Hi guys,
I am married to a Taiwanese citizen and just currently moved to Taiwan. I have associate degree, but I just realized that most English schools prefer BA degree or AA with TESOL certificate. Can anyone please tell me where can I take TESOL class in Taipei? Or can anyone please tell me where can I find a English school/kindergarten that would accept AA degree?
Thanks a lot!!
Just do one online. There are a lot of choices. Either that, or fly to a nearby Asian country and do a month long course there.
Plus, if you’re married, you might not even need a degree. Just get your JMRV (Joint Marriage Residence Visa) and you will have much more opportunity in terms of work rights.
thanks for the reply. 
[quote=“gavmasterflash”]Just do one online. There are a lot of choices. Either that, or fly to a nearby Asian country and do a month long course there.
Plus, if you’re married, you might not even need a degree. Just get your JMRV (Joint Marriage Residence Visa) and you will have much more opportunity in terms of work rights.[/quote]
Another option is to take the Cambridge TKT - Teaching Knowledge Test. This is a fairly new certification offered by Cambridge English. You can take several of the different modules in Taiwan. Here’s more information about TKT:
cambridgeenglish.org/exams-a … tions/tkt/
Some places in Taiwan where you can take the test and take prep courses:
wh.ymca.org.tw/authentication/au … n_1-5b.htm
cet-taiwan.com/tkt/07_tkt_exam.asp
my.sce.pccu.edu.tw/MS/shine/Deta … ataId=0602
(Sorry, most of the information is in Chinese!)
Are there any accredited courses that can be done entirely online?
It looks like all of the links above are done in-class at a university.
[quote=“Simajie”]Are there any accredited courses that can be done entirely online?
It looks like all of the links above are done in-class at a university.[/quote]
Those kind of classes are an expensive waste of money: the reason accredited classes have face to face tuition is because they need to see you teach to pass you.
Several of the classes I’ve seen (namely through TESOL.org) have a ‘face to face’ component of demo teaching where a certified instructor gives feedback, but it’s done online. Any ideas about this sort?
Who accredits them in the US? They must be American, right? Do their courses certify you to teach anything in the US? If not, they are probably pointless.
It’s a giant scam, but that’s not to say the certificate won’t get you a work permit in Taiwan: that’s the point I guess.
Online courses just charge you a stack of cash for stuff you can google.
I totally agree, there is very little transparency and every “organization” I’ve seen is basically a private company out for your money in exchange for a piece of paper (that may or may not actually have any meaning behind it). But in this case, the government sets the standard for silly, useless pieces of paper… and if that’s what they want, it’s probably in one’s best interest to comply if you want certain types of jobs.
That said, are there any places to get said silly piece of paper that the government likes more?
[quote=“Simajie”]I totally agree, there is very little transparency and every “organization” I’ve seen is basically a private company out for your money in exchange for a piece of paper (that may or may not actually have any meaning behind it). But in this case, the government sets the standard for silly, useless pieces of paper… and if that’s what they want, it’s probably in one’s best interest to comply if you want certain types of jobs.
[/quote]
Very true. I used to work in the industry. There is no central governing body over the various companies out there. CELTA is slightly different in that there is some central organization around it, but in the end, they pretty much are just another company out for your money.
Not sure if there are any ones that the government favors more here in Taiwan. They should have some standards, because there are some really shitty TEFL courses out there.
[quote=“gavmasterflash”][quote=“Simajie”]I totally agree, there is very little transparency and every “organization” I’ve seen is basically a private company out for your money in exchange for a piece of paper (that may or may not actually have any meaning behind it). But in this case, the government sets the standard for silly, useless pieces of paper… and if that’s what they want, it’s probably in one’s best interest to comply if you want certain types of jobs.
[/quote]
Very true. I used to work in the industry. There is no central governing body over the various companies out there. CELTA is slightly different in that there is some central organization around it, but in the end, they pretty much are just another company out for your money.
Not sure if there are any ones that the government favors more here in Taiwan. They should have some standards, because there are some really shitty TEFL courses out there.[/quote]
Thanks for verifying my suspicions. Any ideas about which ones are more reputable?
Paying money for an online TEFL course is a waste of time unless you simply need a piece of paper to get a work permit. In that case take the cheapest one. There are literally millions of free ESL resources out there to read if you are just looking to improve your ability.
I’ve taught for 10 years and spent my entire working life working with children, so I very much doubt any of these courses will give me any new insight. My main concern is that the government will recognize the certificate.
Does it matter which company or will any one do? Is the government that discerning about the reputation of the company?
I’ve taught for 10 years and spent my entire working life working with children, so I very much doubt any of these courses will give me any new insight. My main concern is that the government will recognize the certificate.
Does it matter which company or will any one do? Is the government that discerning about the reputation of the company?[/quote]
Backing up a bit. I’m assuming that you need this certificate because you only have an associates degree. Is that correct?
I have no idea what the TEFL cert (with an associates) requires for a work permit. Most schools don’t even think this exists (according to some posters on here) and will insist on a bachelors. It’s possible that any TEFL cert works.
I’ve taught for 10 years and spent my entire working life working with children, so I very much doubt any of these courses will give me any new insight. My main concern is that the government will recognize the certificate.
Does it matter which company or will any one do? Is the government that discerning about the reputation of the company?[/quote]
Backing up a bit. I’m assuming that you need this certificate because you only have an associates degree. Is that correct?
I have no idea what the TEFL cert (with an associates) requires for a work permit. Most schools don’t even think this exists (according to some posters on here) and will insist on a bachelors. It’s possible that any TEFL cert works.[/quote]
No, actually, I have a BA and am due for my MA certificate this summer. However, because of silly timing (I started the MA in my 4th year in Taiwan which excludes me from applying for an APRC in my 6th year because of salary mandates), I need a TESOL in order to get a work permit for teaching at a private school.
Then you will have to find out what you need to satisfy this particular school.
They told me they were concerned with the government accepting the TESOL, and I was wondering how concerned I should really be and whether the company matters at all. 
How can anyone help you when they don’t understand the gov’t requirement for the TESOL cert? Again the only time I have ever read about a TESOL/TEFL cert being required for a work permit is when the teacher only has an Associates degree.
According to the person hiring, when he spoke to the government last week, they said to teach at a private school sans APRC, one needs a BA + TESOL/TEFL. He didn’t seem to be 100% clear on this, but was certain of what the government told him. This said, I’ve had a hard time locating this information through the normal channels (labor bureau, visa office, etc). So, I’m not really sure where that leaves me. I’m just not really interested in spending the next 6 months fighting dumb people in the government who don’t know their own laws. I’ve spent most of my time on this island doing that and it’s getting rather exhausting!
Have you thought of searching the threads about this and contacting the people who have managed to get a wp by PM?