A Golden Orb spider, a common spider of Taiwan. It is about the size of a man's hand, but harmless to humans.
Michael Turton's
Teaching English 
in Taiwan Web Pages
It's all here! '00s of Pics! Visas, Where, Who, When, How to Teach, Finding a House, The Opposite Sex, Learning Chinese...everything you need

I don't provide jobs. Don't send me your resume!

If you seek to come to Taiwan WITHOUT A DEGREE, please go directly to this page:
Can I Teach Illegally in Taiwan?

Member, Taiwan ESL Webring

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Introduction



Visit The View from Taiwan, my informative Taiwan blog

News, commentary on Taiwan, and links to other Taiwan blogs.


Announcements
(scroll down for site content)

The site has been migrated to www.michaelturton.com/Taiwan
Significant upgrades and many new pics to follow

Please update your link to this page
http://www.michaelturton.com/Taiwan


The altar of a Buddhist temple in Lukang.
The gorgeous northeast coast of Taiwan, looking south toward Keelung Mountain and the resort town of Chiu Fen Introduction
This site is  intended as an aid for those thinking about coming to Taiwan to teach English, so they can get a handle on some of the issues, problems and benefits. 

For the sake of simplicity, throughout this document, I use "Taiwanese" to refer to all the people of Taiwan regardless of ethnic origin. 

All photos were taken and/or scanned by the author, most of them with a Fuji s5000 or an Olympus C-770.
This site is a set of sermons consisting of warnings, observations and advice.  Because its major purpose is to present things to avoid, it paints Taiwan rather more harshly at times than a local would be comfortable with. Most people have excellent experiences on Taiwan and come to love it very much, warts and all. Many return again and again, including this writer. 

Thus, this is not meant to be a set of nuanced cross-cultural observations and explanations of Taiwan. That is for a book. This site is aimed at presenting and explaining problems you might encounter when you first move to Taiwan, and is written from that perspective. Later you will come to your own rich and robust understanding of The Beautiful Isle.

The site undergoes periodic updates to reflect the rapid changes in the market.

For the many articles and other resources of this site, please scroll down.

For best results, set your window to 800 pixels in width.
A morning market, filled with energy.
 A classic central Taiwan scene: rice fields backed by factories, housing flats, and mountains.

Delivering flowers in Tainan.

Contents
(scroll down for articles)
LIVING IN TAIWAN
ARTICLES: I want to come. What should I do? -- What to Bring-- Finding, Renting, Housing -- Water -- Transportation - Crime and Safety -- Health -- Money -- Posts and Telecommunications --  Personal Services --  Recreation and Travel - Learning Chinese -- The Social Side --  Food in Taiwan -- Driving in Taiwan --  Bringing Kids? --  Keeping a Pet - Living in Taiwan, Returning to America

TEACHING ENGLISH IN TAIWAN
ARTICLES: Introduction --  Can I Teach Illegally in Taiwan? --  Can I Teach for the Short-Term? -- Who Shouldn't Come - When to Come -- Getting a Job -- Who to Teach --  Where to Teach --  Are They Ripping Me Off? --  Questions to Ask Employers --  Protecting Yourself--  Schedules --  Visas --  Your Students -- Other Work and Links

TEACHING AT A UNIVERSITY IN TAIWAN
ARTICLES:  Introduction -- Getting Hired -- Pay and Benefits -- Where to Work -- 
Schedules & Workload -- Getting Along in the System

OTHER ARTICLES
 ARTICLES:  Overview of Taiwan History and Culture --  Games for Teachers in Taiwan  --Tips for Teaching English in Taiwan -- Letters and Feedback - Living in Taiwan, Returning to America -- Government authorizes foreigners in  every school/Latest Decision: March 16, 2003- THINGS TO WATCH OUT FOR -- Why I created this site

