Good advice indeed for keeping sane and happy and prospering from the choices you make.
Certainly nobody has succeeded in really changing the Taiwan education system yet nor will they anytime soon.
Finishing at 5pm is a sweet deal.
Come back. The island could use more people who actually want to be here.
Iām curious about the people in the thread who were posting in 2011. Are you still in Taiwan? Have your thoughts changed? How did your retirement plan work out? Were your predictions pretty accurate? 
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I think Iād rather post anonymously on this subject.
Iāve seen the absolute worst of the Taiwan bosses class. Absolutely reprehensible behavior that would have schools closed in most other countries.
Do I regret having come to Taiwan. Yes and no. I just wonāt let them bully or lie. The whole office politics rubbish just doesnāt interest me. Also the insinuation that all western men teaching kids must be pedophiles crap.
Iāve been offered a number of jobs back home during my stay here. At much higher pay. With things like housing and training covered.
I feel privileged to have seen some great kids grow into great young adults. With an understanding of the environment, global politics, and how Taiwan is perceived in the world.
Iām also disgusted at how shallow and insecure some people think they can behave towards foreigners in Taiwan.
Probably the most noticeable change these days is that the foreigners that are left tend to look each other in the eye and say hello. When I first arrived it was more like they would cross the street to avoid each other.
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I find this hard to deal with. I have had offers with much higher pay back home too but I also know my work-life balance would take a huge hit. I also have moved back and forth a few times and honestly canāt be bothered with that anymore.
What made you stay?
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Wife didnāt want me to take the jobs. Plus the jobs would have been more 24/7 type things. As things are changing Iād be more open minded to taking the positions now. Mainly because they would allow me to continue studying while doing guest lectures. But again Iād be basically living out of hotels and billets.
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One of the things Iāve tried to teach my kids is how to identify opportunity and take it when offered. I had to make a choice about how I wanted my kids raised or whether Iād be an absent dad.
So yeah thatās why I stayed.
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An honourable reason
I donāt have kids but I donāt think Iād make the best spouse if I took those jobs. It would likely be 10 hour work days and an hour commute each way as well as constant checking of emails and taking my laptop everywhere on weekends.
A big reason Iāve stayed and plan on staying is work life balance. I have soooo much more freedom here, and only slightly less disposable income.
Itās just nice to hear the thoughts of people who have been here a lot longer than me. Iām starting to focus on my retirement plan so Iād be interested to see how it worked out for people over 10 years
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Iām looking at setting up a business back home. Possibly along with visa applications for Taiwanese kids between 20-30. Iām just finalizing a few things and waiting out the year. Next year is transition and set up with the big push happening in 2024.
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Iām still trying to figure this out. Give us your pearls of wisdom.
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Itās hard to say. Each person is different. Thereās obvious things like some stranger walking up to you in Taipei asking you to buy them lunch. Thatās a definite walk the other way type thing.
Communication is key. Iāve been offered numerous opportunities during my time in Taiwan. I was offered my own restaurant on 3 different occasions. The best offer was rent free with a share of profit. I wanted to take this opportunity but my other half flat out refused. If I had taken it I would have done quite well. But I doubt Iād still be married.
As for education those opportunities are fairly obvious. They come down to comparisons. What does staying where I am offer me? What does going where Iām asked offer me? Split the difference.
As for Taiwan itās quite simple. What does teaching offer me? Including the cost of living.
What does working back home offer me? Including the cost of living.
Which one provides long term security?
In regards to work and training opportunities how does this benefit me? What will I learn from this? What happens if I take this offer only to find out the office culture is toxic? What will happen if I choose to break the contract? Should I make it known I understand what Iām signing is illegal and Iām signing under duress?
As for dealing with people Taiwan has taught me a lot of things. Mostly bad. From a business perspective Taiwanese view each other as marks. From a social perspective Taiwanese treat each other with quite a lot of honesty.
