If you want to have a taste enroll in Mandarin class for six months or so , live in the dorm and explore Taipei city and the country this way. Then go back and complete your degree. This is of paramount importance. Then you can teach english and get by on that while you figure out your next moves. Which likely will involve a particular young taiwanese lady in time. She will help you figure things out.
Hit your parents up for a “get me gone for six months fee” 
Just scan someone else’s diploma and use Photoshop to put your name on it. Take you twenty minutes.
Yeah, I’m getting airfare quotes of $1800 from Ohare to Taipei.
[color=#FF0000]Just scan someone else’s diploma and use Photoshop to put your name on it. Take you twenty minutes.[/color]
Yeah, I’m getting airfare quotes of $1800 from Ohare to Taipei.[/quote]
They check.
Hello everyone,
I’ve been lurking the last couple of weeks just reading and learning. I have a few questions, but I will give a brief background about myself.
I am in my early 30’s. I have a B.A.in German Studies (German language and Literature) from a major US University. I currently work at an English Language Institute on the East Coast of the USA. I don’t want to say which one, but it is prestigious, at least that is what they tell us. I do not actually teach a class, as that would require a Master’s degree, which is something I don’t feel like working towards. My role is as a tutor and a computer lab administrator, but I do spend a lot of time working with students and have been trained by my work in methods to teach grammar (not to mention all the grammar I learned while learning German), pronunciation, and writing. Due to being an employee of an University I get to take Chinese classes for free and am in the process of learning basic Chinese.
I have an interest in teaching English as a foreign language and one of the places I am interested in doing it in is Taiwan. I have had many students from Taiwan and have met others and I must say I generally like the ones that I have met. What would help me in my quest to land a decent job in Taiwan? Should I get my CELTA first? Should I get certified to teach in my US state (I can because I’m critical needs since I’m a language major)? I ask this because I’ve seen some horror stories written here, but also I’ve seen some people who seem rather satisfied with life in Taiwan.
Lastly, I have two misdemeanors that show up on my FBI background report that I had ran (I almost got a job in Korea, but the paper work took too long and they gave the job to another person). Is this an issue? Should I get them expunged? Would that save me a lot of grief in the long run? They took place over a decade ago.
Thanks for any help or suggestions… (or links to other posts)
[color=#FF0000]Just scan someone else’s diploma and use Photoshop to put your name on it. Take you twenty minutes.[/color]
Yeah, I’m getting airfare quotes of $1800 from Ohare to Taipei.[/quote]
They check.[/quote]
Yeah that Photoshop idea is a great one! 
As far as my reason for Taiwan, getting away from my parents isn’t the biggest. One of the bigger incentives is that I could work on a project me and my friend started, in person, perhaps. I’ll admit that there’s definitely a bigger push out of the US than a pull to Taiwan. Financially, rent in Chicago is now around $700-$1000 a month. Since I don’t have a salary job atm (I have a contract for doing music for games), I can’t even move out locally.
Is there any way around the BA for working in Taiwan? I definitely don’t want to get kicked out of the country or anything, but I also don’t want to spend thousands on getting that degree. I’ve been to a few colleges already(some big and small ones), and I have yet to see one that makes me feel like I’m getting what I’m paying for.
As I understand the current regulations, to teach English, you need a Bachelors, or an Associates + ESL Cert. To work in other fields, you need a Masters, or Bachelors + 2 years related experience (or was it 4, I forget).
The only way possibly around it is to marry a local and get an open work permit. I don’t believe there is an education requirement for that.
As I understand the current regulations, to teach English, you need a Bachelors, or an Associates + ESL Cert. To work in other fields, you need a Masters, or Bachelors + 2 years related experience (or was it 4, I forget).
The only way possibly around it is to marry a local and get an open work permit. I don’t believe there is an education requirement for that.[/quote]
Is there any way that you could get a permit for actually getting a BA in Taiwan? It still sounds expensive, but would allow you to get in the country earlier, as opposed to spending the 2-4 years in the US for your degree.
Also, I do have around 4 years of industry experience, just no degree that says “hey I am capable of writing music for games”. Makes me wish there was somebody hired to look at art/music portfolios to determine whether you can get into Taiwan based on that alone…xD
[quote=“Chatto”]Is there any way that you could get a permit for actually getting a BA in Taiwan? It still sounds expensive, but would allow you to get in the country earlier, as opposed to spending the 2-4 years in the US for your degree.
Also, I do have around 4 years of industry experience, just no degree that says “hey I am capable of writing music for games”. Makes me wish there was somebody hired to look at art/music portfolios to determine whether you can get into Taiwan based on that alone…xD[/quote]
Of course you can get a resident visa if you are enrolled in a university program in Taiwan. You might even be able to get a scholarship from the Taiwan government. english.moe.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem= … 10632&mp=1
As for you trying to convince the members of this forum of your qualifications and that they should be enough, you are spitting in the wind. None of us has the authority to grant you a resident visa. You could try the TECO office in Chicago, but I am doubtful that you would have much success convincing them either.
As far as I know, the FBI background check won’t be an issue unless and until you apply for permanent residence. It’s not required for a work permit.
If you have a US passport, a Bachelors in any subject, are HIV-, you can get a work permit for a job teaching EFL in Taiwan. From how you described your current job, expect to take an ENORMOUS step down in pay and prestige when you come here, though.
Hmm thanks for the reply. I understand that the pay will be lower, but isn’t the cost of living less expensive there?
Also does anyone have any advice on what schools in Taiwan are looking for so as to me better prepared than just anyone who showed up to work. Should I be looking towards Korea or Japan for higher paychecks? Or even China?
