Come on, with a degree in some IT related stuff, you should be set up for a sales/marketing job in a local firm. Pure editing? Well, I would take a bigger jump out of the english industry and go for a sales/marketing position. The stock market is a big employer of big noses. In case you have some economic background, then that could also be the start of a promising career as an analyst or in sales. Rumor has that salaries there are a bit better than in industry.
[quote=“houziwang”]
I was thinking translation/editing seems the most natural for me. How much expereience do they wanna see? I can get experience quite easily:)[/quote]
For an editing job at one of the papers, a few years is fine. Play up that you have a girlfriend/fiance here so they’ll think you’ll stick around while. Keep in mind you will not make the kind of money you would as an English teacher if you are starting out here as an editor or marketing person at an IT firm. I’d like to add that “marketing/sales position” at an IT firm here often means “English editor” and “cultural consultant”.
If you really want non-English teaching related work in Taiwan, just refuse to teach English and continue to work. I really feel that it is that easy. Of course, unless you have special skills, you will earn less money at first, but that will quickly change if you are interested in what you are doing.
I once got offered a sales job at a local company. It was sales with a big S, as they expected me to travel 200 days per year.
I will graduate with my Bachelors Degree this December. I plan on coming to Taiwan February/March when I have saved 6-7k.USD. At this time I do not speak any Chinese but part of my reason for coming is to learn.
Are there any non-teaching jobs that do not require a working knowledge of Chinese? I plan on staying for 20 months if I am teaching and maybe longer if I am not. My long term goal is to return to the US in a couple of years and attend law school and/or MBA program. MBA program will only be in conjunction with a law degree. If am to choose one then it will be law school
-
What do you look like?
You could become a model or an actor. -
Do you want to be an expatriate?
-
How about an internship? You don’t earn a lot of money, but you gain some experience.
-
Proofreading/editing job.
-
Technical writer.
You could come here and study some Chinese while you are here. That should would improve your chances to find a “better” job.
Have you considered mainland China?
I know someone (Japanese) working as a paralegal at Fresh Fields. I think she speaks some Chinese though.
[/quote]1. What do you look like?
You could become a model or an actor.[quote]
Take a look at my profile… you might be able to make that decision better than be… you live in Taiwan… so you might no what they are looking for… But I would be willing… even if it is just for extra money…
My main goal to go to a MBA program or Law School…
I do need money to live… so this would have to be part time… while I did something else… but yes it would be experience. Any ideas on what kind of jobs?
[quote]4. Proofreading/editing job.
- Technical writer.
[/quote]
Would I need to know Chinese?.. How Much
Yes I do… but if not then traveling on business will be the next best thing… and if that does not work… well I have a good career here in the US and will have enjoyed my adventure in Taiwan…
Yes I have… Much of the US-ASIA manufacturing business is being done in China… from what I understand…
I have chosen Taiwan as an introduction to Asia/China…but I may spend an additional year in China, after Taiwan, if I have a decent job offer that is not teaching…
I am just trying to find the best route possible…
Worst comes to worst… I teach English… not to bad… save some money…
get married 
…sorry could not resist… my last two girlfriends were Chinese Americans… and I will be going to a county with over 13 million… who know what will happen… … back to being serious…
save some money… enjoy living in another country… a chance of a life time…learn Chinese language and culture… which will look very good on my resume… I think!.. I get into law school and with my Taiwan experience and Chinese language skills… will help to set my self apart form the other applicants…
Starting salary for the top law firms in Houston( most have an office in China… couple in Taiwan) (must graduate in top 10% to be eligible) is $125,000USD…but money is not everything 
… all in all I will be fine…
but it is best to something you love… International business… I have lived here for 27 years… time to see the world…
FYI… I am working on my midterms… 6 classes… and working over 40hrs a week… so my proofreading skills… at 2:30 am is not very good at this time…
Thanks
Good luck and all the best but your posts reak of “I’m here for a woman”.
Internet porn and an ex-gf drove you to Asia which is exactly what ABC’s loath back home. The cracker with an asian fetish.
Take it as contructive ‘in yo face’ critisism not a personal attack. Tone it down.
