I hope this can be a thread for people to share their experience over time in Taiwan. For people that have been here a long time to help others have a realistic view of the future here if you decided to make a life in Taiwan as an English Teacher. How has your experience been? Do you regret making the choice to live here? Does it get increasingly harder to find jobs? Do schools still want you when you reach the ages 35- 40 - 50? Were you able to live a decent life here ? Do you have enough saved to retire ? ectā¦
WHat are your answers to the questions above?
Schools still seem to want me at 41. I think it depends on the type of school. If I went for an interview at a kindy and the other candidate was a 22 year old American woman I doubt that Iād get the job 
. You can definitely save enough to retire - if you are happy to retire in Taiwn. Saving enough to retire elsewhere could be a problem, although I know of guys who have managed to do it/are on track to do it. Lifestyle wise you have a much better quality of life as a teacher here than as a teacher in a western country mainly because of the low cost of living and fewer demands at work.
Regrets? Iāve had a few. But then againā¦
ā¦I did it myyyyyyyyyyy wayyyyyyyyyyy!
To the OP:
If the deciding factor were simply where would I want to make a life as an English teacher, it wouldnāt be in Taiwan. In general, āthe industryā here is very frustrating, from my own experience and expectations. I am here because of my significant-other, and teaching English is what I do to pay my bills. It helps that I have experience learning foreign languages myself and am interested in language learning in general, but it is not what I live for.
As I AM already older, the question has not been whether jobs were available, but are they a good match for me and would I want them. I donāt think I am well-suited to work with young kids, and the pay generally being offered is laughable. On the other hand, I do feel business English is a good match for me, but there arenāt as many positions in that segment. With some language training and business experience, though, jobs can be had.
With a Masters or higher, you might be able to get a university gig, in which case the pay and benefits might actually be not terrible.
Other threads have discussed the possibility of saving money while teaching English here. I save a little, but only because my partner and I split the bills, and he owns our home. I am not a very frugal person, though, which is more the reason why I donāt save much.
I am 38 and work in a school in Kaohsiung. The other foreign teacher is 47. There are a few schools in the group and all the teachers I have met are definitely older than 35.
That being said most have APRC or JFRVās which has a certain attraction to some schools.
I also feel that appearances are important. Dress āyoungā without looking ridiculous.
I have never had a problem getting a job.
Due to my background and experience I am also more suited to business English. The reasons I do not do this are:
1-difficult to get enough hours to make really decent tom.
2-its hot here in Kaohsiung. Wearing business casual would kill me.
Regarding retirement. Well that depends on how much you work, or more importantly how much you save. I work around 38 hours a week. Compared to my last job in my āprofessionā back home, this is not a lot to me.
I put money every month into retirement annuities back home. This probably is around NT 15 000, while I save another NT 30 000-50 000 on top of that. My wife also contributes to a fund here.
If my contributions to these annuites increases at 10% a year, I will have no problem retiring at 55 and leading a decent life back home, or here.
This is on top of savings invested in my home country.
However, what is important is that any retirement savings/plans must start when you are as young as possible. Mine started at 25.
Dang, you must either have no living expenses, or make some serious bucks. Well done, you.
Dang, you must either have no living expenses, or make some serious bucks. Well done, you.[/quote]
Well, it does help when the in laws give you a house and a car!
However, I do not have major expenses anyway. I donāt go to bars or clubs. I do not have any expensive hobbies.
I shop at a supermarket and eat in most nights.
And, my schedule helps. I work at 2 schools 5 minutes away from each other. To me getting this right was difficult but managed too. To me this is the key to making decent cash.
A JFRV also helps as I can work where I please.
Remember, the more you work now the less you have to work later!!
[quote=āLiliā][quote=ātomthorneā]Schools still seem to want me at 41. I think it depends on the type of school. If I went for an interview at a kindy and the other candidate was a 22 year old American woman I doubt that Iād get the job 
. You can definitely save enough to retire - if you are happy to retire in Taiwn. Saving enough to retire elsewhere could be a problem, although I know of guys who have managed to do it/are on track to do it. Lifestyle wise you have a much better quality of life as a teacher here than as a teacher in a western country mainly because of the low cost of living and fewer demands at work.
Regrets? Iāve had a few. But then againā¦[/quote]
[/quote]
Ah, but youād start trying to negotiate your hourly rate so theyād take me because Iād be 10NT an hour cheaper.
Sounds like the OP is contemplating making some decisions that he fears he/she might regret and is seeking some advice from others who have already gone down the path he/she is thinking of taking.
I would say that if youāre teaching English here in Taiwan then, obviously you already have a degree in something. Typically, it would not be a degree in education.
So that means youāre considering a career doing something that youāre not actually qualified in. While there is plenty of work around for white faces with degrees in āsomething other than education,ā itās not really skilled work, and therefore probably not something you would want to make a lifetime career out of. Just look at some of the textbooks they expect you to use. Would a real professional teacher choose to use them?