TRAVELS AND TRIPS IN TAIWAN

ARTICLES: Can we have fun in Taiwan? You bet! Our weekend in Kenting National Park! -- Check out my page on Night Markets for a look at one of Taiwan's best traditions! -- Take a gander at our morning hike on the ridges above Keelung. -- A fun day at Leofoo Village Theme Park and Zoo! -- Here's a stroll through a traditional morning market. -- What are those small towns like? Here's a look at one. -- Your local neighborhood bakery. Brace yourself. -- Taiwan offers many opportunities for short, pleasant hikes. Here's one! -- Some of the local museums can be really interesting. Here's the 921 Earthquake Museum in Wufeng. -- Do the schools let you tag along? You bet! Here we are on a field trip to a mushroom farm! -- The beautiful east coast can't be beat. Here are some pictures from our trip in August of 2004. -- Hiking on the east coast is great too. Here's a day hike out of Fulong. -- It's time for a day trip to the Hakka communities of Neiwan and Beipu! -- Can you travel from Taiwan? You bet! Here's our trip to Sri Lanka in June of 2004. And more.

And don't miss my blog entries, with plenty of pictures!!

JUST PICTURES
Several score random shots of The Beautiful Isle, periodically updated (last update: March 28, 2005)

JUST PICTURES II
Several score more random shots of The Beautiful Isle, periodically updated (last update: July 25, 2005)


The author muses...what else can I put on this site?

Swollen with spring rains, a river boils through eastern Taichung.
Living in Taiwan

I want to come. What should I do?
Sign a contract? Just come? Advice....
What to Bring
A list of things to pack for your stay
Finding, Renting, Housing
How to find, get and keep a house
Water
Drinking water on Technology Island.
Transportation
Getting around Taiwan's cities
Crime and Safety
Crime is rampant. Protect yourself.
[UNDER REVISION]
Health
The National Health Insurance System
Money
Taxes, bills, exchange rates, living expenses
Posts and Telecommunications
Shipping, mails, the internet, phones.
Personal Services
Churches, Bureaucracy, Lawyers. Ugh.
Recreation and Travel
What we're living for!
Learning Chinese
Should I? How?
The Social Side
Sex, Racism, Getting Along, Politics & You
Food in Taiwan
Taiwan -- food paradise?
Driving in Taiwan
You must be crazy.......
Bringing Kids?
Must read this....
Keeping a Pet
Easily done.....
Living in Taiwan, Returning to America
Make the return as painless as possible
Breakfast being prepared at the cafeteria of a local university.

After a typhoon, clouds billow over the mountains. 
A local bird grabs lunch.
Upscale housing outside of Kaohsiung. This gated community is inhabited largely by monied professionals. 
Two houses meet in a rural wood.....
A world of junk awaits you at the island's local night markets.....
Boarding passengers at Taipei main station. 
Teaching English
in Taiwan

Introduction
What you can really expect
Can I Teach Illegally in Taiwan?
With no BA? Not a good idea....
Can I Teach for a couple of months?
Can I teach for the summer...?
Who Shouldn't Come
Some groups will have trouble...
When to Come
What's the best time?
Getting a Job
A few basic tips for finding jobs
Who to Teach
Kids? Adults?
Where to Teach
Chains? Small School?
Are They Ripping Me Off?
Probably not, but you never know...
Questions to Ask Employers
Things to ask when you are overseas
Protecting Yourself
Precautions against getting ripped off
Schedules
What will my hours be like?
Visas
That key piece of paper...
Your Students
What are they like?
Other Work and Links
Other jobs, links to other sites.
Concotions sold in a night market.
University Teaching

Introduction
What is it like? 
Getting Hired
Steps, tips, what to expect 
Pay and Benefits
Dollops of sense
Where to Work
What kind of schools should I look at? 
Schedules & Workload
What can I expect?
Getting Along in the System
Ya gotta get along to go along...




Visit the Classified at Formosa.com for the latest in university positions....

Worshippers burn ghost money in a temple in Taipei during Chinese New Year.

A hotpot served in a local college restaurant.
The massive gate at the entrance to the memorial to the murderous dictator Chiang Kai-shek in Taipei.
Additional Articles

Letters and Feedback
Filled with even more pictures too!

