Online Degrees and Working as an English Teacher

There are a number of people around the world who'd like to make the move to teaching English in Taiwan. Taiwan is a great place to teach because it offers a reasonable rate of pay but doesn't have the high cost of living and excessive work load that Korea and Japan typically do. The majority of English teachers in Taiwan work at cram schools which cater towards children. Ages in these classes are usually 6 - 12 years old. This can be a problem for some people who are either not interested in teaching children or they'd prefer to teach adults. Work outside of teaching children is possible but the majority of it is only available at universities. Getting work as an English teacher in a university is much harder than in a typical cram school. For starters you need a Master's degree and usually some work experience. What kind of Master's degree will open the doors to teaching in universities?

Many people make the incorrect assumption that they just need to get an online Master's degree and they'll have no problem getting work in a university. These online degrees are much cheaper than ones that require you to attend a physical university and are usually cheaper. This sounds like the perfect solution to getting further qualified, especially if you are already working somewhere and your time is limited making it impossible for you to quit work and attend a university. The problem here is that online degrees are not recognized in Taiwan. If you present your online degree to a university, they will simply turn you away as online degrees to not satisfy the requirement as they are not recognized by the Ministry of Education. For many people this is a huge disappointment as they spent a considerable amount of time and money obtaining it only to later discover that it will not help you to land a university English teaching job in Taiwan.

If you want to teach at a university level then you'll need to obtain a standard Master's degree. By standard I mean one where you have to attend a physical campus. Only these kinds of degrees are recognized in Taiwan and this is the only way possible for you to be qualified to work in a university. The good news is that it there are many countries around the world that offer degrees which are recognized and they can be obtained at a reasonable price. For many people the USA is one of the most expensive places to study and there is no need for you to pursue your degree there. Other countries like Australia and New Zealand will be fine and you'll have no problem with your degree being accepted when applying for jobs.

Teaching English in Taiwan at a university level is possible provided you have the correct qualifications. Online degrees are not the solution to getting qualified to work in a university because they are just not accepted. Save yourself some time and a lot of money by actually going to a real physical campus and obtaining a normal degree. You'll be much more qualified and enjoy a wider range of English teaching career options.