Hello,
New to the forum. I have a contract offer in the Yunlin/Shuilin township area. Any thoughts on living and working here? I can’t seem to find much about it, but it looks very rural. (maybe 25,000 people) I am coming over (or want to) after 3 years in Korea. Currently in a city of 2 mil. Anyone work or live in an area like this? Thanks a lot!
Bump
So, no one lives in the small areas of Taiwan? Only Taipei?
The usual sentiment is “you will be bored”. Yunlin county also has a reputation for being particularly boring. I’d say don’t do it; there are plenty of other jobs in more populated areas.
If you like being a loner then you might be fine with it but you will be very, very alone.
It doesn’t look like you would be too far away from Chaiyi city and there are some foreigners there. And a connection to the HSR and easy access to Taipei and Kaohsiung. I also regard that area (the entire western coast between the freeway and the ocean) as the ugliest place in Taiwan. Just a bunch of factories and fish farms but perhaps that specific stretch of land isn’t awful (but certainly not beautiful).
[quote=“waygookin”]Hello,
New to the forum. I have a contract offer in the Yunlin/Shuilin township area. Any thoughts on living and working here? I can’t seem to find much about it, but it looks very rural. (maybe 25,000 people) I am coming over (or want to) after 3 years in Korea. Currently in a city of 2 mil. Anyone work or live in an area like this? Thanks a lot![/quote]
Welcome to Forumosa waygookin.
I live in that area. What would you like to know? BTW, 25k would be for the area - the actual settlement of Shuilin has far fewer.
If you’re working on a book or seek similar isolation the area would be okay, because God knows, there aren’t many distractions. Likewise, it would be a good place to save money because once more there’s nothing to spend your money on (well, except for escapes to civilization). A year in Shuilin would be memorable but I wouldn’t recommend it for most people.
Thanks for the replies.
I asked to be placed in Taichung, but they told me all the teachers would be renewing and there were no positions. After, I asked about Douliu but they responded with this offer from Shuilin. It seems like a good offer, as it is public school and pay seems ok (67,000) I also have a job offer in Beijing and Shainghai. But, I don’t think I really want to live in either of those areas. Much too big and too polluted. Esp for the avg pay (14-15,000 RMB)
So I have two no’s and a yes for the right person.
Almas, why do you enjoy it? Will there be a gym around? Any chance for dating? How do they treat foreigners there? How’s the food? I assume it won’t be like Taipei but can you find a few of these things:http://travel.cnn.com/explorations/eat/40-taiwanese-food-296093
Thanks.
Forget to ask about the internet and cell coverage out there. Is it good?
I’m not sure you are really understanding the area. The western coastal plain is a heavily developed non-rural area. There are still a lot of farms but every scrap of land is used for something - factory, fish farm, rice farm, city, etc… It is one bleakest, dirtiest parts of Taiwan. If you plan to live in Shuilin then there’s a possibility that you will have no friends outside of work. If you can handle this then go for it. There is also a chance that you could live in Chaiyi (some foreigners) and commute to Shuilin (maybe an hour though).
It sounds unappealing, but I have a friend who spent a few years in remote areas of Hsinchu and Nantou and absolutely loved it. He picked up Chinese extremely quickly as well – so much that after a few years here he died to return to the US to get a masters in the language.
Avoid Yunlin like the plague. I lived in purgatory/Huwei (part of Yunlin), kind of similar to Doulio, for 6 months. Don’t believe what any of the recruiters say about idyllic countryside, Yunlin is Taiwan at its worst. It’s a collection of dirty and highly industrialized farms, pylons, corrugated iron shacks, random convenience stores and cracked roads. Many of the locals I met were nice. You do stand out more as a foreigner. I just remember going to 7-11 everyday. It was the most entertaining thing to do. When I returned to Taipei I was so much happier.
It’s a shame to come to Taiwan and get stuck in Yunlin.
Yunlin’s got the worst of everything or so I heard. Bitterly cold winter, poor infrastructure and medical care, no entertainment what so ever. I think the air is also polluted from a factory or nuclear plant (?). It maybe cheap to live though, cheap rent, food, no gyms, no bars etc. I never live there but went close to the border (from north) many times. It’s just repellent. Nantou, on the other hand, has got its charms, though also small towns, few foreigner and very likely, no gyms. If you want to try somewhere unconventional or opposite of Taipei, Nantou and Jiayi are both good. Taizhong city is nothing like Taipei city. It doesn’t have what Taipei boasted of, rather, whatever drawbacks, it’s got them all. Rent is expensive, nice housing or apartment is basically non-existent, crazy traffic, and this may concern you, no night life. Those non-sexual bars and clubs were gone many years ago, sexual industry is still alive, though nothing compares to say 15 years ago, a couple of night markets, and that’s about it. It was a boring city for me. The worst part is public transportation, no subway, so you can do bus or get your own scooter or car. Parking is difficult assumes you get a car, scooter driving is dangerous, and bus is barely bearable. I am going to try Taipei next time. The problem is affordable housing.
