Am I a moron?

Work Working in Taiwan
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So, my one-year contract at one of the biggest tech companies in the world is about to finish and I can finally go back to Taiwan (once the pandemic is over)! But an equally big tech company has just head-hunted me and offered me a permanent position in London on an excellent salary, the kind of salary that means I could buy a flat in a good part of London and watch the value increase while I live a fairly cushy life and know I’ll have something to fall back on when I retire.

I’ve been waiting to go back to Taiwan for three long years. I think about it every day. I talk about how much I miss it so much that my Japanese girlfriend dumped me because she thought I loved Taiwan more than Japan (she was right). But if I turn down this job and go back to Taiwan, will I end up kicking myself when I’m earning NT$75K a month (absolute top-end I can push for) with 7 pathetic days of annual year, and the hope of a crappy Chinese New Year bonus to hold out for?

I doubt I could go to Taiwan for a couple of years and then expect to be able to return to the kinds of job opportunities I have in London now. The kinds of tech companies I’m talking about prefer hiring young people unless it’s for a management position. If I was to go back to Taiwan, it would have to be for at least five years so I could get the permanent residency. My plan was to go back to Taiwan in September (assuming I’ll be able to by then), enrol on a language course in a nice part of the country for a semester or two, and look for a job while there. I’m currently inclined to turn down this job offer in London and stick with my original plan. But would that make me a gigantic moron?

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Yes. Sorry.

Why don’t you take the London job, then decide how you feel in September (or when the border is open)?

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Thanks for your honesty… :cry:

Yes, I considered that, but I don’t want to burn bridges with this company just in case I might be able to get another chance to work there in the future.

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Yes. The London gig is a no-brainer.

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In the interest of being a better person, I actually read your post before replying.

Like @welcome said, only take the London gig, vaccie here every summer (or fall), and then fucking retire here after 15 years when you don’t need to worry about the dosh??

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It really depends what you value.
Money is not, and are not, everything.

If you go to London, would you be happy, and with some regret (the regret you can have anytime you have to make a choice) or would you be just there for the money, and money only, and have major regrets of what are you missing out in Taiwan?
(Weather, Food, Location, Girls/Guys, Chance to Learn a new Language, whatever it is?)

I am in a sort of similar situation.
I have a job which pays quite a lot, I would say 6-8 times the average salary in Taiwan in my field, and I have been contacted frequently by recruiters offering me job with salaries even more competitive.
Where I live right now I practically pay no tax, and what I save in one year is actually more than what I can earn in 12/18 months in Taiwan.

However, I am not happy, because I am not living the life I want.
Money are not a concern for me since I was born poor, so I do not know how I even ended up where I did, but I lived my life until now trying to get our of poverty and the results is that I am less happy then how I was when I was poor.

My dream is to come to Taiwan, learn Mandarin, and lead a simple life, where I can go to work, come back home, have some food in some cheap eateries around the block, on the weekend go in a park with a bike, or take the train and visit some old cities, speak with locals, and that’s it.

Earning 10/12/15.000USD a month, or even more, did not make me happy, and I think it will not make me happy.

I have applied for a Gold Card, and I apply for a language school starting in August, and I hope this will happen, and I won’t look too much behind to what I have “lost”.

Will I actually do it? Maybe, maybe not. We will see, but I know what my heart wants to do and I know where I would be happy and where I would not (and yet I can still decide to be richer and unhappy for a bit longer).

Are you able to feel the same?
Do you know how happy would you be?
Do you know how un-happy would you be? And would you be able to live with that un-happiness?

If you do, you will also know what to do.

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:rofl:

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OK, you’re the moron.

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This is, on the surface, sound advice. The only problem is that, as much as I love Taiwan, I can’t imagine myself retiring anywhere other than the south coast of England (where I spent my childhood). So, I’d really like to spend a good chunk of time (like five years) in Taiwan while I’m still young(ish), then go back to London and seriously save for a retirement in England.

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Well, that obviously wasn’t the only reason, but it was definitely a very big bone of contention, especially when I would study Chinese every day and only casually look at my Japanese textbook about once a week out of a sense of obligation. :no_mouth:

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You really should just take that London job.

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If I were you, and I’m in my 30s, I would just take a sabbatical to come to Taiwan and learn Mandarin, then go back to my job in London. Since you’re from a top company, I assume they have this benefit there.

I always think that where I plan to retire must be the place where I set roots. It sounds like if you leave London now, you might not have the chance to save up for retirement there.

You sound like you just want a change of pace. If you plan to retire here in Taiwan, then by all means risk what you have now. But with the pandemic changing how the world works, I don’t think it’s worth risking what you have just because you miss Taiwan.

I come from a developing country, and as much as I love Taiwan, I still miss my first home. And I already decided to come back to my first home after finishing my final goal here in Taiwan. I already have my APRC but I’m just planning to stay here until I can be fluent enough in Mandarin to do translation work (my final goal).

If my first home can offer me a job that pays triple my job here in Taiwan, I still wouldn’t take it FOR NOW because I don’t want to lose the opportunity to learn Mandarin/Traditional Chinese. Taiwan is the best place for that (at least, for me).

I think the answer to your question depends on your goals and when you plan to achieve them. The risk you take should be parallel to your goals.

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To be able to afford a flat in a nice part of London you must be well into a 6 figure salary. As opposed to 75k NT a month in Taiwan? That’s lowish end English teacher pay.

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Home is where the heart is. Do you like living in London at all? I’m from there and I’ll admit it’s far from perfect. Did you mention how old you are? Because this will be a big factor. You may think 75 000 ntd month in Taiwan will be chump change compared to what you can make in London (and you’d be right) but you’ll also be able to have a very high standard in Taiwan for that kinda money also. So it’s a win win.

And as for Japanese girls that is so typical of them. I’ve dated more than my fair share of them and they are as fickle as the wind. One ex ended things when I told her I didn’t wanna live in Japan forever. She took it as some slight against Japan. Like Taiwan they are overly sensitive about any criticism toward their country.

For what it’s worth by the way, I would choose London offer over Taiwan all day long.

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That’s completely untrue. 75k is nothing special in Taipei but £>100k is very good in London.

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If you don’t want the London job, I’ll take it.

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Your thoughts are similar to mine. Money was never a priority for me either. The only reason I took the job contracting where I am now was because it would look good on my CV, not for the money. It’s just that, as I’m getting older, I’m finding that putting aside money for things like a mortgage, pension, and investments, are very important and I wouldn’t really be able to do that in Taiwan.

When I left Taiwan, I was in my early-30s and it was supposed to only be for two years. Now I’m I’ve been gone for three years and I’m in my mid-30s. Dare I say it, I feel like it’s time to be “sensible” now. :pensive:

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I’m assuming he is unmarried without kids. 75 000 will see a person in that situation above to live a very comfortable standard when you consider the vast majority earn an average wage of 30 000 a month. Let’s not be too greedy now

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It sounds like if you turn this opportunity down, you probably won’t have a second chance either way.

If you take the London job, then later decide you’d prefer to be in Taiwan earning a pittance, you can resign knowing you won’t regret the decision in future years.

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You could take the London gig, then pine about how much you miss Taiwan on these forums, when you feel the urge.

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