Sciences Participating with Arts & Culture in Education

Teaching English in Taiwan

Following last week’s introduction to the series “The Future of Your Success: Alternate Approaches,” Lauren has conducted an interview with a daring young colleague. Keep reading, feel inspired – ‘till next week.

You can also find links to all the interviews, articles and artwork related to the series here. 

Who: Susannah Fisher, 19-year-old
Dawson College/Visual Arts/4th semester
What: Going away to Taiwan for a year to teach English as a second language

L:  Hi Susannah! First and foremost, let me tell you how incredible I think your project is. Very audacious and original – I love it!

S:  Thanks a lot, Lauren! I am really excited myself.

L:  Alright, let’s get started with these questions. What I want to know is: how did you get the idea to go to Taiwan?

S: I have a lot of Asian friends, and they got me into the whole ‘Asian culture’ thing, with movies, music, food. Also, I really wanted to travel next year, take a year off to live new experiences, figure out what I want to do, and very cheesily ‘find myself.’ At first I thought about going into this program, I think it was called SWAP, which allows you to work abroad, although it was mostly in Europe. The only problem was that I didn’t find the program very secure, since there was no contract guaranteed.

L:  Where did you hear about it?

S:  At Dawson, actually! That’s where I started my research. I went to the guidance counsellor, but they didn’t seem to have anything about traveling in Asia, and what they did have was really out-dated, so I ended up looking for programs myself on the Internet. And that’s how I found out about Oxford Seminars.

L:  Can you tell us more about that organization?

S:  In most countries, if you want to teach English as a second language, you have to take a course and obtain a certificate called TESL. Oxford Seminars gives it, and it can also help you find a job within the next six months after you pass the course.

L:  So when you knew about Oxford Seminars, what was your next step? How did you proceed?

S:  Oxford Seminars has information sessions at Dawson and McGill, so I attended one. I also registered online, and they sent me a pamphlet through the mail specifying all the countries they are affiliated with, and giving out useful general information. Overall, I found the session was not nearly as helpful as reading the magazine or looking at the website.

L:  Is Oxford Seminars the sole organization you are associated with at the moment?

S:  No, actually I am thinking of going through another program as well, called HESS, which is a group of schools in Taiwan. You can apply from here, and if you are accepted, they will give you a fair and reliable contract to teach in one of their schools, which is a lot safer than going by yourself. But I looked around on the Internet and there are so many options, I don’t want to limit myself. For instance, one of the ideas I have would be to teach English to nuns and monks in a Buddhist temple. That would be awesome! But it implies signing an independent contract, so there is no guarantee that you will find a job.

L:  Wow, it does sound amazing though… Back on the topic of HESS: what are the requirements to take part in the project?

S:  What I’m about to say is mandatory in Taiwan, but usually they are the same for all countries. Obviously you must be an English native speaker, or be as fluent as one; you need a passport from a native-English-speaking country; you also need a Bachelor’s degree in any discipline (required in some countries), or an Associate’s Degree (DEC counts) with a TESL certificate; and you have to be able to sign a one-year contract. Teaching or travel experiences are advantages, but not necessary.

L:  What kind of preparation will you do before leaving – both on your own and with the organizations?

S:  First, I’m going to do my TESL course in June, I’m pretty sure it’ll be 4 weekends, 6 hours each day, with a 40-hour online component after. And you have to prepare a lecture and present it during the last class! Other preparations involve learning about the country you will go to, maybe getting vaccines (there is a lot of mosquitoes in Taiwan), figuring out your financial situation, what kind of contract you want to take, what business you want to go through…

L:  How about the money? What do you have to pay, what is included, how much is your salary?

S:  I have to pay for the TESL course, which costs 995$, although you get 100$ off if you sign up a month before the deadline, and an extra 50$ if you convince someone else to register, too. You also have to pay for the lodging, food, and all the expenses related to daily life. You should bring 2 or 3 months of rent with you, because the landlords often ask for that, but HESS can loan you money interest-free if you need a certain amount to get started. Still, with HESS you get paid once a month, and you can see the website for the exact salary. Also, in Taiwan, you pay the airfare, which is not the case for, say, China. However, the cost of living is pretty low in Taiwan, and the salary is better than in China.

L:  How do you expect your life to be there? What would a ‘typical day’ mean for you?

S:  The first days will be all about orientation. Then as I settle in the routine, my day would probably look like this: a mid-morning 3-hour class, then having lunch with the kids, and taking part in the after-school program, which is in fact intensive tutoring sessions focusing especially on grammar and spelling. In my free time I’d like to take Mandarin classes (HESS can arrange that for you, and the price varies between US$5 and 9), and martial arts classes! And just generally experience the culture.

L:  Do you ever have any doubts or fears? Any regret?

S:  Oh yeah, definitely! There will be days when I’m just like, “Oh My God, I’m going away, what am I doing, I’m so freaked out, I’m leaving everything I know behind, my friends, my family…” But I don’t regret my decision. It’s something I want to do, and I think it’ll be a life-changing experience, one I can talk about for years. It’s the ultimate challenge, really, leaving for a country where I can’t speak the language and don’t know anyone!

L:  What was your parents’ reaction? Did you have to convince them?

S:  My mom was kind of upset. She did not understand why I wanted to go away, but as soon as she got the idea, she became very encouraging. My dad was generally pretty supportive. Sometimes he stresses a bit, he wants me to write down exactly where I’m going, what I’ll be doing, and so on (laugh), but overall they believe it’ll be an incredible experience.

L:  What were your friends’ reactions?

S:  They were all very supportive, but the general reaction was “Why are you going away! We’ll miss you” (laugh), but they all understand and they think it’s a great idea.

L:  Do you have any kind of knowledge or previous experience that would make it easier for you there?

S:  As I said, I don’t speak Taiwanese or Mandarin (most common) at all, and I don’t have any teaching background either. But I have traveled before, in Mexico, Holland, France, and elsewhere.

L:  And lastly: what are your plans for after? How do you see the future?

S:  I definitely want to go to university, although I’m not sure in what program. I’m considering English – not teaching. Something related to books, maybe publishing!

Time for a recap? That’s what I thought. There is one essential message I hope you will all retain from this interview, and it is this: You need not be exceptionally experienced to get involved in an extravagant adventure! Just get out there and explore, my friend! “Life is a game and the world is your playground”; have you ever heard that? Well to it I’ll add: enough time spent in the sandbox already. Venture out and hop on a sparkling new ride! Because, you know… You mustn’t be afraid to swing a little higher, darling.

Thanks a lot for this generous dedication of your time, Susannah! On behalf of SPACE readers, I wish you a marvellous trip and experience!

A FEW INTERESTING LINKS TO CHECK OUT

http://www.eatyourkimchi.com/
A website by a Canadian couple teaching in Korea. They post entertaining videos and provide a valuable insight into Korean and Asian culture.

http://www.eslcafe.com/
  Dave Sperling’s website is filled with relevant information for ESL teachers and students. Many varied announcements are posted up, and there are a Korean, China, and International Job Boards.

http://hesseducation.squarespace.com/
[url=http://www.oxfordseminars.ca/]http://www.oxfordseminars.ca/[/url]

Illustration by 2nd year Illustration and Design student David Hoult