As of now, I am planning on moving to Taipei in the next couple of weeks so that I can find a job teaching English. I’ve read several article saying that it’s best to actually go to Taiwan and find a job, rather than trying to land one before entering the country. And while this makes sense, I’m worried that this advice might be a bit dated and not reflective of the current job market–especially after seeing some of the recent posts on this forum. So, to those who probably know the market best, what are my chances of landing a job?
I’m 23. I’m a native English speaker (US). I have a BA in English, but not certifications or real experience–though I have done some tutoring.
I’m truly desperate for honest, well-informed advice because I don’t want to make this trip a short vacation. I really want to get to know Taiwan.
You could probably get a job, the same kinds of jobs that you could have gotten via the HR departments that hire from overseas, at least. The question is this: How many months of underpayment and employee abuse are you willing to endure before you pack up and spend your break year elsewhere or shoot yourself in the head?
Seriously, unless you have some other reason to be in Taiwan, there’s no economic incentive to coming here for ESL work, and living in Taipei is hardly big city living.
I applied for my first job before coming here. I worked at Hess, which turned out better than I expected but that’s probably only because I had no expectations of it being an enjoyable working environment in the first place. (I did the application online.) A friend of mine applied to Kojen (I think that’s how they spell it these days) the same way before heading over here. Chain schools are easy applications even if you’re not in Taiwan yet.
Do note, though, that they want to squeeze all the English-teaching juice out of you they can. It’s not unusual to find a schedule with 6 work days – or on the other end of the spectrum, a schedule with not enough hours to pay the bills. Those are of course the extreme ends, and most people fall somewhere in the comfortable middle, but mileage may very. Keep in mind that such a busy schedule will severely restrict your ability to ‘get to know Taiwan,’ so it’s worth heading here a few weeks early once you’ve found the job.
Hess pays poorly and works you hard, but if you have a positive attitude, like children, and enjoy new experiences, it’s worth a go. You can always try to find something nicer once you’re here and break the contract (although “there is a fee,” arguably, for doing so).
Hokwongwei, you are scaring me straight! I am 55, I have a B.A. and M.A. in English literature, a law degree with 22 years practice. I plan to retire (or be retired) from my state job in about 10 years, but it seems doubtful I could find decent employment in Taiwan.
[quote=“GlowingYoungRuffian”]As of now, I am planning on moving to Taipei in the next couple of weeks so that I can find a job teaching English. I’ve read several article saying that it’s best to actually go to Taiwan and find a job, rather than trying to land one before entering the country. And while this makes sense, I’m worried that this advice might be a bit dated and not reflective of the current job market–especially after seeing some of the recent posts on this forum.
[/quote]
How can recent posts/advice be “dated”?
Dude. This EXACT SAME question is asked at least twice a week. Yawn. Do you want an update from yesterday? Trust me, the situation is the same as it was a year ago, if not three. And there is a plethora of THE EXACT SAME THREADS spanning the entire existence of this forum. Do you want some num-num from the Purity jar?
It’s been said a thousand times, but I’ll say it again:
Unless you want to work for a chain school, and have friends here to house you, bring shitloads of cash to bide you over until you find a decent job.
If you want it easy with no hassles when you get here, get a job with a chain school prior to arriving. They will make you work ridiculous hours, underpay you and make you do unpaid work.
You will get to know it, alright. At the airport when you get souvenirs to take home to your family on the way out after a few months, with a bitter taste in your mouth.
Check out the threads of horror and regret; of coming here unprepared.
The job market is shit.
That’s it in a nutshell. Others will try to be “nice”, but that is the bones of it, kid. It WILL be a short vacation if you don’t have enough cash to keep you afloat for a few months at least, or want to be screwed in the bum-bum by unscrupulous “schools” until you scream “ENOUGH!”
Sorry to be blunt.
What do I know, though? You may get lucky. 5-10% chance of that. Jai-yo!
You are scaring me Beachboy My Son is doing a Law Degree in the UK at the moment. If he will have to work until 65 and then consider working even longer in Taiwan, maybe Law isn’t paying what it used to?