My 2 sense.
[quote=“shanem2778”]FYI… I am working on my midterms… 6 classes… and working over 40hrs a week… so my proofreading skills… at 2:30 am is not very good at this time…
Thanks[/quote]
I’m in a similar boat as you. I graduated last may, and my plan was to come over to Asia and become fully fluent in Chinese (been studying hard 3 years) while at the same time pick up a good job, not teaching English though.
Needless to say no matter how much I networked I could not find a job or internship here in China or Taiwan which would provide me a salary great enough to live.
So I got some balls and became humble and I teach English. The payoff: I save money(for law school as well as paying off student loans) and still have fun, the work keeps me disciplined (I work at a fairly difficult buxiban-45 hours a week I’m there) and I have regular conversations with the local people in Chinese almost everyday. Luckily, the weekends I have completely off, so I have plenty of time to study for LSAT and do Language Exchanges to boost my Chinese(as well playing basketball, pool, video games, working-out, bar hoppin, dating, etc.).
So I don’t regret at all simply being an English teacher here.
thats the attitude james
in my experience observing and being friends with a bunch of people from different countries, cultures and across diplomatic and private sector arenas… overseas experience means not much at all.
my advice to the OP is… if you can go to law school, graduate and earn US$125k, then do it. the several months/years here or in china will simply be months/years you could have spent working in the US. coming here, then returning will simply see you competign against younger and fresher grads.
enrol in chinese classes in the US, get in to a good firm with extensive offshore network, work hard and get posted here.
[quote]Good luck and all the best but your posts reak of “I’m here for a woman”.
Internet porn and an ex-gf drove you to Asia which is exactly what ABC’s loath back home. The cracker with an Asian fetish.
Take it as contructive ‘in yo face’ critisism not a personal attack. Tone it down.
My 2 sense.[/quote]
If you read my post a little more carefully then you will see that they do not…
My last post was a joke… I just could not resist… I here so many men getting married… As far as Asian fetish… sorry no… not the chance… I do not nor will I ever prefer any one race
AWOL
I am comming to Taiwan because I actually need a break from school…It has been a very long and hard road (sometimes I had to sleep in my car and shower at the school gym because I had no place to live)… So I do not want to just jump into law school next August… putting it off one year… or even two will not hurt… if i put if off for one year then I will be the average age for the starting law student at Houston Law Center… so I am that younger…grad… I am still in my 20’s the average age is 27-28 for Houston schools…
Also I am not married or have any stong ties to anyone here… if I wait unitl after law school and have an extra year or two at 100k+ (not that big of a deal in the long run) then I will be taking the chance that my wife(if marrid) or kids(if that happens) will not share my same view on living overseas for a while… or she will have her own career path that does not lead to Asia right now…
So I think that this is the best time to go… But thanks for your input…
ok… another suggestion is to talk to large firms that have asian offices and ask them what they think is the best plan of attack, or your on campus employment services offices.
come here for YOUR perosnal growth. do not for one moment think it will guarantee you entry to the hallowed halls of power and fortune. i can honestly say that of the 50+ expats i know here or in china that were sent there on large pacakges by their companies, that maybe 5 of them actually give a shit about Asia. further, i think 2 of them actually had asia experience before being sent.
on the other hand i have many contacts working in law here - both local and foreign. all employed as locals. they are here for the love of the culture and place, not the holy $.
there are a lot of people on this forum that have been in the same boat as you. keep an open mind and take our advice from people who have doen what you are trying to do.
You can consider international trade, some of them do not require chinese knowledge but it will be extremely helpful because part of the job is contacting chinese suppliers too. Plus it involves alot of english writing since most of the customers comes from America…
But I think most companies would rather hire a local that can speak chinese because 1. They dont need ARC, and 2. They dont have to pay as much
Pay for a fulltime job in such catagory is usually around 25-30k a month.
Prices are in NT, figure something like 700-1000 a month US.
