FAQ

 

▼ COVID-19 Related

Am I required to have 3 shots of vaccination?

According to the Taiwan’s Ministry of Education directive, all school staff members, including teachers, need to have booster shot (third shot). Staff members whose physicians have advised them to against receiving the vaccines or who opt to take the vaccines due to personal reasons are subject to weekly rapid antigen or PCR tests. Only those with negative test results are permitted to enter school.

 

▼ Packing

What should I pack?

Please refer to this page: https://taiwan-etaprogram.org/what-to-pack-1

 

▼ Housing

Can I choose the apartment I want to stay?

Your apartment placement will be based on the Co-Teaching Preference Form you filled out before the school announcement, as apartment preference was one of the considerations you could choose from on that form.Your local coordinator will rent the apartments near your school prior to your arrival, and will use your school placement and what you marked on that form to place you in an apartment.

How do I pay the rent/utility bill?

You will wire the rent to the landlord/landlady directly via an ATM machine. For some apartments, you will receive your utility bills in the mailbox, and pay them at the convenience store (i.e. 7/11 or family mart). For others, you will be informed of the amount of money you need to pay for the month, and wire it to the landlord/landlady together with the rent.

 

▼ Transportation

What are the transportation options in Taiwan?

In most of the cities, you can travel by foot, bike, scooter, bus and train. In bigger cities like Taipei or Kaohsiung, there will be MRT and High Speed Rail.

Do I have to ride a scooter to school?

It depends on which site you are placed in. If the schools in your site are not available with public transportation, then your coordinator will arrange scooter practice and scooter tests for the first few weeks after you arrive. If your schools are more in the city center, then you will be able to walk, take the bus, or take the MRT to school.

 

▼ Orientation

Where will the orientation take place?

Orientation will take place in the city or county where ETAs are assigned for the grant period.

What will happen after I arrive?

  • FSE staff will meet ETAs in the airport arrivals area. We will have a bus to pick you up at the airport and take you to your site.

  • You will receive Settle-in Allowance, NT 26,000 (in cash), upon arrival to assist with any immediate expenses.

The first few days of orientation will be focused on getting ETAs situated. This includes moving into housing for the month of orientation, purchasing a phone plan, and going to the store for any needs.

What does orientation entail?

  • Orientation will take place during the month of August and run on weekdays from 9 am to 5 pm. Most evenings and weekends will be free for ETAs.

  • Orientation will be focused on training and preparing new ETAs for the coming school year. This includes teaching and cultural awareness workshops as well as lessons on driving a scooter (a major mode of transportation in Taiwan).

  • Local staff will help grantees open a bank account and purchase a phone plan in Taiwan.

  • Apartments will be assigned temporarily for the month of orientation randomly. Final housing assignments will be determined after schools are assigned to ETAs.

  • ETAs will visit local elementary schools, which will be assigned by the end of the month. Placements will be made according to a preference sheet completed by ETAs.

 

▼ Community Service

How many community hours do I have?

Each ETA will need to complete at least 8 hours of community service for each semester.

Can we do community service in another county?

Yes, you can do community service in another county.

 

▼ General Teaching Questions

What are ETAs’ responsibilities at school?

In addition to the mandatory teaching hours that ETAs need to complete, ETAs also play a key role in building up students' motivation to learn English or developing an interest in a foreign culture. As a result, you are encouraged to integrate culture/festival-related teaching materials into your class preparation. In addition, schools may ask you to design some fun activities or holiday events for students, arrange a morning reading time for 1st and 2nd graders with ETA, interact with students during break time, or even join school events and activities such as helping out at the sports event or school trips. Specific responsibilities may vary per school.

How are ETAs placed into schools?

Each site will invite cooperating schools to give a brief introduction, including location, environment, school/class size, number of students, and specialties for ETAs to hear! After all the briefings, ETAs will fill out the school preference form and elaborate on the reasons for their choices! Fulbright will gather all the forms and arrange the school placement. Here is the procedure for your reference:

  1. School introduction
  2. ETA writes down their preference form (including transportation, school environment, apartment location, and school preference)
  3. The committees will consider all the responses from ETAs. And will arrange one school (or two schools) and one apartment for each ETA.

Do I teach independently or work with a co-teacher?

In all the classes, ETAs co-teach with the LETs. Sometimes if the LETs take a day-off, ETAs may be asked to teach the class alone, but there will always be a homeroom teacher present to help with class management in the classroom.

However, there are some classes you will co teach with the homeroom teachers. Some homeroom teachers know English, and some of them don’t. So when you teach in these classes, you may need to clearly establish your classroom management strategies to help ensure the class goes smoothly.

