Many people don’t understand how commonly spoken the Chinese language is. Sure, we are all aware of how much population this country has, but that doesn’t mean that it is spoken only in it. Another country where it is widely spoken in Taiwan, or officially, the Republic of China. We are talking about another Chinese state that has ideological differences from China.
After WWII, this country was formed by nationalist forces who have fled the country after Communists won the civil war. Because of these differences, we can see that the relationship between these two is not at a high level. Only in the last couple of years, we can see that younger people have started communicating more massively. Old wounds are slowly starting to heal.
While Taiwan doesn’t have an official language, it is safe to say that Mandarin is the more prevalent one. As is the case with China, Taiwan is a country that constantly looks for English teachers to improve their younger population’s skills. If you are interested in getting this position, be sure to check out teast.co. Now, we would like to provide you with some additional information that will bring this idea much closer to you. Without further ado, let’s get started.
Contents
Do I Need to Know Mandarin?
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Since it is a big move to go to Taiwan and working there, many people are unsure whether you learn Mandarin before they are competent to teach local people English. In China, Taiwan’s brother, you will see that there are absolutely no requests like this one. You will be happy to hear that you will not need to learn it before you work as an English teacher in Taiwan.
The reason why you don’t need to know it is that you will not use it in communication with students. Sure, if it gives you pleasure, you can learn it. When you have a statistical approach to this topic, you will see that only a handful of foreigners who work in this position know Mandarin fairly well.
Naturally, you will need to have exceptional knowledge of English. Sure, we have all heard some stories about foreigners who went to Taiwan without knowing English at all. While it is possible that it was the case a couple of years ago, you will see that there is no way you can get this position without advanced English. So, arm yourself with these skills and you are prepared to become a teacher in Taiwan.
Different Types of Schools
Now, we would like to talk about different sorts of schools you can apply to.
Public
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Public schools are often addressed as the most sought-after ones by foreigners. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have a criterion. For instance, you will need a degree. The work time is fifteen hours per week, which is much less than in some other schools. However, if you know many students attend these classes, you will agree that this is not an easy thing to perform sometimes. Nevertheless, these positions are the most sought-after.
Private
Strangely, you will see that the salary for those who work in private schools is lesser than those who work in public ones. While there is no definite answer to this question, one of the biggest indicators is that these classes are much smaller.
However, we can see that working conditions are slightly better at these. Just think about it, you will not need to face roughly 70 students every day. Instead, groups are smaller and your efficiency is something that can come to fruition because of this condition.
Cram
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The next sort we would like to talk about is called cram schools. The reason why they bear this name is that they are some sort of prep school. Since we are talking about a low level of education, teachers will not need a degree. At the same time, we can see there are sometimes too many students in these classes. Some of these have more than two hundred of them present in only one room. Surely, this can be pretty stressful.
International
Now, we would like to talk about international schools. To get into one of these, you will need to provide all the documentation that proves you have a high-level education in this field of work. Not only that you need an education, but you will also need at least some working experience as an English teacher. Because of this factor, you will see that the number of people employed at these is significantly smaller. But the reason is quite obvious, you need to be at your best to get into one of these.
Don’t Get Disheartened
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Since we are living in a digital age, we can see that a vast majority of posts that offer these jobs are posted on specialized forums. Naturally, we are talking about places where foreigners can look at the posts displayed by schools interested in hiring them. There is one factor that can discourage you at first. A lot of these ads will look specifically for English native speakers.
However, this is not the case in a vast majority of situations. When you think about it, it makes perfect sense. Employers want to attract the most experienced candidates. But they don’t end up hiring people under these conditions. So, don’t be discouraged by these posts at first. Take a look at some online reviews of these schools and pay attention to the names of people who leave these. The highest percentage of them are not Australian, American, or British. Be persistent and we are sure you will find a position where you will fit in the best possible way.
The Conclusion
As you can see, there are not too many differences between teaching English in Taiwan and China. Still, there are some of them you will need to get used to if you already worked in China. Here, you can see some of the basic requirements for this position, and how you can get it. You will find it useful, we are sure of that.
