Job Discussion Forums

[Jgplk1]

I am applying for a job in Taipei and am hopefully coming out in November.

I have been reading a lot of peoples views on here but am taking most with a pinch of salt.

Does anyone have any advice for new comers to Taipei?
What is the bar/club scene like?
Is there anywhere you can watch Premiership football?
Are there certain bars where a lot of ex pats meet etc?

Also what are the locals like to mix with? Do the Asian men get pissed off if we see/date Asian women?

[Ki]

Probably the best thing you can do is to come to Taipei first to find a job rather than to look for the job from abroad. If you absolutely must have something secured before you arrive then make absolute sure that it is with a school and not a recruiter. Only use a recruiter if you are already in Taiwan and that you sign your contract with the school. Never sign a contract with a recruiter, or agent, or consultant company, or whatever else they want to call themselves. Never give your degree or passport to a recruiter. They only want these things to hold against you to make sure you stay with them and not leave.

Come to Taipei and book into a hostel. There will be a lot of people in similar situations as yourself. They are also good places to find work and make new friends.

The bar/club scene is quite good. Something for everyone but way too much hiphop for my liking. It sounds like you want to go to the Brass Monkey. You can watch all mannor of sports there and it is a massive ex pat hang out.

The locals are fine to mix with. Most foreigner guys date Taiwanese girls so don't worry about that. Be prepared for lots and lots of games. But it is not impossible to find someone trully special here.

[Welshguy]

Hi,

Premiership football is fairly readily available and the Taiwanese women are generally very expat positive though there have been incidents of expats being attacked for being with them in the wrong places at the wrong times. I think the local blokes get a bit jealous. Naturally all sorts of girl games going on but you can negate this by having two or three of them on the go at the same time, so while they are plotting and scheming you can be otherwise engaged having a laugh. I am told by male and female friends/students/aquaints that it is something of a status thing for them to have European partners.

General rules for coming to taiwan include not dealing with agents such as Jenny Lai, Irene Lin (Cosmos hotel) or Andrew Lin (no relation as far as I know) and the usual suspects of which there is more on this board. Suspend disbelief: The chinese have a special gene which makes them tell lies all the time about everything, its not their fault its apparently genetic. So your contract is just an arbitary collection of words with no particular meaning at all. Live with it!

Pinch of salt. Bring plenty of salt as you have to learn to take a lot of things with a pinch thereof.

There are some pretty good expat bars and people are generally ok and its quite a friendly scene. Beer is alarmingly cheap in 7-11 as well for those after pub parties.

Hope it works well and happy trails.

W

[kuberkat]

1. Vitamins
2. Lots of bars, some good clubs (Ministry of Sound and some groovy private spots) and many middle-of-the-road clubs. Oh, and did I mention KTV?
3.INternational sports wont' be a problem: see 4.
4. Plenty. Easy to find.
5. Most urbanites grab the opportunity to get to know foreigners, though don't expect to learn Chinese that way: you will be on permanent language exchange duty.
Overheard on an airport bus:
Oldie to newbie: We all have Chinese girlfriends. You'll have one by next week.
Please treat them nice: many a sweet little la-mei has turned into a vengeful vixen out to break foreign hearts because she's been hurt.
Most decent Taiwanese guys are too much in awe of the foreign males to object, though it must really irk them. It's a very polite society: being diplomatic about this will pay off.