Hello all,
I’ve been lurking on this site for a while now and finally decided to bite the bullet to sign up so that I can actively post. I am a newly certified Elementary school teacher and I’m toying with the idea of moving to Taiwan to teach English at a local public primary school later this year. I wanted to get a more realistic picture of what I should be saving to execute my move. How much would you recommend saving to move to Taiwan? Including deposits for a place, surviving the first month until the first paycheck hits, quarantining, etc. Any insight would be much appreciated. Thank you in advance.
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I think it’ll depend on a lot of things.
Do you have a shipment? Can you certify your educational documents locally (that alone cost me about $250 USD in couriers)? Where will you be living, a nice place in Taipei or will you take a low-rent apartment in the sticks? Where are you flying from, and will your school reimburse your flight? How much is the COVID test where you are (I had to do it twice, because after the first one I was turned away at the airport because my flight transited through China and I didn’t have a visa for that)?
Depending on specifics, and since I’ve recently done this, I’d ballpark something like $4000USD to $8000USD.
Secure a teaching position before moving to Taiwan.
Make sure you have sufficient funds and/or any financial support from family members and/or relatives if you do make the leap.
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Remember that you might not be able to take many things with you when moving. This means you‘ll probably have to buy some stuff in the first weeks and months after arriving.
This includes household stuff (towels, pots, pans, plates, bed sheets, …), some new clothes, maybe some additional furniture pieces, …
At minimum, you’re looking at the cost of flights (maybe around USD 1000 in these times), quarantine hotel (USD 1500), apartment deposit and first month of rent (2 months + 1 month of rent - depending on where you want to live), and general living expenses for 1-3 months (can be anywhere between USD 500 to USD 1500 per month - with the first months in a new country tending to be more expensive). And maybe some emergency fund allowing you to buy a plane ticket home just in case things go sour.
So having at least USD 7500 to USD 10000 saved wouldn’t be a bad idea, I think.
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- cost of a temporary place between quarantine hotel and apartment, if quarantine hotel is just for 2 weeks.
Again it depends on where it is done. I have to do the full 3 weeks in Kaohsiung, but the hotel and food for 3 weeks is only about $1000USD
I think @mokkie gave great advice saying to get the position first. Not only is this currently a requirement due to COVID, but it will affect the costs a lot
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I would say $5000 to be safe. Do you have friends here on the ground that can make the move easier? If you have a local with you to talk to the apartment complex it will go a lot smoother. Also, be careful with older bills I brought a huge stack of money and the bank wouldn’t exchange my bills older than from 2009 or something like that for some reason.
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I’d get that deal in writing if I were you.
As for money, bring what you’ll think you’ll need. I wouldn’t come with less than 10K, were I single.
Posting boxes is most economical while unaccompanied luggage via airlines more expensive and DHL etc guaranteed fast delivery.
Depending on how much you send. I first went overseas with a couple of bags but this time have a shipment coming by sea. Some employers help with relocation costs (less than half of my shipment is paid for, but I’m bringing all my worldly possessions here).
Again, your advice the OP gets the job first is good advice.
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Thank you so much for responding. I’m still in the process of researching which cities most interest me. I’m not desperate to be in Taipei (I definitely don’t want to be in the sticks!), I’m sure it’s the place to be, but I also want to be somewhere where I can save. I would much prefer a midsized city with easy access to major cities. But thank you, will add the price of COVID testing and cost of certifying my educational credentials to the list of things to budget for.
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Yeah I’m definitely not bold enough to move over there without a job. I don’t really have the financial support of family unfortunately, but I have been saving since last year and will continue to throughout this year so that I can have a sense of financial security when I do make the leap.
Why Taiwan for you?
Whew! Thanks for breaking it down for me. $7500 - 10k is steep, but I want the cold hard truth so I can know what to prepare myself for. Definitely have to step my saving game up. I’m really hoping that towards the fall quarantine won’t be a thing anymore with the vaccine being more widely available, but I know that’s just wishful thinking at this point.
Didn’t even think of this. Thanks!
Definitely!
Try 2022 at the earliest!
I’d start looking and applying now, if you find a school that is willing to help you out then you can come sooner. Why wait until 2022 if you don’t need to? If you’re not in a hurry, you can also hold out for better offers…
I don’t have your qualifications @sasha_dramagirl, but mine aren’t bad; I spent 6 months looking for jobs and it took another 5 months to sort out the paperwork and get to the island.
Honestly my heart was always set on South Korea, but I’ve been doing a lot of research can’t seem to get the country out of my head. I like that the cost of living in Taiwan is cheaper, I hear that the people in Taiwan are much friendlier (I know that there are unkind people everywhere), love that with Taiwan you can get the best of both worlds with booming cities and lush nature. Just a few small reasons that have stuck so far.
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You can also consider other southeast Asian countries.
CCP expansionism is most definitely the greatest threat in Asia and on the planet.
I would really like to be there by August/September if I can. But I hear ya, I aslo don’t want to rush into anything.