Job Discussion Forums

steven · Joined: 18 May 2003 Posts: 2 Location: seoul

like the title says....can anyone with experience in both (or just taiwan, that's fine too....i'm also considering thailand next year too, so if you've any suggestions there, i'm still debating where to go) fill me in on what it's like in taiwan? i'm in korea....money's pretty good....lucked out, after a bunch of nightmarish experiences.....recruiter and school could have been much worse, after reading of some people's tales of woe....what's the money like in taiwan? cost of living? housing? people? society at large? school conditions? do they deliver what they promise, or are they liars, cheats, and thieves?
what's the best option in terms of location? taipei?
teaching....kindie? adult? elementary?
any other tidbit of useful information, fire it my way.
thanks in advance, good people of the forum.

bnix · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 645

At least in the private schools(most of them are ripoffs in both places)Thailand...nice place to visit...they pay in baht...you won't make as much $ there as in Korea or Taiwan.. I suppose you realize SARS is now a big problem in Taiwan?I do not know if it is a big problem in Thailand yet.

eslintaiwan2002 · Joined: 22 Feb 2003 Posts: 10

Greetings,

While I have not been to Korea I can give you some of my opinions about Taiwan.

First the money in Taiwan is in teaching kids. If you like to teach kids then you should have no problem getting work and making some fairly decent money. There are some adult positions available but at times it can be a little slow. I teach business classes and it is really slow right now because of SARS. You can still make money teaching adults and business classes but you will have to scrap a little to find work at times.

There are a lot of chain schools if you are into teaching the kids. Hess, Kojen, Kids Castle, and Jordans are just a few. I personally do not recommend teaching at any of these places because of what some of my friends have gone through. The pay will also be lower at the chain schools, I think my friend at Kojen makes NT540 per hour.

As far as location goes it is all about what you are after. Taipei is the best place if you are looking for a place with nightlife and an expat community. It is a dirty, polluted, crowded city. If you are looking for fresh air you should try the eastern part of Taiwan. The downside is that work can be hard to find out in those areas. Another option is southern Taiwan city of Kaoshiung. Kaoshiung is also a crowded, polluted, dirty city.

Cost of living depends on where you live. The cost of living is the highest in Taipei. An average apartment will run you from 7-12,000NT a month in taipei(shared accomodation). It all depends on what your standards are. Chinese food is cheap, but of course anything western is expensive and in general not very good. Drinking can be expensive as well. A beer in a pub will run you anywere from 120-180NT. Once you get settled in you can learn to live pretty cheap in you want to do so. Again, it is all about your standards.

School conditions vary. I have been at some pretty good ones and some not so good ones. I think the best thing to do is come in on a visitor visa, take a look around and find a school that you think will be good for you. Get to know some people when you get here and ask around about what schools are looking for teachers and which ones are good. You will learn fast. I would not recommend using a recuiter or signing a contract from outside of Taiwan.

Some schools are outright cheats while others can be honest. The bottom line is that these schools want to make money. While some do so in an honest way others will do things to try to cheat you out of every dollar you make. Typical things are holding of deposits, cheating on taxes, and deductions for things out of your paycheck that are not legal.

This is my personal opinion. I am sure that others will follow that will express there opinion as well.

chi-chi · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 127 Location: Back in Asia!

Ok, here's what you do.
Save up like 3-4 months pay from Korea, you'll need it.
Come here, get like 4-5 roomates.
Hook up with 2-3 different jobs, and buy a moped to get to them.
With the 2-3 part-time jobs, you'll be making money, just like you would working 2-3 jobs back home.
You can also live the "University lifestyle", which is great for many of the Uni dropouts who come but miss the lifestyle of it all.
You can even go to class before you go to your 3 part-time jobs!! It's just like being back in school.
From Chi-Chi, going back to Korea
Take care of yourself

chi-chi · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 127 Location: Back in Asia!

gecko · Joined: 11 Apr 2003 Posts: 42

The average Joe makes about $900 per month in Thailand, that can't be more than Taiwan surely?

chi-chi · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 127 Location: Back in Asia!

Try $400 a month in Taiwan during SARS. I may as well have been in Mexico working for pesos.
People say that it wasn't "business as usual" during SARS, but actually I heard that a "lack of hours" is common there. Schools misrepresent and I am suprised that teachers never this discuss here. They just say "come here and then find a job" but not everyone has the luxury.
I guess it would look good if you've never been anywhere else.
Chi-Chi