Job Discussion Forums

[gremilygarr]

Hi! Everyone!

Any pearls of wisdom for me?

So my story goes....Because of the results of my research over the past 6 months I had chosen Taichung as the city that my two friends and I would live and work in when we move to Taiwan from Oregon (next week). I read that Taichung is less polluted (than Taipei or Kaohsiung), less populated (but still with many jobs), has more city parks, is closer to natural beauty, and has live music.

Recently, I had a recruiter (whose information I took with a grain of salt) tell me that it is in fact more polluted, that the road signs make it extremely frustrating for foreigners, and that it is very dangerous as it is run by the Taiwanese gangsters.

Her pitch to me was that we would find more comforts such as Subway and Starbucks in Taipei. As an experienced traveler, having lived alone in a village in Kenya- the idea of more Starbucks and Mcdonalds which are two places that I don't even step into at home is not at all an attraction for us!!!

I don't expect Taichung to have no pollution and be small and quaint, but I was wondering what your view of it is compared to these opposing visions. I realize the nature of the large cities in Taiwan and have an open mind to all sorts of experiences, but those qualities listed in the first paragraph would make a place more appealing.

Can you think of a place that embodies some of those characteristics if Taichung does not?

Thanks for your help!

HiGhLy ApPreCiAtiVe!!

[matchstick_man]

Your recruiter's opinion is correct. I live in Taichung and would say Taipei is much easier to get around in and less polluted. Subway and Starbucks can be found in Taichung. However they are not as pentiful as you wuold find in Taipei. The parks and live music in Taipei are better than those in Taichung. If you're trying to escape McDonald's you'll have problems acheiving that in Taiwan. They're everywhere here.

As for the gangster thing, I don't know, most foreigners don't get involved with that all apart from going to the bars that they may own.

[Aristotle]

[matchstick_man]

Aristotle, you obviously didn't read my entire post or you would have noticed where I live. Hint: It's not Taipei.

How do you avoid banks altogether by wiring money home? Surely you need to go to a bank to do that.


Why don't you tell the original poster never to cross the road because cars cause road accidents?

[sbettinson]

I live in Taichung and it's great.

Forget all the horror stories about gangsters and what not. You won't have any problems with them unless you go looking for it. I drink and spend most of my nights out in places where foreigners are rarely found. I have never had any trouble and as long as you are not a complete dickhead then people will leave you alone.

As for getting around, once you are mobile with a scooter then everything is accessible. The MRT in Taipei makes things much easier for getting around though I do have to admit. Working out the buses in Taichung is impossible unless you can read Chinese.

My first impressions of Taichung were not as good as they were of Taipei. I spent 3 weeks in Taipei looking for work and ended up in Taichung. It is a little more laid back than Taipei but it is still pretty hectic at times too. Depends on which part of the city you are located.

Around an area in Taichung known as "Little Europe" is where most of the foreigners live and hang out. Plenty of bars, restaurants etc that cater to western tastes. You can also stay away from them and have a good experience of local culture too. It's nice to be able to service both though, at least for me anyway.

If you would like to know more about Taichung then PM me. I will be glad to answer any questions you have.

Good luck.

Shaun

[gremilygarr]

Hmmm... aRiStoTLe... you're funnY... not ha ha funny, but aNYwaYs...

it is good to hear all sides of a subject, though....

Thanks for the input and I will certainly take more as well.

Does anybody know is Tainan embodies any of those characteristics that i mentioned in the first post? Any other city?

remember that we are not overly concerned about western conveniences (unless you consider low pollution a convenience)-just to be able to get by without knowing chinese at first, good jobs, and a community of friends... what do you think?

tHanK yOu all AgaiN!

*eMiLy*

[Aristotle]

[clark.w.griswald]

Gremilygarr, good on you for seeing right through Aristotles post.

[wix]

Emily, you might consider I-lan, Hualien or Taitung if you are looking for something a little different. The east coast is less industrialised, hence it is less crowded and there is less pollution.

[SanChong]

Great job again Aristotle!!! You do a wonderful job of telling people everything that Taiwan is NOT. It's like "Happy Fun Opposite Day" inside every one of your posts! I feel like I'm in my kindergarten class! Yay, you are so creative!

