[Antonio]

You have some valid points laiyh86. Problem is trying to debate this with the government workers whom process visas. They are quite stubborn, with their blinkers on and never bend any rules.

Originally Posted by laiyh86

1. Are only the western countries like Australia, USA etc. considered English speaking countries? What about places like Singapore, where people are bilingual, but English is clearly the first language?

Yes. Recognised as Native English speaking countries are:

1. Australia
2. New Zealand
3. UK
4. Ireland
5. South Africa
6. USA
7. Canada

I don't know how fluent in English Singaporeans are. According to the CIA website on Singapore, English is only spoken by 23% of the people.

Originally Posted by laiyh86

2. I read somewhere on this forum that Taiwan will not issue work permits for the purpose of teaching English to non-native English speakers. Is this a hard and fast rule regardless of how skilled someone is at English?

Unfortunely, yes. You will not be able to get a visa to teach in Taiwan if you don't hold a passport from an English speaking country. Some do go around this by enrolling in Mandarin classes part-time in order to teach.

Originally Posted by laiyh86

3. I am curious as to how teaching English works if the teacher does not know Chinese in a place like Taiwan. Wouldn't communication be difficult? I have been in a few language classes for German, and all were conducted in English. I cannot imagine how it would be like if the all the teacher knew was German.

The classroom is an "English zone". That is, most schools only want English spoken in the classroom. If a teacher does try to speak Chinese, the school and students get upset. Around the world, native English speaking teachers predominantly teach English using English.

For low-level students, that's when locals (non-native English speakers) are used. That is, a Taiwanese national teaching the fundamentals of English to Taiwanese students.

Originally Posted by laiyh86

4. Would being proficient in Mandarin help secure teaching jobs in Taiwan, English or otherwise?

Possibly. Some schools do require basic Chinese skills, but knowledge of Chinese wont be that big of an advantage as you may think.