I have recently been offered a position in Taipei with an offer of 177,000 NTD/mo. Educational field. I’m currently living in Kaohsiung and that salary sounds pretty baller, but Taipei is WAY more expensive and I don’t know how far that would go there. No kids, just my wife, myself, and a few cats. What kind of life could this afford in Taipei, and do you think it would be worth the move? TIA!
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With that kind of salary you’ll live quite comfortably.
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You could live comfortably and save about 80000-100000 NTD per month with that (post tax)
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Where roughly?
Of course if your wife doesn’t work, and you insist on living in the most expensive and probably overpriced areas and only eat out at overpriced, crappy western restaurants, you can easily blow through your salary in no time. Furthermore, if you’re going to be working 50/60+ hours a week…have fun!
I’ve got a friend who works for a Taiwanese software company making around the same working 10/12 hour days, on call 24/7 (even while on vacation!), stressed out, drinking and smoking too much, drives a BMW, bought a new apartment in Xindian with wife and has a huge mortgage. I recall he (Taiwanese & about 15 years younger than me) was making fun of me (a foreigner) because I was making around 60k teaching. I Then pointed out to him that I was working 16 hours a week, no on-call b.s., 2 months vacation a year. It all depends on what your goals are I guess and how much you’re willing to sacrifice.
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What job did you get in education at 177? Head of a cram school seems unlikely, so I’m guessing a senior admin role at an international school. I’m going to hedge my bets at either TES or Shane
I can’t imagine why they need a foreigner to do anything but teach. You must be a one in a million talent.
The international/expensive bilingual schools/programs do have foreigners in administrative positions. I think you just have to in order to make it (somewhat) work.
It’s a nice salary.
Do you also have details about the expected annual bonus?
Guy
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Thanks everyone for the insight!
No annual bonus. But yes, education administration (not teaching, though there would be some teaching component) at an international school. Some late nights, but nothing like Pendulum described.
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That’s in the regular teacher pay range for top international schools. Senior admin roles pay quite a bit more than that.
I’d say Taipei living might cost you anywhere from 10k-40k more than Kaohsiung per month, depending on your housing preferences and how often you go out to eat, drink, etc. Salaries in Kaohsiung just don’t come anywhere near those in Taipei at that level, though, even when allowing for the upper end of that COL difference. (I wish they did, as someone who prefers the south. I’d happily move down there if I could get the numbers make any sense at all.)