[quote=“Satellite TV”]
aloud? I think you meant allowed. I don’t know what the value of education is anymore when people get so confused with basic English vocabulary.[/quote]
Education is what you make of it.
[quote=“jimipresley”][quote=“Satellite TV”]
aloud? I think you meant allowed. I don’t know what the value of education is anymore when people get so confused with basic English vocabulary. Sure these words sound the same but the speeling and meaning are completely different. 
[/quote]
The utter CHEEK of the bloke correcting the spelling of others! Next thing he’ll be teaching us grammar and punctuation! :roflmao:[/quote]
Are you allowed to say that aloud a lot among this lot?
That’s a nice idea but what are you going to do in Singapore? High wages attract top people so you will have a huge amount of competition and a BA with no experience is not going to cut it.
Bear in mind a major difference between most of those students and you - the average Taiwanese or Chinese studying in Australia has been learning English since toddler age. Even then it’s a struggle. You have to put 10x the effort in just to keep up.
That depends what you want to do. There are very few jobs in Taiwan that would require a Chinese speaking foreigner and those jobs generally require an extremely high level of fluency plus industry experience. The people I know in such positions are all very specialized in engineering, law etc. or run their own business.
Well it would be a bad idea to spend half your salary on car payments in any country. That would equate to a TW$1.5m car and if your income in Australia was AU$2,000/mo would you buy a AU$50,000 car? Luxury cars are much more expensive here than Oz, but food and rent are much cheaper. Taiwan does have a very good quality of living for a relatively low cost.
Why not come here for 6 months without making any huge commitment and see how it goes?
I have a colleague, arrived in Taiwan about 3 months ago from Australia with his wife. His wife is actually from Mainland China but has an Australian passport now. She recently got herself a job in a bank here in Taipei. But at first when looking for a job in a bank, some told her that they couldn’t employ a foreigner, but she found one that did. They have provided her with an ARC.
Just thought I would share that…
Education is what you make of it.[/quote]
Yes agreed. I wasn’t trying to be rude or anything, just pointing out a simple inane error that anybody could make. We all understood the meaning of the sentence.
Life is what you make of it as well. I am a successful failure at it. 
[quote=“jimipresley”][quote=“Satellite TV”]
aloud? I think you meant allowed. I don’t know what the value of education is anymore when people get so confused with basic English vocabulary. Sure these words sound the same but the speeling and meaning are completely different. [/quote]
The utter CHEEK of the bloke correcting the spelling of others! Next thing he’ll be teaching us grammar and punctuation! :roflmao:[/quote]
very funny jimi
Education is what you make of it.[/quote]
Yes agreed. I wasn’t trying to be rude or anything, just pointing out a simple inane error that anybody could make. We all understood the meaning of the sentence.
Life is what you make of it as well. I am a successful failure at it. [/quote]
Failing successfully is sometimes better than succeeding!
So let me get this straight. The OP is enrolled in an Australian university, heading towards bachelor’s degrees in Chinese and Commerce, and he wants to know if its a good idea to chuck it all and look for a job in Taiwan? Uh no, that’s not a good idea at all, and I’m frankly surprised so many are agreeing that it’s “time for a change.”
Yeah soon as he meets up with a girl or two in Taipei, his edumacation could be furloughed.
[quote=“bnn”]
Alessandro, what exactly did you do whilst in Taiwan, you deferred after 2 years at Uni in Perth to study Chinese language at NTU, whilst there, you gave a shot at a Bachelors degree and now you are returning to Perth to finish the final few years of your degree?
bnn[/quote]
All i did was study at a language school (a part of National Taiwan University) do some traveling and just enjoy myself. Although you learn a lot very quickly in a language centre it is still relatively laid back. I tried a BA course offered by NTNU (chinese language and culture for international students) as i didn’t feel like going back home, 6 weeks later i realised it was a joke. I’m not making comment on the standard of higher education in Taiwan, simply the course i took. If you do your chinese degree back in Australia you graduate with fairly low literacy. If you are serious about language acquisition you need to go to where that language is spoken.
To be honest, coming to Taiwan to study chinese is a great idea but for work or Higher education, i would advise against it. Like I said before you won’t get a job with your qualifications (at least not legally) the bare minimum is 2 year associate degree with TESOL, the best thing is a Bachelor’s degree. Maybe it will take coming to Taiwan to realise this. Don’t over think it, have a plan if it works it works if not… go home.
My advice, come to Taiwan for 6 months. Then go home and finish your degree. After that…you’re a free man.
How many years do you have left anyway??
OK, so just what does the OP hope to do with his Chinese? Is he fascinated by Chinese culture, met some Chinese people in Australia and so wants to learn more, or just thinks “it would be a good idea” because the 21st century will be the China century and all that?
Heck, if he wants to learn Chinese on the cheap, go to China. The courses are no worse than what’s on offer here, and at least there people actually expect foreigners to become fluent (all the African exchange students are huge curve-breakers as they really do become fluent).
