Job Discussion Forums

jgmodlin · Joined: 01 Mar 2006 Posts: 120 Location: USA

I was wondering if anyone can weigh in on what it is like bringing a spouse and a child/children to Taiwan. My wife, Japanese, and I are expecting our first soon and have given serious consideration to moving to s.e. Asia. We both have been interested in Taiwan as a place to live and have heard that they are pretty welcoming to Japanese.

My wife is pretty adventurous and likes the idea of us moving back to Asia from here in the USA so that she can be closer to family in Japan and experience something new. I am currently teaching public high school ESL and would like to put my teacher's certification and previous Japanese TEFL experience to work.

Anyway, let me know what your experiences have been. Is there any advantage to urban or rural areas as far as family life goes? If you left a middle class job in your home country did you worry about imposing financial hardship or neglecting future savings?

I am also posting this on Vietnam's forum as we had considered it as an option as well.

BigWally · Posted: Thu Feb 12, 2009 6:08 pm Post subject:

I think raising a child in Taiwan would be the worst thing you could do to a child. Especially an infant.

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

I think the main problem wouldn't be your child, but your wife getting bored and having few family and friends around her. I think having a child in Taiwan would be ok up to school age, but after that, obviously there are problems and you probably wouldn't want to put your child in a Taiwanese school.

However, if you are teaching high school in the US, then I guess you are certified. If so, you should be looking at international schools, not ESL schools. Conditions and salaries are way better. Go to www.internationalschoolsreview.com and check out the forum there.

My wife and I were ESL teachers in Taiwan and Japan and are currently getting qualified as elementary school teachers in order to move back to Asia. We will be bringing a five year old who will get free tuition at the school we work in (one of the perks).

timmyjames1976 · Joined: 26 Jan 2005 Posts: 148

jgmodlin · Joined: 01 Mar 2006 Posts: 120 Location: USA

Thanks all for some great thoughts on Taiwan - with a kid, as a place to do ESL, and the current market. I went through a career switcher program here through the state of Virginia in order to get my teacher's certification. I highly recommend one of the many similar programs being offered these days in most states to address teacher shortages. Fortunately, one of the critical need areas in most states is ESL.
I have been looking into international schools which seem to be the best route to take.
Yes, I do imagine that life with a yard and a car seat would be much more pleasant. I recall thinking how inconvenient Tokyo would be if you had to lug a stroller all around on subways. In fact most Japanese women and their babies are not to be seen. I always wondered if they just stayed home until the kid was old enough to walk or what?
I guess part of my motivation for wanting to go back abroad is due to having gotten the travel bug in my system. I guess those of you planning to return home will see what I mean later. I ran into an older guy the other day out shopping who i discovered had lived for over ten years abroad teaching in the Philippines and Taiwan. He shared the same feeling of not being able to fully settle into the mundane patterns of life and the total lack of interest of things international that seem to be felt by most of your neighbors back home.
I do appreciate the thoughts and advice on Taiwan. Have any of you found there to be any sort of kinship between Japanese and Taiwanese? I know there is no love lost over in Korea and mainland China, but I had heard from a number of Japanese how they had felt good vibes from the Taiwanese. Maybe some sort of Japanese expat scene there too? Would there be half-way livable suburbs within commuting distance of the big cities?