Job Discussion Forums

[wood]

Aristotle writes about a place which I've never been to. I have been here for nearly five years. I have changed jobs three or four times and none of the changes have been of the malicious nature. The people I've worked for have generally been fair and above board. I'm in Taipei and don't really know what goes on down south. I also know that our school has fired at least three teachers because they weren't pulling their weight. They would probably have plenty negative to say about Taipei. I'd say that any teacher coming to Taiwan ought to be prepared to work for their money (this may seem silly, but many people expect to be paid for being white) and ought to be responsible. In other words, do what you say you'll do. If the school screws you then, there may be a problem. Many problems that arise here, however, arise from unrealistic expectations and selfishness. Do what you say you'll do and you probably won't have many problems, despite what aristotle says.
Living in Taipei, perhaps, has skewed my view.

[Union Jack]

I first came to Taiwan over ten years ago and I have had many positive experiences. There is a lot to see if you only get out and have a look. The other good thing is that it is not that expensive to get around and the transport systems is pretty good ( Taipei is the best). I must say that the people here are generally very nice and positive to foreigners.
One word of warning. This is not your own country so please expect things to be done a little different. For example I would say that when dealing with schools get everything in writing, ask lots of questions and if you are not happy before you sign a contract walk away from it. Don't complain about contract terms after you sign a contract.
I would say that there are good and bad schools out there and sometimes you never really know how good they are until you start. You could however start to work for a big school and get some training before looking for a smaller school.
The best thing is to be careful and have fun but respect the locals and the way they do business. Sometimes they are not honest and not exactly the way westerns do things.