I have a quick question. I am planning on moving to Taipei in a few weeks. I am considering working at the Gloria English School, which is essentially located in Zhongli. I plan on living in Yonghe due my aunt allowing me to stay in her second home for free (fully furnished to boot).
How is the commute? Is it reasonable? Has anybody else tried to make this commute? Thanks for any help!
Probably not reasonable.
IF you are driving a car AND you had a place to park in Zhongli it might be tolerable by US standards. It would also depend on time of day.
If you are relying on public transit or a scooter it will be more like 1.5 to 2 hours each way.
If you are going to live in Yonghe, you can take jobs in Taipei, Banqiao, Zhonghe, or Xindian. Anything else will be rough. If you teach in Zhongli, live in Zhongli. The rent is cheap there and most of what you save will be spent on travel.
You should wait until you are here to arrange a job if possible.
[quote=“Feiren”]Probably not reasonable.
IF you are driving a car AND you had a place to park in Zhong Li it might be tolerable by US standards. It would also depend on time of day.
If you are relying on public transit or a scooter it will be more like 1.5 to 2 hours each way.
If you are going to live in Yonghe, you can take jobs in Taipei, Banqiao, Zhonghe, or Xindian. Anything else will be rough. If you teach in Zhongli, live in Zhongli. The rent is cheap there and most of what you save will be spent on travel.
You should wait until you are here to arrange a job if possible.[/quote]
Best way to get in and out of Zhong Li without a car: Train
Best ways to get around Zhong Li: Car/Scooter (bus is an option, but I hear it’s not as convenient)
Unfortunately, there’s no train station in Yong He, so you would either have to scooter/bus over to Ban Qiao or if scooter/bus is not an option, you’d have to MRT in a huge loop up to Taipei Main to take the train down to Zhong Li.
If you do decide to commute, you’re looking at around 1.5-2 hr one way.
All in all, like Feiren said, it’s not a convenient commute. If you’re going to live rent free, I’d go with the arrive first, find a job later or request a spot at a Gloria English School in Taipei/New Taipei city.
I appreciate the insight. This is very good to know.
I do not believe Gloria has any schools in Taipei, but it does have one in Taoyuan city. Would this be significantly better, or only marginally? Would it still be an unreasonable commute?
Additionally, if I were to fly to Taiwan before lining up jobs, would I be likely to find a decent job within a couple of months? I have a few months of living expenses, but not much more. It would obviously be a major financial loss to fly to Taiwan and return empty handed. I’m just trying to weigh whether or not it’s worth the risk to wait to find a job. I could feasibly find a place in Taoyuan, provided the rent is very cheap, and commute to Taipei when I have the urge to visit the city. I’d definitely have to look into housing prices.
Thanks again for the help!
Definitively, you need to come here first and see for yourself. The whole island is a city, if you are working in Zhongli it may be called the boondocks but Taoyuan is definitively part of the city.
I know it is customary in the US for people to commute 2 hours a day each way, but that is not the case in Taiwan. Convenience is key. Commutes here of over 20 minutes are already considered “too long”. There is public transportation everywhere. It is a different pace/style of living. Plus you have to think of certain disruptions, like quakes and typhoons and plain traffic -search about driving in Taiwan, it will make your hair stand on end- that will make you reconsider a long commute… especially on the highways.
Now, if by “city” you mean certain amenities like more foreign oriented bars, discos or whatever, then definitively Taipei would be the easiest place to live. Think about what interests you, what is important to you. If its hiking and not nightlife then a tradeoff is OK. If you are not going to live in Taipei, then look for a place of work where you will find what you like.
I gather you are of Taiwanese descent? Yes, it will be more difficult to find a job for you here teaching English. Actually, it is better that they see your face and you see what the school’s deal is before committing long term. Most rentals are one year, for example. hence, yes, budget 2 or 3 months of expenses, and test and seek and look some more.
[quote=“Icon”]Definitively, you need to come here first and see for yourself. The whole island is a city, if you are working in Zhongli it may be called the boondocks but Taoyuan is definitively part of the city.
I know it is customary in the US for people to commute 2 hours a day each way, but that is not the case in Taiwan. Convenience is key. Commutes here of over 20 minutes are already considered “too long”. There is public transportation everywhere. It is a different pace/style of living. Plus you have to think of certain disruptions, like quakes and typhoons and plain traffic -search about driving in Taiwan, it will make your hair stand on end- that will make you reconsider a long commute… especially on the highways.
Now, if by “city” you mean certain amenities like more foreign oriented bars, discos or whatever, then definitively Taipei would be the easiest place to live. Think about what interests you, what is important to you. If its hiking and not nightlife then a tradeoff is OK. If you are not going to live in Taipei, then look for a place of work where you will find what you like.
I gather you are of Taiwanese descent? Yes, it will be more difficult to find a job for you here teaching English. Actually, it is better that they see your face and you see what the school’s deal is before committing long term. Most rentals are one year, for example. hence, yes, budget 2 or 3 months of expenses, and test and seek and look some more.[/quote]
I am half Taiwanese and half Caucasian. You can tell that I have Taiwanese blood in me, but I definitely do not look like I’m a Taiwan native. I definitely look half Caucasian, not to mention the fact that I’m fairly tall (6’2") and have a very Caucasian body structure (broad shoulders, barrel chested, etc). Would I still probably face significant discrimination?
