Employment Ideas in Taipei for Taiwanese raised abroad (ABC)

Work Working in Taiwan
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#1

What are the options for a “semi-Taiwanese” person to work in Taipei? I’m in my late 20s, was raised in the States, hold a liberal arts degree. I was never schooled in Taiwan. I am a U.S./ROC dual citizen, so no work visa/ARC is required. I have fulfilled all conscription requirements.

I have native fluency in Mandarin (spoken). In terms of reading, I have a decent grasp of everyday characters for everyday life. For writing, I can type it out on my keyboard, but can’t really hand write without copying the characters directly. However, I can’t construct a fancy essay or formal language - more just chat room type of banter.

Please give me some tips and advice. I worked as a writer in the States. I don’t want to work at a cram school, and I understand there may be discrimination against Asians.

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#2

I don’t mean to be pedantic but it sounds like you were born in Taiwan? If so, why do you call yourself “ABC”? More like TBC or TBT (Taiwan born Chinese or Taiwan born Taiwanese).

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#3

I left when I was a toddler, so I never was schooled in Taiwan. I use “ABC” because it’s easier for people to understand. I was practically “American-born” since I left Taiwan so young.

#4

Here is one for you, TBA (Taiwan born American).

Added: ARC or ART (American Raised Chinese/Taiwanese) is better?

Cannot you continue your current career?

#5

You might want to list your relevant job skills and experience if you want useful advice (and don’t want to teach English).

#6

open a fucking cafe like every other ABC does. Or a burger bar. Or a bar. Or a burger/bar/cafe. Or a restaurant. Make sure your friends sit outside vaping all day long.

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#7

That’s what I use. :wink:

#8

Just makes me think of “to be announced.”

#9

I don’t really get the OP. He claims, in other threads, his beautiful Taipei accent opens doors for him. He’s a native speaker of English. He’s a native speaker of Mandarin. So in theory he should have an edge on the rest of us in the employment market. Although many of us are also bilingual.

I would suggest OP needs an entry level job as an editor.

Taiwan News? Taipei Times? LiveABC?
Prepare to pay your dues.

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#10

He won’t be able to keep that gold-digger he’s so into!

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#11

I think you’ve gone too far, man. That’s just cruel.

#12

We’ve (at least in California among the Taiwanese Americans) always used MIT (made in Taiwan).

ABC/ABT - self explanatory

MIT - born in Taiwan but moved to the USA at a young age, no accent, pretty Americanized

FOB - fresh off the boat/Boeing, recently moved to the USA, English fluency is mixed, definite accent

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#13

LiveABC is NG but Taiwan News is OK? :rofl:

#14

Hard to believe, but…yeah.

#15

Serious answers and thoughtful suggestions, please. I was a writer in the U.S.

Yes, I can speak Mandarin and I look Taiwanese on the outside – because my blood is Taiwanese. However, if you want me to write an essay in Chinese, I can’t. My Chinese is enough to get by on the MRT, to order some food off the menu, to talk to a store clerk - all without raising any red flags that I spent my life abroad. But once you go deeper beyond the surface, like if I went to a government office to fill out an application, I would likely need help if it was a complex form.

What do you mean by “pay my dues?” What kind of jobs do people get in Taiwan after a few years here?

#16

There are a lot of OEM/ODM companies in Taiwan that could use someone fluent in both to work on marketing, technical writing, etc. The company I work at is actually an American based company but we actually have MITs (made in Taiwan) working in many of the marketing copy positions because native-level English fluency is a must (and cheaper than hiring in our US office). If you can show you have a good understanding of the relevant industry, this could be a good fit given your writing background. Do be aware though that salaries suck here if you are hired directly as a local hire (and not as an expat).

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#17

IMO, teaching as a foreigner (I mean subject teacher at a high school… not 補習班 teacher… Language arts teacher in your case) is the best bet. I know it’s not the local Taiwanese type of job you were hoping for. But remember that the average salary here is $20,000nt/month. If you were to look for an entry level editor position, I would guess you wouldn’t get more than 4 times this amount (just a random guess… I actually have no idea… But I’d be shocked if you could make more than $80k in that kind of work)

Subject teachers make a lot more.

#18

No, it would be much lower.

#19

In that case, continue writing. That should be one of a few jobs that you could do from anywhere.

#20

ART - american reared taipeinese.

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