The hostels are pretty bad in Taipei really. I think they are mostly well below the standard you would expect in the west. Like yourself, most people who go to Taipei are there to teach English and they usually need at least a few weeks to find a good job at a good English school and accommodation in the part of Taipei that they are teaching in. In that sense the whole hostel scene in Taipei is not really suitable. I would suggest you check out the Mandarin Hostel. It's not really a hostel in the hostel sense. It's just well located apartments that are kitted out with everything you need to find a job teaching English in Taipei. It's very comfortable accommodation (Double beds, ADSL etc). The website is www.mandarinhostel.com if you want to check it out. Good luck in Taipei. I've just spent a year there teaching English and I loved it.

James