Hi RA. Thanks for your comment. In this article I haven’t discussed this issue, no. I don’t think that there is a ‘myth’ around this particular issue though. It’s well-known that Taiwan cram schools and private English schools much prefer blonde hair, blue eyes, American-looking teachers and that they American accent is also preferred.

I do agree with you that this is a massive issue for foreign teachers who don’t have the “right look” and that there is a huge cultural misunderstanding and skewed perception of what a “typical American” looks like and what ethnic background they may have. I hope that in the future this perception starts to shift.

You may find my interview with my colleague, Tu, an interesting read – https://charlieontravel.com/teaching-in-taiwan-an-interview-with-teacher-tu

“It’s not a grey area, though the law is blithely ignored.”
LOL

On the salary arguments, guys this isn’t a career like a consultant, or sales. You’re not going to climb a ladder because there is no where to go, unless you either run your school, or start a business of your own. It’s unreasonable to expect to be paid more beyond the incremental pay raises. But hey, when I joined it was $66NT to the £ and it dropped to $47, so really that’s a 30% pay rise in itself ;)

Hey! I didn’t meet any non-native speaking teachers in Taiwan… Everyone I knew or worked with was British, American or South African, or from Australia or New Zealand.

But, I only lived in a small town (not in the capital!) and I worked for the biggest language school in Taiwan who have stricter rules than some of the smaller, lesser known language schools. It might be worth asking around in Facebook groups for teachers in Taiwan to see if you can find out any extra info here.

In my experience, definitely there is a preference for native speakers and white people (particularly stereotype looking blonde hair, fair skinned).

I expect that you may have more luck looking for TEFL work in Thailand or Vietnam, where they are more flexible… Look into it first before deciding to do a TEFL!

Also, as a fluent English & Mandarin speaker, you could definitely get work teaching Mandarin. Private tutoring, teaching online, using MeetUp etc.

I’m curious as to whether or not you have ever met any non-native English speakers that are teaching English in Taiwan. As I am a non-native speaker(Malaysian Chinese) I would be interested in knowing whether or not it is possible for someone like me to become an English teacher in Taiwan. As far as I know, it seems like most schools prefer to have someone who is white, and is from a white western country.

I speak fluent English and Mandarin, and I have a Bachelors degree. To be honest, I’m wondering if I should even bother doing a TEFL cert, as it seems like not having the right passport would prevent me from being able to work as an English teacher in Taiwan.

Hi Lana. We found a job before leaving for Taiwan, through HESS. There are many language schools there though and you would certainly be able to find something if you’re a native speaker by turning up and going in person.

How did you get the job on the east coast? I want to show up and look around, but not sure how to find the jobs there?