Socially Taiwan has taught me that drugs and alcohol arenāt really normal things. In regards to alcohol Taiwan adheres more to traditional holiday consumption rather than western style weekly/daily drinking to excess. Which is quite different to where I come from where drinking seems to be a way of life.
Opportunity is fleeting. Once it is offered you need to work out what it might provide, how long it will take to see results, and how hard youāll have to work to make it work. But it rarely comes back again. So you have to think this through quite quickly. And understand the risks. And then dive in and give it your best.
Sometimes those closest to you donāt necessarily wish you success. And will sabotage your efforts. When you understand this it makes it easier to understand who really wants to see you succeed and who wants to see you do well but not better than them.
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Your story is inspiring, but it sounds like you have been a little over-cautious and that has held you back. My story would read the same I am sure.
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Great post , this should be made into a thread of itās own. Mods!
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Iām not sure overly cautious would be the right description. Iāve done plenty of things most would run a mile from. Jumping out of planes, open water swimming, eating food from night marketsā¦ well to be fair plenty have tried the last one. I admit that my background is unique. Which doesnāt fit well with Taiwan. Although kids have always appreciated my attempts to encourage them to try.
Some things just require partnership and if your partner isnāt willing to participate then itās just you on your own. I have sacrificed certain opportunities to put my kids first. And Iāve helped them to understand what opportunity looks like so they can make those decisions for themselves or ask my opinion or to work out the detail.
Personally I could do UberLux back home and do side hustles and earn a lot more than Iād ever earn in Taiwan. Especially if I opted for a fully electric vehicle.
As forward thinking that Taiwan can be theyāre also very much stuck in a kind of traditionalist mud. I saw this first hand with one of my kids and their math teacher. The teacher was incapable of understanding that the problems they were teaching had multiple avenues to solution. And all they really wanted was to see the way they had taught the problem. Anything else was marked as wrong even if it was right.
I have a fair idea what the next 3 years has in store for me. And Iām glad Iām in good physical condition to approach those years. I also have a fairly good team of people I can lean on. Bonuses over the next 3 years would be regaining my skydive instructors license and getting PADI instructor accreditation. But Iāll see what happens.
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Sounds like a plan.
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QFT.
Not so much forward thinking as either govt policies too constrictive or then other things too lax and beholden to big business.
I mean mostly change in Taiwan means doing MORE of an existing policy.
So lack energy, build more power plants!
Lack cheap and hard workers, import more from South East Asia!
Not getting high grades, study even longer hours!
Company not doing well, work longer hours !
Air pollution, install air purifiers, wear masks and mutter meiyou banfa !
I donāt know if I missed many opportunities, probably. I think that in my field there just are very few opportunities to grasp in Taiwan and it has held me back . Not Taiwanās fault, but perhaps my fault for staying in Taiwan too long.
I have taken the opportunity over the last few years to explore the world of high mountain hiking and also pursue interests such as the world of tea 
.
What do you think about making opportunities for yourself and your family? Socializing is probably key right ? As is education ?
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My background is a little different. I canāt really go into some of the opportunities Iāve had to pass on.
But youāre right. The next 3 years is fairly well planned out. Even the bumps in the road. Iām hoping for it to be interesting as well as challenging.
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Socializing is hard for me as I donāt drink. And Taiwan isnāt a very sociable place if you think about it. People do their thing with their select little group around them. There isnāt really much of a nightclub culture either.
So socializing for me is training and coaching.
Thinking about it I guess thatās why thereās such a toxic workplace culture in Taiwan. Because people donāt go blow off steam on the weekends. So they aim it towards those they work with.
Taiwan is going to be quite strategically difficult over the next few years. The more you stand out the more of a target youāll make of yourself. And if China does take over you lose everything anyway. Theyāll take everything in your bank accounts and all your property holdings by deeming them against the laws of foreign ownership within China. Itās not a good look going forward.
Basically have a back up plan. A boat is not a bad idea.
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