Taiwan without a 4-year degree is tough for those with connections and know-how. I wouldn’t advise that path to a noob. I would also advise a LOT more reflection on what that Chinese study is for and what the ultimate goal(s) of it is/are. Six months or a year in Taiwan will not result in any sort of usable fluency (neither will a four-year degree in Australia, come to that, but at least THAT results in a very useful piece of paper) and while it’s lovely to be able to speak Chinese, you have to be able to speak it quite well before it’s regarded as a useful skill rather than resume-padding.
I don’t think anybody here was suggesting he does that, the general consensus seems to be that he should tone down his plans a bit and come for a few months without expecting too much.
[quote=“ironlady”]OK, so just what does the OP hope to do with his Chinese? Is he fascinated by Chinese culture, met some Chinese people in Australia and so wants to learn more, or just thinks “it would be a good idea” because the 21st century will be the China century and all that?
Heck, if he wants to learn Chinese on the cheap, go to China. The courses are no worse than what’s on offer here, and at least there people actually expect foreigners to become fluent (all the African exchange students are huge curve-breakers as they really do become fluent).
Taiwan without a 4-year degree is tough for those with connections and know-how. I wouldn’t advise that path to a noob. I would also advise a LOT more reflection on what that Chinese study is for and what the ultimate goal(s) of it is/are. Six months or a year in Taiwan will not result in any sort of usable fluency (neither will a four-year degree in Australia, come to that, but at least THAT results in a very useful piece of paper) and while it’s lovely to be able to speak Chinese, you have to be able to speak it quite well before it’s regarded as a useful skill rather than resume-padding.[/quote]
I know you are very knowledgable on this topic, but i disagree. It was my experience and many others that after a year in Taiwan at a language centre we could speak quite well… in the sense of “usable” Mandarin. Having studied in China I also disagree that the Chinese are any more expectant then taiwanese. I also found taiwanese methodology much better, but of course this is just my personal experience 
Thanks everybody for giving me heaps of options to look at.
To be honest, it seems I need to go back to the drawing board.
Im concerned about llary comment that if I did become fluent in Chinese is wouldnt do much for me financially… To me, thats suggesting unless Im teaching I shouldnt never move to Taiwan?
However, I remain resolute. I will leave Australia within the next 4 years and that is a guarantee.
After seeing how its actually quite difficult, I am now leaning towards taking the advice of others, finishing my course first, and then after I finish move to Taiwan to start a new life.
So now, Im going back through my textbook and learning traditional characters instead of the simplified characters.
And I will take your advice of doing Chinese language study in Taiwan.
So, in 4 years if Forumosa have some sort of BBQ or meeting, Ill come down and thank you guys for your help.
Thanks guys
[quote=“bnn”]Thanks everybody for giving me heaps of options to look at.
To be honest, it seems I need to go back to the drawing board.
I’m concerned about llary comment that if I did become fluent in Chinese is wouldnt do much for me financially… To me, thats suggesting unless I’m teaching I shouldnt never move to Taiwan?
However, I remain resolute. I will leave Australia within the next 4 years and that is a guarantee.
After seeing how its actually quite difficult, I am now leaning towards taking the advice of others, finishing my course first, and then after I finish move to Taiwan to start a new life.
So now, I’m going back through my textbook and learning traditional characters instead of the simplified characters.
And I will take your advice of doing Chinese language study in Taiwan.
So, in 4 years if Forumosa have some sort of BBQ or meeting, Ill come down and thank you guys for your help.
Thanks guys[/quote]
Good plan. 
Much better idea to get that degree sorted first.
If you want my two cents. Stay in Aus and GET YOUR DEGREE FIRST! I know you want a change, but it’ll be much easier if you come over with a degree. Study engineering. Electrical engineering would be a great choice. Get that degree and a few internships in Aus under your belt, then come over and you can easily get a job in one of the many science parks here. They’ll work you 12 hours a day, and you’ll make peanuts compared to what you’d get in Aus, but the salary will be enough to live comfortably here without teaching. That’s just my two cents. Good luck with your decision.
[quote=“Alessandro”][quote=“ironlady”]OK, so just what does the OP hope to do with his Chinese? Is he fascinated by Chinese culture, met some Chinese people in Australia and so wants to learn more, or just thinks “it would be a good idea” because the 21st century will be the China century and all that?
Heck, if he wants to learn Chinese on the cheap, go to China. The courses are no worse than what’s on offer here, and at least there people actually expect foreigners to become fluent (all the African exchange students are huge curve-breakers as they really do become fluent).
Taiwan without a 4-year degree is tough for those with connections and know-how. I wouldn’t advise that path to a noob. I would also advise a LOT more reflection on what that Chinese study is for and what the ultimate goal(s) of it is/are. Six months or a year in Taiwan will not result in any sort of usable fluency (neither will a four-year degree in Australia, come to that, but at least THAT results in a very useful piece of paper) and while it’s lovely to be able to speak Chinese, you have to be able to speak it quite well before it’s regarded as a useful skill rather than resume-padding.[/quote]
I know you are very knowledgable on this topic, but I disagree. It was my experience and many others that after a year in Taiwan at a language centre we could speak quite well… in the sense of “usable” Mandarin. Having studied in China I also disagree that the Chinese are any more expectant then taiwanese. I also found taiwanese methodology much better, but of course this is just my personal experience [/quote]
There’s a big difference between conversational fluency and professional (=usable) fluency.
