More Filipino English language teachers are needed on the island of Taiwan, according to the representative of the Taipei Education and Cultural Office, Peiying Hsu, noting that earlier this year 77 Filipino teachers and 11 teaching assistants joined Taiwan’s Foreign English Programme.
Teachers from the Philippines, where English is the main language of education, have become increasingly popular with governments across East and South East Asia, with China, Thailand and Vietnam all recruiting local teachers to work in their state school systems.
Recent news from Cebu, the centre of the country’s language school industry, suggests that the interest from neighbouring countries in hiring their local English language teachers may be causing a teacher shortage. At the recent Philippine Tourism Job Fair in Cebu City, capital of the island which has become a popular destination for Korean and Japanese students, the largest number of candidates hired on the spot were ESL teachers.
Could the country’s English language teachers, like the country’s nurses, become the world’s favourite overseas hires? The government may hope not – the West’s demand for its nursing staff has led to a shortfall in those willing to work back home.
