look i know there’s already infinite posts everywhere about foreigners in taiwan and stuff but i still have questions. i’m born and raised in US, parents are from hong kong so i’m fluent in cantonese and somewhat decent at mandarin. will probably graduate with a degree in digital art and animation, but my dream is to just teach english in taiwan (basic, i know).
- as an ABC (esp one who isn’t even taiwanese), how much will i be considered a foreigner? i know asian countries can be pretty xenophobic but i can look and learn to act like a local so where am i most likely to find friends, with expats or specifically other ABCs or locals? are there HK specific communities?
- job market? is it easy to find a job as english teacher? what about anything art related? i’m the kind of person who doesn’t need a lot of professional success i just want a simple life, enough to make a living.
- how much do you encounter taiwanese (hokkien)? i know you don’t need it to get around but does it help? i really want to learn anyways, idk just curious.
any other comments, opinions, experiences are welcome. i don’t want to live in taiwan forever but def at least a few years, just wanna make sure it’s a good idea.
There’s lots of opportunities here for bilingual abcs especially if you have a big personality. You might want to think bigger than pure English teaching because there’s some bias against Asian teachers. There’s opportunities opening for English language teaching of other subjects, STEM, lots of sports etc.
Taiwanese isn’t needed but you get respect if you can speak some.
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id love to teach any subject tbh but is it ok if i don’t have a degree in those subjects? i’ll still get a teaching license ofc.
You’ll be a foreigner but I find people have neutral/positive feelings towards you if you say you/your parents are from Hong Kong. I say I’m from Canada, but since I look Asian they sometimes get curious and ask if I’m 華僑. I sometimes reply no, I’m 外僑? But I’m confused on the correct answer.
To maintain friendship with locals you may have to find things in common. Most of my local friends I met at startup events and we talk about startup stuff.
Sadly, about as often as you would hear Spanish in Alberta.
I going guess your in the North? Here in Southern Taiwan, I can hear Taiwanese every day (if fact my start up girl now working Estonia/Baltics speaks Taiwanese as her first language haha, and she is about 30, so when she calls back to Taiwan I hear Taiwanese a lot)
As far as a ABC which I am not, but am Japanese so sometimes asked I am ABC, but asked a LOT where I am from. Sometimes its too much (as people asking where I am from), but I think most people are nice and want to know my background and curious. It does help me make new friends and dates so that is good. I think no matter how good I think I can speak Chinese my accent will give me away that I am not local, so its hard get away from these questions.
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How often do you hear complete Taigi sentences uttered by people under 30?
The gulf between actual fluency (most born before the 70s), people who can barely hold their small talk together without code switching (most born before the 2000s), and people who just claim they can understand but actually can’t (people born before after the 2000s) is huge. Those who actually can speak it fluently are rare, since parents and even grandparents stopped speaking Taigi to their children and grandchildren. Even for those who grew up in holdout families, which are mostly making decision to keep the language going, since the entire community around them do not speak Taigi, will only attain full fluency if they deliberately study for it, and you know how much children love to be different from their peers. My own parents and in-laws constantly defaults to Mandarin, or code switches when talking to my kid, when I specifically asked them not to. Once when she was playing with legos in a department store, the kid next to her turned to ask her mother if we were foreigners speaking a foreign language. Not to mention being literate. That’s the status of “the Taiwanese language” in Taiwan. I’d imagine in a couple of decades that will be the status of Cantonese in Hong Kong as well if China gets its way.
If you just wanna come for a short time then do it, nothing to do lose. You will figure things out and your place in the pecking order soon enough.
If my co worker then every working day and more , she a bit older than 30, speaks always to sister/brother in Taiwanese unless others in the group not speaking it. A funny story, she was in UK for a week and friend came (another girl from non urban KHH) assume because she voted KMT (her family) that they did not speak Taiwanese as native in fact it’s her first language at home and with some friends that are comfortable with it.
In general its younger people talking to older people in Taiwanese.
One more funny story that maybe related to your comment, we went to Taipei area for a company/business social activity at a park festival. They was lost elder (not our group), they made a PA to everyone at the festival in Taiwanese (sounded like mid age guy), our group said what rotten Taiwanese (hurts the ears), how bad is it in Taipei (haha, some people speak it good, but…) anyways there is a gap depending on where and maybe who your with.
That being sad in general younger people speak Chinese (M) to each other unless they know each other and some still speak Taiwanese. I am not younger or elder (middle), but still younger people see my age to speak Taiwanese (which I do not understand other few simple sayings) sometimes but more often people try speak to me in Japanese/English.
You will not be considered a foreigner but an ABC which is its own category.
Relatively easy. Don’t be afraid to literally stop by schools to drop off your resume. I found my first job teaching English to get me on my feet back in Taiwan doing this before moving on. Some people say not looking white is a disadvantage but honestly I think ABCs will be fine if you’re personable.
Unfortunately it’s rare. Some older people will use it, it’s more common in the south or rural parts. It’s not expected that you know it for day to day life.
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I hear Taiwanese quite often. It means the inlaws are fighting. Or my manager is slagging off someone and she doesnt want me to know what she is saying.
I really wanted my kids to learn but it would have been impossible unless they were with the grandparents all day. And then they would have learned too many swear words.
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Do you mean he won’t be considered a waiguoren? What’s this ABC category?
Taiwanese view ABC as half and halfs.
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Depends on the circle.
If all you hang out with is college students, not much.
If you hang out with 18 year old blue collar workers, that’s all you will ever hear. In fact if you’re doing any trade work in Taiwan and don’t speak taigi, you will not make it.
10 years ago maybe, now those “young people” are all over 30.
They view them as arrogant Taiwanese with big egos.
That depends on which region the other half of the “Chinese” ethnicity falls on
Which they generally are. There’s clubs in Taipei that have had to widen their doorways just so the ABCs can get their heads inside. 
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When you say Hokkien, I assume you actually mean Taiwanese? Hokkien and Taiwanese are two different dialects. Hokkien is spoken by the Hakka people, whereas Taiwanese is what non-Hakka Taiwanese people speak.