Overview of Taiwan History and Culture
A quick look at 400 years of development

Games for Teachers in Taiwan
Some suggestions for games

Tips for Teaching in Taiwan
Managing your boss and those pesky mothers  

Living in Taiwan, Returning to America
Make the return as painless as possible

NEWS FLASH!!

Government authorizes foreigners in every school; But there aren't enough! Where are you guys? These jobs pay up to twice as much as ordinary cram school jobs. So why is the program a failure?

THINGS TO WATCH OUT FOR:

Dengue fever re-appears in Southern Taiwan

Counterfeit notes and coins are common

Current US$ Exchange Rate from Central Bank

SARS: Monitor the Taipei Times for the latest.

How bad is the pollution? Taiwan ranks ahead of only North Korea in recent ESI ranking as world's worst environmental nation (but the methodology seems to punish Taiwan).

Afterword
Some parting thoughts on Why I made this Site

 Some days Taiwan will seem like this....

...just one puzzle after another...

But other days will end with feasting...

..and pleasant vacations at the beach.
The setting sun lights up the suburbs of Wufeng and Taiping in Taichung county. 
Fengshan night marketTraffic races through a night market in downtown Fengshan.
College students wrap their brains around an econ test.

Traditional tofu invites modern shoppers at a vegetarian food store.

A ladybug clambers up a weed.

Recycling outside of Lukang in central Taiwan.

A drinks vendor in Hualien city.

A view of Taipei from Taipei 101.
Travels and Trips in Taiwan



Check out my page on Night Markets for a look at one of Taiwan's best traditions!

Take a gander at our morning hike on the ridges above Keelung.

A fun day at Leofoo Village Theme Park and Zoo!

Another fun day at Window on China!

Traveling on the East Coast: Hualien City, and stunning Taroko Gorge

Betel Nut Girls have become famous all over the world. Here's my picture page on Betel Nut Girls!

Family Visits are a blast! My Aunt and Uncle come for a quick three days in Taiwan.

Here's a stroll through a traditional morning market.

What are those small towns like? Here's a look at one.

A visit to historic, aromatic, Tihua Street in Taipei, Taipei's old spice and cloth retailing district.

Your local neighborhood bakery. Brace yourself.

The stunning Suhua Highway, cut into cliffs along the east coast. A must.

The Strange Shores of Hoping Island in Keelung Harbor are a great place to visit.

Here's our day trip to Lukang,
one of Taiwan's most historic cities.

Fish markets are a blast! Here's a Morning at the Fish Market of the Port of Taichung

Taiwan offers many opportunities for short, pleasant hikes. Here's one up trail number 8 in Ta-ken! And here's trail number 7!

Take a look at the Bunung resort, run by the Bunung aborigines, in Taitung county.

A typical weekend of outings, this one around Keelung. Enjoy the reservoir and the Gold Ecological Park.

Taiwan's elections are full of energy. Here's a page with ads from a recent one.

Here's the National Palace Museum, one of the world's great Museums.

Chulu Farm and the Luye Tea District outside of Taitung make a
great outing.

Visit Sun Moon Lake, the island's largest lake.

Some of the local museums can be really interesting. Here's the 921 Earthquake Museum in Wufeng.

Do the schools let you tag along? You bet! Here we are on a field trip to a mushroom farm!

Like critters? I've bagged all the ones on the website and collected them on a single page.

The beautiful east coast can't be beat. Here are some pictures from our trip in August of 2004.

Hiking on the east coast is great too. Here's a day hike out of Fulong.

Visit incredible Taroko Gorge and livable Hualien City just outside of it.

Taiwan in the old days: a National Geographic article from March, 1920

It's time for a day trip to the Hakka communities of Neiwan and Beipu!

Can we have fun in Taiwan? You bet! Our weekend in Kenting National Park!

Here's our trip to Taipei 101, the world's tallest building, in July, 2006

Can you travel from Taiwan? You bet! Here's our trip to Sri Lanka in June of 2004.
 

Yung An Fishing Port and Fish Market in Taoyuan.

