Where in China ?
I work as Engg. Manager APAC for a software company, I gross about 225K.
Since the company needs english speaking engg., but not necessay Chinese 
so it was easy to get a job.
But what I have seen software companies in Taiwan don’t pay, the hours are hard, too much stress but not enough money about USD 40K- USD55K for 4-5 years exp.
Depends. I get paid by the word, so somewhere between NT$2 and NT$4 on the Taiwan market (far fewer of the latter than the former offers!) times the number of words I crank out in translations in any given month. Usually I try to stick to getting out between 50,000 to 80,000 a month depending on what it is, which is reasonable for a 20-22 day work month. Only problem is that it doesn’t usually divide up nicely into a couple thousand a day because people always need their 10,000 words yesterday, so it tends to be “hurry up and wait” sometimes, or maybe “feast and famine”. But I’ve been working this way for 15 years now and haven’t starved yet, – so far so good. If I’ve done my 3,000 on any given day I quit for the day and go do something else, which is the biggest reason I keep doing this despite lack of health benefits (in the US), lack of retirement package, etc. etc. 
Also has allowed me to go back to school. Hmmm might stay in school permanently here. I wonder how many MAs they would let you do before they caught on??
There’s some people with cash here. Right, I’ll be honest. I’m an honest, kind and hard working Aussie with a sense a humour looking for a free ride to retirement. If anyone wants to pay me big cash, for being myself, PM me. We’ll discuss my super over a pot (scooner) or two.
Where in China ?[/quote]
In a small city in Southern Fujian Province.
I work (teach) 26 hours/week for NT$60 000, leaving me lots of free time for learning all kinds of things.
My only regret is that I can’t continue with my degree while I’m here in Taiwan.
Except for the public speaking, there rest sound more or less like something any editor would be doing. I am intrigued. What is it exactly you do with “creative concepts” and “text development”?
By the way, the coin DID drop… 
I make a lot of money as a tattoo artist, but it’s my work as a male escort that really brings it in.
Why in the hell would anyone reveal their income online? I don’t even tell my mother how much I make.
It all depends. I can’t reveal how much (or lttle I make), as I have been asked not to.
If I didn’t have to worry about that, I would happily provide rough figures. I think it’s important that we know salary levels, as it makes negotiation of compensation easier for us.
I would have to agree with Tomas on this one.
As for rough numbers, I think most people are already familiar with those.
This seems like a pissing match to me–an excuse for people to compare the size of their stream.
Nothing personal–those of you who want to give out your numbers, good on you. However, I can think of more reason to keep numbers secret than benefits from giving them out.
An English teacher makes between NT$500~NT$1100/hr, A foreign employee in the finance industry makes between NT$40k~NT$manyk a month.
Sure, we all know the rough figures. Not very useful, though.
Why not? What’s the need to be coy and secretive about it (unless you have reason to hide it from the taxman, ex-wives, the mob, ex-wife mobsters, or other sundry creditors)? A lot of worthless people make stacks of money and a lot of outstanding people make do with next-to-nothing. Income doesn’t reveal anything about a person’s merits or lack thereof – it’s just a random number that some people care about more than others. Surely no one whose opinion matters would measure another’s worth by how much that person has or earns. So why not toss out those numbers for anyone who might be interested in them?
I think that a lot of people in my old line of work are afraid to demand the pay they deserve, and this helps keep wages stagnant. This means that 1) editors continue to get paid less than they’re worth; 2) talented people leave the market when they realize they could be making a lot more doing the same thing elswehere or sometyhing else here; and 3) a whole bunch of other things I can’t think of because I have a fever and haven’t slept in 3 days.
In this thread I posted the approximate rate I received at a place I haven’t worked at in more than 3 years, so I didn’t really feel I was divulging anything too personal. I suppose I should have posted under an alias, but most people on this board don’t know who I am anyway.
I know who you are – you’re that Jeff guy who posts on Segue. Thought you were hiding your identity, did you?
I agree that editing is badly underpaid here (for those well qualified to do the job, that is). I would say that editing technically difficult and badly written or translated material is at least ten times as demanding as teaching adults English conversation, and is also a lot more difficult than most of the work that a lawyer does, but the pay doesn’t reflect that at all. And translation here is grossly underpaid, as that line of work at the highest level requires at least as much knowledge and experience as practicing law, medicine, architecture, engineering, or whatever, and is just as challenging and in general worth just as much. And yes, I have done thousands of hours of work as a lawyer, teacher, editor and translator, so I am qualified to judge.
If I were obsessed with money, these things would bug me a lot.
Drats, foiled again.
Interesting that all the posters are ‘locally engaged staff’…
I am also locally engaged. I will not revel exact figures, but I did vote above.
Lets just say that English teachers are getting a better deal. Most work less than full time and make more per hour than I do.
I make more than locally licensed attorneys by far and less, much less, than I could as a foreign lawyer in Shanghai or HK. But then I don’t work as hard as HK or Shanghai lawyers(as noted by the hours spent reading forumosa!)
i used to work for 7/11 for 50NT/per hour but now i work at macdonalds for 70NT/per hour…as the taiwanese say money will soon crush me!
[quote]as the Taiwanese say money will soon crush me![/quote]Not much chance of getting crushed under the weight of that hourly rate - unless they pay you in ones 
[quote=“Omniloquacious”]
I agree that editing is badly underpaid here (for those well qualified to do the job, that is). I would say that editing technically difficult and badly written or translated material is at least ten times as demanding as teaching adults English conversation, and is also a lot more difficult than most of the work that a lawyer does, but the pay doesn’t reflect that at all. [/quote]
Oh, so true. The few prize editing jobs in this town that pay well are so mind numbingly boring you’ll go crazy, or they are held by the “pear-shaped middle-aged old boys club,” and good luck breaking that forcefield.