In general, schools here are looking for people who will work for cheap.
You may want to check out the thread about whether or not experience helps, and the countless threads about the pay in the industry in Taiwan.
My buddy tried the fake diploma route, using simply a fake university, and it didn’t work.
I would imagine if you could somehow photoshop your name on a legit uni diploma, it would work, providing the reproduction looked like an authentic diploma (they want to see the orignal).
When my buddy failed his attempt, he stayed on a visitor visa, and on that completed a TESL (?) course here…all assignments done from home, took him a couple months and he says about 6000NT. So that is a legit alternative for someone without a diploma, apparently. Though it worked for him at the one place he worked, maybe someone else can elaborate…but from everything I understand the TESL course thing is viable.
I thought that even with TESL certs, you still need a minimum of an Associates degree.
Oh you may be right there…my buddy had a post-secondary college degree. Sorry bout that.
[quote=“Neugierig”]Hmm thanks for the reply. I understand that the pay will be lower, but isn’t the cost of living less expensive there?
Also does anyone have any advice on what schools in Taiwan are looking for so as to me better prepared than just anyone who showed up to work. Should I be looking towards Korea or Japan for higher paychecks? Or even China?[/quote]
the cost of living is lower but not by as much as you would expect. and since the pay is lower it doesnt make that much of a difference IMHO… japan and korea should both be a lot better although i really dont know and as for china… just dont if you have the choice ^^ you may make a little more money but its not worth all you are giving up as long as you have a conscience and would like to live long. sounds a bit crass but just my 
.
My landlord is a graphic artist in teh gaming industry, and he has also taught at some of the schools that have sprung up to sell degrees in “video game design” and similar. His take on it all is that pretty much all of these places are scams, you get a piece of paper at the end that nobody will care about. He interviewed at one last year where their program didn’t even teach the usual tools of the industry, they got some off-brand software cheap and the “professors” who ran the department wrote their own textbook for it, so the students could pay something like $30,000 per year for three years to come out of it with no usable skills and, according to my landlord, nowhere near enough of a portfolio of work to attract any attention.
If you’re looking at real colleges, like U of I or DePaul, the degrees are worthwhile (and in-state tuition is a f*cking bargain!), or at least they are if you pick the right major. You’re in Chicago, so UIC would be a natural choice, or you could move down to Champaign and hit UIUC if you can meet the higher admission requirements here. Rent in Champaign can be as low as $200/mo if you share an apartment. Only thing that sucks is Zorba’s burned down last month, so the best food in town is gone.
Well, except for the radiation and the constant real threat of bombardment, respectively.
Hey guys,
I am currently a postgraduate student in England and I have been awarded a one year Mandarin (Huayu) Enrichment Scholarship by the British Association of Chinese Studies. I plan on moving to Tainan to study at the National Cheng Kung University in September 2011 and I am looking for a little advice. I chose to study in Tainan because it was the old Qing dynasty capital until nearly the end of the 19th century; in particular, concurrently with my study of mandarin I am going to be exploring if there are any documents relating to a punishment device called a cangue (枷) - essentially a movable pillory - and sources highlighting how land/property taxation was handled in the transition from Chinese to Japanese sovereignty. I have checked through many of the posts on the forums, but I was looking for some infomation which is a little more context specific and up-to-date. I wish to enquire about the following questions:
I was wondering if anyone knows roughly the current cost of living in Tainan, especially in and around the National Cheng Kung University. My scholarship allowance is NT$ 25,000 a month; however, this figure has to cover school fees and housing so it would leave me around NT$ 6-10000 a month to live on. Is it possible to live, in a student fashion, on this kind of money?
How easy is it to find accommodation? I plan to arrive and stay in a hotel, but within a few days of arriving I would like to have moved in somewhere. On a rough scale how much would rent be?
I do not receive my first scholarship payment until I have attended classes for four weeks. Aside from having to borrow money to pay school fees up front, would NT$ 38,000 be enough to get me set up with a place and last for 6 weeks until I get my first scholarship payment?
Is it possible to teach English as a job in Tainan to earn some money on the side? I would be qualified with a an A grade A-Level in English Language and Literature, a 2:1 History degree and hopefully a distinction at MA level from Newcastle University. How much is the average NT$/per hour?
Thank you in advance for any assistance with the above questions.
Regards,
Daniel
It would be nearly impossible to live on that kind of money for a month. That’s more in the range of what you will need on a weekly basis. Rent is pretty cheap in Taiwan compared to UK standards, so you can very pull off something that costs 6000nt a month, but there are a variety of other expenses you need to consider. Tainan is cheaper than let say a city like Taipei.
Since you say you want to live “in a student fashion,” I will try to give you some idea what that will cost you. You can get by on only spending 200nt a day on food, but this will mainly be local hole in the wall joints.
Health Insurance, which is required after 4 months is something in the range of 700nt a month.
If you actually want to travel, drink, etc. it will cost you, but you would have absolutely no money to do this with 6-10k.
Yes.
It is illegal to work on your visa, but most likely private tutoring would be the best way to go. I couldn’t tell you the average wage, sorry.
I would think that you can find a place to stay for around $4000/month in Tainan, especially if you are willing to share accommodation in a smaller place (keep in mind that just about every place will be smaller than you are used to). In terms of food, some people can handle the cheap local fare at $50-70NT a meal, while others go crazy doing this. I did it for a few years to pay off loans, and didn’t splurge much later either for about 11 years, as I had gotten used to it. The university cafeteria and the places right around there will be your best bets. Booze is pricey, especially in bars–you’ll have to be careful there if you like a pint.
Teaching on the side is illegal, but many people do it. Expect anywhere from $500-$800/hour.