One of my students makes the Asian Sign of Picture Taking

Making onion cakes, a popular roadside vendor offering

Night on a Taichung street.

Making a trip to the market.

Motorcyclists race down a side street in Taichung.
Blogged Travels and Photos
Shangri-La Theme Park
Judging the English Speech Contest
Bonsai Exhibition in Taichung
 Ta-ken Trail Number 6
Hiking with my friend Patrick
Chunghua Night Market in Taichung
 Flower Market, Taipei
The Woodcarving Museum in Sanyi
Museum of World Religions
 National Museum of Fine Art in Taichung
A weekend spent on the road to Hsinchu and Kaohsiung
Visiting Tainan and National Chengkung University
 Politics: Rallying with Chiu Tai-san
Natural History Museum, Taichung
Talim visits Taiwan
Talim Pics Redux
The religious procession
Cleaning up after Talim
 Visiting Changhua Teachers College
 Weekending with Friends and Students
Some pictures from life
Weekending in Hsinchu
 Hsinchu and my Father-in-Law's Exhibition
 Chinese New Year 2006
Moments from Life
Graduation Pics with my Students
The Fourth Grade Singing Performance
Tripping to Taipei for the Blogger Meet-Up, having dinner with students
Swenson's Meetup, bumming around Taipei with friends
March 06 Swenson's Meetup Photos
Random Pics from Life
Pics from a Train Ride on the Mountain Line to Tainan
The Apiary
Appearing at the Blogging Roundtable at NCKU
Hiking With Sheridan's Fourth Grade Class
The Many Moods of Taichung
KTV at the Filipino Cantina in Hsinchu
Typhoon over Taichung
Hanging out wth the Anthro Guy
After forty days of rain
Accident and Aftermath
 Taichung at Dusk
Taking Advantage of the Good Weather
A break in the rain
At work and play in Hsinchu, Hukou, and Taipei
The rainy season in Taiwan
A few Scenes from Life
Luye Tea District and Chulu Farm
Trying out the New Olympus
Hoping Island Redux
National Palace Museum
Folklore Museum, Taichung
Critter Photos from Hiking
Tripping to Tainan with my Son
Fengjia Night Market
Kaohsiung and the Love River
Xing Studios Opening
Driving the East Coast to Hualien
Tripping with the Anthro Guy II
Night Over Taichung
Life on the Train
Snake!
The hardware market
Night and Day in Taipei
Camping at Sun Moon Lake
Taichung by Day and Night
Random Saturday Pics
Walkin' Round Pics
Taipei and Keelung pics
Shihsanhang Museum and Bali
Out and about Pics
New Year Random Pics
Random pics for Xmas
Hiking Photos
Market Pictures
Drive By Shooting
Rolling the Car
Taichung Fish Market & Singing
Chinese New Year Random Pics
Weekend Fun
Taoyuan Streets
Yung An Fish Market
Dawn to Dusk in Tainan
Things Seen While Walking
Tungshih Forest Park
Taisugar Mall, Tainan
Judging the Speech Contest II
Eating with the Family in Keelung
The Blogging Conference in Taipei
TVBS Protest
Winter in Taipei
Hiking and Riding in Fengyuan
Visiting with Andrew and Jason
Saturday, in the park...
Temples and Alleys of Tainan
Here and there in Taiwan
Walking among the Hills
Strays
Ta-an Beach
The Matsu Temple in Dajia
The waterfall
Checking out the Bells and Whistles
Say hello to the Powershot
Yangmingshan hike
Saturday of Political Stuff
1930s Japanese Firebase
Yungho and Yangminshan

A Betel Nut Girl serves a customer.



Email Me

Please, folks, do not write me with general questions. That's right: no general questions. See if questions are answered here first, then ask me something SPECIFIC if necessary.

Everything on this website is copyright 2007 Michael A. Turton, but may be reproduced for any purpose so long as proper acknowledgement of authorship is made.

Visit my other websites.....
Historical Commentary on the Gospel of Mark
A Trip to Sri Lanka
(temporarily down)