how should I got about it?what steps should I take? I am 16 and I’m planning on moving to Taiwan I got this pen-pal I talk to. and she has told me a lot about Taiwan. I always wanted to move away from the New York I looked for places and haven’t found one and I’ve always loved Chinese culture and when I met this person(well when i started talking to this person) I realise what better place to go to! I love Chinese culture so it would seem best place to go. common sense I know I must lean their language I am currently learning Chinese mandarin she said that’s what they mostly speak there.But how do I move to New York to Taiwan Taipei ? how do I become a successful person down there I don’t want to be an English teacher by the way.I am interested in psychology criminal justice/law,forensic science are there any jobs down at Taipei that looks at that? I do want to get my Ph. D by the way I’ve ask this in other websites such as “yahoo answer” and they tell me I’m only interested in my pen-pal that just so happens to be a girl and my age. BUT I assure you its not cause of that I just happen to adore the Chinese culture and i love the religion Taoism and Buddhism I just want out of the United States i want to do something different and I love Chinese things for some reason I don’t know I was just born like that and so i will work hard for my goal and I ask you any advice on?what should i be doing right now to accomplish this goal?what job should I look for to become successful I don’t want to be successful for myself but for my future family I’m not an everyday 16 year old I’m trying to plan the future and make it a good one for me.
Stay in America and get a 4 year degree first. You can visit the place, but really you are better off getting a degree first.
[quote=“tommy525”]Stay in America and get a 4 year degree first. You can visit the place, but really you are better off getting a degree first.[/quote]After i get my 4 year degree then will it be good to move to Taipei?What should i get a degree on like what’s are good jobs over there what they looking for?
Thing is if you have a 4 year degree (in anything) from a recognized college (not by mail) or at least a 2 year degree with a teaching cert then at least you can teach english. Even tho that is not what you want to do you said.
To work in any other industry generally also requires a degree and 2 years prior work experience in that field.
As an American citizen you will not be able to work unless you meet one or the other of the above.
I dont know if you can attend a Taiwan college, but others will chime in on that. If you do not need to make money you could study chinese and get permission to stay long term in Taiwan.
If you marry a Taiwanese girl then you can work in most jobs (that dont have other requirements).
Otherwise as a 16 year old non Taiwanese citizen you simply can not work there, in a legal sense.
[quote=“tommy525”]Thing is if you have a 4 year degree (in anything) from a recognized college (not by mail) or at least a 2 year degree with a teaching cert then at least you can teach english. Even tho that is not what you want to do you said.
To work in any other industry generally also requires a degree and 2 years prior work experience in that field.
As an American citizen you will not be able to work unless you meet one or the other of the above.
I don’t know if you can attend a Taiwan college, but others will chime in on that. If you do not need to make money you could study Chinese and get permission to stay long term in Taiwan.
If you marry a Taiwanese girl then you can work in most jobs (that dont have other requirements).
Otherwise as a 16 year old non Taiwanese citizen you simply can not work there, in a legal sense.[/quote]
im not moving there now im talking about when i grow up at least 21 or something just not to old (:
What matters most – at least to the authorities here – is that you have a four-year university degree. English, art history, engineering, education, basket weaving – they’re all the same when it comes to the requirement that you have a degree, any degree. (Just not one earned through correspondence.) As Tommy mentioned, the authorities want two years of post-degree work experience in your intended field as well.
Yes, there are four-year programs in Taiwan for foreign students. Kainan University, for example, has one. But you may find life as an undergrad here much less free, varied, and intellectually challenging than you might have hoped for, esp. compared with life as an undergrad in the States.
Heaven only knows what the job market will look like in six years – actually, more like eight years, given the additional two years for work. So get an education in what interests you. And some Mandarin classes certainly wouldn’t hurt.
Also, when you say that you’re interested in Taoism, you should be careful not to build up romantic notions of what Asia is like. Taoism, as generally practiced in Asia, doesn’t have much relationship with Laozi and Zhuangzi. It’s more like an omnibus folk religion.
As for being “too old” – lots of people on this forum didn’t move here until they were in their thirties or older.
Stay in the States, double major in criminal psych and Mandarin. After you get your PhD in criminal psych, get a job with the CIA (or other govt agency). Your base salary will be good. Save your money, and then if you are still interested… Or you could major in English, get your TEFL certificate. Then come and teach English. Perhaps you could hang out in Flushing, make Taiwanese friends and learn more there first. If you are going to Taiwan for any length of time soon though, brush up on your traditional characters rather than simplified. I shudder at the thought of Taiwan switching to simplified writing due to tourism/political pressure.
