Teaching in Taitung

Schools
Grantees (ETAs & ETFs) will serve at schools in one of three locations in Taitung County: Guanshan, Taimali and Taitung City. After arrival in August, coordinators will work to help place you at a suitable school. Some placements involve teaching at a single school while others involve sharing time teaching at two different schools. Each location and school offers its own unique opportunities for grantees to connect with students, co-workers and the surrounding community. Schools in Taitung are generally small to medium-sized (50-200 students). Most grantees will be placed at elementary schools, however there are also placements available at junior high schools.

In general, student English proficiency levels tend to vary widely from school to school, class to class and even within single classes. You can expect to teach students whose only English exposure comes from English class at school (generally 2-3 periods per week) as well as students who attend after-school English lessons within the same class. Grantees must be patient, passionate and creative when it comes to generating student interest and engagement in lessons. Bringing one’s own cultural background into the classroom and engaging in cultural exchange are in integral part of being an ETA/F in Taitung. A successful grantee is one who can make English interesting, relevant and achievable for all students in their classes. In addition, all grantees with work with a local co-teacher (2-4 co-teachers total on average, but one for each class) and will share responsibility for both lesson planning and in-class instruction. Working with a co-teacher requires close cooperation and the ability to be flexible.

Teaching in Taitung often leads to opportunities that can be hard to find in other cities and counties in Taiwan. Grantees are often able to connect with students on a personal level due to small school and class sizes and many schools also offer unique cultural activities such as traditional archery, indigenous language classes and a wide variety of sports and other after-school activities. Regardless of whether one is looking for a school experience that is cozy, charming, hectic, laid-back, tiny, big, urban, or rural – Taitung has a school for you!