgn) teachers?](http://tw.forumosa.com/t/discrimination-against-non-white-eg-s-asian-orgn-teachers/10431/1): > > My girlfriend and I are planning to come to Taiwan to teach English. We’re both Canadians, and she is of South Asian (Indian) origin. I’ve heard anecdotally about racism against Black teachers, and of a general bias toward white teachers over Chinese-origin ones. Can anyone comment on the level of workplace discrimination there might be against South Asian-origin teachers? If there are any brown English teachers in Taiwan out there, we would love to talk to you directly at: simongoback at re… > [@To Asian teachers teaching English in Taiwan](http://tw.forumosa.com/t/to-asian-teachers-teaching-english-in-taiwan/1644/1): > > To all the Asian-English teachers here: Hello. I just want to know how you guys or girls got your teaching jobs in Taiwan. I’m Chinese and I’m planning to teach in Taiwan. However, I know that Taiwanese schools are looking for mainly native speakers and I am technically, not one. Even though I am not a native speaker, I am just as fluent as any native speaker since I did grow up in Canada. What schools in Taiwan would hire a guy like me? Can you people tell me? Also, what’s it like for… ---
**Author:** ![kardisa](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/k/9fc348/32.png) [@kardisa](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/kardisa)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2009, 11:26am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/skin-colour/53341/3 "2009-09-02T11:26:01Z")
My boyfriend is Taiwanese American, and he’s currently working as an ESL teacher in Hsinchu. I can say that his experience finding a position was definitely more difficult than my own, based solely on ethnicity and looks. He applied for about 25 jobs, and was only accepted to two. Of the people who rejected him, several flat out told him that it was because he looked Chinese. You certainly can find a good job, just be prepared for some rejections along the way. Good luck! ---
**Author:** ![daisyhotkiss](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/e9c0ed/32.png) [@daisyhotkiss](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/daisyhotkiss)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2009, 12:41pm UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/skin-colour/53341/4 "2009-09-02T12:41:58Z")
I used to be a former “bait”, white skin, from the States working in a kindergarten in Kaohsiung but my ex-boss told me that I was going to be the PR of his school. All the parents thought that their kids (kinder) were taking lessons from me, but not, the school couldn’t afford to pay high salaries to western teachers so they hired chinese teachers to teach the kids and my boss told me that he only needed me as PR and because I don’t have any rudimentary Chinese to communicate with the students, I was better off working in the PR plus editing their school material. But then I found some other job that I liked better and left that school. ---
**Author:** ![Buttercup](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/7993a0/32.png) [@Buttercup](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/Buttercup)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2009, 12:43pm UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/skin-colour/53341/5 "2009-09-02T12:43:55Z")
And daisyhotkiss is not a native speaker, either, which shows what you are up against. In some schools, they want white people. Native speaking teachers cost more for the parents and the parents accuse schools of ‘cheating’ them by providing ‘Taiwanese’ teachers yet charging for ‘foreigners’, even if you are a native speaker. Lots of people do fine, though, and better than foreigners, if they have the snaps, because of their bilinguality. Personality counts, as does teaching ability, language skill and education. Stress that you are a ‘real’ foreigner, not a local who has studied abroad. ---
**Author:** ![daisyhotkiss](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/e9c0ed/32.png) [@daisyhotkiss](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/daisyhotkiss)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2009, 12:48pm UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/skin-colour/53341/6 "2009-09-02T12:48:08Z")
> [@Buttercup](#): > > And daisyhotkiss is not a native speaker, either. They hired me for my western looks, like some schools around the island. Here some locals value A LOT the appearance and looks, not exactly your degree or experience, so yes, if you look asian, it is going to be difficult unless you accept the local wage. ---
**Author:** ![ImaniOU](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/i/a587f6/32.png) [@ImaniOU](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/ImaniOU)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2009, 4:31pm UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/skin-colour/53341/7 "2009-09-02T16:31:40Z")
My school hires ABCs specifically to teach their phonics program and it pays pretty well from what I understand. ---
**Author:** ![Honey-Lemon](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/h/bcef8e/32.png) [@Honey-Lemon](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/Honey-Lemon)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2009, 5:49pm UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/skin-colour/53341/8 "2009-09-02T17:49:28Z")
Thanks so much for the great info guys! I’ll try my best to get a good job in Taiwan and not let the Asian looking thing get me down! ---
**Author:** ![aquila88](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/a/f17d59/32.png) [@aquila88](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/aquila88)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2009, 5:48pm UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/skin-colour/53341/9 "2009-10-10T17:48:58Z")
it’s just like we are isolated in our own land, ironically many locals tend to leave to other places. ---
**Author:** ![Buttercup](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/7993a0/32.png) [@Buttercup](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/Buttercup)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2009, 6:39pm UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/skin-colour/53341/10 "2009-10-10T18:39:33Z")
> [@](#): > > it’s just like we are isolated in our own land, ironically many locals tend to leave to other places. Not really. The OP is a native speaker who looks Asian, from what I understand, and wants to know about whether other Asian-looking teachers have experienced racial discrimination. Taiwanese people are not discriminated against as they are allowed to apply for any job they like and if they have native speaker standard English and Chinese skills, they’ll be hired. People from other countries are not allowed to apply for most jobs in Taiwan and can only get work permits for certain jobs that the government decide there is a shortage of qualified locals.