I have had a suspended offer to move to Japan, but am now inclined not to go too.
Your knowledge of Taiwan appears to be extremely limited. You should just stop embarrassing yourself.
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No way. Taiwan is firmly in the East Asian sphere, culturally, politically, and even geographically (itās adjacent to Hong Kong). Not sure where this āitās part of SE Asiaā malarky is coming from. South Korea and Chinaā¦ even golden Japanā¦ all have their share of rundown districts.
Taiwan, a part of SE Asia?? Have you ever been to an actual Filipino slum? Are you having a laugh making this claim?
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Hello everybody!
Iāve read each response. Huge thanks!
Few points Iād like to add:
1/ I do not want to become Chinese or Japanese. Iām in Asia for the career, money and money once again.
2/ In China I was saving about 4500 USD a month, after all expenses (food, drinks, travel, housing) + on top of that had other perks. That amount is net and after taxesā¦
3/ Iām not an English teacher (I do not hate on teachers, the certified ones or otherwise). I believe itās actually one of best options to crack Asia open for the money. If youāre from English-speaking country then move here at 18 y.o., teach English and do CS bachelors online (or do teacherās state-certification). With clever investing and saving, one can retire by 30ā¦ or switch to some semi-work by then.
4/ I crave for the times when you were a foreigner that could speak the language and had some work experience and could get paid shitloads of money for it. Those times are gone in China for ~30 year olds. We are being replaced by local China managers who were educated abroad and have corporate experience that consists of string of foreign companies in China.
Not many expat positions are left. Most of China office/subsidiary General Managers nowadays are locals. This discussion comes to every firm whenever a CFO changes in EU/US HQ of the companyā¦
5/ Iām here in Taiwan because of coronavirus. My network thinks Iām crazy to work for that little money. No joke here. Most of guys I know would rather spend 1-2 years being jobless and looking for a great paying position than working for the 50k TWD. I have different personality, and prefer to have food on the table, and investments in the bank. Given coronavirus and Trump trade war, the options for a foreigner like me are just limited. Honestly speaking.
6/ 100k TWD in Taiwan is still a laughable salary by any of the measures. Iām sorry to be so definite about it, but even if I was able to save all of it every month Iād still crave for more. Iād go as far as saying that half-brained foreigner in China who is still figuring his stuff out is able to pull in that much. If youāre a management level and earning 100k TWD in China - it means you did something wrongā¦ even with housing/food it would be low-end package for somebody who has 2 years of experience.
To give some perspective, I actually started my career in China from 90k TWD after tax + all expenses paid (housing, food)ā¦ just after graduation, for a single contributor role.
7/ Taiwan tax-rebates are poor manās bonus. I would not focus on these.
8/ I hear from few of you (and from looking at other posts on this forum) that thereās a mythical unicorn of finding oneās ānicheā. I am sorry but it sounds like a typical English teacher-speak. In mainland it works like this: you get some kind of opportunity, then you work your ass off and then youāre making twice as your friends make in London or Paris! It should be accessible to every laowai who bothers to have a career, learn something useful and speaks the language. In other words, I donāt want to live on outlier on society dreaming about finding some magical niche. Iām here for the money, not for day dreaming.
To give another example: if I was making here as much as Iād be making in London, then I would not want to live here.
Iām just appalled at state of things here in Taiwan. For somebody who craves furthering oneās career or more money itās just not the place. Even if I stay and work my ass off doing all the overtime at the office, it will not translate to any substantial increase in the salary or perksā¦
Where is it, if I may ask?
Most of the world would trade places with you in about .000000000001 seconds at the momentā¦
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Thanks for sharing this incredible insight. Nothing like this has been observed or spoken here, like ever!
Amidst these blindingly original observations, you may have noticed that there are a few changes happening around the world lately, such as the PRC banning all entry of foreigners (even foreigners with residency), and this thing called COVID-19. I guess having a functioning health system with nearly universal coverage is not so important to you as you chase down your money. I also guess having a democratic system where the government is there answering questions and providing data every single day is also unimportant to you. But maybe they matter to some of us here who call Taiwan home.
Cheers,
Guy
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With all due respect, some people complain, other people do something about it. Why be the former and not the latter?
Your golden goose in China is dead. Itās not Taiwanās responsibility to replace it for you.
It sounds like you have an interesting skill set for which there is surely opportunity. That opportunity might not be totally familiar to you, and it might not be easy to exploit, but itās there.
I own a business and frankly, based on your skill set alone, you sound like the type of person Iād usually want to connect with. But your attitudeā¦
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Have I missed something? Whatās the skill set?
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He speaks/writes Chinese and English, and has sourcing/manufacturing experience.
Can say ni hao and Hello, and can raise a PO or a works order. Got it 
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Nearby Osaka.
Maybe. Or maybe thereās more. The point is that with the OPs entitled attitude, people who might be the source of opportunity are likely to be turned off and pass.
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I wouldnāt hire him as heād probably low-key insult me off the bat with his patented āNot trying to offend you, butā¦ā
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Yeah definitely,
He canāt be that well skilled otherwise instead of talking crap on an online forum, he would have been pro-active in his approach and sorted it reasonably. Manufacturing/Engineer folks tend to solve their own problems, unless they are just wasters pissing about with Excel spreadsheets with job titles with the name āEngineerā or āCo-ordinatorā in it.
Note: previous thread by OP has more info 50k TWD job offer in Neihu, Taipei
Sorry, I am annoyed at the OPs attitude. I will duck away
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I donāt think it has gotten through to most foreigners in China that their only purpose now is to serve as a scapegoat for all of Chinaās ills now. After hearing all that has gone on I donāt plan on visiting China ever, and Canadians shouldnāt even think of visiting lest they get arrested. I can only imagine all the problems foreigners are facing living there now after being vilified in the media.
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Yea, and itās going to stay that way for as long as tourists are not allowedā¦
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One thing for sure, you wonāt find anything similar to that you are looking for in Japan, of all places.
Unless youāve held a specific job title (General Operation Manager, Area Manager, District Manager), you wonāt be hired from any company or firm thatāll pay you the amount that youāve had in China.
Iām sure if you possess certain skills, you would have an opportunity, but Japan isnāt China, and if you think there is a similarityā¦youāre dead wrong. Now if you have a connection through your profession or your
friends, perhaps you can land these lucrative jobs that youāve lost in China.
I lived in Japan for 1 year with this exact wage as an office worker. I was considered lucky because people around me with similar experiences were making way less than I was. (like 300k to 340k)
Itās probably a smart move. Japan was very attractive place for me to consider moving, but economically and culturally, it seems like there is a sharp decline in last 2-3 years. And this is coming from ethnically Japanese guy with family members in Japan.
I think this varies but do what you do and depending your skills and interest find something related. I have Japanese cousin, moved to Los Angeles many years ago did movie studio design (design in general) and very happy with nice home (purchased many years ago 20% of current value). Their grown kids in their 20ās , one went to Japan to open a fusion food place, good business. The other a girl, ended up in auto design (So Cal has many design offices for the auto industry) and now with major Japanese auto company and time split between Japan-LA. All this shows, same family , all doing well and what they what but in different places including Japan. So I think a lot of it is you can find the right job/ business for you no matter the place. Me, Japanese mix, I like Kaoshiung and I can fly to Japan (Okinawa-Fukuoka/Kyushu for business and family) as well NZ/USA/Hawaii. (Japan, skills are important and respected more so than in Taiwan or China and money less so)
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