Life as an English Teacher in Taiwan
Beef noodle soup for NT$130 at a shop that’s been open since 1970. Bubble tea on the way home. The HSR to Kaohsiung for a beach weekend for NT$1,490. Taroko Gorge on a Tuesday when it’s empty. Strangers helping you read a menu. Taiwan asks very little and gives very much.
Night markets: not a tourist attraction, a way of life
Taiwan’s night markets (夜市, yè shì) are misunderstood by first-time visitors who encounter them as tourist spectacles. For Taiwanese residents — and for teachers who settle into Taiwanese life — they are simply where dinner happens. Taiwanese families walk to their neighbourhood night market several evenings a week. Children run ahead to their favourite stall. Parents carry plastic bags of takeaway home. It is an ordinary Tuesday, not a special occasion.
The major night markets in each teaching city:
- Taipei: Shilin (largest and most famous; also most touristy); Raohe (riverside; black pepper bun queue is essential); Ningxia (traditional; local families; oyster omelette; pork liver soup); Gongguan (near NTU; student-oriented; different energy)
- Taichung: Feng Chia (largest in Taiwan by scale; everything); Yizhong Street (student market; affordable; energetic)
- Kaohsiung: Liuhe (the famous one; seafood focus); Ruifeng (newer; more local; good for teachers wanting non-tourist market experience)
- Tainan: Huayuan Night Market; Dadong Night Market — smaller, more residential character than Taipei’s tourist-facing markets
The financial reality of night market eating: a full dinner — main dish, side dish, drink — costs NT$100–200 ($3.22–$6.45). This is not cheap street food; this is genuinely good food at negligible cost. Teachers who eat at night markets 4–5 times per week spend approximately NT$4,000–6,000/month on food — a fraction of any Western country’s equivalent. The financial arithmetic of Taiwan teaching includes this food cost advantage as a genuine structural benefit.
Taiwan’s food culture: the best in Asia by popular verdict
Taiwan consistently tops “best food in Asia” rankings from expat surveys, food critics, and returning travellers — and the claim is defensible. Not because Taiwan has the most sophisticated fine dining (Japan wins that) or the most diverse regional traditions (China has more), but because the quality-to-price ratio of everyday food is extraordinary. The dishes teachers end up eating most:
Beef noodle soup (牛胡面, niú ròu miàn): Taiwan’s national dish. Slow-braised beef in a rich, spiced broth with noodles. NT$120–180. Every city has its celebrated shops; Taipei’s annual Beef Noodle Festival is a genuine cultural event.
Bubble tea (片稿委姓, zhēnzhū nǎichá): Invented in Taichung in 1986; now global. In Taiwan itself, bubble tea is available at every corner (Tiger Sugar, Gong Cha, 50 Lan, and hundreds of independents), costs NT$50–80, and comes in every variety imaginable. Drinking bubble tea daily is essentially participating in Taiwanese culture.
Scallion pancake (蛝测馪饼馪, cōng yóu bǐng): Flaky, layered, charred at the edges from a cast iron griddle. Eaten for breakfast with an egg; NT$30–60. The most frequently mentioned “I miss Taiwan” food by teachers who have returned home.
Pineapple cake (☃視那, fènglí sū): Taiwan’s most famous gift pastry — buttery shortcrust filled with pineapple jam. Each bakery claims a superior recipe. Buying boxes to take home becomes a cultural ritual for teachers at the end of their posting.
Stinky tofu (艳西富, chòu dòufu): Fermented tofu that smells extreme and tastes extraordinary. Every night market; NT$50–80. The rite of passage that divides Taiwan teachers into two camps: those who tried it and became devotees, and those who tried it and wish they hadn’t.
Mandarin in Taiwan: Traditional characters and zhuyin
Taiwan uses Mandarin Chinese as the standard language — but with two important differences from mainland China’s Mandarin. Taiwan uses Traditional Chinese characters (繁體字), which are more complex and stroke-rich than mainland China’s Simplified characters (简体字). And Taiwan uses the zhuyin phonetic system (注音, also called bopomofo – ぎこまふ) rather than mainland China’s pinyin romanisation. For teachers learning Mandarin in Taiwan, this means learning a different phonetic notation system — not impossible, but an additional adjustment compared to studying from mainland-China-oriented Mandarin materials.
For daily life: Taiwan’s English accessibility is better than mainland China’s — MRT signs are bilingual, tourist infrastructure is bilingual, and English interactions in commercial areas are common. Teachers describe picking up functional Mandarin in Taiwan through daily immersion faster than they expected — partly because Taiwanese people are extraordinarily patient and encouraging with Mandarin learners, and partly because the food vocabulary alone (navigating night markets, reading menus, ordering bubble tea) creates daily practical motivation.
你好 vs 你好: In Taiwan, “you” is written with Traditional characters (你) rather than mainland’s usage, but pronounced the same. The most noticeable spoken Mandarin differences: Taiwan Mandarin uses “na” where mainland says “na ge”; Taiwan drops the retroflex “r” ending that mainland Mandarin commonly uses (making Taiwan Mandarin sound softer to some ears). Taiwanese speakers are generally considered very patient with non-native Mandarin learners — a consistently pleasant experience compared to some mainland contexts.
The HSR and Taiwan’s extraordinary transport network
Taiwan’s High Speed Rail (HSR, '臺灣高速鷳路) connects Taipei to Kaohsiung in 90 minutes via Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Taichung, Chiayi, and Tainan. The full-length ticket (Taipei–Kaohsiung) costs NT$1,490 ($48) standard; discount advance purchase tickets available. The HSR means you can teach in Taichung during the week and be in Kaohsiung for a Saturday beach day; or attend a Sunday concert in Taipei from a Tainan placement and be back Monday morning. Taiwan becomes one continuous living space rather than a country divided by distance.
