| ESL in Taiwan is currently undergoing drastic changes | | | | increase in what they get paid. |
| and the job market in the future will be nothing like it | | | | The other way English schools have managed the |
| was in the past. This is not to say that finding work | | | | changing market is by combining classes. Most |
| teaching English in Taiwan is impossible, but it does | | | | teachers would have classes of around 15 students, |
| mean that the future for Taiwan and English teaching | | | | but today it is not uncommon to see classes ranging |
| jobs does not look bright. One of the main reasons | | | | in size from 20 to 30 students. It is becoming the |
| for this is the dropping population of Taiwan. Families | | | | norm now that classes consist of at least 20 |
| are quite simply having fewer children and this has | | | | students, and the more the better. This makes |
| eventually trickled on down to affect both public and | | | | teaching much more difficult for you as a teacher but |
| private schools. Each year less and less children enrole | | | | it also reduces the quality of education that the |
| in classes and this means there is a dropping demand | | | | children receive. With 30 students in a class, the |
| for teachers. This change in the demographics of | | | | students rarely get much time for individual practice |
| Taiwan has resulted in changes in the work place for | | | | as schools typically have an enormous amount of |
| not only ESL teachers but educators of all kinds. | | | | work that needs to be covered in each lesson and |
| In the past you would typically be given a class of 10 | | | | there is no way that any teacher could allow |
| to 15 children and assigned a Chinese teacher to | | | | students more than a minute or so of individual time. |
| assist you with teaching. If there was ever a problem | | | | If you are looking at an ESL job in Taiwan then you |
| with the children understanding what you were trying | | | | must be prepared to handle large classes and be able |
| to teach, the Chinese teacher would step in and | | | | to manage your time effectively. |
| quickly translate. Cram schools today rarely assign | | | | ESL jobs in Taiwan will never be the same as the |
| one teacher to a single class, and instead assign one | | | | local population continues to decline and schools are |
| Chinese teacher to help with several classes taught | | | | forced to combine classes and cut costs where |
| by different teachers. Enrolements are down and this | | | | possible. This doesn't mean you can't find work |
| has translated into dropping revenues at cram | | | | teaching English in Taiwan, but it does mean that you |
| schools. This in turn means that the schools have to | | | | need to do your homework before you make the |
| cut back on their expenses and one way they are | | | | decision to move to Taiwan to teach. Making money |
| doing this is by reducing the number of assistant | | | | from teaching English in Taiwan is no longer as easy |
| teachers. This basically means that ESL teachers | | | | as it used to be. |
| have seen an increase in their workload but not an | | | | |