Like others before me have said, at the very least you should wait until you have a bachelor’s degree in any major before moving to Taiwan. This is the bare minimum to work legally in Taiwan.
However, since you don’t want to be an English teacher, you should major in something that will be useful in Taiwan. A lot of things will work, but obviously if you major in Swahili it’s going to be very hard to make use of that in Taiwan 
So getting a Ph.D in criminal psych saving money then moving to Taiwan should be a good idea?
I wish it were that simple to answer. It is one of many scenarios. You had better talk to your parents and guidance counselor.
Unless your degree is in something like Chinese, I’d recommend finishing all your education in the States before moving over. Maybe get some US work experience too. But by that time you might not be as young anymore 
You can always come to Taiwan for a summer vacation or so just to see if it’s really for you.
[quote=“Fallenimage101”][quote=“tommy525”]Thing is if you have a 4 year degree (in anything) from a recognized college (not by mail) or at least a 2 year degree with a teaching cert then at least you can teach english. Even tho that is not what you want to do you said.
To work in any other industry generally also requires a degree and 2 years prior work experience in that field.
As an American citizen you will not be able to work unless you meet one or the other of the above.
I don’t know if you can attend a Taiwan college, but others will chime in on that. If you do not need to make money you could study Chinese and get permission to stay long term in Taiwan.
If you marry a Taiwanese girl then you can work in most jobs (that dont have other requirements).
Otherwise as a 16 year old non Taiwanese citizen you simply can not work there, in a legal sense.[/quote]
I’m not moving there now I’m talking about when i grow up at least 21 or something just not to old (:[/quote]
whew ok, I was thinking you wanna go there NOW at 16 ! Would be a bad move ! OK, go and visit for a month or two and hang out with your net friend (just say no to carnal knowledge tho ). Study Chinese and study something that could be marketable in Taiwan later. If you get a PHD you could teach in a college or some such. IF you get a degree in Computer Science I imagine that could be useful as well. Or you could study medicine and be a doctor in Taiwan with your own clinic? Or maybe a vet, they could use a foreign vet in Taiwan. Something useful and/or marketable. Be a shrink? Theres need for a good foreign shrink in Taiwan too.
Now listen to Uncle tommy here, put your nose into your studies and study Mandarin, its never too early to start as it takes bout ten years to be able to be truly conversant (in my humble opinion but then im only just barely as smart as the average bear).
p.s. the legal age to drink, etc in Taiwan is 18 so you are only 2 years away from visiting clubs and the such over there (wink wink). But for now back to the books with ya . 
hold on, its probably still gonna be illegal for you to drink in Taiwan because in the States its 21 so nix that idea son.
Given your signature and your English in this post, I think you’re in Taiwan already or you’re an ABC, trolling for amusement.
If you’re for real (where are you in high school, and what’s your major?), then I agree with everyone else… finish a four-year degree and work for at least two years first. Visit if you like, but I’d focus on other things before making that sort of leap.
Good luck.
Go somewhere more interesting.
Unless you have a reason to be here – job, chinese language interests, …
Unless you have a reason to be here – job, Chinese language interests, …[/quote]
Even still. Change your language interest and get a job in Chile. Life’s too short for big mistakes like that.
Unless you have a reason to be here – job, Chinese language interests, …[/quote]
Even still. Change your language interest and get a job in Chile. Life’s too short for big mistakes like that.[/quote]
Yup heard the girls are awesome and the steaks are beautiful and spanish is way easier to learn then mando, except for maybe the stupid subjunctive tense.
This post makes me laugh. Unless by some miracle you wind up with a guidance counselor that used to live in Taiwan, chances are that your guidance counselor will have less of a clue about moving to Taiwan they you do. Your guidance counselor may not even be able to find Taiwan on an unlabeled map!
Unless you have a reason to be here – job, Chinese language interests, …[/quote]
Even still. Change your language interest and get a job in Chile. Life’s too short for big mistakes like that.[/quote]
Even better go to Brazil! That is where I would be!
Unless you have a reason to be here – job, Chinese language interests, …[/quote]
Even still. Change your language interest and get a job in Chile. Life’s too short for big mistakes like that.[/quote]
Yup heard the girls are awesome and the steaks are beautiful and Spanish is way easier to learn then mando, except for maybe the stupid subjunctive tense.[/quote]
Plus they were super cool about those buried miners. If something like that were to happen in China they’d:
A) Not find them like ever,
B) Not look,
C) Assume they’re dead, put the lid on the pit, and then cover it up,
D) Leave the miners down these, arrest the pit owner and shoot him in the head,
Any way you look at it the miners wouldn’t be getting out.
In Chile, it becomes a heart warming story.