Job Discussion Forums

Dr Disco · Posted: Thu Sep 14, 2006 2:33 pm Post subject:

The entire deal sounds much better than the job I had in Korea. I saved 10,000 USD in 16 months (with privates) but it was cold, the work place was a political nightmare worhty of a soap opera, and to date it has been the most boring country I've ever travled to.

Many people came to Korea from Taiwan, and all of them complained a great deal about it. Granted, most said they hated the weather, and they loved the winters in Korea, and they loved to drink.

Has anyone ha the opposite experience (that is, left Korea and prefers Taiwan)?

I am considering the newbie hookup (with a sort of reputable recruiter). I have a lot of teaching experience in SE Asia, Korea, and North America. Even with less savings than Korea, Taiwan sounds much better.

BigWally · Posted: Fri Sep 15, 2006 4:07 am Post subject:

i have some new friends who arrived in Taiwan a few weeks before my gf and I, and they had spent the previous year teaching in Korea...

from what i've heard they dont have much good to say about Korea other than the fact that the kids were cute...all of the conversations seem to go that way, other than that it seems like they didnt really enjoy themselves, and these are 2 of the most laid back, chill people i've met...they enjoy hiking and outdoors activities on a regular basis....they have told me that they enjoy Taiwan 10 fold over Korea....

just one 2nd hand personal opinion, but I hope it helps!

Ganbei! Surprised

KaiFeng · Posted: Wed Sep 20, 2006 2:35 am Post subject:

In fact, it's possible to make a great amount of money in Taiwan, if you approach it correctly. I taught there from 1979-1998, and by the end of that time I was making over $100,000 a year (in 1998 dollars). The thing is, you have to approach it as a business/consulting, you have to approach it as a profession, and you have to know how to work with the corporate market.

Plus, you have to think outside the box, and not only think about pu-hsi-pans. Pu-hsi-pans have their place, as a pool for recruiting and developing clients and connections, but they should only be the beginning of your teaching career, not the be-all and end-all.

Taylor · Joined: 24 Oct 2003 Posts: 384 Location: Texas/Taiwan

Congratulations, Kaifeng!

You were making more MONEY than 99.4 percent of the people in Taiwan.

Thanks for mentioning that it took you 20 years to get to that level---you wrote 1979.....was that not a typo?

Now let's get back to reality!

Most teachers here can sock away about one thousand USD every month. How many folks living and working in the good old USA are doing that?

Taylor

KaiFeng · Posted: Thu Sep 21, 2006 4:36 am Post subject:

Many thanks, Taylor, it's always a pleasure to hear from people in the field. Indeed, I started in 1979; it was towards at the end of my 19 years that I had reached that level of income. After coming back to the US, I career-shifted into IT, and now do IT infrastructural engineering for a big pharma. My salary is in the mid-90s, alas, not up to what it was back in Taiwan. But those are the things we do for our families. I still do training, both in IT and at community colleges.

Please note my post in one of the other related threads about making money in Taiwan. After my first eight ot ten years, I never referred to myself as an "English teacher", so comparing my income with theirs is misleading. I always presented myself as a consultant or staff development specialist. When you stop limiting yourself with a label, then you can start making more. It makes more sense to compare my income then with the income of other business consultants.

I don't know where you are professionally, Taylor, and can only speak from my own experience. In my first few years, I wasted my time in pu-hsi-pans and helped run one. Sure, if I had stayed as a wage-slave, I would have had a hard time saving much. When I went off on my own and started marketing and negotiating on my own behalf, then things started to happen. Give it a shot; you have nothing to lose but your chains!

markholmes · Joined: 21 Jun 2004 Posts: 661 Location: Wengehua

Refering to pu-hsi-pans (I have never seen it written in Wade Giles) and ELSI (who have been called Kojen since 1999) makes you sound out of date and out of touch.

KaiFeng · Posted: Thu Sep 21, 2006 11:12 am Post subject:

I understand why you might feel this way, Mark. Fortunately, my choice of romanization (points for recognizing it nonetheless!), and my choice of terminology for one particular school system are absolutely irrelevant to the validity of my point, as I am sure you will agree. My point is that people in this business can be very financially successful. In one of the other threads I have started sharing some principles I used to do this.

Thanks, though, for pointing out ways to improve the surface appearance (as oppose to the substance). Perhaps this is where you yourself have been most successful.

Dr Disco · Posted: Fri Sep 22, 2006 6:18 am Post subject:

So, it is realistic (after the first few months of expesnses) to save about 600 USD a month? Is that the low down on saving from a 60,000 NT a month job?
Or is 600 USD a month what you would save if you never go out, see movies, do privates, etc?

On an unrealated note, what is the situation with art in Taiwan? Is there suport for it in Taipei (musuems, univesity events, etc) or is it dead?

KaiFeng · Posted: Fri Sep 22, 2006 11:08 am Post subject:

This depends on your lifestyle, really. If you max out your schedule, take on lots of private clients, and aggressively look for other opportunities (editing, translation, writing, etc.) it should not be difficult at all.