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Q&A: What is the best recruiting agency for getting a teaching English job in Taiwan?

October 9th, 2010 admin Leave a comment Go to comments
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Q&A: What is the best recruiting agency for getting a teaching English job in Taiwan?




Question by Brooke M: What is the best recruiting agency for getting a teaching English job in Taiwan?
I have a teaching credential and I year ESL experience in Japan. and want to work at a public school in Taipei. I have noticed most of the advertisements online are for private language schools. Also, I’ve heard public schools pay better, does anyone know how much more?

Best answer:

Answer by matt_of_asia
You may need to check the university job boards back in your country for any listings from the ministry of education administered schools. The government jobs generally dont advertise online, except in Mandarin, perhaps on 104.com.
The government schools are often still in denial that they need English (hence private schools step up) and the programs reflect that.

Generally the best recruiting agency in Taiwan is YOURSELF. Otherwise you are losing money to a person who will not help you in any way outside of locating a school that pays him a fee, and who will likely be skimming off your monthly salary on top of that. You may be better off walking into known government schools and stating that you are a teacher. Expect that the government system will be years behind the private system regarding hiring foreign teachers and treatment of them. Racism is alive and well in the government school treatment of foreign teachers.

The main good thing about government schools is 2 months paid holidays (summer vacation – full pay and no work), which is something most private schools will not offer. Otherwise from what I have heard, the pay is about the same, or if you use an agency, lower (to allow them to skim off your work). The benefit of having summer off and getting paid is if you care to work a summer camp on top of that you have doubled your salary for a bit…

If Pagan Dan is around, perhaps he can help paint a clearer, possibly more rosy picture than I. He actually did have a good gig with the MOE in Hualien.

With a teaching credential you should be able to walk into the better jobs out here. Avoid chain bushibans.

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  1. BillParkhurst
    October 9th, 2010 at 11:09 | #1
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    A tool you will find useful is eslcafe.com Full of commentary from those working in Korea and Taiwan and who is best to work for.

  2. Pagan Dan
    October 9th, 2010 at 11:33 | #2
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    I had good luck with Footprints Recruiting in Vancouver (Canada). I taught for two years in a junior high in Hualien County and had a blast.

    1. For some reason, elementary and junior high teachers in Taiwan do not pay ROC income tax.

    2. National Health Insurance is provided.

    3. Return air fare home for the teacher and one family member is provided (if the family member lives with you–MOE won’t pay for someone to visit you).

    4. MOE provides a monthly housing stipend of NTD 5K for a single teacher, and NTD 10K for a couple or a family. We rented a three bedroom, two bath house in our town for NTD 7K per month.

    The purpose of the program is to provide foreign teachers for rural and isolated areas of Taiwan. Having said that, three of the six foreign teachers in Hualien County worked right in the the city. I worked an hour by train from my home in the city, but on nice days I took my little motorbike.

    The pay is around NTD 60K per month up–depending on your academic qualifications and years of teaching experience.

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