By city I mean Taipei specifically. I have some friends and family in Taipei, so I would probably want to visit there fairly often. I would prefer to live and work in Taipei, but I’m simply concerned about not being able to find a job there within a few months if I choose not to line one up beforehand. If this is a realistic scenario, then I think I might just pull the trigger and line up a job beforehand. I don’t have a ton of money as is, being a poor recent college graduate, and I don’t feel comfortable risking thousands of dollars in living expenses if I run a high risk of leaving Taiwan empty handed.
I’m hoping that the posts discussing the dismal ESL market here are mostly hyperbole. I don’t expect to be able to walk into any random buxiban and be given a job on the spot, but as I said, I will definitely need some sort of employment within a couple of months.
Thanks again for your input.
In that case, my dear, a career in modeling/TV hosting/entertainment awaits you. Seriously. Much more money, less hours, aggravation wise cha bu duo le.
Again, seriously, what is your major? Maybe you can find a different job. They are not making tons of money in the teaching business these days nowadays and with your background, a proper job experience will boost your chances in the States for big kachin!Kachin!
Jobwise the situation is dire -for everyone, Caucasian or not- but if you have a college degree and basic experience it should be OKish. Three months is the worst case scenario, lot less if you do your homework, set up a few interviews, have a realistic goal in mind and clear objectives. Just make sure they don’t draft you.
[quote=“Icon”]In that case, my dear, a career in modeling/TV hosting/entertainment awaits you. Seriously. Much more money, less hours, aggravation wise cha bu duo le.
Again, seriously, what is your major? Maybe you can find a different job. They are not making tons of money in the teaching business these days nowadays and with your background, a proper job experience will boost your chances in the States for big kachin!Kachin!
Jobwise the situation is dire -for everyone, Caucasian or not- but if you have a college degree and basic experience it should be OKish. Three months is the worst case scenario, lot less if you do your homework, set up a few interviews, have a realistic goal in mind and clear objectives. Just make sure they don’t draft you.[/quote]
My degree is in Chemistry. I am actually applying to medical schools this summer, which gives me a gap year during the application cycle. This gives me about a year to live and work in Taiwan. I don’t have much work experience in my field, as I’ve been planning on attending medical school ever since I was in high school. I also don’t speak Chinese, which would presumably make employment difficult. On the flip side, I will have a TARC soon, which makes me eligible for open work rights. Part of the reason why I want to go to Taiwan is so that I can learn Chinese.
When you say “basic experience,” what are you referring to exactly? I have some teaching experience (tutoring and several years as an assistant martial arts instructor at a well established school), but not a whole lot of ESL specific experience. That being said, I have some experience teaching large numbers of hyperactive children, so there’s that. 
i’m sure you can find somewhere closer… sounds like a cool set up in yonghe, if you are living rent free why not move there and scout out a job, time is not so much of an issue if you dont need to worry about rent right?
I wouldn’t need to worry about rent, but I still need to cover food, transportation, utilities etc.
I’ll definitely keep my eyes open for decent schools that are closer though.
Transport is EasyCard, you’ll be hard pressed to spend more than 2000 NTD a month. Utilities are cheap, say 200 NTD water, maybe 2000 again electricity. Will you be cooking? Maybe 1000 gas, tops.
Food depends on you. Daily can be as low as 300 NTD, or 300 NTD a meal if you eat daily outside Western fare.
[quote=“J29622”]
I am half Taiwanese and half Caucasian. You can tell that I have Taiwanese blood in me, but I definitely do not look like I’m a Taiwan native. I definitely look half Caucasian, not to mention the fact that I’m fairly tall (6’2") and have a very Caucasian body structure (broad shoulders, barrel chested, etc). Would I still probably face significant discrimination?
By city I mean Taipei specifically. I have some friends and family in Taipei, so I would probably want to visit there fairly often. I would prefer to live and work in Taipei, but I’m simply concerned about not being able to find a job there within a few months if I choose not to line one up beforehand. If this is a realistic scenario, then I think I might just pull the trigger and line up a job beforehand. I don’t have a ton of money as is, being a poor recent college graduate, and I don’t feel comfortable risking thousands of dollars in living expenses if I run a high risk of leaving Taiwan empty handed.
I’m hoping that the posts discussing the dismal ESL market here are mostly hyperbole. I don’t expect to be able to walk into any random buxiban and be given a job on the spot, but as I said, I will definitely need some sort of employment within a couple of months.
Thanks again for your input.[/quote]
To add onto my suggestion (and Icon’s) to come here first and look for a job after, if you have some relatives in YongHe and Taipei, I’m sure they would invite you over for family dinners, right? I know it sounds tacky to mooch meals off of them, but having a Taiwanese family myself, I know they will be very concerned on whether you have eaten or not. Unless you aren’t the biggest fan of your relatives and want to avoid them like the plague, you can save a lot by going to family dinners often.
As Icon said, you can save a lot on food as long as you aren’t eating 200-400NT meals for lunch/dinner everyday. A lot of the cheap places with large portions may be popular and have a line, but to save money and to have a good meal, it’ll be worth it, right?
If you do end up moving over without a job lined up and need to make trips into Taipei often, might I suggest learning the bus system? It is cheaper, however, it is slower than MRT and has a small learning curve as to paying when boarding and when to get off. However, once you get the hang of it, the bus system is pretty awesome. I’m probably going to get comments saying it’s only cheaper by 2-5NT and MRT can get you to places faster, but every penny counts right?
Feel free to shoot me a PM when you get here if you need any help with getting accustomed.
Hi
As I know there is a direct bus going from YongHe to Zhongli. The bus gets on the freeway number 3 and then its about 1.5 hours direct to Zhongli… so there is no need to rely on train for transportation. You will only need to find how far is the working place is from the bus stop in Zhongli.
All the best