Job Discussion Forums

[Eyrick3]

How does it compare to the mainland?

I'm able to save quite a bit here, as the cost of living is so low. Is it possible to save a lot on a salary of 100k TWD? Is this type of salary typical in Taipei?

[forest1979]

NT$ 100,000 is about 3 times higher than the average salary in Taiwan. If you can't save money on that sort of salary then there is really no hope.

Incidentally, where on the Mainland are you based? If you're not in one of the major metropolises then things should be dirt cheap. Whilst things are cheap in Taiwan they are more expensive than the China.

[funkystuff]

[Eyrick3]

[Eyrick3]

Also, I've yet to find any postings by these types of schools looking for teachers. The only offer I found was on that blog where the article is, by a school named "Pagewood", but I'm not sure how dated it is.

[funkystuff]

Eyrick3 wrote: "No, but I came across this article which makes it sound like a 100k TWD salary is not uncommon."

Making 100K a month in Taiwan is UNCOMMON, but possible. In the private sector, you could make around 50-60K teaching f/t, but you'd have to supplement this outside with p/t gigs, which start at around NT$500 at a chain school, such as Global Village, and can rise to as much as $NT800 for TOEFL/IELTS/GRE classes. You could also look for private students too and charge between $NT500 and $NT1000, depending on their needs and your qualifications/experience.

You mention HFRBs, but these jobs aren't easy to find and they are usually given to 'friends' of 'friends'. Further, the guys that have set the HFRBs up prefer it if you've worked in Taiwan for a while, know the ropes, and speak some Chinese. They also have their own methods, although I can't vouch for them because I've never worked at a HFRB. Nevertheless, they do promise big bucks. Who knows? It might just be hype?

To sum up: It is possible to make 100K, but you'll be working like a dog to do it. Many old hands in Taiwan make do with 60K a month, which leaves them with time to chill.

[Eyrick3]

Funkystuff, thank you for the informative replies. Much appreciated.

[funkystuff]

Remember too that you'll need a BA degree to get a working visa to work at a buxiban in Taiwan. If you have an MA, you could work at a buxiban or ELC attached to a university, and if you hold a Ph.d, you could find a f/t position at a university there. Most f/t gigs in the private sector are kids, but adult classes are possible in the evenings and weekends, although from what I've heard/read, adult classes in Taiwan are starting to dry up. Before I moved to Thailand, I used to check these websites in Taiwan for jobs: www.esl99.com, www.tealit.com, and www.taiwan-taipei.com.

My advice is to stay in China . . . the market is so much bigger there and is still growing, while the market in Taiwan is shrinking because of falling birth rates.

[forest1979]

Eyrick3 - In response to your article about bonuses I have come across places paying NT$100,000 bonueses - this was universities to their professors as a CNY bonus.

As for NT$300,000 the only places that pay this out would be expatriate companies working on the island. No where in the TEFL industry in Taiwan today pays out this kind of sum. If they did the demand for jobs would be enormous, and so impossible to get.

[JZer]

[Eyrick3]

Ive heard many teachers on the mainland poo-poo on the "low pay" of the mainland. On average, the experienced BA holder with experience and a TESOL will be paid somewhere around 1000 USD a month or more.

In cities where the cost of living is dirt cheap, like Harbin where I first started, it's possible to save 70 - 80% of that. Even here in Beijing it's not impossible to save that much of one's salary.

I, like everyone else, am just keeping my options open. I was linked to that article by another one an it seemed too good to be true. It makes sense that those HFRB would be rare and difficult to get.

I'll probably stick it out here for a bit longer. The pay is decent, and hours low. Plus, after all this time learning Mandarin on the mainland, I don't think my ears would fair to well with the Taiwanese accent.

[funkystuff]

[funkystuff]

[enoch83]

my take on it is that although the pay here is higher than China (prob about double the avg), the cost of living in taipei is about double if not more than most places. i used to live in beijing and i was appalled at the price increase when i first moved here. prices here for almost everything (groceries, entertainment, commodities) are the same price as in america. rent is slightly cheaper, but you'll prob pay about $8000/month for a shared apt. if u like going to pubs, you'll burn a whole in your pocket. added to that is the fact that you can't bargain for shit here like in china. although haggling for everything did get burdensome after a while in beijing, once u got it down you could really save some cash. here i've had women scoff at me and walk away when i suggested a lower price. it was opposite in beijing, i was the one scoffing and walking away lol.
When i was trying to save $ on a $60K/m salary, i found that i spent about $28K/m for everything (that was with a little entertainment but not much). having a non-drinking hobby can really help you save $ here. I second the notion mentioned above that you should stay in china. the market is rising there while it is shrinking here. (i was recently laid off at the end of my contract). If you can speak chinese and dont plan on leaving asia, i would find a Chinese partner and set up a school somewhere. that idea is a strong possibility in china, while is only has slim chances of being successful here (as the market is quite flooded).

[MomCat]