Where is Matt right now?
DECEMBER 23, 2011 - Today I'm learning to dive at Fun and Sun Dive and Travel on Malapascua, Philippines (http://bit.ly/vAoQjP). In three days, we be swimming with thresher sharks. Merry Christmas to me :)
Dear Matt,
How can I best prepare to teach English in Taiwan? I am 23 years old and recently returned from a three week trip to Taiwan to visit my sister who teaches there. Since coming back to America, I have been considering pursuing a degree in order to teach in Taiwan. What kind of degree would best prepare me for teaching English in Taiwan, and what would be the best way for me to start learning Chinese?
Thank you for taking the time to read this!
Sincerely,
Jacob
Hi Jacob,
Here are the three most effective things that you can do to make your life easier in Taiwan.
1) Get a degree in education. Getting a degree in education (i.e. teaching) will greatly improve your chances of finding a good job in Taiwan. Employers here almost always prefer certified teachers to people who simply have a degree. Real teachers also often get paid more.
2) Get experience. Either work, or volunteer, teaching ESL to international students at your local college or university. The experience will look great on your resume, and help you learn what its like to live in a country where you don’t speak the language.
3) Study Chinese. When I say study Chinese, I mean study Chinese A LOT. Chinese is extremely difficult to learn, especially when you are not immersed in it. Studying with books and online is a good start, but half the difficulty of Chinese is learning the sounds. You will need to hear Chinese (Pimsluer Language CD’s help with this) and speak Chinese (a language exchange with an international student will be necessary) on a regular basis.
If you do these three things, then you will be way ahead of the game when you arrive in Taiwan to look for work. In addition to giving you the necessary skills to get by here, the fact that you prepared yourself so thoroughly before coming to Taiwan will show employers that you are serious about working and living in there.
I hope this helps.
Best,
Matt
Dear Matt,
Dear Emily,
Although I don’t live in Taipei, I know of one school that can probably help you. It’s called the Taipei Language Institute. It offers courses pretty much any time that you want. They have branches in Taiwan’s major cities. Last I heard, as long as you can round up enough students to start the course, they will start one for you. To round up other students to start study at the same time as you, it would be easiest to post on an expat community forum such as Forumosa (Taipei) or Kaohsiung Living(Kaohsiung). Also, I think that if you were to contact them in advance, they could help to place you in a class that hasn’t filled up yet. I’m sure that beginner classes, being most in demand, start up somewhat frequently.
One thing you may want to consider when choosing your school, is what you want to learn. Do you want to read or read and write? If you want to learn to write, it will more than double your workload, as characters are very complex and only learned by rote memorization. Most Universities only offer writing/speaking courses.
It’s my understanding that TLI, however, focuses first on speaking (to help you learn to get around Taiwan) and then moves into the characters. I have never studied at TLI, but know many who have. I’ve never heard anyone say it was spectacular (but learning Chinese is never spectacular). I have never heard anyone complain about it though either.
You have one more option, with regards to school. Thats to apply for a sixty day multiple entry visitor visa. This visa is good for 60 days, and can be extended three times (six months). Then, you could stay in the country without a student visa, and study with a private tutor. Most I know charge about NT$4-500 ($12-15 USD) per hour.
I would also recommend, of course, that you both start studying before you come. I’ve found the Pimsleur language tapes to be very effective.
I’m sure that if you do a bit of searching you can find some helpful free websites online as well.
Good luck with your studies.
Cheers,
Matt
DECEMBER 23, 2011 - Today I'm learning to dive at Fun and Sun Dive and Travel on Malapascua, Philippines (http://bit.ly/vAoQjP). In three days, we be swimming with thresher sharks. Merry Christmas to me :)
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