If you are thinking of coming to Taiwan to teach English, then knowing in advance where the best job opportunities are might make your stay more beneficial. This is especially true if you plan on staying in Taiwan for a long time. Not every city has good job opportunities. One thing you should keep in mind when looking for jobs is how long you plan on staying. It might be useful to know where the best chances are of finding the best teaching opportunities.

The capital of Taiwan, Taipei, has to be the number one place for the best teaching opportunities. Taipei is the best place to look for work because it has the highest demand for foreign teachers. Taipei is where the money and brains, or most of it, is centered in Taiwan. Most of the famous universities and more opportunities to teach adults and business type students can be found in Taipei. The potential to earn good money is also greater in Taipei. However, you’ll also face much steeper competition for these high paying and better teaching positions. Everyone knows Taipei is where it is at so expect to be up against some very qualified and equally motivated individuals who want the same position as you may be applying for.

Taipei isn’t the only place you’ll find some good teaching opportunities. Two other cities, Kaohsiung and Taichung, also have a wide variety of universities and the opportunity to find some above average jobs. However, these two cities pale in comparison to Taipei and you won’t find as nearly as many positions available. Furthermore, don’t expect to be paid as much as you would working in Taipei. Kaohsiung has Taiwan’s largest port and is a hub of industrial activity. Taichung is centered on the middle of the west coast and is also heavily populated. Being the 2nd and 3rd largest cities in Taiwan means there is a market and the opportunity to find work but don’t expect the same pay and conditions as you would in Taipei.

For anyone coming to Taiwan it helps to know where and what kind of work you can expect to find. There are three major cities each offers a unique market for anyone looking to teach English. The best opportunities for teachers can be found in Taipei. Jobs in Taipei usually pay the most, offer the best perks and being located in the capital of Taiwan means you’ll have the opportunities to network with other likeminded people.

Taiwan is an island located in East Asia off the coast of China. It is bound to the east by the Pacific Ocean. The island is approximately 245 miles long and 90 miles wide. When the Portuguese explorers first saw the island, they were impressed by its beauty. Therefore, they named the island formosa. Oolong tea is mostly produced in Taiwan, Southeast China, Vietnam and Indonesia. Among them, Taiwan is the most important oolong production area. Taiwan Oolong tea has been popular worldwide for over 150 years.

It is also known as Formosa oolong. The finest quality and grade of oolongs are mostly high mountain oolong which means the tea that grows from 1000 meters above sea level to approximately 2600 meters. As a matter of fact, growing tea on high mountain areas costs much more than planting on low altitudes. It is one of the reasons why prices of high mountain teas are proportional to its plantation altitude.

There are certain advantages for high mountain plantations such as great amount of sun light, sufficient amount of rain, extreme temperature difference between day and night and heavily fertilized soils perfect to grow tea. Also, the high potential of foggy afternoons hinders and makes the production of first grade high altitude tea difficult.

During regular days, it does not take extra efforts for farmers to take care of plantations. However, things are a lot tougher during the harvest seasons. Farmers often need to hire pickers which are paid by case by case basis with transportation included. Higher wages are paid as the higher the altitude of plantations. Normally, experienced pickers can collect around 3 to 5 Taiwanese kg of raw tea leaves per hour by hands. Tea picking begin really early in the morning. It is the best time for the pickers since raw leaves weigh more due to morning dew.

First grade high altitude tea is not abundant because planting skills, processing skills, weather, location of plantation and seasons all affect the taste of tea. In the high mountain areas, the afternoon weather usually becomes foggy. This allows for the withering of raw leaves, which is one of tea processing steps, to be more difficult and causes the leaves to be less fragrant.

The goal of growing tea in high altitude mountain locations is to produce richer and smoother quality teas. Even with the high labor costs and limited amount of quantities which seem unavoidable, the teas produced and picked from the high altitude locations is worth the added expense for the enjoyment and relaxation of the everyday drinker.