Job Discussion Forums

[snatchiw]

Well I will be arriving in Taiwan in June and still haven't decided where I should live and teach.

I know the first thing that will be said is that I should visit all the cities first and then decide. While I do intend to visit a few cities before making my final decision I would like to arrive with a short list.

As of now Taichung is at the top of my list. From what I hear the city is large but not overwhelming, a good selection of schools and jobs and has a fair size ex-pat community so it won't be isolating.

Tainan is also close to the top of my list as well as Kaohsiung, although I have heard less positive things about them (especially the later).

I am not against teaching in Taipei but I feel as if the city has many downsides (traffic, pollution, expensive).

I would like some opinions on the topic.

What is the best city to live and teach in?

What things should I consider in making the decision?

[Aristotle]

Tapei is your best bet
Please read this.
http://www.geocities.com/taiwanteacher2002/Success.html
Good luck,
A.

[TaoyuanSteve]

I am honestly of the mind that one should not go about ranking cities until after arriving here. From over there, everything is just guessing based on what you think it will be like here. You are often basing you rankings on what you know cities to be like in the west (hence your statement about size of cities). In Taiwan there is an inverse relationship between liveability of cities and size. It is the complete opposite of the west in that regard. Smaller often means more polluted with fewer parks and more dillapidated buildings. Bigger means more parks, sidewalks and an international community within which to make friends. If you have to rank ahead of arrival, place Taipei in the #1 spot and Kaohsiung and Taichung in a tie for second. My personal view is Taipei beats them both, but the others would be quite liveable.

[matchstick_man]

The whole Taipei ex-pat community thing is something some laugh at. It's like going to Thailand for a month or more and spending your entire time on Khao San Road. What's the point in travelling if you're automatically looking for home comforts instantly.
Most first time teachers are actually beyond hand holding. However it is easier to be taken advantage of in the smaller towns if you arrive with no foreknowledge.
Personally though I hate big cities regardless.

[TaoyuanSteve]

Well, matchstick, I'm not suggesting that new teachers need handholding at all. I just think decisions on living in smaller centres are best deferred until one has a chance to see what a small town in Taiwan is. I see your point about travelling, but really once you've been here a while, the "travelling" thing and the "living in another country" thing get old. Comforts of home? You bet! I'm not an old-fashioned or poor Taiwanese person. I say that because modern, middle class Taiwanese appreciate western goods as much as we westerners do. Why would I forego any and all western goods? Even Taiwanese (especially Taiwanese) would think was strange. But I guess I don't see living here as being anything like taking a vacation in Thailand. Take where you are going to live seriously. Dirty squallor gets to you after a while.

[matchstick_man]

Believe it or not, I totally agree with you there. I just get sick of the repeated advice Taipei is the best place to be. Taipei is not for me and not for everyone. I had three years living on the West Coast and then moved East. Personally I had/have more home comforts living anywhere in Taiwan than I had at home although some had to be foregone. I'm not saying one should forgo Western products at all as one of my favorite things about Taiwan is Steakhouses. And more garbage cans and public toilets would be nice. I've had Taiwanese friends tell me the street in Taiwan is a trash can and then treat it as such.
I guess with so many foreigners living in Taipei, it is inevitable that this advice is going to be given but there are a large number of foreigners who never get out of Taipei when Taiwan does have so much more to it.
Ultimately choosing a city depends on what you want out of it. I would say avoid the small towns as those without foreknowledge are too often taken advantage of.

[snatchiw]

Well it seems there is a mild concensus about Taipei being at the top of the pile (even though I know you all dislike rankings and making other such broad generalizations).

Now for one more question:

What is the best city to live in if I was solely interested in making money (didn't care about pollution, other foreigners, traffic, friendly people, what condition the school was in, etc.)?

While I do care about these things I am interested in seeing if there is one city or area that can be agreed upon.

i.e. highest income to expenses ratio

[TaoyuanSteve]

That's really going to come down to individual circumstances. People can make high incomes everywhere. Generally speaking, you make more money the longer you've been here, gotten to know people, gained experience etc.

The "one city that can be agreed upon" is the one you yourself decide is liveable for you, once you have an idea what Taiwan is like.

The things you list as things you don't care about are things you will care about, once you get here. I'm assuming, like most new people, you don't speak Mandarin. I live in a smaller city only about 45 minutes to an hour away from Taibei. It's a totally different world. Virtually nobody here speaks any English. Foreigners are far fewer and further between. It can feel isolated at times. When I first got here, little things like going to the store were very difficult because I couldn't communicate with anybody. I was lucky I had my Mandarin speaking girlfriend with me in those early days. I wouldn't recommend the place for a newly arrived expat on his own with no Chinese skills. Some places are not for the uninitiated.

The big three (Taibei, Gaoxiong, Taizhong) offer the softest landings for new people, with Taibei being at the top in terms of lifestyle, transportation and entertainment possibilitites.