I’m a certified k-12 teacher in Australia who’s previously taught EFL in China and South Korea (I’ve since got my masters in ps teaching since returning to Sydney, I also have a tefl certificate). I’ve been offered public ESL school work by Teach Taiwan however the salary appears low ; I maybe wrong but wasn’t it much higher at some point (85000-90000twd, maybe i’m wrong)? I know buxibans pay around 55000-65000 I think.
The offer for me is 70000twd + 5000 twd for accommodation. Has anyone here worked at a public school or for this recruiter (are they ok)? I know I can consider international school positions however I have no desire to do so (workload and behaviour management has driven me crazy in Sydney however esl with kids is fine). For those who have taught in China and Taiwan (or Korea and Taiwan); is Taiwan more relaxing/intense?
I appreciate any advice as I’m also considering offers in China and Saudi Arabia with adults (I’m only considering Taiwan as it’s somewhere new for me, I briefly visited Taipei 10 years ago for 24 hours so I don’t really know anything).
NT$5,000 might get you a coffin room in Taipei with others in the same circumstance in the same apartment.
Kind of pathetic accommodation amount for Taipei. You may ask them about this.
Some of our teacher friends might be able to give you more insight into the work environment here and possibly in China.
Regarding Saudi Arabia, you will be able to save a large part of your salary. There are only limited forms of entertainment available and you won’t be able to interact, let alone date, with the opposite sex (if you are so inclined). On the positive side, you’ll be able to find food from all over the world in the supermarkets - none of these “Where can I find Greek Yogurt/Cottage Cheese/Alcohol-free Beer/Lentils/Beans/(enter whatever else)?” problems you get in Taiwan or Korea.
Miserable salary for a qualified experienced public school teacher with a master’s, why bother ?
Maybe in the boonducks if free accommodation and chilling is yer thing…Would not spend much there but
Would be what , year at most?
Aren’t there lots of other countries recruiting as well as China and Saudi? UAE, Dubai…
And yes I knew buxiban teachers (unqualified) pulling in 90k ea 20 years ago.
That’s the government standard foreign teacher salary. Don’t forget they will pay for a flight too and from Taiwan. They also have a month break after the contract which is your performance bonus.
My uni in Taiwan has a more intense workload and pays less than my uni in South Korea did. But then, I landed a pretty sweet gig in SK back when days were a lot easier (10 years ago) for ESL teachers in every East Asian country. It’s not like that today. Nowadays, there’s probably more opportunity in Taiwan. But the pay here is awful. So YMMV. It’s fun here, but not a place to make your fortune. If you’re looking to really cash in and don’t at all care about having a social life or any fun whatsoever, then I’d suggest Saudi Arabia tbh.
Oh, and recruiters are awful in every country. They’ll try to push the shittiest jobs on you in order to fill a quota. They’re not looking out for you. Do your own job hunt sans scumbag recruiters.