They do look for those, but they are not easy to find or to please. Licensed teachers are ideal, but there are not enough here to fill all the open positions.
Some private schools who have the proper accreditation can support an iternship for student teaching hours if you are trying to earn a license from abroad. It works in their favor to help you out and the good schools have finally figured out retaining good teachers is much better business wise than having a high turnover rate.
I have no prior teaching experience.
If i have an undergrad degree (mine just happens to be in economics), plus a TOSEL certificate, what is the likely hood i can find a job as an English teacher in Taiwan?
I have no prior teaching experience.
No work permit is needed when you have a marriage-based ARC, but you still need higher qualifications to work in a âschoolâ as opposed to a buxiban.
Btw itâs TESOL not TOSEL. 
This is not true.
Please enlighten us: which non-buxiban schools hire engineering grads who donât have teaching licenses?
Business-wise
I disagree about hiring FOB teachers. Most private schools will look for experience and not even consider someone without teaching experience. For a beginning teacher to move to Taiwan and begin teaching for the first time would be incredibly stressful. Learning a new job is never easy and there would be no one to help them learn the ropes. Add to that a good degree of culture shock and you have the recipe for a teacher that completely flakes out mid-semester. In my experience, private teaching jobs are tough to get and the demands can be exhausting.
My advice is to find a white monkey teaching job that is just paint by numbers. Show up on time with a happy face and donât reek of alcohol. The school will love you and you can slowly adjust to the meat grinder that is working in Taiwan.
Kindergartens with Buxibans attached can offer you more easy hours. Correct me if I am wrong, someone holding an APRC doesnât suffer any penalty if they are caught teaching illegally in a Kindy.
They can get fined, but they wonât get deported.
Pinocchio
KangChiao
WeGo
Yuteh
Taoyuan American School
YuTsai
and others
Quite a lot, I would even say the majority, of foreign English teachers at private schools do not have teaching credentials.
Yes, it can be stressful. No it is not easy. You have to be willing to work and work hard. Many schools appreciate this drive and dedication. Many schools also have an orientation and training program for new teachers to help them prepare. Some schools even have mentors for 1st year teachers. It hasnât always been this way. Things are changing in the teaching world here. IMO not all great teachers come from teaching backgrounds. Many people with professional backgrounds can contribute to a great learning experience and learn to be teachers.
OP @todaiwan , letâs do an experiment that could benefit you and help with this debate. Apply to the private schools on the list above and see if they will interview you. Canât hurt to try and if you land a good private school job, all the better for you!
I wonder how the schools manage to get accreditation?
How easy would it be for me to get a job in a Buxiban? Given my credentials and nationality.
With an open work permit through marriage (ARC), would i be able to have a chance in the future at getting some jobs in private schools with good referrals and after lot of experience? even without a teaching licence?
Also, i heard that as a i have a bachelorâs degree, i do not need a TEFL/ TESOL certificate to teach in a buxiban or anywhere. Is this true?
pretty much 100% guaranteed.
Yes. I believe even now without classroom teaching experience you still have a decent shot at landing a job at a private school.
Correct, but not âanywhereâ. International schools (TAS / TES will require a teaching license. Some private schools aim at having only licensed teachers too. But the pool of available licensed teachers in Taiwan is so small schools canât fill all positions with licensed teachers. This is where you come in.
Having a Teaching License from your home country would allow you to teach in Public Schools. Private schools would love to see a teaching license but they care more about experience. Technically, you donât NEED a TESOL certificate because you have a Bachelorâs. Anyone can get a job at a buxiban.
Accreditation of private schools has nothing to do with teachers having a teaching license from their home country. It has to do with curriculum.
Partially true. Through the government, yes, you must have a teaching licence to teach at a public school with an English program set up by the government.
There are public schools with PTAs who hire foreign teachers and pay those foreign teachers through the PTA. They are willing and do hire teachers with a BA only and no licence. I know of a dozen people here in Taiwan doing exactly this.
Iâm not thinking about MOE accreditation, more the overseas accreditation like WASC. Iâd have thought they would be more rigorous in their requirements. Perhaps not.
So i guess the demand for buxiban, private, public etc. English teachers is high?
Turnover is high 
There is always a steady demand because @Pinoco is correct, turnover is pretty high. Mostly because not all foreign teachers here are willing to put down roots and call Taiwan their home. Most teachers stay a couple or a few years and move on. Some teachers want a refresh and move to another school when their current job feels stale, usually at about the 5 year mark.