Qualifications and Teaching English in Taiwan

Not just anyone can teach English in Taiwan. It may have been true that in the past all you needed to teach English in Taiwan or just about any Asian country was a passport from an English speaking country, but this isn't the case anymore. To be eligible to teach English in Taiwan today, in addition to being a native English speaker from the USA/CAN/Australia/New Zealand/South Africa, you must also hold either a Bachelor's degree or an Associate's degree with TEFL/TESOL certificate. If you satisfy these requirements, you'll find that getting work in Taiwan is easy.

What kind of Bachelor's degree is required to teach English? Does it have to be education or teaching related? Lucky, for many people, the answer to these questions is no. To work at most English schools in Taiwan, an education or teaching related degree isn't required. You can have a Bachelor's in Business and are still able to work as an English teacher in Taiwan. Since the majority of positions for English teachers involve teaching children, the exact kind of Bachelor's degree isn't important. What is important is that you have graduated from university with one. If you don't have a Bachelor's degree, you may still be able to teach in Taiwan.

For those people without a Bachelor's, the other solution to teaching in Taiwan is if you have an Associate's degree with TEFL or TESOL certification. If you have an Associate's degree but have not TEFL or TESOL certification, unfortunately, you won't be able to teach in Taiwan legally. Luckily, getting yourself TEFL or TESOL certified is easy and it shouldn't take anymore than one month to get the certification papers.

The requirements to teach English in Taiwan aren't too strict. However, keep in mind that if you have a Bachelor's degree or an Associate's degree with TEFL/TESOL certification, you will only be able to work in cram schools. These are the most common and hire the bulk of foreign teachers found in Taiwan. If you'd like to work at a University or public school, some extra requirements need to be met.