{"id":14891,"date":"2021-07-31T11:06:39","date_gmt":"2021-07-31T17:06:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bridge.edu\/tefl\/blog\/?p=14891"},"modified":"2026-02-05T10:05:48","modified_gmt":"2026-02-05T17:05:48","slug":"shella-from-the-philippines-teaching-at-an-international-school-in-taiwan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bridge.edu\/tefl\/blog\/shella-from-the-philippines-teaching-at-an-international-school-in-taiwan\/","title":{"rendered":"Shella, From the Philippines, Teaching at an International School in Taiwan"},"content":{"rendered":"
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With its stringent COVID-19 measures, Taiwan is one of the countries least affected by the pandemic. This was the main reason why Bridge grad Shella Chua, from the Philippines, pursued an opportunity to teach English at an international school in this region. Curious about her journey to land her current job, we asked her about the application process and border control protocols in Taiwan, as well as for tips for managing a large class while teaching online.<\/em><\/p>\n

Hi, Shella! Can you tell us a bit about yourself?<\/h2>\n

My name is Shella. I\u2019ve been teaching for 17 years now. Currently, I am in Taiwan, teaching grade two and grade three English, math, and science.<\/p>\n

How did you choose to teach in Taiwan?<\/h2>\n

I\u2019ve been here barely a year because I arrived in October. I was teaching in China from 2018 to 2019. I came back home for vacation, and then COVID-19 happened. So, I wasn’t able to go back to China anymore because the border was closed, and the height of the COVID-19 crisis was in China, so I couldn’t go back.<\/p>\n

I started somewhere else, and then Taiwan answered, and they were willing to wait because of the COVID-19 situation. So, it took months before I was able to come here, and because of that, they were very patient with me. They were like, \u201cWe still want you. We\u2019re waiting for you, and we understand your situation.\u201d Then, I came here.<\/p>\n

Teachers from around the world discuss how coronavirus has impacted their TEFL careers.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

\"Shella<\/a>

Shella with her former students in China<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

You applied to the school in Taiwan when you were in the Philippines. What was the application process like?<\/h2>\n

Processing papers back home in Manila, even before COVID-19, is somewhat of an experience for anybody who wants to work abroad because the process is grueling. We had to take care of things on the home side, gather all the documents, authenticate everything, and wait. Then, we had to go to the embassy or an office and authenticate them again. It was a very, very long process.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re new to teaching, you\u2019ll want to get initial training and qualification with a TEFL certificate<\/a>. You can explore our online TEFL courses<\/a> to get started!<\/em><\/p>\n

What were some of the protocols you had to follow upon arriving in Taiwan?<\/h2>\n