US citizens aren’t eligible.
The OP should just do it. worst case, they leave
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The difference is Ireland is attractive to multinationals whereas business stability in Canada and productivity is low. We bitch about our main trading partner without diversifying (well, BC diversified with Asia).
yeah, if OP reads this, it really is a game of preference with Chinese city, some have your vibe, others dont. Guiyang has 3 lines, but of the cities I listed it is an outlier as its noticeably smaller and “poorer”, but I loved it there as it had a certain charm I liked. Of the cities you mentioned I would agree with Nanjing and Xiamen. I hated Changsha, and I can add Shanghai and Shenzhen to that list of cities I dislike. So best to go and try a few and see which one suits best.
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Assuming based on your username that you are a girl, another thing worth throwing out is that it seems to me a pretty solid majority of Westerners who choose to make Taiwan a long-term home are male. There are, of course, exceptions, and no one here knows you and whether or not you could be one. But certainly there are reasons for this trend. I’m not saying this to mean that you shouldn’t come at all, by all means give it a try, but it’s all the more reason to think about it as “giving it a try” rather than as making a serious commitment or life decision.
we all cope in different ways, so I forgive you for lashing out
How did he lash out?
It read like a perfectly fair response to me.
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I moved back to Taiwan around 10 years ago and found a job teaching almost right away and started working different jobs I’ve found myself doing. I do speak chinese relatively well as I was born in Taiwan before moving to the US at around 10 years old and I have family here so it made it easier.
But I think it’s perfectly doable if you have some money saved up to come and give it a go based on my experience. Taiwan isn’t a place you’d feel crushed by the cost of living pressure as soon as you land.
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I mean tons of comments say that china pays “better”. I hear many people get 65k/month in taiwan doing TEFL? I make 88k/month here in the US and im fine since i have very little expenses. I suppose when you factor in cost of living its pretty equal
I’ve been in seoul and thailand in the summer so i know what the heat is like lol. I’m preparing by losing weight so i don’t sweat as much. also I can’t get a working holiday as an American
I have wondered why it seems to be many men going to taiwan. Reading through threads, it seems like a large chunk of it is men who are ethnically Taiwanese, another chunk of is it SEA men working for better salary for their families, and the last chunk being white guys who like East Asia, similar to the Japan craze but less…obnoxious. Sexism in the workplace may be a factor, I presume. I’ll go see for myself.
Taiwan in the early 2000s was a fun time. Not sure it’s as open or liberal now. The new generation seems slightly more conservative/less enamored with Western migrants!
Do not, I emphasize, mess with a bear lashing out!
Guy
It’s a bit weird to read, tbh. You are obsessed, but you have never been in Taiwan? Than I suggest to go on the mentioned trip to learn the language. 3 months in AirBnB are affordable, if you dont find a language school that also offers a place to stay.
Gold Card is indeed urealistic, but you could apply to a university/ school to teach english and get the green card nonetheless. As long as they accept you, no one cares about your experience. But you wont make much money, but it’s a start and you can see where you go from there.
If you got parents to support you, you can at least ask them, if they would pay the ticket back if everything falls appart. Should have that as a back up because it will be HARD to save up the money for a flight back with Taiwan wages.
Given your age and curiosity, my conclusion is: just do it. You have little to lose and can always return to your old life. Especially at your age. You wont make more money in the US for now anyways, heh 
Why are you posting things that make no sense? It’s a strange way to make your first post here on this forum. If you’re going to offer advice to others, at least get some of the basics right.
Guy
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Mind to elaborate and not just make a statement, that no one helps?
I get that the tone here is a bit different, but at least include some information.
You can apply for a job and your employer will then apply in your stead for a work permit - after what you can get your work visa/ ARC. Basically the same as for a green card.
Work visa/ ARC are just some bureaucracy steps after a company accepted you. The Ministery, from my experience, rarely ever double checks that. “Oh you got a job here? Well WE say you miss the experience”… never seen that happen, but you can sure provide some information.
it was in jest.
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This is a Taiwan based forum. If you want to talk about the US, I imagine you could find some forum for that. Otherwise, please stop posting misinformation—it is unhelpful.
Guy
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Thanks the tw. in the URL would not have implied that. I had been warned about the tone in this forum but holy shit… what a welcome.
Though I am some American and tried to spread some hate, did you?
I merely made information digestable. ARC + work visa is what SHE knows as Green Card and I was helping HER.
She isn’t in a state of trying to find where to apply for whatever. She is trying to make a DECISSION. Hence she needs to have a picture that helps her decide what to do.
Not some 100% acurate walkthough on which steps she needs to do RIGHT NOW.
Else you would have not talked about a working holiday as “not the best plan”, as that does not apply to her at all. Or think she’d be eligible for a Gold Card - given her lack of experience and income.
I will use the right phrases and write in guoyu whenever I need to adress you, ok?
Not going to reply to you again here, unless you provide some rather good input and not just trying to call out others as you do.
The OP identified as having received a BA “from a top school.” Let’s look at recent information and not misinformation that’s being casually thrown around:
Taipei, Aug. 29 [2025] (CNA) Taiwan’s Legislature on Friday passed amendments to the Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals, expanding eligibility and extending certain categories of visa in a bid to enhance the country’s global competitiveness.
Under the new rules, foreign graduates from one of the world’s top 1,500 universities will be able to work in Taiwan without the previously required two years of work experience. The threshold is currently limited to graduates from the top 500 universities.
To further attract top-tier talent, the law also allows foreign nationals who obtained a bachelor’s degree or higher within the past five years from one of the world’s top 200 universities to directly apply to the Ministry of Labor for a professional work permit valid for up to two years.
Source: OCAC.R.O.C.(TAIWAN) – News
I still have a hunch that the OP getting into a decent MA program with some kind of scholarship support would be a path to consider. Work rights for international students in Taiwan are being liberalized like crazy right now.
Guy
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Anyone know where to find this list? I went to 2 pretty decent schools, both should be under 500, but different lists use different criteria. This is good intel that Taiwan rates good schools over diploma mills