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What to expect, where to go, what to bring.
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mattyko40



Joined: 05 Aug 2014
Posts: 37
Location: Taipei

PostPosted: Sat Oct 10, 2015 5:18 am    Post subject: What to expect, where to go, what to bring. Reply with quote

I worked in China last year and had job offers this year but something stupid always happens. So, I may need to go elsewhere and Taiwan looks like a quick fix. Other countries and China would be a long waiting game for the visa.

I'm a 43 yo wm with a recent BA from a solid University in the USA. I have one year teaching experience and 15 in manufacturing( I know it counts for nothing). In China I was getting IB subject offers and university gigs. What should I expect in Taiwan? Where should I be applying- Hess, public/private schools or colleges? I'm guessing Hess but just wondering. Is it absolutely necessary to have teaching certificate to teach in public schools?

Where should I go? I know TAIWAN IS DEAD DON'T COME. In reality what is a good city to go to? I like hiking in my spare time, but not up mountains. Living close to a good beach would be nice too.

What should I bring is the big question. First do I need a background check, and what level of check for which employer. I have my degree but it's not apostilled. I'm a USA passport holder and it looks like I don't need a visa or would there be a problem when I find a job? Other older threads talked about needing a visa, so I don't know if that is because of change in law or some sort of legal snafu.

I know some of these questions have been asked before, but they have not been asked recently from what I can tell( after sifting through tons of romanworld posts). Thanks for any help.
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Alien1982



Joined: 27 Aug 2013
Posts: 59

PostPosted: Tue Oct 20, 2015 6:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sometimes it's difficult to get any real responses here. At least on the Taiwan forum. Try forumosa.com. Much better online forum.
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romanworld



Joined: 27 May 2008
Posts: 388

PostPosted: Fri Oct 23, 2015 1:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Alien1982 wrote:
Sometimes it's difficult to get any real responses here.


That's because any teacher worth their salt left Taiwan years ago.
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Alien1982



Joined: 27 Aug 2013
Posts: 59

PostPosted: Mon Oct 26, 2015 5:37 pm    Post subject: Re: What to expect, where to go, what to bring. Reply with quote

mattyko40 wrote:
I worked in China last year and had job offers this year but something stupid always happens.

What happened in China?

Did you at least try different employers in China? Different cities? All I can say is that since Taiwan seems to be a place where there's really no jobs available anymore, China seems like your best option anyway. What was it that happened in China that made it difficult?
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mattyko40



Joined: 05 Aug 2014
Posts: 37
Location: Taipei

PostPosted: Tue Nov 10, 2015 10:41 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sorry for the delay, but no one know responded for awhile and I didn't see the PMs. I had job offers in China, but one(International school teaching Econ.) place waited to the last minute and said I would need to go the tourist route since they were a new school. They stated that it would take a month to be able to apply for one; however when I searched the forums many people said that they would have to wait a full year. That job was also telling me that taxes were "optional".

So, I was offered another job at a good university teaching Business. That is my career goal. Unfortunately the FAO office was beyond incompetent. There is way too much to even list. I was offered the job in September which means they would need to hurry to get me in there, so their students could have a teacher. One month later they hadn't even started the visa process and were accusing me of not sending them documents that I already sent. I will eventually post on the China board about the school because they may have been just playing a game with me. It was a big department so maybe I was the guy they promise a job to because they know someone will bail on them. Either way one month zero done on their part time to move on.

China ha a long visa process that must be done outside of the country. Taiwan is the opposite that is why I came here. I have been in Taipei for a week or so and meet a bunch of people, but no one is hiring at private schools. So, I will start applying to the chains and I hope to stay in Taipei. If anyone knows anyplace hiring let me know.

If anyone worth their salt left Taiwan then why are you still here?

What I can say about anyone wanting to come here is that it is nicer than China, but the pay is pretty bad in comparison. The reason for people saying it's dead here is that it is a country of only 20 million and the esl market is saturated. It's not dead but if tomorrow a couple thousand ESL teachers came here looking for work there would be problems. Also, to get the good jobs you will need a government certification.

