Korean Job Discussion Forums

[paperbag princess]

wow, i went to taipei this weekend, and it's totally awesome! i think i'm going to move there. has anyone taught there and here want to share some comparisons with me?

thanks

[dulouz]

I'm gald you had a good time. The place looks nice and the weather looks better. Did you look at all the cities? Did you like one the best?

[Wangja]

[joe_doufu]

[rapier]

miss Taiwan



Miss korea



You decide, but i think you'll find teaching in Taiwan consists of massive class sizes and even more unruly kids.

[joe_doufu]

In Taiwan, the good-looking girls have better things to do than admire themselves in beauty pageants! Like, they have jobs. And self respect! (Asian men consider them to be the fiercest chinese women... "san-ba" is an interesting adjective.)

[shifty]

The morale of foreign teachers in Taiwan is generally higher, than in Korea.

It is higher, despite more severe culture shock, harrowing weather, kids that are just as bad as in Korea and distinctly higher teaching standards. Korea offers free travel and therefore selects against itself.

Taiwan teachers are generally paid by the hour and not per salary. There's a tactile feel for the money, whereas in Korea the teaching stress, obtuse directors and xenophobia make the money feel ephemeral. In Taiwan, the teacher's temperament is more easily kept on an even keel, as each passing minute can be conciled with a buck.

The place is exotic in many senses, which can create a bonding Then there's also that the Chinese are better-disposed. They never shaft you, and their default traits are not that of superiority.

It's just comparative; I also like Korea and Koreans. Just nostalgia kicking in.

[itaewonguy]

[captain kirk]

Yeah, it is awesome eh Princess? I worked there twice. I worked in Korea for a bit before working in Taiwan and Taiwan is the place that inspired me to get a motorbike in Korea. Everybody's on scooters or motorbikes there because of the sub-tropical climate.

The architecture is Japan-ish. And the people like Japan; there's a Japanese influence. They don't mind foreign 'contact' (I mean romatically) as much as in Korea. Like Japanese don't mind it (and even want it). Still, there's a Chinese Confucianist element but Korea is, apparently, the country that's taken on Confucianism the most. Even more than the country of Confucious, China. I just got back from a one day visa run to Osaka today, and I want to read up on Confucianism. You can't fight city hall and I think Confucianism is what makes Korea so hair-triggered with invisible walls that get in the way of Koreans, and foreigners trying to be fancy free here.

Not that learning about Confucianism would make Korea any easier to live in; just understand the reason for the walls and not take it personally. I think Koreans feel stifled as well with the Confucian form.

You can do a seach for Korea and Taiwan; it's been done in threads many times. You'll find a lot if you search.

Rock hates the place. Where are you, Rock? You haven't posted in awhile.

The thing that I noticed is that, in the south of Taiwan, there are teachers from South Africa who work illegally and take what they can get. Not that I have anything against illegal South African English teachers; no!
And there's a big part time scene, so employers will want to give you part time hours and foreigners will get their OWN apt. and carry on like that. Which takes having a scooter and getting around. It's certainly possible to get a visa and stick with one school, just like in Korea.

Taiwan is more advanced/developed than Korean esl in the promotion of edutainment. In Korea, for example, it's often 'stick to the textbook' in the haggie. But in Taiwan it's more 'give and take' as one Taiwanese wonjonim stated. The kids get taught, and also get edutainment. Turning lessons into learning games activities with the schools having resources and guidance to do that. I worked for Hess, the biggest franchise chain in Taiwan, and each lesson is pre-made, complete with associated game activies, to simply deliver. A great way to get guidance and improve your repertoire as a teacher. Hess hires from overseas in batches at certain times of the year.

There is coral reef and you can snorkel and see tropical, colourful fish. The East coast is good for surfing, really. And the interior mountains are larger than Korea's mountains. Plus the ecology is different; it's sub-tropical.

I loved, personally, snorkling AND going into the mountains by motorbike. I got a Yamaha 150cc and went for road trips on the weekends. There are aboriginals who originally came from Polynesia. They live in the mountains with the later arrivals, from China, living on the farmed plains along the coast facing China.

It's different than Korea and the money's the same. Except, most of the time, you have to find your own apt. and put up the key money but the school helps you to do that. They key money for an apt. would be about one month's rent.

Went diving there, too, at the southern tip where there's a marine national park. Very nice trip, a package deal event, on a weekend, taking the bus down from Taipei.

Long post but I liked Taiwan

[Tiger Beer]

Ah, this thread is driving me crazy.

I visited Taiwan.. and I liked it.. but preferred Korea at the time.

Nowaways.. I think I'm getting a bit tired of Korea.. and everything looks good. Something different than the same ol' same ol' sounds great.

Beaches, scooters, hot weather, etc. sounds appealing.

[Babayaga]

I visited Taipei on a Korean National Holiday and also liked it. I liked the sights,like the Museum of Chinese Art. I also liked the Lin-An Tai homestead museum.


I agree,the Taiwanese are friendlier,with better dispositions. When I was in Taipei, I just coasted,everything was so much easier,the people so much more easy--going. In Korea,everywhere you go ,it's an obstacle course and a battle!


However,the pollution is horrible. My first night there was a Fri,when everyone was coming back from work---it was nauseating!


My question: why is the culture shock in Taiwan more severe than in Korea ? What are the aspects of the culture shock in Taiwan!

[buddy bradley]

I like Taiwan, but I didn't like the kids. They're really childish compared to Vietnamese and Korean kids.

Teaching adults there is even worse: dull, unimaginative and lifeless.

Of course, it's really easy to score there, so that's good. Then again, it's really difficult to get rid of the girls once you tell them you're not interested anymore, so that's bad.

[The evil penguin]

[animalbirdfish]

[The Man known as The Man]