Those people who teach English in Taiwan long-term tend to be those with qualifications specific to the field. This enables them to secure āproperā jobs, by which I mean full-time work (as opposed to casual work, which is what almost all buxiban work is), i.e., jobs with paid holidays and regular monthly salaries.
Now, I know lots of people get their first degree in something that they have no interest in - usually because they donāt know what theyāre interested in, but they know that engineering or accounting will almost certainly guarentee them of a job. But I canāt help thinking that I would feel at least some regrets down the track if I spent a lifetime teaching kids English in Taiwan when I was trained in some other profession.
That said, there are some real teaching jobs for foreigners in Taiwan, but you need to be a real teacher and you need to get qualified as such. These jobs can be rewarding - emotionally, and to a certain degree financially - if you like teaching and you like the Taiwanese lifestyle. You donāt have to worry about finding work as you get older because you donāt change jobs that often.
Speaking personally, Iāve lived here on-and-off for a few years now, during which time I have mainly taught English. But I donāt really see it as my career. Itās just something I do in between other things. Iām just lucky to have a white face and to have grown up with English as my first language. But Iām more interested in studying languages than teaching them. And the reason I study those other languages is so that I can read their literature. These other interests compensate for having to actually earn a living in a classroom. Perhaps I should add that also have some investments back in my country that are slowly building up, so I have the option of retiring there if something happened that would make living in Taiwan no longer desirable (canāt imagine what that would be ā¦ a nuclear accident or becoming part of China, perhaps?)
Iām not sure if Iāve adressed the OPās original questions but thatās just my 
In short, I canāt imagine a foreigner making a career out of teaching English casually at buxibans in Taiwan (unless, of course, itās their own school). You need to get the qualifications that give you access to more secure, non-buxiban, work (and remember distance learning degrees are not recognised here), or you need to find some other way to make a living so that youāre not dependent on casual teaching.
ā¦I did it myyyyyyyyyyy wayyyyyyyyyyy!
With a Masters or higher, you might be able to get a university gig, in which case the pay and benefits might actually be not terrible.
Other threads have discussed the possibility of saving money while teaching English here. I save a little, but only because my partner and I split the bills, and he owns our home. I am not a very frugal person, though, which is more the reason why I donāt save much.[/quote]
I know for a fact that university gigs normally pay less than, or the same as, cram school work with roughly the same hours and there are no benefits involved unless you consider not working (and not getting paid) during the summer a benefit. At the famous language college in Kaohsiung, you get an annual contract, teach 18 hours a week, 4 hours service work and get paid about NT$55,000 a month for 11 months a year, no Chinese New Year bonus, etc. But now they want people with a PhD so itās almost impossible to get a job there without one. Almost all colleges and universities pay less than NT$600 an hour for part time teachers but they will not sponsor an ARC, give you more than 4 hours a week, and expect you to have at least a Masterās. One friend worked at the language center at NTU (the only place they hire Masterās at NTU) and he said his contract was the same as that famous language college in Kaohsiung.
As for saving money, I havenāt saved a single NT since I have been here. Itās taken every NT I made to liveā¦and obviously I am not frugal either but I donāt go out bar hopping or eating at western restaurants every day. Having said that, I also donāt work more than one job at a time. I am too old to be a work horse. 
When I canāt get work here, I guess I will go back to the U.S. and try to find a job as a greeter at Walmart Retirement is not an option.
If one doesnāt have a family they should be able to save 20,000-30,000 a month. That is even with drinking on the weekend. Actually, it is easy to earn money here, the only problem is that most of the work is not very interesting or motivating.
Maybe I will make another attempt to go back to the U.S. in May 2012 when my contract is up.
[quote=āsteelersmanā]If one doesnāt have a family they should be able to save 20,000-30,000 a month. That is even with drinking on the weekend. Actually, it is easy to earn money here, the only problem is that most of the work is not very interesting or motivating.
Maybe I will make another attempt to go back to the U.S. in May 2012 when my contract is up.[/quote]
Wait for itā¦
[quote=āsteelersmanā]If one doesnāt have a family they should be able to save 20,000-30,000 a month. That is even with drinking on the weekend. Actually, it is easy to earn money here, the only problem is that most of the work is not very interesting or motivating.
Maybe I will make another attempt to go back to the U.S. in May 2012 when my contract is up.[/quote]
You are assuming that one only wants to work and not have a ānormalā life. I work one job and have no intention of giving up my after work hours for another job. If I wanted to do nothing but work and get drunk every weekend, I could have stayed in the U.S.
Since the average cram school, university/college pays less than NT$60,000 a month, you are saying I should be able to save NT$20,000~30,000 or over 1/2 my monthly salary? Sure, if I donāt want to live in my own apartment ā just rent a room, eat oily lunchbox meals three times a day, donāt have a motor scooter and live within walking distance of where I work, donāt have a computer or ADSL, steal my clothes from the donation boxes on the streets, never go back to the U.S. to visit my family, donāt buy any books, donāt have a hobby, etc.