[quote=“shanem2778”]AWOL
I am comming to Taiwan because I actually need a break from school…It has been a very long and hard road (sometimes I had to sleep in my car and shower at the school gym because I had no place to live)… So I do not want to just jump into law school next August… putting it off one year… or even two will not hurt… if i put if off for one year then I will be the average age for the starting law student at Houston Law Center… so I am that younger…grad… I am still in my 20’s the average age is 27-28 for Houston schools…
Also I am not married or have any stong ties to anyone here… if I wait unitl after law school and have an extra year or two at 100k+ (not that big of a deal in the long run) then I will be taking the chance that my wife(if marrid) or kids(if that happens) will not share my same view on living overseas for a while… or she will have her own career path that does not lead to Asia right now…
So I think that this is the best time to go… But thanks for your input…[/quote]
Well if you really want to go into the business or basically non-teaching route, go to I think it’s still up, www.buyusa.com/china. It should be teh website for the US consulate in Shanghai. I went to China last year and personally met with various business people there and the US Consulate in Shanghai is a branch of the US government promoting US business in China, andif you graduate you can easily get an internship there. However, it is unpaid and the internship would only be 10 hours a week. I was thinking about it, but then I realized I’d have to find some other job teaching which could take up a lot of my time-I don’t even know if the government would allow it; moreover, Shanghai can be expensive, sometimes very expensive.
I think AWOL hit it right though. When I did meet with business people in China that were expates they never just got a job there. They actually put in all their work in the States or their respective home countries, and the companies actually just transferred them internationally. For example, I met the owner of the Hormel processing plant in Shanghai. He was a guy from Georgia USA who’s been working for Hormel for 27 years, and Hormel just moved him to China (only expat at the plant too BTW). So put your work in first in the states and then try your best to get transferred to Asia. That’s my plan, but first I want to become fluent in Chinese and support myself by, yep you guessed it, teaching.
What do you look like?
You could become a model or an actor.[quote]
-) Forget about thatt perhaps.
My main goal is to go to a MBA program or Law School…
Quote:
How about an internship? You don’t earn a lot of money, but you gain some experience.
-) It’s an inexpensive way to travel.
Quote:
4. Proofreading/editing job.
5. Technical writer.
Would I need to know Chinese?.. How Much
You don’t need to know any Chinese to proofread English texts or to edit English texts, but it might come in handy to communicate with local translation agencies or with the people, who could provide you this kind of job. Let’s say 500 words would be a good start.
Quote:
2. Do you want to be an expatriate?
Yes I do… but if not then traveling on business will be the next best thing… and if that does not work… well I have a good career here in the US and will have enjoyed my adventure in Taiwan…
-) Though they often require some expertise and a few years of experience.
Quote:
Have you considered mainland China?
Yes I have… Much of the US-Asia manufacturing business is being done in China… from what I understand…
I have chosen Taiwan as an introduction to Asia/China…but I may spend an additional year in China, after Taiwan, if I have a decent job offer that is not teaching…
Just focus your energy looking for something in China if the goal is to gain short term experience and knowledge to broaden your horizons and give you a boost up on your graduate school apps.
Or look to other places where there’s a vibrant expat community. Usually those places also can give you opportunities in MNCs and appreciate the skills you bring.
I go to the University of Houston… I will go U of H for law school and MBA program duel program… Or South Texas …
That is really my plan too… maybe I did not make myself clear… I am writing these post at 2-3am when I have worked and studied all day…
I want to come to Taiwan to get a break from here… become fluent in Chinese… learn about the culture… personal growth… enjoy myself and travel while I am still young and single… All this before diving into 3-4 more years of a JD/MBA degree… once I start those programs I can forget about traveling like I want to… the summers are spent trying to make money so you can get through the next year of school… and doing interships so that you get a good job offer when you finsish…
Yes I do plan on getting with a compnay or law firm here in the states first… putting a few years in then ask to be transfered to Asia… I was jsut trying to see if there was other jobs… but then agian… teaching is a good job… esp…when they know that you are going to be temp…
I could take Chinese classes here… but it is not the same as going to another country and trying to use it every minute of every day… you learn faster that way… I spent 1 month in South America… and learn more Spanish than two semesters at school… and learning the culture and customs… nothing better than being in the country… you only get so much from a book…