Beyond the HSR: the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) slower train network covers the entire east coast (the HSR doesn’t go east — the mountains are in the way). MRT systems in Taipei (comprehensive), Kaohsiung (modern and expanding), and Taoyuan (airport line). YouBike bicycle sharing (NT$10/30 minutes after the first free 30) covers all major cities. Scooters: the defining Taiwan transport — approximately 14 million registered scooters for 23 million people. Most teachers either rent or buy a scooter at some point — unlocks Taiwan’s countryside in a way no other transport does.
International travel from Taiwan: Taoyuan International Airport (TPE) is one of Asia’s major aviation hubs. Budget carriers (Tigerair Taiwan, Starlux, and international LCCs) connect Taiwan to Tokyo, Osaka, Seoul, Bangkok, Singapore, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, and Manila from NT$2,000–6,000 ($65–$194) one-way. Taiwan is an exceptional base for exploring East and Southeast Asia during school holidays.
Ready to teach English abroad?
Browse TEFL Heaven’s full range of teacher placement programs — from Southeast Asia to Europe and Latin America.
Taiwanese culture: warmth as a defining characteristic
“Friendly” appears in virtually every description of Taiwanese people from every source: teachers, travel writers, expats, and Taiwanese people themselves describing their culture. This is not PR — it is a consistently reported genuine experience. Strangers in Taiwan regularly help lost foreigners without being asked. Invitations to family dinners come from coworkers after weeks, not months, of acquaintance. Students bring homemade food to class. School administrators go out of their way to help new teachers navigate unfamiliar administrative processes. This warmth makes the adjustment to Taiwan life genuinely easier than in more formally reserved societies.
The concept of “ren qing wei” (人情味 — the flavour of human feeling/relationship) is central to Taiwanese social culture — the warmth, generosity, and mutual care that characterise relationships. This is not just sentiment; it manifests in practical hospitality. Taiwanese culture also has a deep reverence for education — teachers are respected, and the English teacher specifically occupies a valued position in the community.
Taiwan’s religious culture is visibly present throughout daily life. The temple density is extraordinary — every neighbourhood has its Tudigong (Earth God) and Mazu temples; major temples like Longshan in Taipei or the Confucius Temple in Tainan are active daily institutions rather than tourist sites. Ghost Month (the seventh lunar month) affects daily life in August; Lantern Festival (15th day after Chinese New Year) lights up every city with coloured lanterns and traditional performances. These cultural events, participated in rather than observed, are some of Taiwan’s most rewarding experiences for teachers who engage with them genuinely.
What teachers actually experience in Taiwan
What teachers genuinely love
- Taiwanese people — the warmest in East Asia by consistent testimony
- Night markets — quality food at NT$100 that becomes daily social life
- Safety — one of the world’s safest countries; complete freedom of movement
- NHI healthcare — comprehensive at minimal cost; life-changing for US teachers
- The HSR — the whole island accessible in a weekend
- Taroko Gorge and the east coast — genuinely extraordinary natural world
- Bubble tea culture — everywhere; good; cheap
- Work-life balance — TFETP and buxibans both leave time to live
- Mandarin learning — patient hosts; daily immersion; rewarding
- Taiwan as Asia travel base — excellent airport; good budget connections
Honest challenges to prepare for
- Summer heat and humidity — June–September genuinely hot and wet
- Typhoon season — August–September; school closures; preparations needed
- Buxiban evening schedule — 4pm–9pm can feel antisocial initially
- Savings modest vs mainland China — not a savings machine
- Earthquake risk — regular; Taiwan is seismically active; prepare mentally
- Bureaucratic process — ARC paperwork is manageable but takes time
- Traditional characters — different from mainland China’s Simplified
- Stinky tofu — you will encounter it
What teachers say about life in Taiwan
"I asked a stranger in a Kaohsiung night market for help reading a menu. She spent 20 minutes explaining every dish, ordered for me, and then invited me to join her family. This is Taiwan. It happens constantly."
"The NHI alone justifies teaching in Taiwan over the USA for American teachers. I went to the doctor three times in my first month — adjusting to a new climate, new food. Cost me NT$300 total. Back home that would have been $600 minimum per visit."
"Taroko Gorge on a Tuesday in October when the tourists are gone. White marble walls going straight up above me. The river turquoise below. I took the HSR from Taipei at 7am and was standing there by 11. This is what teaching in Taiwan gives you."
"I chose Taichung over Taipei and it was the right call. NT$7,000/month rent vs NT$12,000 in Taipei. Similar salary. Feng Chia Night Market 20 minutes away. HSR to Taipei when I needed the big city. I saved more money and had a better time."
"My TFETP placement was in a small school in Nantou County in the mountains. I was the only foreigner in the town. The community adopted me completely. The views from my classroom window were mountains. Best year of my life by some distance."
"I eat beef noodle soup at the shop at the end of my street every Tuesday. It’s NT$140. The owner knows my order. His wife always gives me an extra portion. I have been going for 11 months. This is Taiwan — the small daily consistencies that become the whole thing."
Ready to teach English abroad?
Taiwan’s night markets, Taroko Gorge, bubble tea origin story, and one of Asia’s most welcoming TEFL markets. TEFL Heaven places teachers across Southeast Asia, Europe, and Latin America — browse our full program range to find your best fit.
TEFL Heaven · Placing teachers abroad since 2007 · 3,000+ teachers placed worldwide