If you want to go rural in Taiwan, the east coast is way better than the west coast. Consider Hualien or Taidong.
[quote=“waygookin”]Thanks for the replies.
So I have two no’s and a yes for the right person.
Almas, why do you enjoy it? Will there be a gym around? Any chance for dating? How do they treat foreigners there? How’s the food? I assume it won’t be like Taipei but can you find a few of these things:http://travel.CNN.com/explorations/eat/40-taiwanese-food-296093
Forget to ask about the internet and cell coverage out there. Is it good?
[/quote]
I like the area because it’s cheap, the weather is good, the people are nice (but they’re nice elsewhere too), and I like the lack of distractions because I’m a writer. Shuilin would be deadly dull for most people - unless you need to knuckle down to do a distance master’s degree, write a book, or have some other such interest, you’re probably going to struggle.
BTW, it’s worth noting that I haven’t rushed to argue with any of the points made in the negative posts in this thread.
Gym - I think there’s one about 15 minutes away by scooter (which raises the problem of getting around - you’d need to get a scooter or your options would be limited. And even if you have one, socialising is still a problem, well, if you like drinking).
Dating - very limited. A lot of the target population have left for the cities. Then there’s the problem of everyone knowing everyone’s business in such a small place.
Treatment of foreigners - friendly but you get more double-takes than elsewhere. Also, they have low expectations of foreigners based on previous experiences. People come and go so they may feel that you’re just passing through.
Phone and Internet – coverage is fine.
Food – limited choice but in Taiwan you’re never far from food so you certainly won’t starve. You’ll just get bored with it, and will probably end up heading into Beigang/Chiayi for something different.
Waygookin, why do you want to leave Korea and come to Taiwan?
The big difference is that a remote area in Hsinchu or Nantou (mountains) is insanely beautiful although the isolation would still exist. The problem with the OP’s destination is that it’s on the industrialized western coastal plain and overall that entire area would be a depressingly awful place to live (imo).
Yeah there’s a massive difference between the places as Abacus mentions. Chalk and cheese.
Most of Yunlin is as bad as it gets in Taiwan, it’s also got poor access to the big cities, nothing really going for it so don’t take it. Ask for some other posting or find a job perhaps by getting to Taiwan first and looking around.
Alright I will let them know Monday that im not accepting the offer. Back to square one :-/
I talked to the recruiter again today. He said that there are 4 other foreign teachers at this school? Seems weird being a small area. He also said that Beigang is 10-15mins away by bus. Is that a good city? I mean maybe just live there and commute to school?
I’m in an entirely different field, but let me share something I’ve learned: Recruiters try to get you into a job. They don’t necessarily try to get you into a good job, and they virtually never know you well enough to get you into the right job for you. They just get you into a job. The best of them are honest, most aren’t the best.
Of course Beigang is better than Shuilin but I feel like you should consider commuting all the way from Chaiyi (45min to 1 hour) to maintain a normal kind of life. I knew someone casually that complained about living between Tainan and Kaohsiung and they aren’t even that far from each other.
Imo find another recruiter. Public schools are considerably understaffed with foreign teachers so it shouldn’t be that difficult to find a job in a relatively decent area.
Sounds like you’ve decided not to go to Yunlin, but I’ve worked in the area several times in the past for short periods of time (not as an ESL teacher) and have a lot of connections there so I thought I would chime in with my two cents.
Personally, I really like the people - it does help to be connected locally - but it’s very quiet. You have to make an effort to get to know the local community if you want to be involved in things.
Someone more knowledgable may correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe Yunlin is just about the poorest and most underdeveloped area of Taiwan. There is very little English, although if you’re in your early to mid 20s you could connect with the local university population (Yuntech I believe?) many of whom speak really good or at least passable English. Most young people do seem to leave the area after university to seek employment elsewhere because of the lack of good jobs.
There are a surprising number of foreigners for such a small place (not hundreds, but enough that you can make friends if you make the effort).
If you do go, try to get to know the people at the Storyhouse in Huwei, which is operated by a community organization called the Yunlin Storyteller Association. They are very nice and usually happy to introduce you to the local community and customs if you’re a foreigner, just be polite and respectful.