TAIWAN
Taiwan is located between Japan and Korea to the north, the Philippines
to the south, and mainland China to the west.
It offers diverse topography and culture, and has a vibrant and very
positive commercial environment. The island of Taiwan has richly forested
mountains and sunny beaches. With dazzling festivals, invigorating hot
springs and wonderful cuisine it has a lot to offer. The old temples
and monuments of both Chinese and Japanese heritage blend with the buzzing
high-rise cities that stay awake till dawn.
Well-known for its manufactured goods and its history of diplomatic
struggle with China, it is for the outsider a country unexplored. If
you step outside the city limits away from the noise and pollution, you
will discover why Taiwan is known as Formosa, 'the beautiful island':
mountain peaks that rise spectacularly upward, volcanic rocks that straddle
the coastline and majestic waterfalls.
Taiwan remains a strong drawing card for ESL positions. Taiwan's government has encouraged and promoted the growth of teaching English for both tourism and business. There are a number of different options open to you, universities, high schools, elementary schools, kindergartens, bushibans (private cram schools) and private lessons.
Taiwan is one of the most lucrative TESOL markets and offers great benefits such as accommodation, transport, language
classes, health insurance and reasonable teaching hours (usually between 25-30 hours a week). With such attractive benefits come
some demands such as teachers must hold a university degree and TESOL certificate and most contracts are up to 12 months.
Most jobs can be found in the capital city of Taipei, Taichung and Hsinchu, and salaries are around 55,000 NTD ($AU1,900) – 65,000 NTD ($AU2,500) a month. The tax rates in Taiwan are like most countries and depend on your total income for the year.
A TESOL certificate and a Uni degree are your tickets to many great teaching positions in Taiwan and a salary that allows for a comfortable lifestyle, savings and travel!
