When I began dreaming about teaching English abroad, the dream always took place in China. After living in Nanjing for a couple of months however, I realized that while I still wanted a country where I could practice my Chinese language skills, I wanted to check out someplace new. My boyfriend spent the summer studying in Taiwan and came back with amazing adventures and an overall positive experience. Suddenly my perspective on the ideal place to teach shifted.
Taiwan (officially known as the the Republic of China) is a island off the coast of China fondly nick-named the sweet potato because of it's shape. It is located on the Tropic of Cancer and has a marine tropical climate. The capital, Taipei, hosts one of the tallest buildings in the world: Taipei 101. Taipei is also known for its night markets full of delicious food such as Beef Noodle Soup, Gua Bao, Taiwanese Fried Chicken and Soup Dumplings (Xiao Long Bao). Taiwan is also known for its outdoor activities including hiking, biking, surfing, hot springs and more.
Once I made the decision about where I wanted to teach, the next step was to start applying. Because Taiwan is smaller and relatively lesser known than some of the more popular teaching destinations such as China, Korea, and Japan I was limiting my job opportunities significantly. I was okay with taking that risk because I felt confident in my resume and knew that I wouldn't be as happy teaching in a different country.
I applied to two recruiters and three schools, all of which I was connected to via the TEFL program I was certified through, International TEFL Academy (ITA). The recruiters were Oakary and Teaching Nomad. Their role is to take your information and apply for you to schools that they work with. (This should never cost you anything) I was also going to apply with Reach to Teach, but in the end I felt as though I had applied to enough schools. The schools I applied to directly were HESS, Gloria English School and Neurolink English Academy. The teaching opportunity with Neurolink I found by reaching out to an ITA Taiwan alumni Facebook group. One of the members recommended her school and encouraged me to apply.
The application process requires several documents, the more of which you have, the faster the process will go. These include, but are not limited to: an international resume, cover letter, college diploma, FBI background check, list of references, 1-3 minute introductory video, recent headshots and/or full body photos, and a TEFL certificate. While this sounds intimidating, you just have to take it one step at a time. Update your resume. Use the FBI approved list of channelers for the background check. Film a quick video introducing yourself and what makes you great applicant. It doesn't need to be perfect, it just needs to be done. (I also highly recommend creating a Job Application Documents folder on your computer so everything is in one place.) Once I got everything together, each application took only 10-15 minutes.
After the application, I waited 1-3 days to hear back from each company to see if they wanted an interview. All three schools did, and they were scheduled for the following week. One quick note: be prepared for wacky hours because of the time change. My interviews were 6:30am, 10pm, and 7am on three consecutive days.
The interviews included questions about teaching experience, how I would handle a classroom or various teaching scenarios, why I chose Taiwan, and if I had any tattoos or piercings. Every school also asked about completing a one-year contract. The interviewers also gave me a lot of information, including the location of the schools, wages and salaries, housing, the visa process, training and teaching expectations and more. The jobs that I leaned towards were the ones that provided the most information. Moving across the world by yourself is scary and it was reassuring to know that the school would pick me up at the airport and help me get settled.
After the interviews I was offered two contracts within a couple of days. I compared the locations, wages, duties and vacation and finally came to the decision to sign the Neurolink contract. So I will be heading to Changhua, Taiwan in August.
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