With your background. Have you ever thought of being a personal fitenss trainer? It’s hugely lucrative if you can get into the corporate side of things. Like retreat days/spa days/ team work excercie days along those lines. My friend was a personal trainer at World gym and he earned good money doing what he does best.
He then moved on to coach high-end clients who are often busy running big businesses and are looking for tailor made regimes.
You can start that up by doing a simple facebook page to start off with.
[quote=“darth_guy”]You need to first get married, and register your marriage in your home country, the US. You then need your US marriage certificate to apply for a resident visa of the JFRV kind: Joining Family Resident Visa. You will obtain your ARC (not an APRC, that comes later).
This is incorrect for the USA, unless you actually get married in the USA. In the USA, marriage is handled at the state level, not the national level. There is no registration done for marriages, nor will the US issue a “US marriage certificate” if you got married in a foreign country. The USA is different from a lot of countries in this respect.
Well, I just spoke about the marriage thing with my girlfriend. We both laughed that I am currently in the same situation here in Taiwan as she was in back in the USA. My big thing is becoming self sufficient. I want to be able to earn my own money, buy my own vehicle, drive myself wherever I need to go, stay here long term (as the title suggests), etc, and it appears that the easiest way to do any and all of those things is to go ahead and get married sooner than later.
I just got back from viewing apartments. I can’t believe the difference in the apartments here vs the US.
The one we just looked at was incredible. The outside of the building and the surrounding area is beautiful, very modern and luxury looking. I walk in and public area is just as nice. I get into a very fancy elevator and go up to the 3rd floor. Yup, even the hallways are modern, clean, and just over all very nice. I get to the apartment door, and he opens it up for me.
Wow.
Open front room that comes with the brand new flat screen tv and tv stand. Very nice couch and coffee table that are also brand new and included with the apartment. Off of the front room was the sleeping area that had a brand new platform style bed frame and new mattress, full or queen size it looked like. On the other side of the front room was a separate area for writing. Already has the writing desk and chair included, and right in front of a window with a view. Next to that were big, beautiful sliding glass doors that led into an enclosed balcony that had stained wood flooring, a stone hot spring, and a washer off to the side. I was very impressed…
Then I went to look at the bathroom. Closed off shower (not the common shower head coming out of the wall next to the toilet that I keep seeing, and personally thing is kind of cool), new toilet, and then a very luxurious looking sink and surrounding area, right in front of another window with a great view.
Off of the living room were double sliding frosted glass doors. Open them up and a full kitchen is revealed. Comes with a stove and refrigerator.
Basically, this place blew me away. It was WAY nicer than any place I have lived in the US, and it even includes under ground parking.
The price? $10,350 TND, which is like $350 USD… Holy crap… I just can’t believe it. Where do I sign?
[quote=“biggyweiting”]Ok, so before I get bashed too hard, I will confirm some things that I will no doubt be accused of.
Yes, I just joined, and no, I have not tried to find the answers to all my questions by using the search feature.
I know that most of the questions I have are already answered somewhere, but in the searching I actually did do, I saw some incomplete, or outdated answers, so I am seeing what is new.
[/quote]
You are lucky you are in Taichung. That would be 3-4 times the price in Taipei. But anyway, sound great. One of the excellent things about Taiwan is the cost of living is so much lower, but you get a good standard of living. Perfect when you are trying to set yourself up with some business or freelance career.
Well now I am hearing that there is an entire 4 story building for rent down the road for $15,000 TND a month, so i am going to check it out.
I will most likely get the one we just looked at, and I will be posting a video on my youtube for sure. I am still blown away by how nice everything was, and that all the furniture was brand new and included.
A word of caution: Don’t be thinking in US prices. If you do, even NT$25,000 (US$830) sounds like a good deal. Keep in mind that teaching salaries are usually in the 30k-50k range, and you don’t want to be paying more than half of your salary to rent. If you’ve already consider those points, though, have fun house hunting!
Actually, that is a very good point. I hadn’t even considered how much the average salary here is. I know that my girlfriend makes a base pay of $25,000 just for being employed where she is, then each class she teaches she makes additional money. I believe at the end of the month she makes around $35,000-$40,000 average. I have no idea what I will end up doing full time, so I really have no idea what i can expect to make. I just know for now I do private tutoring for various age groups, and make $400-$600 per hour.
Good call, and thanks for the heads up. From what I understand there will be some bills I am not used to paying back in the US, such as an annual gas tax, etc.
If you are happy about the house, wait until you see the health service package. Since you have a small child, you will dance with joy at the through, cheap, and hassle free health care available. True, quality varies, but you are absolutely free to look around and choose, as many as varied and as frequently as you can. Three letters: NHI (National Health Insurance). (Disclaimer: you should also have extra coverage for biggies, but basic at least you’ll have)
You know, I am so used to living in the US, that I just flat out never went to the doctor, hospital, dentist, etc.
