Maybe English Teaching in Taiwan
is NOT for You!

Let's be honest, teaching ESL in Taiwan, or even living in a foreign country isn't for everyone. In this article, I'll introduce some of the main reasons why you might dislike working and living in Taiwan.

Warning!

Picking up your life and moving it all the way to Taiwan to teach English can be a huge commitment.  Before you decide to sell your car, give away your dogs, break up with your boyfriend/girlfriend of five years and throw down several hundred Euros on a plane ticket, let's go through some of the things that might make you say Wo shou bu liao! (That's Chinese for "I can't take it anymore!")

Weather and Air Quality

If you hail from a land with crisp mountain air and fresh-running springs, Taiwan may be a bit of a shock to you. The island is very small, so air pollution from industrial centers can easily make its way across to other areas of Taiwan. Also, many of the mainland Chinese Special Economic Zones - the makeshift industrial cities that are fueling China's rapid growth - pump polluted air across the strait to Taiwan. If pollution is a big grievance for you, you will want to either set up shop in very small cities in Taiwan or stay where you are.

The weather can also get to a lot of fresh Taiwan expatriates. Even in northern cities like Taipei, the air is humid all year long, which makes the hot hotter and the cold colder. Summer months are subject to debilitating humidity; the moment you step outside is the moment you start sweating. In the south, it's even worse. If you can't stand heat and humidity, you might have a tough time making it on Formosa.

Extended release culture shock

For some people, culture shock is just that - a shock. A shock meaning, after an adjustment period, there are no major problems.

On the other hand, for some people some things about culture work backwards; something that you didn't mind at first, but that gets increasingly frustrating as time goes on. A good example of this: haphazard driving. In Taiwan, cars always get the right-of-way over bikers and pedestrians, and if you happen to be in their way, well, don't be. Scooters weave in and out of traffic like a swarm of self-important locusts, consuming everything in their path.

Also, be prepared for lots and lots of Chinese cuisine. Food in Taiwan is extremely various, but unless you dedicate lots of time to experimenting, learning all kinds of obscure food words and going where few westerners have gone before (pig blood cake, anyone?) it can all start to taste the same. If you don't cook and aren't a particular fan of Chinese food, you may want to think twice.

You despise children and/or teaching

This one may be obvious. However, there are a number of teachers that move to Taiwan not for any specific purpose except to make money and have a bit of fun. While these are completely legitimate reasons to do anything, keep in mind that making money and having fun will come at the price of your sanity if you find think kids are evil and teaching is a bore.

Are you an "Outside Country Person?"

While more and more foreigners have been establishing themselves in Taiwan in the past decades, the stigma attached to being an "outside country person" still exists. This is decidedly less so in Taipei, the most international city in Taiwan, but even there it is prevalent. Children will stare at you; old men will randomly approach you and attempt to speak English with you; people will avoid sitting next to you on the bus.

Again, it will be for you to decide. A huge number of expatriates are well-adjusted to all of these aspects of Taiwan, even if they complain about them now and again. Just let these serve as a warning that living in Taiwan may not be a golden paradise for everybody.

Download Your Copy of The Official Survival Guide About English Teaching in Taiwan!

If you would like more information about teaching English and living in Taiwan, may I suggest that you take a look at Teach English in Taiwan: The Official Survival Guide! This guide covers everything you need to know about ESL in Taiwan, from getting ready to move to Taiwan to tips on how to negotiate contracts with English schools.

Teach English in Taiwan also contains the biggest directory of places to find teaching jobs in Taiwan (more than 500 schools) in cities like Taipei, Taoyuan, Kaohsiung, Taichung, Keelung, Tainan, Changhua, Hualien, Taitung (Taidong), Ilan, Hsinchu, and many more smaller Taiwanese towns around the island.

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