As a foreigner, it is only legal to work in Taiwan if you have a work permit. Over the years, Joy has helped many teachers obtain their work permits and resident visas. To be eligible for a work permit and resident visa, you must:

‧be a native English speaker from Australia, Canada, New
　Zealand, South Africa, the United Kingdom, or the United
　States.
‧have a four-year bachelor's degree from an accredited
　college or university, and bring the original to our office.
‧sign a one-year contract with Joy.
‧pass a medical examination.

Before arrival:

Provide Joy School with a resume and photo Complete phone interview Have the second interview (face to face) notice from Joy School and obtain a visa Send us your arrival details and get confirmation

Although there are several types of visas that enable foreigners to enter Taiwan, not all of these visas are suitable for foreigners who are intending to gain employment here. Whether you come to Taiwan to accept a position working for Joy, or to look for other available jobs first, arriving on a 60-day visitor visa proves to be the most appropriate. This visa not only gives you the opportunity to acclimatize to Taiwan, but also gives the government the required time to process your paperwork for a resident visa. A 30-day visitor visa may be sufficient if you have a job lined up and your paperwork is in order, however care needs to be exercised to ensure that your visa does not expire before your working approval has been given. An advantage of arriving on a visitor’s visa is that once approval has been received, this visitor visa can be changed over to a working visa without the possessor leaving the country.

On arrival:

Arrange a time for an interview at the head office. Complete the second interview and check out the school which you will be assigned. Sign a contract. Provide Joy with required documents for a work visa.

After you have arrived in Taiwan, please contact Joy to set up an interview at so we can meet with you to discuss the job and answer any of the myriad of questions you are likely to have. Provided everything proves acceptable, an employment contract can then be signed. The employment contract offered by Joy is standard in nature and contains a complete English translation. Before signing the contract, you have the opportunity to visit the school, familiarize yourself with the program, and talk with the staff there to help you determine if this job is suitable for you.

New teachers are given the opportunity to observe actual classes given by current foreign staff in order to get an idea of how classes are conducted, and one of our training staff will then run through the teaching materials and processes involved in working for Joy. In addition, this teacher-trainer will help you plan for your first few classes, and is available to answer any questions that you may have. While it is natural for every new teacher to be nervous, most feel confident enough to commence teaching after a few days spent observing other classes and receiving introductory training.

Once a contract has been signed, Joy will undertake the application for a working visa and Alien Resident Certificate on behalf of the teacher. We will provide you with full details on where and how to conduct a health test and what documentation we require from you for the processing of your visa. Normally speaking, the process is completed within a time frame of several weeks and you will become a legal, working resident here in Taiwan.

At Joy, we have found that the teachers with the best understanding of how to teach are also the teachers who are most able to enjoy their time with us. We want our teachers to enjoy their work as we recognize that happy teachers mean happy students and a lot less problems for everyone. Many of the teaching difficulties encountered by foreigners here in Taiwan relate to a lack of training and a lack of support from the school at which they work; at Joy, we are very mindful of this. In addition to the assistance provided by senior and full-time teaching staff at each school, Joy has a dedicated team of trainers who put together regular workshops, videos, and other teaching materials for the use of all teaching staff. These are all available free of charge to teachers working at Joy. Additionally, Joy encourages teachers with rich teaching experience to share their ideas with others, so that these ideas can be adapted by teachers for their own classroom situations.

Initial training and orientation is provided to all teachers new to Joy. In addition to dispensing useful information about living in Taiwan, this initial training helps familiarize new teachers with the Joy books and furnishes helpful tips on how to best present the teaching materials provided. Some introductory games and activities are incorporated in this training. Each new teacher is then given the opportunity to observe classes conducted by other foreign teachers in order to get a greater understanding of how to apply these activities within the classroom.

Ongoing training is part of the evaluation and promotion process. Training is tailored towards the different levels of students at Joy and includes advice on common problems encountered by students as well as tips on activities and games that can be used in the classroom to teach specific units within each book. These workshops provide a forum for all teaching staff to mutually share problems or suggestions they have.

For teachers receiving the second interview notice from Joy School and arriving from overseas, Joy offers the following benefits.

　‧A comprehensive introduction to our schools and textbooks
　　as well as initial training.
　‧National Health Insurance Card.
　‧Guaranteed work hours with regular pay raises.
　‧Extra-curricular activities provided by the school.
　‧Promotional opportunities within our organization.
　‧Contract renewal bonus.
　‧Most of the above benefits are available to teachers
　　applying for franchised positions, however, these teachers
　　should confirm with Joy which benefits are not available
　　to them.

Salary
As Joy provides full on-the-job training, new teachers are not required to have any previous teaching experience. All materials are supplied and staff can commence work almost immediately. The starting rate for teachers with no prior teaching experience is NT$530/hour. For experienced teachers or those holding either a TESL or TEFL certificate, the starting rate is NT$550/hour.

Raises
In recognition of the efforts shown by our teaching staff, Joy has instituted a regular schedule of pay raises. The first scheduled pay-raise evaluation is at the end of the third month with evaluations conducted twice annually.

There is much discussion regarding pay rates here in Taiwan. Large schools like Joy offer starting rates of pay that are often lower than small, individual schools, however the small schools are the ones where foreigners experience the most trouble. Most teachers who choose to work for Joy, do so because Joy provides teachers with all of the materials and training needed to teach classes as well as ongoing instruction and support. The amount of effort spent developing the textbooks and curriculum we teach ensures that teaching only becomes easier the longer you work at Joy.

A bonus is available for all teachers signing consecutive employment contracts at Joy. The bonus amount is determined by the number of teaching hours assumed by the teacher.

In recognition of the varying needs of teachers, Joy now gives teachers the option of choosing a vacation schedule that is most appropriate to them. Upon signing a contract, teachers need to choose between:

　1. One week's vacation on full pay.
　2. Three weeks vacation without pay.

In addition to the above, teachers are entitled to sick leave and other leave without pay only as needed. The absence of teachers from the classroom is an issue for both students and their parents; while teachers need and are entitled to their time off, we have tried to limit the disruption that this causes students by the above system.