Returning home to the UK

Might want to talk to an immigration lawyer on the feasibility of it.

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I’ve been back in the UK for about a year, after 6 years in Taiwan. It’s rubbish.

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Is this how you feel:-

UK life on paper is better, better salaries, better job prospects, better accommodation etc. but its just absolutely miserable?

How does work culture compare in Taiwan to what I know in the UK?

Thanks, yeah I think I will.

I know its only been six weeks here and it’s a bit stupid, like basically an extended holiday, but I’ve felt a lot better since being here than when I was in the UK and just wanted to gauge if there is that big of a difference in the people between TW and UK or if it was just my imagination. But if people who have been to TW long term and returned to UK and miss it, then it at least validates how I feel about going back, and gives me a direction to pursue in the future. :slight_smile:

You’re still in the honeymoon period here. Staying and working here will dispel most of the feel-goods about Taiwan.

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I have no intention of moving back to the UK, was becoming grim and alchohol is all anybody wants, so cheap in supermarkets mothers so bored getting pulled for drink driving picking kids up from school. Bottle Wine for breakfast botle wine for lunch bottle wine with dinner bottle wine in evening to relax.
I’m in a lucky position having met a fantastic Taiwanese lady who I’m living with 3 years ago on holiday.
I rent my house out that give me a income but I will soon have to start earning some pocket money.

Well, there are far worse places. I overall enjoy Taiwan but the work culture and salary is the main reason I wouldn’t live there at this moment.

If you’re ambitious in your career, UK is the way to go imo.

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UK life is better on paper if you’re lucky enough to have a well-paid job. If you’re one of the masses on a below-average or average salary, then I’d say Taiwan on an average or even a low expat salary is better. However, I believe it’s easier to get a well-paid job in the UK than it is in Taiwan, especially in the tech industry.

Work culture in Taiwan is horrible compared to the UK. If it wasn’t for this problem, I would be willing to take the sacrifice in pay and general quality of life to go back but, unfortunately, work is a huge part of life and it would be asking for too much to be miserable most of the year. If you want to know more about why the work culture in Taiwan is so bad, there are many threads on this topic you can read. But some of the reasons include:

  • Very few holidays
  • Enormous overtime
  • Not being recognised for your hard work
  • Lack of career progression
  • Backwards Taiwanese management
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Yeah, not saying Taiwan is the pits (and the UK certainly has its problems) but the honeymoon period here is pretty great and Taiwan feels magical for a while.

But working here can be pretty bleh. At least it’s hard to get fired. :wink:

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This. Be careful to base your opinion on Taiwan on the honeymoon period, which is particularly great there. But, by all means, try finding a job and see for yourself.

Don’t forget:

-You don’t need to work overtime but your Taiwanese co-workers do and they may or may not resent you for it.

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Was it right after the elections? :rofl:

I certainly had to work overtime. I definitely did find some situations where I was cut some slack for being a foreigner, but not when it came to overtime.

That sucks; IME it varies with foreigners in Taiwan as to whether or not there’s overtime. I’ve been lucky in that regard.

On the bright side, that’s how adults here bond. :wink:

Overtime demands are less these days, it’s company and industry specific.
Back in the day I worked a small bit of overtime everyday. Like staying an extra half hour to hour max. One place had a longer overtime culture and I only lasted a year cos I had to be out by six to get my transport home.
It’s really a lot less prevalent these days we can thank the new regulations for that.
I don’t do any ’ overtime’ but then I could be travelling weekends, taking a call in the evening and that is the same around the world for corporate jobs.
When somebody tells me I’m lucky to have the job I have well…I really want to ask them how much shit were you willing to put up with to get lucky?

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Yeah, Peruvians have one of the highest success rates of convincing others to travel to Taiwan

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indeed you are in the honeymoon period! the first half a year probably would count as that. speaking as someone who has been here for almost 5 years i do get the sense that its a far less miserable place than england though. theres always something to put me in a good mood…outside of winter and the peaks of summer. everyone is going to have a different perspective though.

This is good news. I believe they started implementing some of these regulations when I was in Taiwan, but nobody seemed to take them seriously. I remember, for example, that we were supposed to record overtime to make sure it didn’t go beyond a certain amount, but some managers would encourage employees to lie to make it look like they did less overtime, while some other employees would just lie about it without being asked to because that was expected of them. Even employees who didn’t engage in these kinds of practices thought nothing would come from these regulations.

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More places (probably small new tech or design companies ) are doing remote working now with no office . Some still go cheap and ask you to buy your own computer I heard .