Job Discussion Forums

[aahz]

Update:
Well, I've been working a few weeks and so far it has been stressful but fun. We had our first typhoon yesterday, and it was a bit of a let down. Basically the gym was closed, everything public was closed...but the breakfast place around the corner? Open.
I've been losing weight pretty consistently, which is great news. I'm down another four kilos since Hong Kong (four weeks ago), so I'm very happy with my progress.
School has been a bit stressful. I'm not used to teaching kids this young and they require a lot of energy. But it's something I'm okay with... I love some days, and some days I don't even have to shout at all! (yay!) Of course it doesn't help that one of the teachers quit the job without notice and teaching originally meant for six teachers was being done with four.

[aahz]

Been working for a few months and it has settled into a nice rhythm. The teaching is a lot easier, there's very little stress, and I find myself getting bored at work.
On the personal front, I've lost quite a bit more weight, down 19 kilos since Hong Kong. I started at 137 when I came to Taiwan in June, now I'm at 104.5 today. I've upped the exercise if not changed my diet very much. So I know I'll hit my goal of 100 by January 1st.

[Insubordination]

Wow! That's a lot of weight to lose. Congratulations!

[aahz]

Doing well here in Taiwan. It's been quite a few months now. Week 6 of the second semester.
First of all, I'm down to 88 kilograms, or about 195 pds. When I came to Taiwan I was about 305.
I have a lot of things I've learned about Taiwan. There's some stuff I don't like, some stuff I enjoy. Some of the stuff that I don't like are probably good for me... Like, the food in Taiwan is so bad that it has probably helped me lose weight.
But anyways, I'm doing well. Not sure if I'm going to stay another year, even though my job is pretty much guaranteed if I decide to.

[globalgourmand]

Wow, aahz. Thank you so much for sharing your experiences here (and congrats on the weight!) I've really had a great deal of trepidation in my plans to come to Taiwan (I'm still in the US) but your experience has been rather consoling to me. I'm still nervous because I feel my resume may be a bit weaker than yours. I don't have any formal teaching experience. Still, its decent and I'd be very happy if I ended up having a fraction of the same success that you have had upon arrival.

One question I have is what did you do about your return ticket home?

Did you go into schools only with resume & diploma or also with cover letter?

Were copies of birth certificate & diploma adequate or did you need to have the real thing? And --DAMN--- I'm just realizing this now.... my birth certificate has a different last name on it (my birthfather's) than I have now... (it was changed as an infant to my mother's maiden.) Ugh I hope that won't be an issue... I do have my name-change certificate having already gone through the headache with my first passport application years back.

I also wonder how you communicated with the recruiter(s) and school(s) upon arrival? Hotel phone? Cell phone? E-mail? In person?

How much money did you arrive (including savings/checking?) Did you access it through ATM?

Another questions is why do you find the food so bad? I'd love to lose some weight in Taiwan and I hope I do, but I'm a VERY serious foodie and I am rather accustomed to traditional Asian flavor profiles. Usually losing weight for me has to do with activity level only because "diet" is just not something I can do.

Also, did you get any negative reactions about your weight upon arrival? Rude looks or comments? I'm a little insecure to arrive and feel really obese! (I'd be considered 'average' here in the US ...unfortunately.)

I'll leave it at that. These forum threads have so much information and a lot of it comes from wonderfully helpful senior members and expats but its nice to have so much input from a newcomer/freshman ESL teacher in Taiwan. Thank you very much.

[JZer]

Yes, it would be a good idea to purchase a cell phone when you arrive to communicate with schools.

[bellam4x]