The Lexical Press daily teaching-abroad briefing — what's happening in Taiwan on September 29, 2026, and what it means if you want to teach English there.

What's happening in Taiwan today

The economy is officially red-hot. Taiwan's National Development Council reported today that its economic monitoring indicator flashed red — the signal for a booming economy — for the ninth consecutive month in August, matching the post-pandemic record streak of 2021. If September flashes red too, it would be the longest boom streak since 1984. Earlier this year the government raised its 2026 GDP growth forecast to 9.64%, the fastest pace in 16 years, powered by AI and semiconductor demand. Source: BigGo Finance

Schools are facing a genuine teacher shortage. Ministry of Education statistics show more than 600 substitute-teacher vacancies nationwide, with Taipei City the hardest hit. A major job bank reports education-related job openings have surged to 38,000 — up 7.6% year over year — and over 90% of the public say the country is short on teachers. Some local teachers are quitting for tech jobs that pay 1.5x more, which is only widening the gap. Source: FTV Taiwan News

Taiwan's students remain world-class. Taiwanese students have ranked among the top five in the world in four major international assessments over the past few years — taking first place globally in civic knowledge and computational thinking, with strong showings in math, science, and reading. Source: Taipei Times via EIN Presswire

Teaching There

The job market: strong and getting stronger. The local teacher shortage is exactly why Taiwan keeps recruiting foreign English teachers — demand is high and the hiring pipeline is active:

  • The Ministry of Education's Taiwan Foreign English Teacher Program (TFETP) is recruiting roughly 980 foreign English teachers and teaching assistants for 2026 under the Bilingual 2030 policy, with rolling applications and interviews until positions fill. MOE announcement
  • HESS Education, one of Taiwan's largest private English school chains (500+ international teachers across 200 schools), is hiring at 60,000+ NTD/month plus benefits, annual raises, and completion bonuses. Job posting
  • Shane English School recruits year-round across Taipei, New Taipei, Hsinchu, Taichung, Changhua, Tainan, and Kaohsiung at NT$600–700/hour, with paid training and contract completion bonuses. Job posting
  • Teast.co currently lists around 99 ESL/TEFL jobs in Taiwan.

Visas and logistics. Public-school and accredited private-school jobs sponsor your work permit and ARC (resident visa) — this is standard, not a perk. Typical requirements: a bachelor's degree and a passport from an English-speaking country; most quality employers also expect a TESOL/TEFL certificate.

Daily life. Taiwan remains one of Asia's most livable teaching destinations: excellent and cheap public transit, legendary night markets, a low cost of living against typical 60,000–75,000 NTD monthly salaries, universal healthcare, and thriving expat communities in Taipei, Taichung, and Kaohsiung.

Safety check

Taiwan is currently safe for travel and teaching — the U.S. State Department rates it Level 1 ("Exercise normal precautions"), its lowest advisory level. State Dept. country page

Ready to teach in Taiwan? Enroll here — American TESOL Institute's Taiwan guide has more on the market, salaries, and getting started.