Job Discussion Forums

[BJ]

Just a note to say hello all. Having lurked around these boards for a few years I must say they do seem to have become a bitter batterfield over the last few months - nit picking perhaps a better word.
Having lived on this Island for the last 12 years (I must therefore be a crazy old fart) I have been through so many changes of/in regulations that your head would spin.
What promted me to write was the question of wether or not to have an onward ticket. Yes you can get in the country without one - but nearly all airlines ask for priof these days of onward travel or they wont allow you (and yes they can stop you) from boarding. Allowing a custoimer to place themselves in trouble causes them to be liable for deportation and costs incured (though good luck witht he court case). Arrive in TAiwan without and the imigration that one day carries your bag will the next wake upon the other side of the bed and follow the new, flavour of the week, commands of their superiors. They can refuse entry and deport - not often done but beware they can.
Foreigners do get hassled and deported no doubts about it - The Taiwan jails also house some western people, although Taiwan police normally make it clear to a person to 'leg it' over small drug offences, infringements - and yes the police know all about the Chungli - Hsinchu conection - and the supliers of illegal substances to the foreign community (a post a while back). Deportations for illegally working in Taiwan also occur (sorry to contradict some earlier post) - one example Frobel school Taoyuen - some say they forgot to pay the police (though thats is a theory im not sure on:) put i knew personally 3 deported and the fear most foregners had who lived here in 1994. (I know a while ago but every few years they have a purge and actually its due around now (looks for helmet))
Driving licences - accidental killings of natives - reperations - payments - seen them all -
All i really want to say is a lot of things happen here and no two days are the same - your and a few friedns experiences - may well differ from others - just put forward what you know as factually as possible and dont knit pick. Acknowledge that on occasion we might be wrong.
I have taught here for those 12 years in various places - last 6 years at colleges and universities - as faculty I just love the 4 months paid vacation - salary yes it is small 54k basic 12 hours a week - can work 18 for around 70k basic MA lecturer - more dependent on qualification or position. I teach monday evening (3), tuesday wednesday and Thursday 10 - 4.30 (16) - Very happy with that:) - if i want to earn more i can legally work for another university for 4- 6 hours - privates well thats up to you, illegal working Saturdays and SUndays - again up to you - but as a base - UI really cant beloieve that it isnt a good one:)
So rambling now. awaiting the response,
BJ

[brian]

Hey BJ, thanks for the comments. No doubt some will have a go at you with the standard ' just because you have been here for a while you think you know everything' rhetoric, but we all get that.

I hope that you can share more of your experinces with us, and agree absolutely that we should be posting on personal experience and regulations, rather than heresay or guesstimates.

As far as your job goes, I love the sound of the holidays. Four months off, mmm, sounds good!! There is more than getting top dollar per hour isnt there.

[MixtecaMike]

Hello there BJ

As someone who has yet to get to Taiwan I would really appreciate it if you could share some of your experiences in different places, especially different parts of the country.

As we say in Mexico, "Don't be bad" and put some of these spare time hours to use posting here.

Cheers

[BJ]

Basically for detail read other posts - but a simple genraliszation would be

The north - Taipei (capital city everything you would expect - lot of work - lots of expats various kinds) - more expensive in central areas cheper in outskirts (depending of course) graet for the young lots to do and spend money on.

Taoyuen/chungli (industrial towns nearer airport) cheaper than TAepei and about 35-55 mins away by train.

Hsinchu - good industrial park for High tech companies
Central
Taichung (central capital a smaller version of Taeipei stille xpensive but everything is there) little warmer some say best of the 3 main cities - for air and temperature
3 hours from Teipei by train.

Changhua smaller city cheaper to live not so much to do
SOuth
Kaoshung - Hot city but if you dont mind the heat a good spot as it puts many foreign teachers off. 2nd city in TAiwan - own airport - port city lots of teaching palces to eat etc.

BAsically Taiwan is just like most countries these days - pay ya money and live as you wish - expect to pay more downtown and in larger cities.

Work is relatively easy to find - but i would give yourself a month to get a reasonable amount of work. Some are lucky and find full time Kindies (lower pay - salaried 2 weeks paid hols normal) - others want the bucks - less hours higher paid couple of hours here and there places no visa - means travel from oone KIndy to another place of work normally. Come in blind and will take you time to find the other foreigners in smaller cities - but rule of thumb head to the city centre and luck for bushibahn streets:) - find the foreigners a d ask if they know any schools etc.

Up to you what lifestyle you wish to lead, money to spend, social life etc, but first of i would suggest one of the 3 main cities get a place to stay and start to learn the ropes.

[BJ]

to many to tell Brian - ranging from being in the middle of a shoot out on the streets of Taoyuen, to sitting in the original Foxies nightclub (Taoyuen) when a traid gang decided to come in and smash the place up. Luckily had me beer in hand so didnt waste drinking time. LArge parties in Shinchu sitting out side BBQ on the hillside surrounded by graves, great and cheap accomodation on the hills (people in HSinchu know where i mean). At one stage we went around finding unspoilt areas to swim - found some remarkable and very beuiftiful palces well of the beaten track.

Taiwan is basically what you make of it - dont expect people to help you just because your foreign and remembr its your problm/hassle if you cant communicate here. If ya dont like it - no one is tieing ya feet to stay so to speak:)

[Aristotle]

[BJ]

Not wanting to go into names of people as i only pesonally knew one of the teachers well the others being new, My ENglish girlfrined at the time worked for the school . Also knowing many other teachers working there (upwards of 30 of them) yes I am very sure of the facts. The name is correct and is a huge school with at least seven schools of their own and several more franchise schools bearing the same name in the Taoyuen, Chungli, Gwei san areas. - and yes Taoyuen near CKS, It is the name of the county which the airport is in and also the name of the major town, in the county - year would have been 1993 - perhaps before your time - there were and probably still are over 100 foreign tecahers working for the chain of schools, now mainly South African - but thats a diffeent story.
If you have any memebrs in Chungli/Taoyuen they should be able to verify the school name as it is widely know to all teachers living there.
It certainly occured at more places as our net work of social friends extended to the majority of foreigners in Taouyen/Chungli and Hsinchu with regular monthly parties between the 3 towns. When people who have been in country for 7 years before you arrived start telling you about police raids at their schools (other instances during that summer) i do tend to belive them,
One funny story of a teacher talking about where they worked on a train to someone asking if they could teach them ENglish - unfortuantely it was a memeber of the foreign affairs police, who got of the train and followed them to their work place and arrested them for working at a school NOT on their work permit.
Anyway hope that helps

[TaoyuanSteve]

I've heard of Frobel. They're pretty big here. I've met some of their employees. As BJ states, alot of South Africans now work there. Hey BJ. If you're still reading these forums, could you recommend any good places to work in Toayuan? It might be time for a change. Heard anything about Cam school?

[BJ]

Sorry tis my old fingers i often get the keys mixed up, its Taoyuen - same city.
No relation to Steve and Tina are you?
Nay I moved to Yuen Lin 3 years ago - so im really out of the loop here, but seems a lot of work everywhere - take a couple lof weeks of and have a look around the island - see where you like and lookk for a school - besy investment you can make:)