Job Discussion Forums

[gregnum]

Hi,

I'm teaching now in Bangkok with a teaching year experience and I'm considering to move to Taiwan because of the low payment in Thailand.
From reading ads in th Web I've realized that the average monthly salary is 60000 NT$ (~1800 USD) or 600 NT$ per hour.

My questions are:
1) How much is to rent a small modest room in Taipei ?
How much is to eat in the food stalls ?
How much is the average monthly expenses assuming living in a modest way ?
2) What are the weather seasons and temparatures in the Taipei ?
3) I'm intending to come in Late Oct-Begin Nov', Is it a good time ?

Any comments regarding teaching in the Taipei are welcomed.
Thanks,
Greg

[killian]

as you know, rents can be pretty high or pretty cheap depending on multiple factors. instead, here's the wellspring of pertinent data, drink up: www.tealit.com. the site has a fair-to-middling classified section. a bit of clickin' in there'll give you some ballpark figures.

[EOD]

7,000 to 10,000 NT per month for a studio apartment with bath. Utilities and furniture are extra in most cases.

[jason_seeburn]

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[IamtheWalrus]

But does the social life in other cities (i.e. meeting nice local women, other teachers) even come close? Just wondering if that extra 3-5k/month for living in Taipei is worth it...

[TaoyuanSteve]

I would say Taipei is certainly worth the extra money. Most west coast cities are cookie cutter clones of one another. They're filthy, characterless places with little to offer foreigners. Taipei offers somewhat cleaner surroundings, things to do, amenities foreigners want, nightlife, ample work opportunities, decent public transport and more. Alas, I live outside of Taipei (but not far). This is something I might rectify soon.

[IamtheWalrus]

So is sharing a place with other foreigners in Taipei the best solution until the cash starst flowing in? that's what I assume I'll do when i get there...

[gregnum]

How does Taipei look like at all ? Same traffic jams as Bangkok ?
Same dirty and noisy ? How is the school owners's attitute to the foreign teachers ?
How is the night life secene there ? seedy as Bangkok ?

Could you summarize the advantages and the disadvantages of the both capitals ?

Finally: As for the beginning, is Taipei the best choise to start look for, or other cities around ?

[wix]

I have lived in both Bangkok and Taipei and I much prefer Taipei. Taipei's traffic and pollution is nowhere near as bad as Bangkok and there is a good bus and MRT system that makes it easy to get around. Taipei city is also fairly compact and the streets are laid out in a grid making it nowhere near as confusing to get around as Bangkok.

[Aristotle]

You can offset the cost of housing by living in Tansui or other more remote areas on the MRT line. It may take you a few more minutes on the train in the morning but you will save a lot of money. Not only is housing cheaper but everything is a little cheaper.
Good luck and if you run into trouble feel free to contact me for assistance.
A.

[gregnum]

So Aristotle, I can understand that Tansui is a surburb of Taipei.
Is there any night life there ? How is the night life scence in general in Taipei ? Hectic and seedy as Bangkok ?
An inportant issue for a single FALANG male like me.

Does a copy of my degree certificate is enough in Taiwan like as in Thailand ?

[IamtheWalrus]

From what I have read and researched, a copy of your degree will not work in Taiwan...

Tamsui, how long would the MRT train to Taipei take? Is there a monthly pass for it, if so how much?

What about the city just south of Taipei, Young He(ho?)? What's that like?

[khmerhit]

It sounds to me you would do well in Cambodia. No hassle, no smog, no wories, mate. Also, it's far more interesting and it's ASIA, not some cookie cutter clone. Go for it!

[Okami]

Tamsui has a lot of young nubile Taiwanese women. It has two universities and Tankiang specializes in teaching languages. It has more a cafe culture versus a nightlife culture, for nightlife go down to Taipei or Tienmu. It's quite expensive to go back and forth all the time from Tamsui to Taipei. You can get jobs in Tamsui though.

A copy of your degree will work. Who told you this? It takes about 40 minutes to get to Tamsui from Taipei Train station. Yungho is a built up suburb with tons of shops and cheap dirty old apartments and with more expensive new clean apartments. The price difference between the 2 is about $6000NT/month. I live in a dirty old apartment. You can use tmm.org.tw to find a place when you come to Taiwan. They can do it for you in English, but do bring along a Chinese person to help you. I like Yungho, because everything is so easy to get to from here. You can use a bus or MRT, I prefer my rented scooter.

CYA
Okami

[gregnum]

So, will a COPY of my degree work ? Yes or No ?
I don't have the original. It's buried somewhere inside my locked storage boxes in England.