Job Discussion Forums

[phil82]

My friend and I are coming over from England in February and have arranged jobs in the south of Taiwan. I don't exactly where but have been told in the Kaohsiung Tainan area.

After reading some of the older posts I am starting to think this is a bad idea as everyone seems to reccomend that new teachers go to Taipei.

Will there be (a lot of) other foreign teachers in these cities?

Should I think about finding another job, perhaps in Taipei or Taichung?

[jason_seeburn]

][][

[Xenophobe]

My wife and I spent five years in Kaohsiung and while I would agree about the summer temperatures, I didn't notice any fighting in the streets that wasn't traffic related. Kaohsiung from the time we arrived until the time we left changed quite abit. There are more foreign restaurants(TGIF, Swensens, Theresa's I & II, Bagel Bagel I & II as well as all the restaurants belonging to Amy's and more) there now, a Warner Village cineplex, Costco and they began work on their subway. Kaohsiung is small enough in area that nothing is very far away, ecspeciallly Kenting. Sanming is a nice district to live in as it is new and upscale with many schools and foreign residents. Some good schools there are Superkids, IAES(a very good place to work), Junior Jungle and American English. My biggest complaints about Kaohsiung other than the heat, was the incredible pollution and the insane traffic. I kid you not when I say there was sometimes a haze betwwen the ground and our apartment on the 28th floor (oh yeah, no shakers in Kaohsiung ) Traffic seemed worse in Kaohsiung then in Taipei as you had to look both ways when crossing the sidewalk. I found out the expensive way that taking windshields out on motorists who cut you off is not the best solution, though it does feel good initially. So don't worry, Kaohsiung is nothing to be intimidated by. If you feel like things are getting too nuts, head to Hong Kong, Taipei, Kenting or Macao for a breather.

[Pop Fly]

[Aristotle]

Take the time to look around and talk to people teaching at the school you want to teach at.
Ask about any problems that they have experienced.
You need to be in Taiwan to find a good job.

[TaoyuanSteve]

What concerns me is the original poster's statement that the jobs they took (from overseas, no less) are in the Kaohsiung/Tainan area. He should try to find out exactly where. There's no doubt that Kaohsiung city proper should be adequate for a new foreigner, but I get the sense that they're being sent to some outlying area between Kaohsiung and Tainan. If this is the case, they are heading for an area with near absolute zero foreigner population, ditto for locals' English ability. Prepare for loneliness, culture shock and linguistic islolation to the power of ten. To the original poster, I would suggest the following: find out exactly where it is that you have accepted employment; read the posts on this forum concerning recruiters (also an article on tealit.com on the same topic); and, if possible, wait until you get here to find a job in an area you actually might want to live in.

[phil82]

TaoyuanSteve - Thanks for that. That was my real worry too, that we would be stuck in some little town in the middle of nowhere. I need to find out where I will be exactly before I can really make a decision, I guess.

Also, I noticed somebody else said that you have to be in Taiwan to get a good job. I have read this elsewhere on the site but is this really the best way to go about things. Just turn up in Taiwan and then start looking for jobs?

[phil82]

Hi there again. You might as well just disregard everything I have said. Fortunately, I was looking through some of the older posts and realised I was about to make a mistake. The guy who has been calling me to arrange stuff said his name was Andrew Lin, which i gather is a common hoax.

From reading all these, everyone seems to reccomend that we shouldn't go with a recruitment company. So should I just turn up, find an apartment where I want to live and then go looking for schools?

I would appreciate any tips anyone has on job hunting. We have already booked our flights and are currently applying for Visa's. We will arrive in Taiwan at the end of January. 28th I think.

Also, on the visa form, what should I put for my address and phone number in taiwan?

[brian]

Phil I doubt that anyone who was in the know would actually recommend that coming through a recruiter would be in your best interests. While it might seem a bit intimidating to just arrive here without a job or guaranteed income, you can be very confident that you can land a job or two within a week of looking around. This would be true provided that you can meet the requirements of what schools are looking for i.e., from a native English speaking country, with a full degree, and preferably under 35. Not strict guidelines, but they will help your chances of landing a job considerably.

You will no doubt need to line up a hotel for your arrival so just put that as your address here.

It might be best to find a job before you find a house, so hit the pavement the first day. You dont need to overdress, but wear at least smart casual, and take some form of regime with you so that you can leave something behind for them to consider. Dont be too worried, you will find something!

[jason_seeburn]

][][

[brian]

I don't have anything against recruiters as a group but you would be well advised to avoid dealing with certain recruiters that rightly or wrongly have a bad name here. Andrew Lin is one of these. It is not worth the trouble.

If you definitely want to deal with one then try AAC as they have a pretty good reputation as far as I know.

If it hasn't already become obvious, the best advice would be to stick with one of the bigger cities - Taipei, Kaoshiung, Taichung or Tainan. I live in Taipei and can certainly recommend it. I have never lived in the south of the island and therefore would never be so presumptuous as to assume that I could recommend living there or not. By all accounts it has its advantages and therefore I wouldn't recommend against it if you are adverse to living in Taipei. After your first year you could then consider a move to somewhere more scenic - read remote!

[TaoyuanSteve]

To the original poster: I think you are safer to arrive here on your own and do your own job search. Most companies will not process your work permit and entry visa outside of Taiwan. So, even if you accept a job from a recruiter, you are not actually hired until you get here. Trust me, plenty can go wrong between the time you accept the job and the time you actually get here. You also should take the opportunity to find an area that you might actually want to live in, rather than be sent somewhere by a recruiter. Another poster suggests you should find out what school Andrew Lin is representing. I think you've already read past posts on the Andrew Lin subject, so I don't have to tell you talking to whoever is claiming to be Andrew is a very bad move. You likely won't get information from a recruiter that will let you contact the school directly anyway. They don't want to be cut out of the picture.

If you want access to foreigner amenities, Taipei is where you want to go.

[jason_seeburn]

][[]

[brian]

Unfortunately the recruiter that Jason refers to is no longer in the business. It is probably best to concentrate on those that are.

As a general rule recruiters won't give you contact details to schools. As Taoyuansteve points out, they want to protect their business interests, and this is fair enough if you ask me. I doubt that many schools wouldnt try to deal with you direct if it meant that they could cut the middle man out of the deal. This isnt a strictly Taiwan phenomena, but can be found in most if not every country of the world. Even if you didnt end up taking the job, you may pass the schools contact info onto a friend without thinking about the repercussions, all of which would result in the recruiter missing out on a deal.

By all means request that a recruiter enable you to contact the school, but don't get upset if they don't oblige.

As a side note: Surely a shonky recruiter would just give you a friend or colleagues number and get them to pretend that they are the school. If the recruiters intentions are less than admirable then there is very little that you can do. Other than visit the school yourself when you are here - which is the advice that everyone gives anyway. DON'T SIGN A CONTRACT FROM OVERSEAS!

[TaoyuanSteve]

This isn't a dig, simply information people who are about to make a major move need to know in order to protect themselves: The forum user Jason Seeburn 1) no longer resides in Taiwan 2) was only here for a period not exceeding 9 months

On the topic of recruiters, I'm sure there are satisfied customers out there. There has to be. But it's been my experience, and that of all I've ever met who've trusted recruiters (especially from overseas), that these individuals are not to be trusted. The risk factor is too high. I guess one of the strongest arguments I can make against recruiters is simply that they are a sixth toe: not needed. There are ample jobs. If you're qualified, you can get a job with little effort.