Job Discussion Forums

[SEndrigo]

I just read a thread the other day on the China forum (can't remember whether it was the Off-topic or Job forum) about high-paying jobs in China.

I'd like to find out your experiences with high-paying jobs in Taiwan.

I read the editing thread here and it seems an editor will make around 50,000 to 60,000, while an English teacher will make around 60,000 or 70,000.

Are there any jobs (preferably non-English teaching) one could get in Taipei, not knowing Chinese, but having significant job skills and/or qualifications?

Some examples of what I'm talking about are jobs such as financial consultant, copywriter, advertising executive, accountant, lawyer, etc.

What's your experience with this? Thanks guys!

[forest1979]

I think it's important to be practical here.

TEFL is a big business in Taiwan and wages are basically the same at the bushiban level. With additional qualifications you can work less hours but earn the same kind of money at a university. With a PhD and a few extra hours of teaching at where you work, plus some part-time work elsewhere it's easy to pull in NT$90,000/NT$100,000 a month. That's with, what 18-19 hours of teaching per week.

As for other jobs, as I said be practical. How many jobs are available in say the US in cities if you speak Croatian? Would you expect with a Croatian tongue to work as a lawyer, editor, etc.? The simple answer is no. There are jobs available, particularly in Taipei, that don't require Chinese, but you would at a minimum need to be conversant in another language. If you want to work for a German company, for example, then you need a damn good level of German.

I'm not saying that there are no jobs available, that pay well outside of the education sector, in Taiwan (more to the point Taipei), but the number of jobs are at best minimal, and most foreign companies have their own channels for recruiting 'back home'. If you can get work with a company like that you'd be on a local contract which offers a decent deal but you would do the same job as an expat who would have 3-4 times more salary, plus a huge housing allowance. As for editing positions, as far as I know, it would be a difficult nut to crack and I would open yourself up to volunteering to write something just to get a foot in the door. I've met a number of journalists in Taiwan and from what I gather it's a small, somewhat closed shop. To get in is not easy. So, again be practical.

In all honesty, it is tough to get a good career position in Taiwan with no Chinese language fluency, especially if you discount TEFL and expat recruiting 'back home'. Afterall, if you're in Taiwan you need to adapt and language is an obvious part. The bottom line is that you wouldn't expect things to be different elsehwere, why would you expect Taiwan to bend so much for you?

[MomCat]

SEndrigo,

If you do feel you're qualified for a full-time, non-teaching job, come prepared to prove it.

"Regular jobs" have different rules than teaching jobs and you'll need to be able to prove that you've worked in the field for at least two years. Listing it on your resume or giving the name of your ex-boss as a reference won't be enough.

Good luck,
Cat

[JZer]

[forest1979]

No, you don't just need a degree to get a non-TEFL job in Taiwan. You need connections. You need an understanding of how the local culture, and society works. Non-TEFL jobs for non-Chinese language speakers in Taiwan are small in number and highly sought after. A degree is not enough. As a previous poster has said, you need years of experience as a minimum. Plus, as I said before, if you're working for a German, French, Spanish company - of which only a handful of employees will be non-Taiwanese (and so on expat packages) - you will need fluency in the company's language, plus years of experience in the 'home' country.

[JZer]

[forest1979]

English is used within many overseas companies Taiwan as a working language, the linguistic means to bridge between having Taiwanese employees and expats belong to the 'home' country, wherever that may be. However, if you're working for a French company, say, and think that in Taiwan all their administrative decisions, meetings, etc., will be in English then you're in for a surprise. Unless you can prove you have high level French then you will be overlooked. Simple. So, in this framework knowledge of English alone is not fine.

Your point about expertise is pertinent, but if you can't communicate other than through English then why should a company take a risk? They wont. They'll give the job to a Taiwanese or an expat who also have expertise and language skills. That's practical, and I have no disagreement with that kind of action.

[JZer]

[JZer]

[forest1979]

Well, I am guessing that the meetings that involve the French and Taiwanese are in English.




Why are you saying that? The cultural workplace assumption is completely wrong. For a start it's unlikely that the expat managers would have meetings with Taiwanese workers unless they were very high level, and then the Taiwanese would be expected to know French. The comparison with the US situation - the entire world does not do things the US way - and the TEFL industry has no bearing at all for a non-Chinese language speaker working in a skilled post in a foreign company in say, Taipei.

Incidentally Korea, Japan, Taiwan...societies with a strict social hierarchy. Whether you as a foreigner understand what is said at a TEFL meeting or not, you ultimately have very little or no voice where you work. Thus it's no important whether you understand what is being discussed or not.

Good luck with your job hunt.

[JZer]

[JZer]

[JZer]

[forest1979]

In an ideal world the best candidates always get the job, but in a place like Taiwan who you know (guanxi) provides a different channel to acquiring work.

I wouldn't underestimate too the number of people in Taiwan who have been educated or lived oversease in non-English speaking countries. I, and friends, have met Taiwanese people educated in placed such as Holland, Germany, Italy, Spain, France, Argentina, etc., and I would even go as far to say that the Taiwanese probably have a higher per capita ratio with experiences of education and work in non-English speaking countries than nations such as the US or UK.

Anyway, what do you mean "really skilled people, like maybe a really good engineer"? Can you be more precise in your criteria of what a "really good" skilled professional is?

[JZer]