Job Discussion Forums

[Persephone]

Hi Everyone,

I've been reading the posts on this site for a while and have been really impressed by the level of discussion and general camaraderie. I'm planning to go to Taiwan next year to teach, and I was hoping to get some advice. I'm particularly concerned about racism. I'm black.

1. I've seen some schools advertising for blond, blue-eyed teachers. Will it be difficult for me to get a job? Is there a certain area or type of school I should stay away from?

2. How unusual is it to see a black person in Taiwan? Are there black professionals, teachers there?

3. I'm hoping to go to a part of Taiwan that is a little less of an urban jungle than New York City (where I live now) or Taipei. Any recommendations? I've heard Taichung is nice. Anyone know anything about that city? Does it have a lot of nice nature areas? Does it welcome foreigners of the darker variety?

4. And last, but NOT least, how open are Taiwanese men to dating black females? What exactly are the companionship options for a black woman in Taiwan?

Thanks for your help!

~Persephone

[Fortigurn]

My wife is black (originally from Wayne, Michigan, and spent 10 years in Mahattan), and she managed to find a (non-teaching), job in three months. She earns twice what I earn.

She hasn't experienced any form of discrimination that she has been aware of, and feels totally comfortable here.

I'm sorry I can't answer your question about companionship for black females - my wife has me.

[go_lightly]

Persephone:

i admire you for wanting to teach in Taiwan despite the perceived racism. i was born in Taiwan but raised in CA for most of my life. it's interesting but as a yellow-skinned Asian teaching English in Taiwan, i am also at somewhat of a disadvantage compared to those "blonde-haired/ blue-eyed," "foreign" teachers. my school has emphasized that i do not speak Mandarin in class or in the offices (it's too Chinese or something). you'd think i'd be at an advantage as a bilingual English teacher. unfortunately, i encountered an ad for a "kiddie" english school in a rural town which specifically denied employment for Blacks, but this is the only incidence i can recall. i think that you will be considered more "exotic" if anything; Taiwanese people are generally open-minded & friendly & the way the English market has grown it's been more about business more or less. i'd focus on making sure you get the job you want & deserve as there are many "language institutes" & buxibans in Taiwan that are mismanaged & a challenge to work for.
as for Taichung, it can be considered a concrete jungle on its own, but yes, perhaps a little less "severe" than Taipei. you might also consider Hsinchu. overall, Northern Taiwan is more developed with more foreigners. on dating...hmmmmm...are you only looking to date asian men? dating should not be hard for foreigners but it seems that taiwanese women are more open-minded to dating foreigners or it could just have been that taiwanese men are somewhat less appealing to foreigners. even in CA it is rare to see an Asian man/Black woman couple. well, good luck anyways...

[Persephone]

Hi,

Thanks to those of you who have already responded. I hope others will also respond.

A little more about me:

I was raised in Vermont, so I'm used to being the only black person in my area. I currently spend most of my time in a Chinese Buddhist temple here in New York, so most of my friends are Chinese. However, I'm also used to most of my white and Asian friends thinking I'm a cool person to hang out with, but not what they're looking for physically. I'm tired of hearing "Have you thought about straightening your hair?" and "My parents are really expecting me to bring home someone from the same culture". I've heard some of the guys in Taiwan are more open-minded than the Taiwanese in the US, and I've also heard that there are some black guys in Taiwan. I was just wondering if it's true.

I'm not specifically looking to date a Taiwanese guy, but I'm curious how I might be received. At some point, I'm going to want to date someone while I'm there. If the Taiwanese aren't interested, how interested are the other foreigners in Taiwan in dating a black woman? From the other posts, it seems to me that most of the male ESL/EFL teachers are interested exclusively in Taiwanese women. BTW, does anyone have any idea what the ratio of male to female EFL teachers is?

Lastly, I am also concerned that Taichung might still be too urban; but I'm even more worried about going to a place that's too rural. Part of me is afraid that the more rural it is, the harder it will be for people to adjust to my color. Plus, I don't want to get so rural that I don't have a lot of options job-wise to either change schools, get the hours at the type of shool I want, or pick up privates.

