Teaching English in Taiwan

The currency in Taiwan is the New Taiwan Dollar (NT). You will be paid monthly in NT. If you would like, your school can deposit your salary directly into your bank account.

Your salary depends on which school you work for and where it is located. Salaries are typically fairly similar ranging from 50,000-60,000NT (approx $1,600-1,900 USD) per month. If you have qualifications such as a TEFL/TESOL you may be given a higher salary.

Taiwan has socialized medicine, so everyone receives a health insurance card. The card will allow you to visit any of the “health centers” throughout the island. Almost all teachers feel the health care they have received while in Taiwan to be excellent. In fact, many of them return home feeling the health care system in Taiwan to be better than their home country!

This really depends on how much they are! Most of our teachers have no problem continuing their student loan payments while teaching abroad. Your salary doesn’t appear high, but cost of living is much lower than in your home country. Your rent will almost certainly be less than $8,000NT per month ($250 USD). Meals and almost everything else is much cheaper than in your home country. Also, if maximizing your earning potential is very important to you, many people pick up private tutoring jobs on the side (NOTE: Although this is widely practiced and quite lucrative, it is also technically illegal). Your salary will be more than adequate to support yourself as well as save money for whatever purpose you would like (loans, for example!).

The cost of living in Taiwan is much cheaper than that of the United States or Canada, for example. Costs will vary somewhat depending on whether you live in the city or country. However, your salary in the country will also be moderately lower. In either situation, your salary will be more than adequate to support yourself and live a comfortable lifestyle. There will be more specific details on cost of living in your acceptance packet.

It depends. Outside of Taipei, housing is provided free some of the time. When you first arrive in Taiwan, you will always be provided with temporary housing. Your school will help you find a permanent apartment which you find to be comfortable and agreeable. Most teachers are able to find an apartment within walking distance of their school! Most of our teachers find an apartment within two weeks of their arrival.

You will have all national holidays off. Additionally, you will have one week paid vacation during Chinese New Year (generally the end of January or early February). The rest of your vacation time depends on the contract which you sign. It is possible to have as much as 4 weeks of unpaid vacation time.

This is a subject everyone can agree on: The food in Taiwan is varied and fantastic. The shabu-shabus's, BBQ food, fresh seafood, different varieties of tofu, teppanyaki and even strange exotic food like snake's blood and bird's nest are just a sampling of the extremely large Taiwanese palette. Food is plentiful and extremely cheap. Wandering the night markets and sampling the varied specialties of each food vendor is a great experience. You can also find any Western food in Taiwan, though you will likely have to pay "home" prices for it. The Hard Rock Cafe, Hooters, McDonald's, Subway, Burger King, etc. can all be found in Taiwan. Higher end restaurants such as Morton's steakhouse are also to be found. Many foreigners return to their home country and find themselves bored with the food in comparison the many choices they had in Taiwan.

Your tax rate will be at a 20% rate until you have been in Taiwan for 183 days in a calendar year. 183 days is approximately 6 months (half a calendar year). After accumulating 183 days, the withholding tax rate drops to between 6%-15%, depending on your salary rate. According to the Taiwanese labor code, your employer, if employing a foreigner, must provide a receipt of your tax deduction while deducting tax from your monthly salary.

We have positions available throughout the island. We will work with you to place you at a school which fits your specifications. Like anything else, the more flexible you are, the easier it will be to place you at a good school.

This depends on your contract. Most schools do NOT pay for your flight. However, most of our client schools offer a completion bonus at the end of your one year contract. This bonus is typically at least as much as the cost of a roundtrip ticket.

This really depends on the time of year you are flying. The summer months are naturally the busiest and most expensive. We recommend you check all the major discount web sites such as Travelocity, Orbitz and Expedia. Expect to pay between $600-$1,200 for a roundtrip flight. Feel free to check with us on your flight options!

When you arrive in Taiwan, your school will submit your application for an ARC (working visa). All schools we work with are fully licensed schools able to sponsor their teachers for an ARC for the length of their contract.

The laws concerning English foreign teachers in Taiwan are extremely complex. Although many foreigners choose to work additional hours at other schools, technically you can only work at the school which is sponsoring your ARC (work permit). If you choose to work outside of your work permit limits, you do so at your own risk. It is very rare that foreigners are ever bothered for working in such a way, but you should be aware of the possibility. Additionally, it is technically illegal to work at a kindergarten in Taiwan. However, thousands of foreigners do so without a problem. Whether or not to work at a kindergarten is a decision which every foreigner needs to make for themselves. A great site for further information on the legalities of working in Taiwan is buxiban.com

If unavoidable circumstances are involved, yes you may break your contract. However, if the teacher breaks the contract for their own reasons, you will be forfeiting your completion of contract bonus. Remember, you are making a commitment to teach these student for a full year.

Taiwan, is 160km (96 miles) off the coast of Mainland China. It is officially considered a province of the Mainland, but for all intents and purposes, Taiwan is an independent democratic country. It has its own elections, currency, flag, army and government. The official language in Taiwan is Mandarin Chinese, but Taiwanese is widely spoken, particularly by the older generation. The population is 22 million. The Taiwanese tend to be extremely warm, generous and welcoming to foreigners.

Great question! This is a very common concern for teachers who are teaching English abroad in Taiwan. So common in fact, that we have dedicated an entire page to answer just this quesion. Please follow this link to find out more about paying your taxes as a US citizen abroad.

Visit our links page, you should find plenty of useful web sites there. Feel free to contact us friendly folk here at anytime. We are here to answer all your questions, concerns and worries. We have been through the same process ourselves, so we understand it can be confusing at times. Again feel free to contact Reach To Teach for questions about anything from your salary to the availability of your favorite shampoo!