I needed to go as I was staying at my sister's house. Nice to visit but it wasn't working. So, Taiwan works as a place to just go as a plan B.


Last edited by mattyko40 on Thu Nov 12, 2015 2:59 pm; edited 1 time in total
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romanworld



Joined: 27 May 2008
Posts: 388

PostPosted: Thu Nov 12, 2015 1:02 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

mattyko40 wrote:
If anyone worth their salt left Taiwan then why are you still here?


I'm not and never would be for the reason you so eloquently state:

Quote:
. . . but the pay is pretty bad in comparison.
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mattyko40



Joined: 05 Aug 2014
Posts: 37
Location: Taipei

PostPosted: Thu Nov 12, 2015 12:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

romanworld wrote:
mattyko40 wrote:
If anyone worth their salt left Taiwan then why are you still here?


I'm not and never would be for the reason you so eloquently state:

Quote:
. . . but the pay is pretty bad in comparison.


Instead of stating things eloquently, how about just working on clarity.

What do you mean? " I'm not..." You're not what? Worth your salt? In Taiwan?....

I think you're trying to be funny or something, but I have no clue. To be honest I don't really care the moderators should just boot you for being whacky. How many doomsday posts can you possibly make?
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romanworld



Joined: 27 May 2008
Posts: 388

PostPosted: Thu Nov 12, 2015 8:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

mattyko40 wrote:
What do you mean? " I'm not..." You're not what?


What I mean is that I'm not in Taiwan and never would be. Is that clear enough? And I'm not there because the salaries suck. I will concede however that Taiwan is OK for backpackers passing through and trying to pick up a little cash on the way, but don't bank on landing a job because there aren't many around.

Quote:
How many doomsday posts can you possibly make?


Most of my posts are taken from the the local Taiwanese press and deal with facts. If you would like to take issue with any of these stories and the facts within, then please provide the link and your particular slant on the issues at hand.

You'd probably take issue with Henry Ho, who recently said: "Salaries are too low in Taiwan. The worst part is it's not likely to improve much in the next three to five years." A "doomsday post", yes, but an honest one nevertheless.

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/business/more-young-taiwanese-seek/1899216.html
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mattyko40



Joined: 05 Aug 2014
Posts: 37
Location: Taipei

PostPosted: Tue Nov 17, 2015 12:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

No, that is not very clear. Why would you even post and try to tell people what is going on in Taiwan if you're not here and have no desire to be here. Do you have no life? You have repeatedly posted topics that have nothing to do with teaching in Taiwan and no one even responds or views these topics. You should simply be banned it is rather ridiculous.

I had people PM me because they don't want to deal with your attitude. Rather sad that you make people not want to post on a board and your not even in the country and have no desire to be.

You take posts from the paper? Why? Take the hint no cares as evidenced by no one responding.

This is supposed to be a no trolling board, so why are you even responding. Just leave!
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romanworld



Joined: 27 May 2008
Posts: 388

PostPosted: Tue Nov 17, 2015 7:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

mattyko40 wrote:
This is supposed to be a no trolling board, so why are you even responding. Just leave!


Please address the issues that I raised and stop trying to provoke. You said that "pay is pretty bad" in Taiwan compared with China and I happen to agree with you. The article that I posted also supports this position, noting that things are "not likely to improve in the next three to five years". I have posted numerous articles from the local Taiwanese press about the appallingly low salaries that are paid in Taiwan, and this may go some way to explaining why these boards are quiet: Most English teachers left because they couldn't make a financial go of it. If you want my advice about what to bring then I would suggest you bring bags of money so that you can survive the first few months in Taipei because you're gonna find it difficult to get by on JUST a local salary. If you live outside of Taipei, you'll fare better, but you'll still need savings in order to make the transition. Unfortunately, the pavements are no longer paved with gold.