Ideally, I'd like something like Washington, DC--just big enough to have all the shopping options and international crowd with a mild nightlife (I'm not much of a partier), and small enough to still have safe, quiet, neighborhoods with grass and trees and rivers to watch the sun set over. Can you tell me a little more about Hsinchu and how it compares to Taichung?

Thanks!
~Persephone

[Aristotle]

Racism is a huge problem on Taiwan and openly practiced and encouraged by the government and reinforced in both public and private educational institutions. It is a fundamental part of the Taiwanese culture.
Please come to Taiwan and help to educate the students about this problem as it is the one factor that has the potential to undermine any and all progress made by Taiwan.
If you need any assistance please contact SSETT.
[email protected]
Good luck!
A.

[Girl Scout]

My kids actually told me that racism is taught in school.

There are four colors of people in the world.
White
Yellow
Black
and Mixed.

They also have an order of importance. Listed above.

I hate to say this but I've only seen three black people in Hsin-chu in a year and a half. Two males and a female. One of the males was working for a book company. He was not a teacher.

BTW, Hsin-chu really doesn't have grass, trees, or a river. Most Taiwan cities are concrete. The mountain areas are beautiful.

[Sheep-Goats]

I saw a promotional brochure for a school the other day that had pictures of a black teacher sprinkled through it, so it won't be too hard to find work, I'd imagine.

You're also American (big plus here -- Canadians often have a dodgy reputation, frankly, and the American accent is considered ideal to the accent-sensitive Chinese) and female (huge plus if you're willing to teach kids anywhere in Asia). So you have more going for you than not (as white skin is an advantage, but I'd say your gender outweighs that by far). Any negative stygma about your face can be erased with nice clothes at the interview stage, and once you have the contract you can default to usual foreigner-teacher wear, which here in Taiwan is downright shabby a lot of the time.

I'm white and from the states (one of the fly overs to be specific -- specific to a New York point of view, anyway) and I'd certainly date a black woman here, given the regular givens. Some of the honkies here are only intersted in Asian girls but I lived in Thailand for a couple of years before this and, to state it as crudely as is reasonable, have had my fill of Oreintal girls for a good while.

There are probably a few foreigners who're jaded and prefer western girls. Some Taiwanese men might give it a try, but they're more likely to be afraid than anything -- plus they have that whole "pale = beautiful" issue that goes back thousands of years. If all else fails, try the hip hop clubs. As shallow as it is, those who are interested in black folks or black culture are likely to be bumming around in those.

[Fortigurn]

Don't listen to the hatahs. If you come to Taipei you'll be fine. If you shunt yourself off to some tiny village, you may run into problems.

That's about it.

[Greenislander]

Yes, go to Taiwan. It will be a good experience regardless. I have noticed that there are always teaching jobs going in Hsin Chu (via recruiters for the chain schools like Hess, Shane etc).

I agree if you stay in Taipei you won't "stand out" as much...smaller places are different.

Good luck,

Greenislander.

[JZer]

Persephone, one of the problems that you will run into is that a lot of foreign teachers tend to date local girls. It does not really matter if you are black or white. Some might call these men shallow but who can blame a guy for dating the girls that make themselves more available to him. In the long run some of this girls are probably not the kind of girls you want to date but it is hard not to be tempted by the attention.

[Xenophobe]

[Sheep-Goats]

[Aristotle]

[Ki]

North American "accents" are preferrable to schools than Brittish, Irish, South African, Australian or New Zealand ones. These perceptions are purely perceived ones. Probably all Taiwanese, (who have not actually lived in an English speaking country), cannot judge which country you are from. They do note differences in people's accents though. They would just not know where you hail from.

Many schools will place greater importance on things such as a "North American accent" and a white face than on other things such as experience, qualifications and the ability to speak Mandarin. Other schools less so.

I actually thought that Canadian passports were more popular here than American ones. But I really don't know. I am certain, however, that both are preferred far above passports from countries such as Brittain, Ireland, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand.

[Greenislander]