I grew up most of my life having no health insurance, like a lot of Americans. When it was available to me later in life, it was very expensive, and even when you had it, the co-pays add up fast, and the rare times you need to use your insurance, the insurance companies were good about approving one moment, then rejecting it later, so you were stuck with a huge bill after. This actually happened to my step dad.
So, the short of it is, I have always lived with the mindset that you “walk it off” or “rub dirt in it” or “suck it up and be a man”, all of these terms of course meaning that you just try not to get hurt, and if you do get hurt, just wait for the pain to go away.
So, the idea of Health Care actually being available is already an exciting concept!
[quote=“biggyweiting”]Well, I just spoke about the marriage thing with my girlfriend. We both laughed that I am currently in the same situation here in Taiwan as she was in back in the USA. My big thing is becoming self sufficient. I want to be able to earn my own money, buy my own vehicle, drive myself wherever I need to go, stay here long term (as the title suggests), etc, and it appears that the easiest way to do any and all of those things is to go ahead and get married sooner than later.
I just got back from viewing apartments. I can’t believe the difference in the apartments here vs the US.
The one we just looked at was incredible. The outside of the building and the surrounding area is beautiful, very modern and luxury looking. I walk in and public area is just as nice. I get into a very fancy elevator and go up to the 3rd floor. Yup, even the hallways are modern, clean, and just over all very nice. I get to the apartment door, and he opens it up for me.
Wow.
Open front room that comes with the brand new flat screen tv and tv stand. Very nice couch and coffee table that are also brand new and included with the apartment. Off of the front room was the sleeping area that had a brand new platform style bed frame and new mattress, full or queen size it looked like. On the other side of the front room was a separate area for writing. Already has the writing desk and chair included, and right in front of a window with a view. Next to that were big, beautiful sliding glass doors that led into an enclosed balcony that had stained wood flooring, a stone hot spring, and a washer off to the side. I was very impressed…
Then I went to look at the bathroom. Closed off shower (not the common shower head coming out of the wall next to the toilet that I keep seeing, and personally thing is kind of cool), new toilet, and then a very luxurious looking sink and surrounding area, right in front of another window with a great view.
Off of the living room were double sliding frosted glass doors. Open them up and a full kitchen is revealed. Comes with a stove and refrigerator.
Basically, this place blew me away. It was WAY nicer than any place I have lived in the US, and it even includes under ground parking.
The price? $10,350 TND, which is like $350 USD… Holy crap… I just can’t believe it. Where do I sign? [/quote]
Wow,that does seem like good value for Taichung. I am paying more than 3 times that here…and it doesn’t sound as if my place is much better.
Dont forget monthly admin fee but should not be more than 2000ntd, Taichung has a good selection of relatively cheap apartments and houses to rent. Our place was expensive at 15k (2.5 bdrm), 2 nice fitted out marble bathrooms and 2k admin fee , it also has a swimming pool and small gym and parking thrown in.
You know, I am so used to living in the US, that I just flat out never went to the doctor, hospital, dentist, etc.
I grew up most of my life having no health insurance, like a lot of Americans. When it was available to me later in life, it was very expensive, and even when you had it, the co-pays add up fast, and the rare times you need to use your insurance, the insurance companies were good about approving one moment, then rejecting it later, so you were stuck with a huge bill after. This actually happened to my step dad.
So, the short of it is, I have always lived with the mindset that you “walk it off” or “rub dirt in it” or “suck it up and be a man”, all of these terms of course meaning that you just try not to get hurt, and if you do get hurt, just wait for the pain to go away.
So, the idea of Health Care actually being available is already an exciting concept![/quote]
My wife gave birth back in March. She stayed in a double room for 4 days in Taiwan Adventist while the baby stayed for another 2 days afterwards for jaundice. Total hospital bill for my wife and baby after NHI kicked in: a whopping NT 33000 (USD 1100). In the US similar care would have cost me 5-7 thousand dollars with my previous HMO.
NHI also provided my son with 5 in 1 innoculations free of charge, I have not paid anything over
500 NT in each of our visits to Taiwan Adventist hospital for my son.
I couldn’t find anywhere that nice for less that 40k. Have prices reduced, over the last 18 months in Taichung .? My street is the " Art museum"street with all the Restaurants,which is nice with all the Trees etc, but I don’t think,from what you are posting,it should be quite so expensive?.
Have prices reduced, over the last 18 months in Taichung .? My street is the " Art museum"street with all the Restaurants,which is nice with all the Trees etc, but I don’t think,from what you are posting,it should be quite so expensive?.