Job Hunting in Taipei

About a year ago, I began the process of learning how to get a job in Taipei. It was overwhelming, especially because at that point I wasn’t sure when or if we were moving, what part of the city we’d live in, what our budget would look like, etc. etc. etc. And so, I started filling in that puzzle as best as I could.

To learn about the job application process, including visa and qualifications and all that jazz, I read:

• reddit, mostly /r/tefl and a little /r/taiwan
• forumosa
• a handful of Facebook groups
• a handful of random blogs (none stand out to recommend)

A few central, repeated ideas emerged. One was that it is stupid easy to get a job. Two is that there are a few certifications that are easy to get that will help you. Three is that it is best to apply when you are actually in Taiwan. Four is that you should avoid recruiters and instead look at specific job postings.

All of these would turn out to be untrue, for my specific situation . Keep in mind that a lot of people applying to these types of jobs are fresh out of college and don’t have a lot of qualifications, and that it seems a majority of foreign teachers in Taiwan are at buxibans — after-school programs that have a really wide range of quality. I ruled out buxibans for me immediately, both due to their reputation but more due to the fact that my wife working a daytime job and me working an evening job would not lead to a happy existence.

Armed with basic information, I began my job hunt. At first I assumed I would work at a university, as that is where I had been working and that’s what I wanted to continue to do when/if I returned to the US. My search began with TeaLit , then spread to a few Facebook groups, but ultimately the bulk of university-level jobs are just posted on individual university websites. Sometimes they’re centralized on a job postings section, sometimes they’re items on the department’s site.

But I quickly learned that there were not many university jobs posted at all, and of the ones that were posted, I was probably not qualified for a good chunk. And since I didn’t want to end up not having a job (or being stuck without much of a choice) for the fall semester, I broadened my scope to include high school, where I felt like my experience teaching first-year composition would do me the most good, and, to be honest, I’m probably not patient enough to teach young children. High schools, though, also had limited opportunities. TeaLit was the site I used the most, and you can go there and browse the postings and see that the majority of the listings are for teaching younger children.

By broadening my scope, other considerations quickly arose. Taiwan has a regulation stating that public school teachers from other countries must be certified to teach in their home country. I was not, and getting full certification was not going to happen, so I looked into alternatives. Apparently substitute teaching certifications count (maybe? there was conflicting information here), but even that would take some time in the classroom in Texas. Arizona, though, will certify anyone with a Bachelor’s degree for $65 and a background check. So I did that. Thanks Arizona. I also got an online TEFL certificate that was 100% worthless but also incredibly cheap, and I figured there was no real reason not to get it.

I don’t think either the sub certificate nor the TEFL helped me, but another thing I had to do was an FBI background check. The actual check was quick and painless: I filled in some info online then went and had my fingerprints scanned at 9am. By noon I had an email saying my background check was clear. However the background check needed to be certified by Taiwan’s TECRO office (basically the equivalent of an embassy) (and yes the O stands for office but it’s confusing if I don’t put it). They won’t certify any government document that’s not been certified by the US Dept of State, so my background check, which had been issued by the Dept of Justice, had to then be sent to the Dept of State, then to the TECRO. Each step involved mailing hard copies, waiting, and a fee, making it not a cheap option. On top of all that, I did my FBI background check in December without realizing they only last six months, so I had to go through it a second time…

Oh, and my college transcripts and diplomas also had to be certified. Thankfully there was one fewer step with them. Once I actually go to Taiwan, the paperwork was much simpler. Opening a bank account was more difficult than starting my job.

I ended up applying to about five open positions at universities, three open positions at high schools, and cold emailing a few university departments. Just like job hunting in the US, I did not hear anything back from most places that I applied to. Of the ones I did hear back from, my lack of a work permit seemed to be a problem for university positions. I only have two full-time years of teaching experience, and at the time I was applying I had zero peer-reviewed article publications, so I am basically an entry-level academic, meaning I’d likely end up as an adjunct. Adjuncts are generally considered part-time employees, which is a problem when it comes to a work permit.

The job I ended up taking had cross-posted on a Facebook group and TeaLit by a recruiter. I had an initial interview via Skype before moving to Taiwan then a second interview + teaching demonstration once I arrived. It seems to be a really good school and one that’ll put my experience at a university to good use. I’m teaching not just general English skills but also a full-on high school literature course to students who have had bilingual education since kindergarten. I can figure out what the gap away from teaching university means for my career in the US, if/when we return, later, but honestly the more I think about it the less I’m worried about it. The skills I gain here would make me an attractive candidate for academic counselor / admissions roles in universities as well.

Overall the process was longer than I expected but not very frustrating. At the end of it I had a couple of options that I probably would’ve been happy with, but I landed in a place that seems exceptional.