You are scaring me Beachboy My Son is doing a Law Degree in the UK at the moment. If he will have to work until 65 and then consider working even longer in Taiwan, maybe Law isn’t paying what it used to? [/quote]
Partners in small law firms in the bay area often make 400k to 500k plus annually currently. Many make a mil plus/annum. So if you salt enough away , you can play later. Young recruits into good law firms make 100k/annum plus. Dont forget Uncle Sam takes away bout 40pct / annum in taxes though.
Dont know if this guy speaks the truth and nothing but the truth, but seems Korea may be a better first time in Asia experience, teaching english?
So they don’t make 100k, they make 60k. :neutral:[/quote]
YES !! People only see the salary and don’t see the real cost !
I ran into this young doctor who is only 30 and her salary is 300,000/annum as a OBGYN.
I said WOW. She told me , its not good as it looks.
First she has to pay about 130k/annum for mal practice insurance. Then theres the 40pct tax as a single.
Then theres living expenses (she does rent a nice apt at 3000/month) and then theres paying off the tuition loans.
So at the end of the day, shes probably getting around 8k/month after it all. Which is still respectable but not as mouth watering as 300k/annum SOUNDS.
Then subtract 3k/month for rent. And that leaves 5k a month to eat and horse around.
Still NICE for most of us but its not 300k divided by 12 now is it? Oh and 3000/month for rent is just normal for any 2 bedroom in san francisco by the way. NOT extravagant, if thats what you are thinking.
Certainly Shiadoa the law practice is not what it once was in the USA. Law school classes are reducing their numbers of students. Even big firms I know of are breathing heavy.
[quote=“GlowingYoungRuffian”]As of now, I am planning on moving to Taipei in the next couple of weeks so that I can find a job teaching English. I’ve read several article saying that it’s best to actually go to Taiwan and find a job, rather than trying to land one before entering the country. And while this makes sense, I’m worried that this advice might be a bit dated and not reflective of the current job market–especially after seeing some of the recent posts on this forum. So, to those who probably know the market best, what are my chances of landing a job?
[/quote]
People who just came here and managed to land a job say that that’s best. People who searched online and got a job before coming here say that that’s best.
We rarely hear back from the people for whom things didn’t work out.
Looking at the limited information you’ve provided about yourself I’d say you have a pretty good chance of landing a job. Taoyuan and Xinchu are the best job markets.
[quote=“jimipresley”][quote=“GlowingYoungRuffian”]As of now, I am planning on moving to Taipei in the next couple of weeks so that I can find a job teaching English. I’ve read several article saying that it’s best to actually go to Taiwan and find a job, rather than trying to land one before entering the country. And while this makes sense, I’m worried that this advice might be a bit dated and not reflective of the current job market–especially after seeing some of the recent posts on this forum.
[/quote]
How can recent posts/advice be “dated”?
Dude. This EXACT SAME question is asked at least twice a week. Yawn. Do you want an update from yesterday? Trust me, the situation is the same as it was a year ago, if not three. And there is a plethora of THE EXACT SAME THREADS spanning the entire existence of this forum. Do you want some num-num from the Purity jar?
It’s been said a thousand times, but I’ll say it again:
Unless you want to work for a chain school, and have friends here to house you, bring shitloads of cash to bide you over until you find a decent job.
If you want it easy with no hassles when you get here, get a job with a chain school prior to arriving. They will make you work ridiculous hours, underpay you and make you do unpaid work.
You will get to know it, alright. At the airport when you get souvenirs to take home to your family on the way out after a few months, with a bitter taste in your mouth.
Check out the threads of horror and regret; of coming here unprepared.
The job market is shit.
That’s it in a nutshell. Others will try to be “nice”, but that is the bones of it, kid. It WILL be a short vacation if you don’t have enough cash to keep you afloat for a few months at least, or want to be screwed in the bum-bum by unscrupulous “schools” until you scream “ENOUGH!”
Sorry to be blunt.
What do I know, though? You may get lucky. 5-10% chance of that. Jai-yo! [/quote]
Fuck! And people call me a jaded old hack. You must be dead and buried already.
