My wife and I are contemplating a move to either Taichung or Gaoshiong this summer (from the USA) to stay at least 2 years, maybe more. I’m a certified, experienced secondary ESL teacher, so getting a job isn’t a problem. If we come we’d be bringing my 14 and 12 year old daughters, and maybe our 17 year old son. Does anyone have experience with having expat teenagers in Taiwan? Do you homeschool, private school, or public school (scary)? How have they adjusted? etc…
Taichung has 2 well-known American schools, Morrison (which is a missionary school) and Lincoln, recently renamed Taichung American School (which is a long bus ride). Both are well-established and would give your kids a good social group, but I must warn you that they are expensive. Living in Taiwan is a bit more cramped that in the USA, so finding a place to live with enough space, but still close to civilization will be a challenge. Taichung is a really nice city with lots of open spaces. Our weather is also the best in Taiwan. On the other hand, Taipei and Kaohsiung will have better public transportation systems. I think the most important thing for your kids is to get them into a good social group so that they don’t feel lost in Asia. And it’s also good to look into adopting homeless animals while you are here! Check out our website: www.atkaohsiung.org. Kids needs pets!
I forgot to mention that i lived in Taiwan twice in the 1980’s, mostly in the Taipei area, and speak pretty good mandarin. My wife was with me the second time. So we wouldn’t be going into this blind.