What is CLIL? How do I help with it?

Since Taiwan government hopes that we can become a bilingual country by 2030, many schools are focusing more on developing the English curriculum. In order to do this, some of the schools have already started to add more English to other subjects as well, such as Art, Science, and PE. These classes are provided content and language integrated learning (CLIL). Other schools have started to add more elements to regular English classes, such as including baking or doing small experiments.

For orientation workshops and semester workshops, Fulbright provides CLIL training. ETAs are also welcome to contact your advisor for teaching-related questions.

We strongly suggest you ask what your schools’ expectations are, and do your best to help them. The schools will really appreciate your contribution. However, not all the teachers feel comfortable speaking English. Talking to your coordinators and your schools can be helpful for the cooperation arrangement.

Do ETAs have the flexibility to design our own curriculum?

Usually teachers will follow the textbooks, but ETAs may have the chance to discuss with the co-teachers and see if it’s possible to be flexible when designing the class activities! When you are teaching classes with homeroom teachers, you may have more flexibility for creating your own curriculum. Some schools would like you to teach more cultural parts, while others would prefer you to teach lessons directly related to the textbook content. Since each school and co-teachers have different teaching styles and educational goals for students, it will vary how ETAs can help in class and how much flexibility ETAs will have when it comes to curriculum/activity design.

 

▼ Others

What does life as an ETA in Taiwan generally look like?

While lifestyles will vary based on the different regional placements, the following are basic guidelines for what to expect as an ETA in Taiwan.

  • ETAs will be living with 1-3 other ETAs in an apartment. Each person will have his/her own room.

  • The Fulbright stipend will be transferred through direct deposit on the 15th of every month. Fulbright staff will help ETAs set up a local Taiwanese bank account after arrival.

  • All grantees will be registered for Taiwan's National Health Insurance, which is recognized as one of the leading public health care systems in the world. This is separate from U.S. Department of State’s ASPE insurance. Taiwan's National Health Insurance covers the vast majority of medical issues and is very affordable.

  • Many goods and items (e.g. toiletries, dishware, etc.) are widely available in Taiwan for a reasonable price; thus, it is not necessary for ETAs to pack excessively. However, not all American/western brands are available in Taiwan; if available, they may be more expensive.

  • School dress is generally very casual although this may vary by school. It is recommended that ETAs do not wear revealing clothing (e.g. mini-skirts); they should also not wear flip-flops.

  • Mandarin Chinese courses are available at local universities and language centers. Prices depend on the class format (e.g. group vs. private tutoring). However, Mandarin Chinese knowledge is not required. Some schools may even request that their ETAs refrain from speaking Chinese with their students. Regardless, having some background in Mandarin can make life in Taiwan easier and more fulfilling.

What is the school year schedule and vacation policy?

  • Taiwanese elementary schools generally begin classes at the end of August. There will be a 3-4 week break between semesters during the Lunar New Year. The school year will conclude at the end of June.

  • Typical U.S. holidays (e.g. Christmas, Thanksgiving) are workdays in Taiwan.

  • ETAs have five days of emergency leave and seven days of sick leave from school. Emergency leave is for situations such as scooter repair or running other errands.

Is it okay to have no background in Chinese language?

Yes, it will be totally fine to teach without a Chinese background, but it does help if you do have it! Besides, schools usually hope that ETAs can have more English interactions with kids. When English is the only option for students to communicate with ETAs, it can help the students improve their speaking and listening skills. So even if you know Chinese, some schools might ask you to pretend you don’t understand.

How do I get resources for mental health?

There will be one or two mental health or cross communication advisors that can help with mental health issues. They will take a look at your situation and decide what to do next. They might have some sessions with you or defer you to an English speaking mental health institute which Fulbright will pay for the first session.

Do we have any events where we can meet other Fulbright friends?

Yes, throughout the grant you’ll have a couple opportunities to meet other grantees. It might not be a Nationwide event, but you’ll at least meet other ETA/ETF from your region. Your coordinators will keep you up to date with the event details. Here are some events that are likely to be held regularly:

  1. Thanksgiving dinner: all Fulbrighters are invited to celebrate Thanksgiving together.
  2. Forums: training forums, held once or twice a semester.
  3. Community Service: English camps are held in various locations, e.g. Green Island, Miaoli. ETF/ETA are all encouraged to participate in them.

Can I travel to other countries during my grant?

ETA/ETF used to have a maximum 14-day oversea travel vacation during winter vacation. However, due to the outbreak of COVID-19, you are not allowed to travel to other countries. But during winter vacation or any National holidays you still get to explore Taiwan.