Teaching English in Taiwan

Taiwan is a small, beautiful island that is densely populated. It has sandy beaches, tropical forests, volcanic mountains and the Yushun National Park. It is famous for its butterflies.

Politically, the island is or is not a part of the Republic of China depending on which political perspective you take. Although China used to hold more power and influence, in the last decade mainland China has been slowly losing its grip on Taiwan. This has allowed for a pro-independence stance.

In the past, Taiwan has been ruled by the Dutch, the Spanish and the Japanese. This would explain some of the Japanese influences found in its cuisine. There is also a strong aboriginal influence found in Taiwanese culture, art and literature.

Unlike mainland China, religion and religious practices are observed here. Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism are all part of daily life.

The biggest challenge for anyone thinking of working here is getting to grips with Mandarin Chinese. This pictorial script has about 6,000 characters, which makes it hard to read, and might be shocking at first if you have never had experience of learning a non-roman script.

For foodies out there Taiwan has some of the best night markets in Asia. There are 67 night markets operating in urban and suburban areas. The largest night market in Taipei is the Shilin night market. Every night of the week you can find hundreds of different food stalls offering a variety of food. There are a lot of interesting foods to try such as stinky tofu and braised pork feet. Less adventurous eaters can nibble on mini pancakes and fries.

Taiwan has found a great way to get people to recycle and reduce rubbish. Taiwanese garbage trucks play Beethoven on loud speakers alerting residents to hand deliver their waste to the collectors or toss it in the truck. The scheme makes everyone responsible for their personal consumption and keeps the floor clean as the rubbish doesn’t touch the ground.