I wrote an article for people looking to teach in Taiwan! Tell me what you think of it. Am I missing anything??
Looks really good. Maybe you might want to add something about work permits and not starting teaching before the start date since you can be expelled from Taiwan for that.
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Thanks, I’ll look into those rules more!
If you want to get a legit teaching job in Taiwan, you will need to have at the very least completed a Bachelor’s degree in any subject from an accredited university.
This is not quite true, as we have discussed here from time to time.
Private School / International Language Institution
Although “private school” is a distinct legal category (the technical term is a bit longer), an institution calling itself a “school” or “language institution” may actually be a buxiban, whether it likes to admit it or not. It matters in terms of work permits, weekly work hours, and labor rights.
One site missing from your list is…
I think it’s worth noting that foreigners are mostly shut out of the labor market in Taiwan because of the work permit system (so freelancing is illegal), and the easiest ways to overcome this are to achieve permanent residency status, to get married, or (temporarily) to get a working holiday visa. The Singapore style “employment gold card” is still just a proposal.
But the big thing missing from your article is that the industry is plagued by greed, fraud and incompetence, and the laws are poorly enforced. If it’s so bad that other countries issue official warnings (www.voyage.gc.ca/publications/taiwan_taiwan-eng.asp) about teaching in Taiwan, it’s probably worth mentioning in your blog.
People should know their rights and responsibilities (like not working without a work permit) and be able to make informed decisions about whether or not to stand up for themselves when they get cheated out of overtime pay, holiday pay, sick leave, labor insurance, etc.
The bare minimum advice you should give on this subject, I would say, is that
- buxiban teachers and some non-buxiban teachers are subject to the Labor Standards Act (which can be read in Chinese and in a dodgy English translation at the Ministry of Justice’s website, law.moj.gov.tw);
- you can be fined and deported for working before the starting date on your work permit;
- you need to check the name and address of the employer on the work permit to make sure you’re not accidentally working illegally (especially with kindergarten age students and especially if you work on more than one floor of a building and/or you work in a place with two entrances – it may be two separate properties); and
- when in doubt you should contact the local labor department, the Ministry of Labor –http://www.mol.gov.tw – or a lawyer (free legal consultations are available through the [Legal Aid Foundation – www.laf.org.tw – and in some areas through the local government, for example at Taipei City Hall).
I wanted to look at the official warnings link above, but it’s unclickable for me, as are the links to the MOJ and Legal Aid Foundation. The MOL link worked, though. I’m viewing this on my phone; is this a problem just for me?
I just tried it and had the same problem, so I’ve edited the post.
Great, thanks.
Hey YYY, would it be okay if I copied that info into my post?
nice article
It’s not my most eloquent piece of writing 
but we’re here to help people by sharing information and ideas, so of course you can link to us and/or work the information into your blog.
Good information, but you really need to punch up your grammar.
Could you give me an example?
It will be favorable of you to have (to)
that should not stop you from perusing a job here (pursuing)
Technically, that’s vocabulary, not grammar.
Just saying.
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“I know some teachers that make less than 600 NTD/ hour, but they work many hours, so it makes up salary wise.”
One thing I noticed was your overzealous use of comma splices. You should keep your sentences to one or two clauses. Since you have multiple conjunctions, I’m not sure which clause is dependent and which is independent. Aside from that, the phrasing is just awkward. What does the pronoun “it” refer to? “It makes up” sounds like something I’d hear from a Buxiban student. That’s one example that stuck out for me. Not trying to sound harsh. Most of the article is fine and the actual content is great, but it needs editing.
Thank you Charlie Phillips, I changed the perusing to pursuing. Sometimes things just don’t catch your eye the first or second time through. I don’t actually like saying favorable to you. Where I come from, favorable of you is more acceptable. I think this is just a matter of preference.
DrewCutz, I made this sentence a little more clear. Thanks for the input.
Rocket, lol. True. I made a mistake when typing. That’s what a caffeine buzz can do to you!
How did you guys find your jobs in Taiwan? I’m curious to know.
I teach at a university. My wife found an opening on their homepage. I definitely wouldn’t have found it without her. Unis usually only advertise on their school website, if they advertise at all (most of the time they just ask instructors if they have any friends they’d recommend).