Getting a Job at a Taiwan University By: Scott Sommers

In Asia and Taiwan, there is a large pool of highly qualified, very experienced EFL teachers. There are also a large number of positions available, and any determined person with minimum qualifications can obtain one. Nevertheless, the quality of these positions varies enormously. The best positions are fantastic, and the worst of these are only slightly short of slave labour. While the best positions are also the most likely to bring you into competition with the most outstanding candidates, there are steps you can follow to improve your chances of obtaining a competitive position.

It’s a widespread and false belief that Taiwan universities will hire instructors with an MA even if you have no background in TESOL or Education. For example, the school where I teach has over 60 foreign teachers. Because of an expansion in the school last year, we hired 15 new teachers. Of these, 2 have an MA in English, 2 have an M.Ed., and 6 have an M.TESOL. The majority of these teachers had been teaching for several years before they returned home and obtained relevant teaching credentials. Of the remaining five, 1 is a doctoral candidate in educational psychology, and all of the others had significant teaching experience. One of our faculty has an MA in management, but has taught at Taiwan universities for several years and is married to a Taiwanese. Also, bear in mind that the 2 instructors with an MA in English were hired to teach English literature and writing at the International College that we operate.

While it is true that candidates with minimum qualifications should be able to get a job teaching at the university-level somewhere, I want to stress how bad some of the jobs in Taiwan can be. Browse through the Internet and you'll find that Taiwan universities have a particularly bad reputation. You’ll find constant reference to how bad teaching at universities in Taiwan can be, but it’s not true that all jobs here are so horrible. Many jobs provide 4 months paid vacation, as well as maximum teaching hours and other amazing benefits. The reason you don't hear about these jobs on the chats is that the people working at schools like this don't complain. In fact, they don't even quit.
It's not impossible to get one of these jobs, just difficult. If you're serious about getting one, there are things you can do to improve your chances.

1. Get relevant education. This means an M. TESOL, and M.Ed or another related degree. A Ph.D. is even better. In fact, a Ph.D. is so much better that it probably doesn't have to be in a related field.

2. Become an expert. Learn how to teach an area of TEFL that's in high demand. For example, no one wants to teach composition. If you are willing to teach writing, you can become extremely competitive. Many university classes are very large (50+ students). Learn how to manage large classes like these, and you can launch a much more competitive application.

3. Publish. I can not stress this enough. There are many regional forums that teachers can publish and present their work in, like JALT Quarterly and The Language Teacher. There are many regional conferences, such as those of JALT, TESOL, and ETA-ROC that are accessible to teachers. It doesn't have to be academic research; you must have something you do in class that other teachers would like to learn about. Just try it because having published and presented your work publicly is the single biggest way to attract attention.
Finding a good university position can change an English teacher's life from one of uncertainty to one that provides a stable and rewarding future. While the investments needed to qualify for these jobs may seem considerable, if you're going to be teaching English or staying in Taiwan for the long-term, don't hesitate because you have doubts about how long you'll be teaching English. The sooner you have stability and security, the sooner you'll be able to decide rationally and with a clear mind what's best for your future.

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