Look at the back of many consumer products - toys, electronic goods or sports equipment - and you will be met with the familiar phrase “made in Taiwan”. Those goods contribute to the island’s £10 billion trade surplus, a remarkable achievement for a country with only 23 million inhabitants.

The good news for British students is that the Taiwanese government knows that sustaining its export-led economy requires a continual stream of fluent English speakers who can conduct business and foster trade relations abroad. As such, Taiwan’s drive to make English its second language (Mandarin is its first) provides a golden opportunity for British graduates to teach English and pay off their student debt.

As many graduates know, it is near impossible to save money on a starting wage in many of the UK’s cities. In Taiwan, the situation is markedly different. Opportunities to teach abound: in kindergartens, chain schools and universities. Native speakers of English are not required to have a TEFL certificate, just a degree in order to start teaching, although some kind of teacher training or experience is recommended. Contracts that include health insurance start at £10,000 a year - an income that can be neatly supplemented by teaching privately at a rate of £10 an hour or more.

It may not sound like much, but when you consider a nice apartment in the capital, Taipei, can be rented for as little as £75 a month and living costs are significantly lower than at home, the benefits soon become apparent. It may also be helpful to know that large bottles of beer cost under a pound.

Barry Goertzen, a 25-year-old Canadian now living in Taipei, went to Taiwan on a whim after he graduated in journalism in 2004 and has remained there ever since. “If you’re on a budget, have a steady job and perhaps some private lessons, you can save a decent amount every month," he says. "I think what surprises people is how long it takes to get going here. Flying over, getting an apartment and buying all the stuff that comes with it...it all takes money. But once you've been here for a while and are on a budget, things can go really well.”

Steph Weston, 30, from Derby, lived in Taiwan for three years and reaped the benefits of high wages and low living costs. “I was earning £1500 a month working from eight until six," she recalls. It was pretty hard graft but with rent at about £100, bills £20 and £1.50 a week going on petrol for my scooter, I was saving £800 a month. Now I’m back home and debt-free, the sense of freedom is amazing. I just bought a new laptop, made in Taiwan, something I would never have done before.”

Yet Taiwan has more to offer than just good pay and opportunities to teach. Taipei is determined to become the world’s first ‘cyber city’, with wireless web access now available across 90 per cent of the capital, making it easy to do business and keep in touch with friends. It is also an excellent place to study Mandarin, with exchange options and private tuition widely available at institutes across the country. Those graduates with an eye on the future would do well to learn the language of the 1.3 billion people who live in China, the world’s fastest growing major economy.

The country also has a strong sense of national identity and this is even reflected in the language, the mainland using simplified Chinese characters while Taiwan retains the more complicated traditional versions. The Taiwanese are stoical in their attitude to relations with China. Taiwan will not declare formal independence for fear of reprisals but holds its own elections, a foremost factor in which is the candidates’ stance on independence.

Yet the island will do whatever is can to assert its right to independence in other ways, most recently by rejecting Beijing’s plan to include the country as part of the Olympic torch’s route, pointing out that the torch’s subsequent destinations, Hong Kong and Macao, imply that Taiwan is part of mainland China. The political identity of Taiwan’s students is almost entirely informed by the apparent stalemate between the two countries. For an island such as Taiwan, other international concerns fade into insignificance in the face of such future uncertainty and teachers would do well to remember this when teaching older students more complicated topics.

Taiwan’s close relations with the United States mean the country is welcoming to westerners and can rightfully be called a bridge between east and west. The island is home to a vibrant and multicultural expat community, well-served by English signage in the more popular areas. The people are also some of the friendliest around, only too happy to show the way, even if it means riding a bus they later tell you took them in completely the wrong direction. Crime, for a westerner, soon becomes a distant memory. It is remarkable how this sense of safety can relieve an underlying stress that you become accustomed to in the UK, its presence noticeable only after you return having experienced something different.

The curious cultural quirks can be delightful too. Strains of Beethoven’s Für Elise drift over Taipei during the evening, a source of puzzlement until you move into a place of your own and realise the music is a cue for residents to gather in the streets and throw out their rubbish. Taiwan travels by scooter and while the metro is cheap and efficient, getting your own wheels and riding pell-mell through the capital’s narrow alleys during a pre-typhoon storm is one of the most exhilarating experiences around.

Away from the cities, Taiwan’s countryside offers a reminder of why Portuguese explorers named the island Formosa, from the Latin for beautiful. A spectacular marble gorge runs the length of Taroko, the country’s most prestigious national park, and a spine of towering peaks runs down the middle of the island, both of which are easily reachable by train, car or scooter. You may also like to travel to picturesque Green Island off the south-east coast where scuba diving is the major pastime.

For those who relish the challenge of working abroad and are keen to learn new language skills, pay off their debt and experience a different culture that is warm and welcoming, Taiwan is most definitely the place to go.

Know before you go:

Check the visa situation. Visa requirements change regularly and at short notice. While a tourist visa is reasonably easy to obtain, it can be difficult to get a teaching visa first off, especially without a job lined up.

Do your research. The web has an abundance of material on teaching in Taiwan. Teaching English and Living in Taiwan is an excellent first port of call and has information on jobs, accommodation, friends, sports clubs, scooter rental and equipment exchange. It’s also worth checking the classified section in the China Post and Taipei Times for jobs.

English in Taiwan offers advice on teaching materials and also information on the legalities of teaching. Many foreigners teach without the appropriate visa and it can also be illegal to teach children under a certain age, so get your facts straight before you go.

Bikefarm is the best resource for renting a scooter in Taipei.

Taipei Language Institute is a good place to start looking for Mandarin lessons.

Understand the culture. The Taiwanese attribute a large degree of importance to not losing face. It is a cultural issue that often confuses foreigners when they first arrive. Never insult, embarrass or otherwise demean a Taiwanese person. While this may seem obvious, the issue often raises its head when negotiating wages. While the Taiwanese will often agree to an arrangement, do not be surprised if they later renege on the deal because rejecting your proposal would have resulted in them losing face. Take a look at this blog for an overview of Taiwanese culture and other matters. Alternatively, The Peking Duck offers intelligent insights into political and cultural matters in both China and Taiwan.

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