Finally, I find some of your comments rude and provocative. If you continue to label me a "troll" and not address some of the more important issues that are effecting Taiwanese HE at the moment, then I'll report you to the mods.
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markcmc



Joined: 18 Jan 2010
Posts: 262
Location: Taiwan

PostPosted: Wed Nov 18, 2015 8:16 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

There is work teaching English in Taiwan. No, the salaries are not great, but few countries have great salaries for ELT teachers. It's better than many in the world, but Vietnam and Korea would most likely give you a better salary. However, it's an easy country to live in and can be fun.

But it's possible to save money, and some teachers do earn good money with privates.
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mattyko40



Joined: 05 Aug 2014
Posts: 37
Location: Taipei

PostPosted: Sun Nov 22, 2015 8:50 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

In Internet slang, a troll (/ˈtroʊl/, /ˈtrɒl/) is a person who sows discord on the Internet by starting arguments or upsetting people, by posting inflammatory,[1] extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community (such as a newsgroup, forum, chat room, or blog) with the deliberate intent of provoking readers into an emotional response[2] or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion,[3] often for their own amusement.


I never brought up the issue of pay in Taiwan. That in itself is the definition of trolling. You also started responding immediately, as you appearently do in other posts, with hostility. Again, the very definition of trolling.

Posting articles that have nothing to do with the discussion, or even teaching in Taiwan does not entitle you to a response. What does young Tawainese salaries have to do with me?

If there is something in your life causing you grief i'm sorry, but trolling on the boards is hardly the solution. You don't live and never plan on living here, so why waste so much time posting non-sense.

However, feel free to report me for whatever slight you perceive I have made against you. Otherwise, please quit posting subjects that don't belong on this board and have zero relevance to the discussion.

Mark- like I said the post isn't about salaries, but I agree with you. It's rather simple and pretty standard here. You will make 50-70k a month to work or be on call pretty much full time. If you work a ton maybe you can get 100k a month, and if you have high certs or connections you could make more. Rent is usually under 10k a month in Taipei. If you need a 3 bedroom by Taipei 101with no roommates then it will be a lot more. Everything is cheaper here than the USA. Well, except drinking! Someone can save here but not a lot. If someone wants to pay off loans China is better, maybe Korea Idk, and Middle East. Taiwan is more livable though.


Last edited by mattyko40 on Sun Nov 22, 2015 3:46 pm; edited 1 time in total
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mattyko40



Joined: 05 Aug 2014
Posts: 37
Location: Taipei

PostPosted: Sun Nov 22, 2015 8:59 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Oh, I decided to count how many posts you have made, many that appear to have nothing to do with teaching, on just the first page. You have 19 that have had 0 responses several other with only 1. You're wasting space. No one cares to argue with you because that's what it is- an argument!

19 posts 0 responses- please get the message!
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romanworld



Joined: 27 May 2008
Posts: 388

PostPosted: Sun Nov 22, 2015 7:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

mattyko40 wrote:
I never brought up the issue of pay in Taiwan.



Didn't you? I thought it was you who said this:

Quote:
What I can say about anyone wanting to come here(Taiwan) is that it is nicer than China, but the pay is pretty bad in comparison.


Your stuff about trolling has no relevance but you're spot on with your observation about "pay" being better in China. This explains why so many Taiwanese for example are leaving for the greener pastures of China while Taiwan is left with the dregs. Good luck with the chains there: long unsociable hours, dodgy management, indifferent students and yes low "pay". Best stay in China.
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romanworld



Joined: 27 May 2008
Posts: 388

PostPosted: Sun Nov 22, 2015 7:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

mattyko40 wrote:
19 posts 0 responses- please get the message!


No responses for 2 reasons: 1. It's difficult to argue with the facts, ie, my posts tend to be the last word on the subject; and 2. all the serious English teachers, myself included, have left because the pay sucks big time in Taiwan!

And btw, I'm not interested in responses . . . I'm interested in readers . . . and in that department I'm up there with the big boys. Even you can't help reading my most delicious posts that shed some illuminating light on the cloudy issues that currently inconvenience Taiwanese HE.
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