Where to teach?

my parter and i are due to come out to teach in Jan/Feb. we have had an interview with Shane schools and been tld to think about where in taiwan would we like to teach. as there is two of us are we are restricted to find jobs together? can anyone advise me on town/ city/ taipai counties?

Hi BettyFlorence,
I would choose the southern city of Tainan. It is cheaper than Taipei, and has - by Taiwan’s standards - a rich history and culture. Despite being a large city it is pretty laid back in comparison to Taipei, Taichung, and Kaohsiung.

While Tainan’s summer is hot (as it is elsewhere on the island) the winters are lovely; sunny and warm as opposed to Taipei’s wet and cold.

Have you bought a Lonely Planet guide to Taiwan? If not, you should do so. It will give you info on the main cities.

This page has a list of schools for the major cities in Taiwan, as well as information on getting settled:

http://www.geocities.com/allhou/schoo.htm

Betty, I sent you a ‘private message’ about this. I note that you still haven’t read it. In case you’re not sure where to find it, the link should appear somewhere towards the top of your screen, saying something like ‘You have 1 new message’.

thanks for all your advise i’m off to do some research on Tainan, i’m sure i’ll be calling on all your help again shortly. betty flo

Taidong is the nicest city I’ve been to in Taiwan.

I’d also recommend Taipei. If you live outside of Taipei, you’re going to need to get a scooter or a car to go anywhere. In Taipei you can learn Chinese at a language school or get by without it. Outside Taipei it is harder. Taipei’s a great city, if you like cities, and a lot of the ‘country’ places in Taiwan are not country places at all, but shitty crowded backwater holes. Ironically, Taipei City (not Taipei County), although the biggest is cleaner and less crowded than most other places you’re likely to get a job.

Brian

Taichung’s a good kind of compromise between cosmopolitan and rural. Transport is a problem, though, you’re right. I wish we had an MRT.