Hey what’s good everyone?! I’m brand new to this forum…hopefully that this is the write topic to be posting under… I was hoping to get some advice because I’m arriving in Taipei in July and planning to stay for about a year. So far, I’ve been accepted to the “love boat” program. I’ve heard mixed things about it but I think it’ll be a good place to start off. After the 6 week program, I’m hoping to learn Mandarin at one of the university language centers and also find some work to help sustain myself while I’m in Taiwan.
I’m an ABC who doesn’t speak any Mandarin… i’ve been taking some introductory night school courses but I’m far from saying anything past “Hi my name is…” and from what I’ve read from this forum, it isn’t easy finding a job considering my profile. After browsing through some of the threads I saw that schools like HESS, KOJEN, GRAM and David’s English Center are open to hiring ABC’s but I still have a few questions…
- What other jobs might an English-only speaking ABC be eligible for?
- Any other schools that hire ABCs?
- If I apply for a student visa, can I switch to a working type visa once I find a job? (quite uncertain about this stuff…)
- Any recommendations for language centers in Taipei?
I know it’s a lot to ask but any small piece of advice or feedback is much appreciated! Even links to relevant threads is great! Thanks!
Do you have a Taiwanese passport? If so then you can do anything you like. If not, and you have 2 years work experience after your degree you can apply for jobs such as english editing and technical writing.
haha nah the loveboat thing is pretty legit i believe…it’s a 6wk program to learn mandarin other taiwanese cultural aspects…it’s actually called the taiwanese youth expatriate summer program or something but people call it the love boat because I think a lot of people take it to get laid? but thanks for the heads up…I’ll keep an eye out for tommy525…j/k tommy
Do you have a Taiwanese passport? If so then you can do anything you like. If not, and you have 2 years work experience after your degree you can apply for jobs such as english editing and technical writing.[/quote]
By 2 years experience, do you mean 2 years work experience in Taiwan or just in general? Thanks for your response btw 
2 years work experience anywhere
- You will not find a non-teaching job since you only know English. No company will even bother to hire you because their English sucks so why even try to communicate with you.
- Forget about which schools hire ABC’s and which don’t. You need to walk around with resume in hand and try to get a job. July is going to be super hot and humid so prepare yourself. Hit as many schools as possible and call them back just like you would back home to let them know you are still interested.
- You cannot work legally on a student visa. People will hire you but don’t get busted. The best thing to do is to find a job first because you can go to school on a work permit. Language schools just want your money. Keep in mind that Visa’s in Taiwan are a straight up BITCH! If you need to do anything you need to leave the country and come back.
- There are 3 big language centers that I know of NTU, NCCU, and Shi-Da just choose the one closest to where you live because just being in the country forces you to learn the language.
This is just my 2cents, I hope it helps.
[quote=“PengTron”]1. You will not find a non-teaching job since you only know English. No company will even bother to hire you because their English sucks so why even try to communicate with you.
2. Forget about which schools hire ABC’s and which don’t. You need to walk around with resume in hand and try to get a job. July is going to be super hot and humid so prepare yourself. Hit as many schools as possible and call them back just like you would back home to let them know you are still interested.
3. You cannot work legally on a student visa. People will hire you but don’t get busted. The best thing to do is to find a job first because you can go to school on a work permit. Language schools just want your money. Keep in mind that Visa’s in Taiwan are a straight up BITCH! If you need to do anything you need to leave the country and come back.
4. There are 3 big language centers that I know of NTU, NCCU, and Shi-Da just choose the one closest to where you live because just being in the country forces you to learn the language.
This is just my 2cents, I hope it helps.[/quote]
Thanks a lot for your advice. I appreciate you being straight up with me. I think it’s important to go in with realistic expectations. I sense that it’s going to a bit of a challenge but I’m definitely up for it.