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AgentMulderUK
Joined: 22 Sep 2003
Posts: 360
Location: Concrete jungle (Tokyo)
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 Posted: Tue May 13, 2008 9:33 am Post subject: Japan Taiwan Comparison |
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Can anyone out there offered a decent comparison?
I know Japan well, but I am also thinking about other places too. Then Taiwan drifted into my mind.
I suppose I am interested in how these aspects compare.
(1) Ease of finding employment from OUTside of the country, assuming degree, tesol cert and some years' experience.
(2) Ease of finding employment from INside of the country
(3) Discrimation based on age? I am a "young" 39 now. Age discrimination in Japan is blatant, shocking and endemic.
(4) How the locals react to you? Are thye friendly? Are genuine friendships possible or does it stay on various levels of surface nothingness such as in Japan?
(5) Whats the job balance out there in terms of hours worked. Japan is about 28-30 teaching hours I suppose.
(6) Is a work visa like gold dust or covered with layers of crap like it is in Japan?
Ta ! |
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jotham
Joined: 05 Jul 2007
Posts: 77
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| Posted: Mon May 19, 2008 3:03 pm Post subject: Re: Japan Taiwan Comparison |
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| AgentMulderUK wrote: |
Can anyone out there offered a decent comparison?
I know Japan well, but I am also thinking about other places too. Then Taiwan drifted into my mind.
I suppose I am interested in how these aspects compare.
(1) Ease of finding employment from OUTside of the country, assuming degree, tesol cert and some years' experience.
(2) Ease of finding employment from INside of the country |
I've not been a teacher, but speaking generally, I think it's probably much easier to find employment in Taiwan than Japan. It seems Japanese will mark you down in such areas as formalities, likability, education, and connections and strict adherence to non-sensical rules about such when it comes to the application process. (Taiwanese sometimes go to the other extreme and throw the rules out the window). Again, this may not apply to teaching so much.
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| (3) Discrimation based on age? I am a "young" 39 now. Age discrimination in Japan is blatant, shocking and endemic. |
Whether or not age discrimination is blatant, I'm not sure -- but I find that Taiwanese are generally much more relaxed and casual than Japanese.
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| (4) How the locals react to you? Are thye friendly? Are genuine friendships possible or does it stay on various levels of surface nothingness such as in Japan? |
Definitely a plus here for Taiwan. I have tons of friends in Taiwan. And making friends is relatively easy. Conversation seems to be so spontaneous and natural even among strangers in Taiwan. They're pretty folksy. I'm amazed at the chit-chats I've had in the darndest places, for instance, with someone handing out flyers as I'm waiting for friends...this just doesn't happen to me in Japan. And you'll keep friends for the length of your entire stay. When I went to Japan, I had fellow foreign friends who'd been there tell me not to expect many friends. I thought they must have just had a bad experience. But I've long decided that they were quite right.
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| (6) Is a work visa like gold dust or covered with layers of crap like it is in Japan? |
Could you expand? The visa stays with the employer and the process must usually be renewed upon new employment (or purposely coordinated between employers). In Japan, you can move around on one visa, which means some foreigners take advantage of the employer providing visa, and use it as a footstep for better employment. This means it's very difficult for foreigners to get that first visa, because employers don't want to get burnt. This shouldn't be the case in Taiwan. |
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AgentMulderUK
Joined: 22 Sep 2003
Posts: 360
Location: Concrete jungle (Tokyo)
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| Posted: Fri May 23, 2008 6:56 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks Jotham for the answers. I read them all with interest.
Well, in the end I decided its better the devil you know. For now.... |
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markholmes
Joined: 21 Jun 2004
Posts: 661
Location: Wengehua
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| Posted: Sat May 24, 2008 3:26 am Post subject: |
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| Shame. I agree with Jotham completely. I was a teacher in both. |
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