Teaching in Taiwan

How to Avoid the Red Tape

By Brian Brendel

English teachers are needed in Taiwan. However, getting hired presents some challenges. Gov- ernment policies can delay your resident visa application, and if you work without one you can be deported. Yet there are probably thousands of us NST's (Native Speaking Teachers) working in Taiwan. How do we do it? There are three basic ways.

Get hired legally in Taiwan. Obtain a two-month tourist visa from the TECO (Taipei Economic and Cultural Office) in your region and get on an airplane to Taiwan. (Check Malaysian Airlines in particular; they're inexpensive and quite pleasant.) See if you can extend your ticket to Hong Kong or another Asian destination. This is a cheap way to make your visa run, once your have a job.

In Taiwan, look in the China Post and China News. They always have job listings for NST's, most during July and August and January and February. Last August I received 11 job offers in my last 14 days, without even applying. Some jobs are 20 hours a week or more. Women have an easier time than men in getting private students' and childrens' classes, but no clean-cut, polite person will starve trying to make it as an English teacher.

You may be asked to work without a legal visa. Do this at your own risk. Deportations do occur. Once your paperwork is complete you have to activate your visa by going to a foreign country and getting it stamped. You can do this most easily in Hong Kong. (Get your diploma translation approved by the TECO office before you leave the U.S. if you can; they tend to be less picky than the Taiwan bureaucrats.)

Work illegally. The procedure is the same as above except there is no paperwork, no wait, no government hassle, no guaranteed contract, no job security. You won't starve and you'll have flexibility, but you may not make as much or have a good school to teach in. You will also have to leave the island every two months to renew your visa--or else get a student visa from a Chinese language school.

Hess Language School: Hess (www.hess.com.tw) has been in operation for well over a decade and has over 50 branches, hundreds of foreign employees, government clout, and a solid training program for its teachers. Best of all, Hess will hire you stateside and guide you through the paperwork hassle. I worked for Hess for one year. I was met at the airport and given training and housing assistance. The work was enjoyable and the pay was competitive with other schools on the island.

No matter who you work for, you can get outside work. Pay ranges from NT$400-$1,000 per hour.

Taiwan is still modernizing and westernizing rapidly. My advice is to ignore the Hard Rock Cafe and experience the night markets, street vendors, funerals, weddings, temples, sacred holidays, and some of the best tea you'll ever have.

Even in Taipei, the most cosmopolitan city, foreign women can expect unwanted attention from the men. Typical harassment includes stares, obscene comments, and offers for "a nice drink." Women also enjoy an advantage. Most prospective English students are female and are looking for female tutors. But men shouldn't worry about employment opportunities. Corporations show no gender preference, and they pay well.

Black Americans will get unusual attention and you may experience some prejudice in hiring, but it isn't impossible to find work. The African Americans I knew in Taiwan made good wages and extremely good friends.

Asian Americans who aren't native speakers of English and can't fake it won't get hired. Native speakers may find some problems in finding employment because they won't look exotic to Chinese.

BRIAN BRENDEL is a 1993 graduate of the Univ. of Michigan. He lives in Ann Arbor.