Teaching English in Taiwan – Do I need a TEFL degree to teach?

By Creztor Tessel

If you are thinking of moving to Taiwan to teach English, you might be surprised at just what kind of qualifications are required. Teaching English doesn’t actually require any special kind of degree or papers. Many people make the assumption that TEFL or similar degrees are required to teach English. While this may be the case for some work, the majority of teaching work in Taiwan does not require a TEFL or similar degree. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t consider getting your any extra teaching qualifications, but there is no need to do this before you come make the move to being an English teacher overseas. There are two main requirements for teaching English in Taiwan. These are that you hold the correct kind of degree and you are a native English speaker from one of English speaking countries determined by the government.

The main requirement is that you hold a three or four year degree. Does this have to be an education or similar teaching degree? No, it doesn’t. Any standard Bachelor’s degree is acceptable. You do not have had to major in teaching or anything at all related to education. Provided you have a Bachelor’s degree in any field, you meet the first main requirement of being able to teach English. It is quite common to meet teachers who have psychology, engineering, arts and many other non-education related degrees. This basic requirement of a bachelor’s degree only applies to cram schools where the majority of foreign English teachers are employed.

Beyond having a three or four year degree, it is also required that English teachers are from South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the United States or the United Kingdom and are a native English speaker. As long as you were born in any one of these countries then you meet this basic requirement before you are allowed to teach. With this requirement met, you are legally allowed to teach in cram schools throughout the island. However, if you plan on working in universities, you may find that your nationality is not important but you will be forced to provide extra educational certificates beyond that of a Bachelor’s degree.

Teaching English in Taiwan is very simple as long as you meet the above requirements. There are many foreign teachers who hold degrees in areas that are not related to education or teaching at all. Provided you hold a standard three or four year Bachelor’s degree, you will have no difficulty finding work in the thousands of cram schools throughout the island. In addition to holding a bachelor’s degree you will also need to be from South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the United States or the United Kingdom. This ensures that you are a native English speaker and this satisfies one of the requirements to be a foreign teacher. With these two requirements met, you will have no difficulty finding work in cram schools. However, keep in mind that public schools and universities do have slightly stricter regulations for English teachers.

About the Author

If you want to know more teaching English in Taiwan, suggests Creztor, find out the truth about it from someone who has personally experienced it, so you can without making the common mistakes most people do.