Hi forumosans, I leave for Taiwan…tomorrow! Like many before me, I will be arriving in taipei jobless after recently completing my undergrad and not knowing what else to do but randomly live in asia. i have shoulder length hair and a short, full beard. someone said facial hair is taboo in taiwan, is this true? what about long haired gentleman? employment will eventually be important to me, will i have to compromise my personal appearance to be a more formidable candidate?
I have been advised by several former asian bosses and older asian colleagues I would suggest are reasonably representative of taiwanese “bosses”, that you will want to clean up to find a job. In Taiwan long hair (and of course long beards) are very rare. I have personally only seen a few people with long hair the whole time I have been in taiwan. (and they were gangsters)
Disclosure: I have somewhat of a short/neatly trimmed goatee. Its a pain because I feel like if I want to keep it I need to keep very clean shaven, which seems more of an effort than just shaving it all off (: If I was applying for a job in Taiwan I would probably shave it, then grow it back once I got the job.
Shave the beard and trim the hair collar length, you will better your chances exponentially.
Wear the hair neat. I like long hair, so I’m not going to advise you to cut it unless you really feel you need to. Facial hair is rare here, but you’re a foreigner. Wear it neat and well cared for, and try to find a job. At least try before you cut it/shave it.
More important, I would think, would be that you wear a button-up shirt, some slacks, and appropriate shoes. Clean and groom your nails. Shower before going to schools. Look like a professional when you’re looking for work.
This would seem obvious, but apparently, it is NOT.
:roflmao:
That’s funny … the only gangsters I’ve seen have a shaved head … like a very short crew cut (just example) … they are easy to spot, combined with their tattoos …
Many youngsters have long hair now a days, but they are really strange cuts … some look like monkeys … copying Taiwanese ‘stars’ which take their hair style ideas from the Japanese manga comics … weird
But yeah, many Taiwanese can’t grow a beard because they lack facial hair … except here and there a sprout which they let grow, never cutting it … strange!
Anyways, it would be better to clean up if you want to get a teaching job … although I’ve seen teachers with really strange long hair too … the back packers type with sandals and dreadlocks …
Some old men have really long hair growing out of a mole on their face. It’s not attractive. They think cutting it cuts your life, or luck, or something.
Not only old men … I’ve seen guys in their 20-30’ s … weird!
I normally have (wear) a heavy beard, but for interviews in the past, I generally trimmed it substantially or shaved it off completely. At my current place of employment, I shaved for the interview, but since then have more or less continuously worn a beard in varying degrees of thickness. No one has ever said a word to me about it (and it’s an office of around 150 people, Chinese-speaking).
Basically, play it safe for the interview(s). You can always grow it back.
Exactly, its just a practical thing, cut it/shave it, it will grow back. I really don’t understand people who are so attached to their appearance they can’t even bring themselves to change it temprarily so they can feed themselves. (:
you’ll fit right in, if your doing construction or a fisherman. just out of school with long hair and beard? hum…shave it.
teecha.
My goodness man! Taiwan is not a country, for the most part, that associates professionalism with educational services. You could look like Ziggy Stardust, smell like a zoo hippo, and have pidgins and dialects from the wild, and as long as you make money and the parents are happy–everything is A-ok.
A lot depends on how you’ve pulled off the look. Taiwan is much more liberal about things like beards and hair length than many other countries in this region. If your beard is groomed properly, your hair is under control and you’re otherwise clean and presentable, then you might be ok. I’ve known people with long hair and beards who did quite well here. It might be very uncomfortable for you in the summer heat, though.
ya, all the same. your going to an interview for a j-o-b, not down to the p-u-b. and being your first job. I know it is just a teacher job, but still a job. personal experience, and yes I do hire people, and fire people. (I am NOT in the teaching industry) show up looking professional. if you can do it with long hair and a beard, good for you. but most cant.
More important than knowing how to spell pub is knowing your you’re from your your. 
More important than knowing how to spell pub is knowing your you’re from your your. [/quote]
don’t be poking fun at me. I are not expected to know the difference. nor do I really care. :loco: