Mm…
Unless you want to learn Chinese, why not going to Germany?
http://www.ausbildung.de/berufe/erzieherin/gehalt/
[quote]Gehalt & Verdienst Erzieherin
Childhood educator/kindergaten teacher
Einstiegsgehalt Starting salary
1200 bis 2000 Euro (Brutto)
[/quote]
That’s around 50400 to 84000 NT$ for a kindergarten teacher who doesn’t require a diploma.
Inclusive 28 holidays per year if you are under the age of thirty plus 1 additional day for each year over 30, or so.
Hey, there’s nothing wrong with Filipino maids, Vietnamese housewives, and factory workers. They are the three pillars of social diversity in Taiwan. When ever I go to Starbucks I like to take at least two of the three along.
And regarding this:
I have neither time nor money. What am I doing wrong? 
[/quote]
I’ve wondered about that, reading your posts. I remember you posted something about not even being able to afford healthy food? Food is where I splurge. To be honest I don’t hold back anywhere- if I want something, I buy it. And if I use something every day (computer, phone, good pair of winter boots, surfboard) I will go top of the line (macbook air, samsung s5, timberlands, new performance longboard).
And for 5 years I worked at GVO! (They don’t pay well- but it was a no hassle place to keep my arc til I got my aprc.)
AND you speak/read/write Chinese.
So honestly, I don’t know what you’re doing wrong. Sounds to me like you’re undervaluing your work. I’ve got a friend like that, refuses to charge more than 700 per hour for private lessons. She is an AMAZING teacher. I quote 1000 off the bat and then if I like the student and the time and the place are convenient for me I might come down a little. People look at me like I’m an asshole when I say “yi chien” but oh well! If they seem nice I’ll pass em along to somebody who will do it for less.
I think editing and translating can be really rough in terms of the money you get for your time. I’ll often do a sample of a paper first (300 words or so) see how long it takes me and if by accepting that paper I’d be making less than a thousand an hour, I don’t accept it. Sure every once in a while a paper has a really hard section that takes me longer, and overall polishing might take me longer, so maybe it’s dropping down to 900ish an hour when all is said and done. I also use excel to time myself in 20 min increments while I’m editing to keep tabs on how much I’m making.
I know some of you are laughing at my 1000 an hour cause you make way more but I’m happy enough with that for now!
Anyways taipei is also more expensive than where I live.
but yeah, you must be undervaluing yourself- you should be doing pretty well, I think, with your skills.[/quote]
I had given a few suggestions about his situation before. One thing is that it can take around 3 - 5 years to get a fairly full schedule of translation work (especially all year-round… especially during the slower summer months). The other thing is that Taiwanese agencies don’t pay very much for translation services. There are hundreds of agencies world wide, and by aiming primarily for US and European agencies, you can get better rates. There is a big demand for C - E translation, and there’s not much competition. If you can deal with any of the subjects in high demand, like: business texts, marketing texts, legal texts, scientific texts, technical texts, financial texts, or even more general texts - then you should be able to do well. Hell, I even make a comfortable living translating video game texts (localization/localisation). If you’re working with European or US agencies, there’s no reason why anyone with an MA in translating (or several years of experience) couldn’t earn around 0.11 USD per source text character, or around USD $37 per hour or proofreading/editing/reviewing/transcribing etc. It’s even on ProZ.com here: search.proz.com/employers/rates
Sometimes it’s possible to earn a lot more than USD $37 per hour, in some cases (when the ST is a very familiar topic/if you’re reviewing something that’s already pretty good/if you’re using a CAT tool) you can make three to four times that amount each hour. But just don’t expect to be earning that on a daily basis. In my experience I get a good job perhaps 1 in every 5 or so, where I earn more than the average rate. There are also jobs in which you earn less.
I think freelancing is the way to go, and would suggest trying a few non Taiwanese agencies. Apply to a few - give it a few months to see how your workload grows. If you’re busy - great, if not - apply to a few more. Repeat for a few years until satisfied. The only problem is that at the beginning there will be times when your out of work, and waiting can be a pain.
Add oil!
I’m not in the English conversation industry, so I’ll leave points 1-4 for others to discuss, although, from what I know, Korea is hardly the ESL-dorado you (implicitly) claim it to be; I’ve heard it being described by people who taught both here and there as all the worst things about Taiwan, amplified, without any of the positives. For people considering teaching there, I’d make sure the money makes it really worth it, I’m not certain $500 would be enough of a difference to justify the choice.
Some of your comments about the work environment are valid but they apply not only to Taiwan. And in general, I think coming to a foreign place, you need to expect things to be different. For some of us, this is actually the reason for going abroad in the first place. I think it helps not to compare everything to your home country but just observe and embrace things as if you were learning them anew (I know it’s easier said than done).
Leaving the job-related discussion aside, I wanted to focus on your last point (#5). While I understand it reflects your opinion, and you’re entitled to have one, for balance I’d like to offer mine, which is that
Taipei is a great place to spend some time in your 20s.
It’s off the beaten path with mainstream tourists, and as a result very authentic. Its ugliness actually makes it beautiful in a way if you let it grow on you. There’s a lot of stuff to enjoy, such as art, both traditional (puppet shows, Hokkien opera, some very interesting museums, some concerts and performances in Zhongshan Hall and National Theater/Concert Hall throughout the year) and modern (world-class Fine Arts Museum, another one in Guandu, some theatrical performances, two film festivals a year, Taipei Spot Cinema); stunning nature within an easy reach (think hiking, cycling); elaborate, syncretic religious ceremonies (very interesting for anyone coming here from the Western world) to name a few highlights.
Some of the best things to be seen or done here you need to discover yourself, going beyond the bland stuff spoon-fed by the government-issued tourist brochures (which are actually useful in finding out what to avoid): searching Forumosa for ideas is a good starter. I say if you’re independent you should be doing pretty well here. By the way, I’ve never felt repressed; you can pretty much do as you please here, you can even wear Crocs 24/7.
Taipei is very livable in that it’s easy to get around, grab some food, shop for groceries, and all the stuff mentioned above makes it worthwhile to stay here for at least about a year. Beyond the first year, it pretty much depends. It’s definitely not a place to retire, and probably not one to stay in for a long time but most people leave with good memories.
Haha, this makes it sound like I’m on food stamps. It’s not that bad, but trying to save for the future (a home maybe at some point? definitely a four-wheeled vehicle not too far off) means that I live a very frugal lifestyle, or at least try to do so. I manage to put half of my salary each month into the bank so I really shouldn’t be complaining.
[quote=“Doraemonster”]Taipei is a great place to spend some time in your 20s.
It’s off the beaten path with mainstream tourists, and as a result very authentic. Its ugliness actually makes it beautiful in a way if you let it grow on you. There’s a lot of stuff to enjoy, such as art, both traditional (puppet shows, Hokkien opera, some very interesting museums, some concerts and performances in Zhongshan Hall and National Theater/Concert Hall throughout the year) and modern (world-class Fine Arts Museum, another one in Guandu, some theatrical performances, two film festivals a year, Taipei Spot Cinema); stunning nature within an easy reach (think hiking, cycling); elaborate, syncretic religious ceremonies (very interesting for anyone coming here from the Western world) to name a few highlights.
Some of the best things to be seen or done here you need to discover yourself, going beyond the bland stuff spoon-fed by the government-issued tourist brochures (which are actually useful in finding out what to avoid): searching Forumosa for ideas is a good starter. I say if you’re independent you should be doing pretty well here. By the way, I’ve never felt repressed; you can pretty much do as you please here, you can even wear Crocs 24/7.
Taipei is very livable in that it’s easy to get around, grab some food, shop for groceries, and all the stuff mentioned above makes it worthwhile to stay here for at least about a year. Beyond the first year, it pretty much depends. It’s definitely not a place to retire, and probably not one to stay in for a long time but most people leave with good memories.
[/quote]
Amen. That must be why, now that my 30s are staring at the clock and just waiting to pounce on me, I’m looking for a way out.
Yeah, kind of, oh and don’t forget beer drinking, hockey watching, hosers. :roflmao:
And before the flames start :fume: I am Canadian and just joking. Well a dual citizen, so maybe just half joking. :roflmao: Honestly I am the worst of both worlds, raised most of my life in Canada but worked and hung out mostly in the US. Oh how wonderful to live on the US/Canadian border! 
Yeah, kind of, oh and don’t forget beer drinking, hockey watching, hosers. :roflmao:
And before the flames start :fume: I am Canadian and just joking. Well a dual citizen, so maybe just half joking. :roflmao: Honestly I am the worst of both worlds, raised most of my life in Canada but worked and hung out mostly in the US. Oh how wonderful to live on the US/Canadian border! [/quote]
Just remember to use your Canadian passport when opening a bank account abroad.
Why? :ohreally:
I do wonder about the Ministry of Education’s edict that foreign teachers in government schools must have a certification from their home country. Much of the work they will do is nothing like they do back home, and I would imagine they’d feel frustrated quite quickly. I know a few certified teachers who taught in the Taipei English Village program, and found it tiresome and couldn’t wait to get a job in an international school where they are actually teaching the subjects they were certified to teach.
Certified (QT) teachers in my country don’t have EFL qualifications and aren’t certified to teach that. Unless they are modern language teachers, it’s going to be a bit hit and miss. However, I guess the point is that they’ve probably been screened for work with children in their home countries, rather than what they’re qualified to teach? It might be fun for them to take a year or two off teaching geography or whatever and do EFL, but it probably won’t be. But I guess we all just work with what we have, if we want to go somewhere. My friend is cram schoolin’ in northern Thailand right now because he wants to be near some woman, instead of teaching economics: he’s bored shitless at work but he’s loving Thailand.
I’ve taught first year International Studies when I’m supposed to be doing linguistics, and while I did OK (that shit is kind of just general knowledge at first year level), it wasn’t that interesting for me and probably not that stimulating for students to have a teacher faking enthusiasm for their subject.
Maybe you should just fight them. Then not know how to teach the present perfect. That should help your working situation.
I recommend looking up old posts by GuyInTaiwan. He doesn’t post any more, but his posts on working as a certified teacher in Taiwanese public schools are spot on.
Why? :ohreally:[/quote]
US government requires all citizens to fill out a W9 for any new bank accounts opened abroad. I won’t go into all the explanations here, but to save yourself the hassle, just use your Canadian passport when opening a bank account.
Me? Oh but I do know. No, I do assessment for a uni in another country. I don’t teach much anymore. My working situation seems to be coming together, for once.
I fight like a girl.
Me? Oh but I do know. No, I do assessment for a uni in another country. I don’t teach much anymore. My working situation seems to be coming together, for once.
I fight like a girl.[/quote]
Not you, The guy that started this thread has another thread titled: “How many fights you’ve been in”
Me? Oh but I do know. No, I do assessment for a uni in another country. I don’t teach much anymore. My working situation seems to be coming together, for once.
I fight like a girl.[/quote]
Not you, The guy that started this thread has another thread titled: “How many fights you’ve been in”[/quote]
Oh, scuse, I misread. That guy’s in K-town looking for strippers and swingers that will fight him and give him a public school job.
[quote=“Ermintrude”]
Oh, scuse, I misread. That guy’s in K-town looking for strippers and swingers that will fight him and give him a public school job.[/quote]
I thought he was looking for ladyboys in Thailand and also a beer girl/escort/hooker to make him look like a distinguished businessman.
[quote=“Abacus”][quote=“Ermintrude”]
Oh, scuse, I misread. That guy’s in K-town looking for strippers and swingers that will fight him and give him a public school job.[/quote]
I thought he was looking for ladyboys in Thailand and also a beer girl/escort/hooker to make him look like a distinguished businessman.[/quote]
Was going to make a joke here but forgot what it was. 
Why? :ohreally:[/quote]
US government requires all citizens to fill out a W9 for any new bank accounts opened abroad. I won’t go into all the explanations here, but to save yourself the hassle, just use your Canadian passport when opening a bank account.[/quote]
Wow! Good to know.