TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Foreign English Teacher Program (FET) sponsored by Taiwan’s Ministry of Education this year attracted 5,800 people in the Philippines to apply, but just 88 were hired to teach English in Taiwan.

The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in the Philippines held a luncheon on Thursday (Aug. 11) to send off those who were hired to teach English at public junior high and elementary schools in Taiwan.

The office’s education section chief Li Shih-ping (李世屏) said that this year’s FET recruited 450 English teachers from the U.K., the U.S., Australia, Canada, South Africa, and the Philippines.

According to Li, after initial screening and interviews of the applicants by Taiwanese professors, 88 Filipinos were selected, including 77 English teachers and 11 teaching assistants. Li added they will arrive in Taiwan at the end of August.

Filipino English teachers choose Taiwan for the salary, living environment, and the proximity between the two countries, according to Li. Taiwan offers English teachers a monthly salary of NT$65,000 (US$2,145), teaching assistants a salary of NT$45,000, and even higher pay for experienced teachers, as well as additional benefits including plane tickets, labor and health insurance, and housing subsidies.

Pilipinas Arroyo, 57, is an experienced English teacher, having taught at high schools and universities in the Philippines for 25 years. She also taught English for 11 years in Libya.

Arroyo told CNA, “When I heard of the opportunity in Taiwan, I grabbed it right away because I went to Taiwan in 2018, and I really like Taiwanese, the places I visited, and of course, Taiwanese foods.”

Arroyo likes the integration of new and old culture in Taiwan, saying, “Taiwan is very modern, but you still keep old traditions and old landscapes, which I really like. I’ll also want to utilize my experience teaching English in the Philippines and overseas for so many years to teach Taiwanese students and enhance their English abilities.”