[quote=“Alessandro”][quote=“ironlady”]OK, so just what does the OP hope to do with his Chinese? Is he fascinated by Chinese culture, met some Chinese people in Australia and so wants to learn more, or just thinks “it would be a good idea” because the 21st century will be the China century and all that?
Heck, if he wants to learn Chinese on the cheap, go to China. The courses are no worse than what’s on offer here, and at least there people actually expect foreigners to become fluent (all the African exchange students are huge curve-breakers as they really do become fluent).
Taiwan without a 4-year degree is tough for those with connections and know-how. I wouldn’t advise that path to a noob. I would also advise a LOT more reflection on what that Chinese study is for and what the ultimate goal(s) of it is/are. Six months or a year in Taiwan will not result in any sort of usable fluency (neither will a four-year degree in Australia, come to that, but at least THAT results in a very useful piece of paper) and while it’s lovely to be able to speak Chinese, you have to be able to speak it quite well before it’s regarded as a useful skill rather than resume-padding.[/quote]
I know you are very knowledgable on this topic, but I disagree. It was my experience and many others that after a year in Taiwan at a language centre we could speak quite well… in the sense of “usable” Mandarin. Having studied in China I also disagree that the Chinese are any more expectant then taiwanese. I also found taiwanese methodology much better, but of course this is just my personal experience [/quote]
There’s a difference in methodology? :roflmao: :roflmao:
There is a huge difference between “a level of Chinese that is sufficient to be included on a serious business resume as a strong factor in getting a job” and “being able to buy noodles in the night market.” After a year in a language center in Taiwan, I take leave to doubt that most students will have a reliable enough level of listening comprehension, or enough vocabulary, to be able to serve any company reliably in anything other than “my it’s nice weather here in Beijing” type stuff.
To the OP,
I have to second some of the comments around here generally and more specifically about Chinese-language acquisition. One year of study at MTC is equivalent to a month of French - it is but a taste.
I did a year at MTC, took a few years off, did another year at MLC (CCU), married a local, and now work in a Chinese-language environment. While I can read simple emails and understand snippets of oral communication, fluency is a long way off, I’m talking years, not months.
This need only concern you if fluency is indeed your goal. I’m satisfied with my basic communication skills, but then again I don’t plan to live here for the rest of my life. I also think your Chinese will improve much faster if you were to move to China. But China is China and isn’t for everyone. I couldn’t make the move.
Also, finish your degree! You are next to worthless here without it, one among a sea of native and non-native English speakers with the necessary credentials. The short-term pain will be worth it in the end.
But then again even with BA in hand, unless TESL is something you’re dying to do, it does nothing for your career trajectory; a cv padder, a bit of experience in a foreign land, but nothing particularly useful if you ever go back home. I say this both as a two-time college dropout and middling English teacher whose collective experience in Formosa meant and means nothing to employers back in Canada (perhaps with the exception of ESL schools).
Feel free to PM me if you want or need more advice.
[quote=“ironlady”][quote=“Alessandro”][quote=“ironlady”]OK, so just what does the OP hope to do with his Chinese? Is he fascinated by Chinese culture, met some Chinese people in Australia and so wants to learn more, or just thinks “it would be a good idea” because the 21st century will be the China century and all that?
Heck, if he wants to learn Chinese on the cheap, go to China. The courses are no worse than what’s on offer here, and at least there people actually expect foreigners to become fluent (all the African exchange students are huge curve-breakers as they really do become fluent).
Taiwan without a 4-year degree is tough for those with connections and know-how. I wouldn’t advise that path to a noob. I would also advise a LOT more reflection on what that Chinese study is for and what the ultimate goal(s) of it is/are. Six months or a year in Taiwan will not result in any sort of usable fluency (neither will a four-year degree in Australia, come to that, but at least THAT results in a very useful piece of paper) and while it’s lovely to be able to speak Chinese, you have to be able to speak it quite well before it’s regarded as a useful skill rather than resume-padding.[/quote]
I know you are very knowledgable on this topic, but I disagree. It was my experience and many others that after a year in Taiwan at a language centre we could speak quite well… in the sense of “usable” Mandarin. Having studied in China I also disagree that the Chinese are any more expectant then taiwanese. I also found taiwanese methodology much better, but of course this is just my personal experience [/quote]
There’s a difference in methodology? :roflmao: :roflmao:
There is a huge difference between “a level of Chinese that is sufficient to be included on a serious business resume as a strong factor in getting a job” and “being able to buy noodles in the night market.” After a year in a language center in Taiwan, I take leave to doubt that most students will have a reliable enough level of listening comprehension, or enough vocabulary, to be able to serve any company reliably in anything other than “my it’s nice weather here in Beijing” type stuff.[/quote]
Yes there is a difference.
It depends on how you interpret usable.