Everyone I know in Taiwan must be blind!
I live in what ALL Taiwanese people consider to be the "Gangster capital" of Taiwan: SanChung (just in Taipei County).
It's as much Gangster land as Disney World. I've never been bothered once.

In fact, I've never heard of a foreigner EVER being harrassed by a Taiwanese person. YOu have a much greater chance of that happening in any Western country where the crime rates are MUCH higher.

By the way, (to the original poster) you would be happy in either Taichung or Taipei. Your experience in Taiwan really depends on you: If you are flexible and have a good attitude, Taiwan is truly a wonderful and welcoming place for foreigners.

[DanLaverick]

I quite amazed at some of the nonsense that is posted on the forums here in regards to Taiwan. Most of the negative comments obviously come from foreigners who spent their time in Taiwan living amongst the expat community forming opinions through drunken wisdom eschewed by like minded individuals in the bars they occupy night after night.

I lived in Taichung for three years and had a great experience that I'll never forget. When I first arrived, yes, I was homesick and suffered badly from culture shock. The pollution, lack of privacy and insanity on the roads was hard to adapt to. You'll experience this where ever you go in Taiwan.

The advantage of Taichung is that you have all the Western comforts you could want (Starbucks, Blockbuster, Subway etc) The foreign bars and restaurants are scattered all around the city centre, when I was last there I counted SEVEN huge shopping malls within a half hour drive of my apartment. The thing is, if you're in Taipei, it might feel like no different to any other 'global' city. It's Taiwans equivalent to London and, while it has great museums, bars, cinemas etc, Taichung is still small enough to feel 'local'. If you drive 10 mins out of the city you'll find paddy fields, 15 mins and you'll find mountainous areas.

The gangster thing is nonsense, yes they do exist but you wont come across them, they dont bother foreigners. I felt a lot safe in Taichung than I do in England or America, I can tell you that. I've never had a problem with the bank I used or with sending money home (maybe too many forms to fill in!). The pollution is bad but it is in most areas of Taiwan barring parts of the East coast. Taichung is a good place to begin and its in the middle of Taiwan so you have access to most places in a reasonable time.

The expat community in Taichung is fairly close knit and friendly so you won't have any probs there. I also found the Taiwanese locals to be friendly if not a little over curious. If you respect their culture then you'll be fine, as you would in most places.

Have fun if you do go but be prepared to have your way of living completely altered both in good and bad ways!

[SanChong]

That was a pleasure to read Don

Posts from some of these people do make you wonder. I mean, this message board is for the purpose of helping people in a constructive way. Otherwise, why would it exist? It makes you wonder what kind of person logs onto a message board just to talk about how they hate everything about the country they are in....
What's the point of posting that kind of thing at all?
I'm all for a healthy debate about the challenging aspects of living in Taiwan. Those are important things for people to hear. The extreme negative and hateful opinions sometimes heard here serve no purpose.

I know a LOT of foreigners in Taiwan (what can I say, I'm a social guy...) and pretty much everyone I know really likes living on this island. Personally, I don't really like forums. I'd rather be out there doing things. However, reading some of the posts on this board a couple months ago motivated me to help give a more accurate spin on things (Clark needs some help!).

Anyway, best of luck to the original poster!! Whether you end up in Taipei or Taichung, ENJOY this wonderful country. Remember to be respectful too.... you are a foreigner here and all the locals will be watching you.... Our reputation has taken a turn for the worse over the past year (mostly due to the foreigners involved in that drug ring
where they smuggled drugs into Taiwan in Children's English textbooks).

We need as many good, positive teachers here as possible

[gremilygarr]

thanks dave!

that was the most real thing i have read. i appreciate it especially because i am getting on a plane in twelve hrs and moving to taichung!

***********

[Ki]

Whatever you do do NOT sign your contract with the recruiter. Contracts should always be signed with the school. Not only would your recruiter subtract 15,000 every month, you will also experience a lot of headaches. Don't start work until you sort everything out with the school DIRECTLY. Don't pay illegal deposits. And don't forget, no matter what the school/recruiter says, you can change anything too dodgy in a contract.