Job Discussion Forums

[trw]

Hi all,
I've got a job in Jhong-Li starting at the end of August. I've never been to Taiwan, but I've got several friends from there, and the consensus seems to be that Jhong-Li might not be the greatest place to live. Of course, I'm going to check it out myself, but if I do decide to find a place elsewhere, can anyone suggest where I might look? I've heard pretty good things about Banciao, but when I mention this to Taiwanese friends, they seem to think that it's too far. I wonder if we have different concepts of "far", as it doesn't really look so far from Jhong-Li on the map. Anyway, any advice would be appreciated.
trw

[BigWally]

I had Taiwanese friends that we're shocked that I lived at ChengChing Lake in Kaohsiung, and drove so far to work everyday to Tsoying. The drive on my scooter took 10-15 min depending on traffic and weather, and that was considered "far". I even had students who told me their families would go to ChengChing Lake only on the weekends to get away from the city. I guess when you can drive from tip to tip of your country in only 7 hours its all relative.

I mean compared to driving 7 hours to get from Toronto to Montreal its a big difference. I can even remember when my dad was younger he would commute 1 1/2hrs to 2hrs every day (each way!!).

[forest1979]

I concur with Big Wally's comments but OP...Banciao is not the kind of place many people have good things to say. In fact I wonder if your friends only go there for bars, etc., and haven't lived there as the city itself is the kind of place most people run from. Lack in urban planning, except for a small civic core, and without a metro link to central Taipei no one would even know of Banciao...it's just so non-descript! There are far better places to live and work, and as Big Wally has shown in numerous threads many of these are not satellites of Taipei but settlements dotted in the southern end of the island.

[yamahuh]

Banciao to Jong-Li would take you more time than it's worth to get to and from work every day. If you're set on working in Jong-Li I'd suggest Longtan as a good place to reside. It's close to the mountains, air is cleaner and you can be in Jong Li in 20 minutes on a scooter ... oh and rent is way cheaper than it would be in Banciao.

Are you going to be working for Gloria English?

[enoch83]

several of my taiwanese colleagues live in taoyuan and they commute everyday by rail. it takes 40min each way. its not a bad idea i think. u'll get paid more in banqiao and rent will be cheaper in jhong li. but if u could find work in jhong li that paid well enough then that'd be better. as for that other guy's opinion of banqiao, i disagree with. i like banqiao. i work near the fuzhong MRT station and its young and lively. which is diametrically opposed to where i live (in Wanhua in the City). nobody would know of anywhere in taipei if it wasnt for the metro so disregard that fact. the "lack of urban planning" is taiwan's architectural trademark. the organic growth i feel is what makes it special. its not so cookie cutter as china and america. although i do hate the buildings facades as they are eternally dreadful to look at.

[forest1979]

I think there's some major practical points being overlooked by Enoch. For a start the OP is a complete newbie to Taiwan. Never been before, and so we can assume a non-Chinese speaker. This will limit his/her ability to do even the most mundane of tasks, e.g. getting about, upon first arriving in Taiwan. Therefore is suggesting commuting, just like the locals do, really a good idea? Then there's time aspects - 40 minutes by train, time getting from the train station to the place of work, time from home to the train station - we're talking of upwards on an hour each direction, twice a day, a minimum of 5 days per week. This is even before we know what type of contract the OP has. I mean what happen is he/she has early starts of late evening classes? Will she have to get up at the crack of dawn or get home well past 10 pm?

I'm also baffled by the comments on Banqiao. It has a perfectly Taiwanese architectural environment, which you admire, but detest the way it looks? Isn't that a contradiction? Plus "nobody would know anywhere in Taipei if it wasn't for the metro" - well, shame about Hsin Peitou - spas, Guangdu - temple, Danshui - seaside town.

OP - my advice, at least for the first few months is to find somewhere local to live in comparison to where you will work, and then will you feel more confident with the environment, your place in it, and the culture, try to spread your wings. Maybe commuting a little by that point would help, at least financially. Also, there's threads on Taoyuan. As helpful as Enoch is trying to be maybe at first play safe. Live/work as close together as you can. Be adventurous later, maybe like the local do.

[steve_c]

[JZer]

Well, I commuted from Taipei to Jongli for the last four months. Now I am looking for a new job and hope to be back in Taipei soon.

[forest1979]

But how long have you been in Taiwan JZer?

You didn't just arrive four months ago.

[JZer]

I have been in Taiwan for less than a year. I didn't even know about the 50 times train pass until I started doing it.

If Epoch decides to commute he should by a pass for 50 times. It saves money and also time since you don't have to waste your time buying tickets every day.

[JZer]

Please be aware that except for the bullet train, the people at the counter for the local train can barely speak English. If you cannot speak Mandarin or Taiwanese you might have some difficulties buying your ticket.

[trw]

Thanks to everyone for the advice. I'll probably have a fairly soft landing as I'll be staying with a Taiwanese friend near Jhong-li at first (and no, I don't speak Chinese of any variety). I plan to spend the first week or so checking out the whole area and doing some trial commutes to see how it goes. Maybe the time and money saved by living in Jhong-Li would make it worthwhile. I would say a one-hour commute each way would be my limit, and if that involved multiple transfers then it would probably be more trouble than it's worth.

[JZer]

It depends how close your school is to the train station!!!

If your school is near the train station it will take 30 minutes to get from Banchiao to Jongli. Furthermore you should by a ticket for 50 times.

Furthermore it depends how often you want to go to Taipei. If you go to Taipei every weekend and rent a hotel you would probably be better off living in Banchiao or Taipei.

[forest1979]

trw - Irrespective of where you live, good luck for your job and your time in Taiwan!

[JZer]

trw, what school will you be working for?