Give up two hours of Tv a night and you can save without giving anything up.
[quote=āVannyelā][quote=āsteelersmanā]If one doesnāt have a family they should be able to save 20,000-30,000 a month. That is even with drinking on the weekend. Actually, it is easy to earn money here, the only problem is that most of the work is not very interesting or motivating.
Maybe I will make another attempt to go back to the U.S. in May 2012 when my contract is up.[/quote]
You are assuming that one only wants to work and not have a ānormalā life. I work one job and have no intention of giving up my after work hours for another job. If I wanted to do nothing but work and get drunk every weekend, I could have stayed in the U.S.
Since the average cram school, university/college pays less than NT$60,000 a month, you are saying I should be able to save NT$20,000~30,000 or over 1/2 my monthly salary? Sure, if I donāt want to live in my own apartment ā just rent a room, eat oily lunchbox meals three times a day, donāt have a motor scooter and live within walking distance of where I work, donāt have a computer or ADSL, steal my clothes from the donation boxes on the streets, never go back to the U.S. to visit my family, donāt buy any books, donāt have a hobby, etc.[/quote]
Boy, what are you doing?
I average 13-15 hours a week of teaching (depending on season), plus write 3 articles a month (which adds 7500 to my income) and Iām saving 20 to 30 thou a month, living in my own place, have internet etc. My hobbies (surfing, reading) are cheap or free, I borrow/trade books (helps I brought a suitcase full from the states) and only buy shitty night market clothes. Donāt drink much either. Anyways, yeah, you can save money here! Easier than in America, in my experience, and working less.
There wonāt be a retirement for baby boomers.
Either you are rich or you will have to work till you drop dead.
Legalized lethal injection will be another option of course.
The 30,000 NT$ saved every month now will be worth half in 10 and a quarter in 20 years.
You will have to work at the age of 67.
Meh. May as well just fucken drink it out now then. Good thing I have the boy. When he starts working Iāll be about retirement age. Maybe I can look after his kids for pocket money.
Edit: [quote=āNonTocareLeTeteā]Boy, what are you doing?
I average 13-15 hours a week of teaching (depending on season), plus write 3 articles a month (which adds 7500 to my income) and Iām saving 20 to 30 thou a month, living in my own place, have internet etc.[/quote]
Sister, what are you doing?
I work 18 hours a week + 2 hours private = 20 hours per week total
Rent = 10k
Kindy = 8k (add 15k every six months)
Utilities = 5k (including cable and ADSL etc)
Food = 10k
Spending money = 5k (odd beer, sweets for the boy, smokes, pizza night, whatever)
Adds up to about 38-40k. Iām lucky if I can save 10k, and even then stuff tends to eat that up some months, like scooter repair or some unforeseen event (bear in mind I have to put cash away for that 6 monthly semester fee mentioned above).
Sure, if I kill the kid and take away my allowance I can add 13k to the 10k for a total of 23k, and if I move into a smaller apartment and eat a bit less I could probably add another 5-7k there. But then Iād never see anyone apart from my work colleagues and the kids I teach, and Iād have to sleep alone. That kid comes in handy in the winter.
What am I doing wrong here? I realise Iām shite with money management, but seriously? Open to suggestions here.
[quote=ābismarckā]
What am I doing wrong here? I realise Iām shite with money management, but seriously? Open to suggestions here.[/quote]
I donāt think youāre doing anything wrong. I canāt see a family getting by on much less than that. The monthly outgoings for my family (me, wife plus 8 month old) are more than that - 50k. NanKan is a little more expensive than Tainan, though. Our rent is 18k, car loan 7k, plus around 25k for everything else.
Youāre not working many hours, although I appreciate that work isnāt easy to come by down south.
70,000NT monthly income Taipei
10,000 Rent-live alone in a studio apartment
10,000-weekends
15,000-daily expenses two meals and taking the MRT to work everyday
3,000-cell phone bill
1,000-electric
ASDL is included in my rent and so is cable.
Savings-30,000NT a month
I am not saying that this is possible with a kid.
[quote=ātomthorneā][quote=ābismarckā]
What am I doing wrong here? I realise Iām shite with money management, but seriously? Open to suggestions here.[/quote]
Youāre not working many hours, although I appreciate that work isnāt easy to come by down south.[/quote]
Agreed. I donāt want to come off as critical, but the only time I worked 20 hours a week was the first 6 months of my first year (1998). I did around 30 on average, and up to 40 on occasion through 2008. I gather that hours are not as easy to come by as they used to be, but are there no potential private students from local universities (market for group classes) etc.? Four students who want to improve their speaking can be worth $1000-$1200/hour.
Truth be told, we left because I couldnāt handle working for people who had no understanding whatsoever of the English language, never mind the actual language acquisition process (from the bushiban level to the university level).
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