Job Discussion Forums

[SEndrigo]

Wow Mango, considering your views on Taiwan, I'd be afraid to ask you what you actually think of Korea

[Aristotle]

Taiwanese people are much friendlier and the locals are much more approachable. The weather is also better in Taiwan during the winter.

As someone who jumped from Taiwan to Korea I can say that if you going to work the whole year, then Taiwan is the better place as far as standard of living goes. Pollution is about the same in both Korea and Taiwan, the ROC government is just bolder when it comes to telling blatant lies. The pay on Taiwan however is disappointing and only getting worse as the economy collapses under an incompetent and corrupt occupational government.

I work six months a year in Korea then off to Thailand for the next six. This arrangement is a dream come true for me and many others who have figured out how to do it. I used to do it from Taiwan but wages have stagnated for over decade and even seem to be deflating in some areas of Formosa.
Good luck!
A.

[englishmaster]

As a veteran of several years in the PRC, ROK and ROC, respectively, I can vouch for the responses given so far. Mainland China is the most dysfunctional country in which to do anything, with Korea being the most drearily ethnocentric, with its insular, passive-aggressive national pride having no basis in reality. Taiwan is by far the best of the lot, in society, diversions (e.g., foreign restaurants) and, for many teachers, weather. Given its size, it has an incredible number of scenic areas, and, having never been devastated by war or Cultural Revolution, original historic buildings. To provide just one comparison, Seoul, with a population of about 12m, has just two French restaurants; Taichung, Taiwan's third largest city, which has a population of about 1.3m, has four. Orientals are not generally famous for being exploratory, even in cuisine, but the stat above gives a good indication of how the countries compare. Taiwan has all the thought-control problems that you encounter anywhere in the orient, but it also offers more respite from them.

[David Seoul]

It is certainly sounding like Taiwan will be a great place to live. Korea has been good to me, and I wouldn't have any problems returning one day. For now though, I feel like a new adventure and some respite from many of the negative elements mentioned in this thread. I think I can live with earning less money, in return for living in what sounds like an exciting place. Thanks to everyone for all their information.

[markj]

I have never met anyone who wanted to return Korea that didn't have to. Myself included.

[Miyazaki]

[naturegirl321]

[773]

Ah, yes...if you want to learn Chinese and you like hot weather, it would be a good choice then. Taiwan has nice beach weather year round (especially in the south, where it's usually hotter than in Taipei). Even in the 'winter,' it is really pleasant.

I saw some news on S. Korea the other day and the weather looked positively frigid. That would kill me!

[markj]

It seems that salary may not be as important as how much you can save. Because the cost of living in Taiwan is lower, you can still save. Someone posted that they could save $1000 US....that is about what you do in Korea. Given the better quality of life in Taiwan, that makes living in Taiwan the clear choice.

[naturegirl321]

[pest2]

Yeah, as Nature pointed out, if you worked in Korea as an epik teacher (in a public school) and dont have a real teaching license, Taiwan will be a much bigger let down. In Korea, I had a free (thoughbeit crapy) apartment AND got paid 2800$US -- increased because I had experience and a TEFL cert. Of course, I saved a s-load of cash. I rarely taught more than 23 classes (each class being about 45 minutes) per week; usually it was about 19. I got 2 weeks of official vacation and then the school isn't opened for 2 months (but you're supposed to take your vacation when the school isn't opened).

In Taiwan, it looks like Im getting about about 2100$US per month, but I have to pay for my apartment (which, after living in the s-hole I had in Korea, is very nice; I decided to pay a bit more to get a nicer place). After the apartment, I only have 1700$ left...

Also, if you are just arriving in Taiwan, you will have to pay 20% tax for the first 6 months whereas in Korea, its more like 7% the whole time....

So, in my case, my net earnings in Taiwan are 1100$US less, as an optimistic figure....

And no, it doesn't seem like the schools in Taiwan care about having a TEFL, having experience outside of Taiwan, etc. They pay you the same as a fresh college grad w/ no teaching experience.

From what I've seen (like, insofar as interviewing at several schools here and finally settling for a job), the schools in Taiwan present you with contracts that are very very one-sided compared to what you're likely to get in Korea. For example, at my school, if you dont call in sick a full 30 hours before a class, you have to make up that class later and teach another class without getting paid as a punitive measure.

In short, English teaching jobs in Taiwan suck unless you are a "professional teacher." (In Taiwan, if you dont have a teaching certificate, you are an amateur teacher(??))

On the other hand, I am much happier now that I'm in Taiwan.. remove the bad work situation, and its a pretty fun place. The people are much nicer, food is much better, culture more forgiving and accomodating... I dont need to mention what everyone else in this thread already said on those points....

Honestly, though, the work situation here is bad.... If you dont want to go to Korea and you have experience and a TEFL, I'd think twice about it. Vietnam has a rapidly expanding market right now and they will value your experience and TEFL... same with Thailand, it seems. Even though I really like Taiwan, I dont think its the place to be for teaching at this time.

[maingman]

Miyazaki wrote :


The housing in Korea, based on my personal experience, is much nicer and either free or subsizized by the instructor's school in Korea. Some of the free apartments thrown in as part of a teacher's contract that I've seen in Korea have been pretty darn nice.




.......really!?

[JZer]

Well pest2 summed up Taiwan well. I can only see two real reasons to be in Taiwan. Either you come here to learn Mandarin or because you want to date local girls since it is about 100 times easier to date local girls in Taiwan than in Korea.

[773]

[louplo]

The taxes in Korea should be around 3% NOT 7%. Many schools take more in order to save a little money (bad directors!).