Following on from the thread on what keeps people in Taiwan, I’m wondering, if I do go back to my country (the UK) what the wife would do there.
What sorts of jobs are there for Taiwanese whose English is very good but not native speaker level? My wife has considerable expertise as a consultant in the engineering field in Taiwan. I don’t imagine there’s much of a market for what she knows in the UK.
So what do I do with her? She can’t cook and wouldn’t be any good at going up chimneys.
Is she religiously affiliated with any groups in Taiwan? Tsi ji, fuo kua dao chang… etc? What about teaching/volunteer in Chinese language schools? Not that any of these things will bring in case per se, but good way to meet people and kill time while doing something to contribute to the greater good for all…
I’ve been told that one can actually make pretty good money teaching Taiji (and, presumably, similar disciplines such as yoga). California students apparently pay about ten US dollars per person, per class. Some of the instructors really belong to what used to be called the “jet set,” with franchised schools in different cities.
No comment on how closely this accords with the underlying spiritual traditions of Taiji and yoga.
Thanks for the suggestions. But please reassure me someone that there are more opportunities for Taiwanese people in the west than bleedin Taichi teacher. Anyone heard of people landing jobs in the west with, like, a desk and stuff? What kind of employers - Taiwanese companies? Western companies with Chinese investments?
It is important to us and I would have thought other people in long-term relationships - surely the Taiwanese halves aren’t just killing time waiting to move back to Taiwan.
Taichi teacher. Volunteer.
Sorry I dont know anybody from Taiwan who would do that…
Yeah, any other suggestions/experience out there?
Guide for Taiwanese/Chinese tour groups leveraging it into a poorly paid office job in an incoming travel agency also possible. Most I have heard of in Denmark have had trouble doing anything else - apart from opening Chinese take-away.
I think if they go to an english speaking country that would be a great advantage initially i.e UK/Ireland and the economy would be better than most of the others (they stand a chance of getting a job in these places however it’s even tough for some english speaking foreigners that I know at home to get a decent job) I guess the job prospects are poor initially until they find their feet. Depends on the english level for the clerk type jobs. I think there would be some openings for import/export trade stuff with China just like here. Also some opportunities to teach chinese as more and more people become interested. Maybe after a while they can do some further training/study, get a local qualification and work from there.
Import/Export - Companies that deal with companies in Taiwan/China. I know, for example, Land Rover used to deal with Taiwan’s distributor directly (until it was recently taken away by Leu Ho Group’s Ford).
Taiwan consular office - they may not have positions open per se, but knowing someone may be available to help I bet would not be a bad thing.
Local businesses - This probably is somewhat related to import/export. Some companies plan on importing certain things from China but lack the knowledge and language. She’d be perfect for that.
And don’t be so sure that her skills may not find a good fit at home. Do look for opening positions in her field. You never know.
I think if they go to an english speaking country that would be a great advantage initially i.e UK/Ireland and the economy would be better than most of the others (they stand a chance of getting a job in these places however it’s even tough for some english speaking foreigners that I know at home to get a decent job) I guess the job prospects are poor initially until they find their feet. Depends on the english level for the clerk type jobs. I think there would be some openings for import/export trade stuff with China just like here. Also some opportunities to teach chinese as more and more people become interested. Maybe after a while they can do some further training/study, get a local qualification and work from there.
I think if they go to an english speaking country that would be a great advantage initially i.e UK/Ireland and the economy would be better than most of the others (they stand a chance of getting a job in these places however it’s even tough for some english speaking foreigners that I know at home to get a decent job) I guess the job prospects are poor initially until they find their feet. Depends on the english level for the clerk type jobs. I think there would be some openings for import/export trade stuff with China just like here. Also some opportunities to teach chinese as more and more people become interested. Maybe after a while they can do some further training/study, get a local qualification and work from there.