Job Discussion Forums

Charmer · Joined: 26 Jul 2009 Posts: 20

Hello, I'm interested in teaching in Asia next year, most specifically a big city like Taipei or Guangzhou and I was hoping for some advice.

Some information about me: I'm a Chinese-Canadian male, 25 and I will be finishing university this December graduating with a BA in psychology. I also have a 2 year college diploma in Animation. I have no official teaching experience, but i do have experience working as a manager running a summer camp program for kids, and I do have volunteer experience tutoring as well. I don't have a tesol certificate, and I would rather not have to do one since I already have a lot of school loans.

My main concern with Taipei is I only speak Cantonese and I don't understand Mandarin, so I'm afraid I would have a hard time getting around. I just have a few questions:

Is it easy getting around and interacting with people in Taipei with English only?

What are the main differences between working/living in China vs Taiwan?

How much will my Chinese background affect my job opportunities with each city?

Would you recommend me doing a Trinity certificate in order to have a better chance of landing a job and a get a higher salary, or is a BA enough? I just don't want to waste extra money

Lastly, what kind of salaries and contract benefits should I expect given my current qualifications?

The main things I am looking for are:

1) A decent salary with airfare and accommodations included so I can save up and repay my loans,
2) A good social and night life, so I can meet some people

Any advice or feedback would be really appreciated

Cheers,

Alex

sharpe88 · Joined: 21 Oct 2008 Posts: 226

First lesson.. Taiwan is a part of China Smile

I wouldn't speak about them as separate countries when you are in the mainland!

That said Taipei is a hell of a lot nicer than GZ and I'm sure there were tons of foreigners who didn't speak a word of Chinese when they first got there.

As for the rest of your questions, use the search function...

living&learning · Joined: 26 Feb 2008 Posts: 245

A'Moo · Posted: Sun Aug 02, 2009 11:22 pm Post subject: Re: China vs Taiwain

mandu · Joined: 29 Jul 2004 Posts: 794 Location: china

I worked in Taiwan for a couple of months.I survived the big earthquake in 1999
my friend and I couldnt speak a word of Chinese and we traveled around Taiwan and had no problems.

sharpe88 · Joined: 21 Oct 2008 Posts: 226

It can present challenges but also has advantages. No idea what you mean by nightlife being a problem!

samhouston · Joined: 17 Jan 2007 Posts: 418 Location: LA

crunchyone · Joined: 12 Mar 2009 Posts: 65

If you want money teaching English then China doesnt seem to be the place to be. You might want to try Korea, where you Cantonese wont be understood either, but your English might.

c