Everything you ever wanted to know about teaching English here in Taiwan is covered in an article I recently wrote for the Transitions Abroad Web site. It begins:
Made in Taiwan. You’ve seen that phrase, no doubt, affixed to consumer products of all stripes–plastic toys, sleek electronics, sporting goods. But an image of Taiwan itself, the country that manufactures some 60% of the world’s notebook computers, can be difficult to conjure. Perhaps you imagine a drab, gray landscape of warehouses and factories–facilities for creating all that stuff.
In fact, Taiwan’s a dynamic nation of considerable natural beauty, a place where traditional Chinese culture has collided with and adopted all the trappings of a prosperous first-world economy. It’s an environment where you might see an ornate temple, a pineapple farm, a McDonald’s, and a bicycle manufacturing plant coexisting along the same stretch of road.
I’ve been living and teaching English here for the last six months. The demand for English education is high, and teaching opportunities abound. And besides getting a chance to observe Taiwanese culture first-hand, teaching English here can be quite lucrative.