WORK ABROAD: TEACHING ENGLISH IN TAIWAN

Chad from Adventure Filled Life shares his experience teaching English in Taiwan, including the cost of living and a typical day of teaching.

There are plenty of ways you can earn money while traveling and this is just one of a series from our Working Abroad Series.

Work Abroad in Taiwan

Tell us about your experience working abroad?

Where to begin!?

When I started this journey I honestly didn’t know how long it would last. I’m thankful to have had the chance to make a lot of new friends and visit nearly every country in Asia over the last 4+ years. People here in Taiwan have been welcoming and friendly for the most part, and I hope to spend more happy years here.

Why did you decide to move abroad?

I guess you could say that I ‘caught the travel bug’ and decided to travel permanently. I had taken a few month-long trips while I was a student – but I felt like there was something more to see. I guess I wanted to experience something deeper than tourism and to see what life is like outside of the USA.

What did a typical day look like teaching English in Taiwan?

Most teachers in Taiwan work with school children ranging from as young as 2-years-old through to high school. Teachers are typically in school from 9 am – 4 pm, although this will vary from school to school. A typical contract is for 22 hours per week; which equates to roughly 4 hours of class and 3 hours of prep per day.

My typical day is a bit different, however. I teach a couple of hours in the morning from 9 am-noon, or 10am-noon depending on the day. My afternoons are spent tutoring students or planning my next big adventure until it’s time to head back to school in the evening. I teach for a couple of hours each night between 6 pm and 9:30 pm to business professionals who just left their offices for the day.

Why Taiwan?

Taiwan was a place that I had visited before and knew that I could survive in reasonable comfort. There are a number of other countries that I considered, but I wasn’t sure if I could adapt to the living standard over the long term.

How did you get a job working abroad?

It was a little bit of luck I guess!

I came to Taipei, the capital of Taiwan, on a 3-month tourist visa. In my mind, it was enough time to either find a job or plan for the trip home.

The first month or so was spent getting settled in and adjusting to the local lifestyle (think cramped apartments and delicious street food).

After that, I started sending out emails with my resume to schools in the area. I tried to communicate as directly as I could with the schools and even hand-delivered my resume in a few cases.

It wasn’t long before I was called in for interviews and teaching demos which led to contract offers from several different schools.

Was it hard getting a visa to work and live in Taiwan?

It wasn’t overly difficult, although it did take around a month for the paperwork to be approved.

Getting a visa is pretty straightforward as long as you have a business willing to sponsor you via a work contract.

What are the best and worst things about living in Taiwan?

Best Part: The Food

Taiwan is renowned for its food and you can find something delicious to snack on at any hour of the day or night! Taiwanese cuisine draws mainly from Chinese roots, although there is a good deal of Japanese influence as well. If you ever visit Taiwan, be sure to check out the night markets! Here you will find a vast range of tempting street food ranging from ordinary to exotic.

Worst Part: Language Difficulties

I’ve picked up a bit of the language since I moved here, but regrettably haven’t taken formal classes. I’ve had many experiences where I’ve ended up buying the wrong food because my pronunciation wasn’t correct. I once bought a box of Century Eggs instead of normal eggs by mistake. No omelets were made on that day!

Taiwan has a reputation for being very expensive, would you agree with this?

The cost of living in Taiwan is certainly more expensive than in South-East Asia. But if you compare Taipei to the cost of living in nearby capital cities (Tokyo, Seoul, Beijing) it isn’t so bad. I’d say $2,000 per month would be enough to give you a reasonable level of comfort.

What is the best part of moving abroad?

Getting to experience a new way of life and new culture for sure. There are so many things I’d never have seen or learned if I was only visiting as a tourist. Living in Taiwan and doing extended travel through neighboring countries has given me a greater appreciation of life and its intricacies.

Was it hard to adapt to your new, expat life?

Apart from the language, I would say no. I consider myself to be fairly low-maintenance and accepting of the things I can’t change. I’m sure that played a big role in my ability to adapt to life in Taiwan. There were challenges, and times when I missed the ‘California lifestyle’ but I didn’t face any serious challenges.

What was your best moment of working abroad?

I teach University and Business students here in Taipei. The best part of my job is hearing about the success of my students. I love getting letters or photos from students who got accepted to a University overseas, achieved a high TOEIC or TOEFL score, or from students who were able to communicate more fluently on a business trip.

It might sound cliche, but having a job that involves helping others is the best part for me.

What was your worst moment of working abroad?

The only downside to my job is the work schedule which can be irregular at times. There isn’t much I can do if all of my students decide to take a holiday or business trip at the same time. To make up for the unstable salary I have to take classes at odd time-slots – leaving a lot of gaps in my schedule.

What advice would you give others who want to move abroad?

Plan a bit more than I did!

Once you decide on a country I’d recommend reading up on it as much as possible. This can be information from guidebooks, bloggers, other expats, etc. Every bit of information will help you prepare mentally and avoid culture shock.

It’s also a good idea to join local expat groups on Facebook before moving abroad. FB has a wealth of insight and information if you know how to find it. Seeing the struggles and challenges that other ex-pats face can help you when you move to that city in the future.

Thank you Chad, we can’t wait to visit Taiwan, it looks like an amazing place. Don’t forget to read our Work Abroad series.

Any questions or comments, leave them in the comments below!

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Helpful Resources

Travel essentials:

• We LOVE this camera for our travel photography.
• For a cheap, easy and compact camera, we use this to vlog and take photographs. 
• We use this travel drone (but make sure to check drone laws in your chosen destination first). 
• This is our favourite travel insurance because it covers so many activities and travel situations that could arise on longer trips but also offer year coverage.

What to pack

• No matter where we travel to, I always take these trusty hand sanitizers and a mini first aid kit. 
• We love these toiletry bags (especially great for smaller bathrooms) and choose a laptop bag like this as our hand luggage. 
• We keep our devices charged on long travel days with these lightweight battery packs and bring these worldwide travel adaptors on all our trips. 
• I still struggle not to overpack so stick to using an expandable suitcase like these and always take my trusty luggage scales to avoid being charged at the airport.