You are in a a different category than most because you are older but have real professional experience. It’s hard to say what things will be like in Taiwan in 10 years, but I suspect you will be able to find ‘decent employment’ by Taiwan standards either teaching English at a law school or working for a firm here. ‘Decent employment’ by Taiwan standards means making around US$2,000 a month and I suspect that will likely remain the same over the next ten years the way things are going. Still, the cost of living, taxes etc are all significantly lower than in the US. One thing that may change is that right now about 1/3 of people in Taiwan your age are retired or unemployed and many of those who do work are self-employed because they can’t find other work due to age discrimination. The traditional retirement age is 55 for men and 50 for women. But that will be different in 10 years because of changing demography. If you really like Taiwan (living here is different than visiting), you will probably be able to find something.
There are a fuck load of jobs in Hsinchu. Look on the hsinchu English teachers facebook group. If you are willing to go somewhere shit like hsinchu or the surrounding area you will find a job within a couple of weeks.
People talk a lot of shit on this forum. I did loads of this “what’s the current situation? Will I find a job with these qualifications? Should I do a tefl certificate? Guys guys??” bullshit before I came.
Your question was “what are my chances of finding a job?”, not “will it be a bit shit and will my employer take the piss out of me and will I have as great of I time as I had hoped in Taiwan?”
So yea, go somewhere shit, easy to get a job. Go to Taipei/Taichung/Gaoxiong and you’ll have to try a bit harder and you’ll probs end up with a bit of a shitter job.
[quote=“graemegraeme”]There are a fuck load of jobs in Hsinchu. Look on the Hsinchu English teachers facebook group. If you are willing to go somewhere shit like Hsinchu or the surrounding area you will find a job within a couple of weeks.
People talk a lot of shit on this forum. I did loads of this “what’s the current situation? Will I find a job with these qualifications? Should I do a tefl certificate? Guys guys??” bullshit before I came.
Your question was “what are my chances of finding a job?”, not “will it be a bit shit and will my employer take the piss out of me and will I have as great of I time as I had hoped in Taiwan?”
So yea, go somewhere shit, easy to get a job. Go to Taipei/Taichung/Gaoxiong and you’ll have to try a bit harder and you’ll probs end up with a bit of a shitter job.[/quote]
The profanity-to-total-words ratio of this post is staggering.
[quote=“Hokwongwei”][quote=“graemegraeme”]There are a fuck load of jobs in Hsinchu. Look on the Hsinchu English teachers facebook group. If you are willing to go somewhere shit like Hsinchu or the surrounding area you will find a job within a couple of weeks.
People talk a lot of shit on this forum. I did loads of this “what’s the current situation? Will I find a job with these qualifications? Should I do a tefl certificate? Guys guys??” bullshit before I came.
Your question was “what are my chances of finding a job?”, not “will it be a bit shit and will my employer take the piss out of me and will I have as great of I time as I had hoped in Taiwan?”
So yea, go somewhere shit, easy to get a job. Go to Taipei/Taichung/Gaoxiong and you’ll have to try a bit harder and you’ll probs end up with a bit of a shitter job.[/quote]
The profanity-to-total-words ratio of this post is staggering.[/quote]
You are in a a different category than most because you are older but have real professional experience. It’s hard to say what things will be like in Taiwan in 10 years, but I suspect you will be able to find ‘decent employment’ by Taiwan standards either teaching English at a law school or working for a firm here. ‘Decent employment’ by Taiwan standards means making around US$2,000 a month and I suspect that will likely remain the same over the next ten years the way things are going. Still, the cost of living, taxes etc are all significantly lower than in the US. One thing that may change is that right now about 1/3 of people in Taiwan your age are retired or unemployed and many of those who do work are self-employed because they can’t find other work due to age discrimination. The traditional retirement age is 55 for men and 50 for women. But that will be different in 10 years because of changing demography. If you really like Taiwan (living here is different than visiting), you will probably be able to find something.[/quote]
Working in Taiwan sounds likes a real chore if you are retired from a government job, I don’t get it personally.
If I had the money and wanted to retire here I would open a B&B or just work part-time at most.
My Son is doing a Law Degree in the UK at the moment. If he will have to work until 65 and then consider working even longer in Taiwan, maybe Law isn’t paying what it used to? 
The profanity-to-total-words ratio of this post is staggering.