After reading “Should I teach here?” I feel super disheartened. It seems that Taiwan isn’t the place for settling and making money, but what about for a gap year? Is teaching really all the hassle and are the schools so “read the fine line,” that it takes away from the experience? I don’t care to live in some swanky place, but I would like to not be struggling, especially because I hope to travel often. Also, if Taiwan isn’t the place, where would you suggest? Every post and/or other blog that I have read has negative things to say about everywhere, for instance, that Koreans are surly. Yet, it seems from word-of-mouth that Korea is a positive place. I have had my mind set on Taiwan for a while, but doing the research here really makes me rethink a lot. All advice would be very much appreciated.
Since you’re not technically supposed to teach here without a degree, then no, I don’t think you can/should come here for a gap year (that’s assuming you mean gap year as in a year away from college, before you’ve finished your degree).
I don’t know where to suggest. You can still make a comfortable living teaching in East Asia, but I think the days of coming in for a few months of work, taking off travelling for a few months, and repeating that cycle, are largely over.
I will have a degree. By gap year, I meant time between undergrad and postgrad.
Do it, you will find it memorable. Just dont kill yourself riding a scoot or a PSJ.
I have been through a few gap years, first saving money, and second learning the language to get into a specific graduate school.
You just don’t want these “gaps” to turn into a decade of acquiring no new, marketable skills.
As Tommy says, it will be a memorable experience, but I don’t know how much traveling you can do. If you don’t have to work weekends, you might get to do several on-island trips. If you have to work weekends, or some strange split schedule to get enough hours to survive with any level of comfort, then pretty much being on the island IS your traveling experience. Think carefully. Taiwan can also be a Hotel California kind of experience. It’s very tough to leave that little island and stay gone.
I don’t think Taiwan is a great place to spend a year. I spent three years there studying Chinese and in the end I simply found that there really weren’t a lot of opportunities. Sure I probably could have found some niche and done OK had I slugged it out another 5 - 10 years but in the end there are far more interesting options available in my home country (Canada).
With that said, I don’t have a better suggestion. Teaching is a waste of time and should be avoided. You don’t make any money, you don’t learn anything about the culture, and you don’t gain work experience that will help you later on.
Maybe try somewhere in Europe??? If you go somewhere and you see other Englishmen doing interesting stuff then consider spending some time there.
I met a handful of foreigners doing interesting stuff in Taiwan but they were the exceptions. Most are simply stuck teaching.
Teaching in Taiwan certainly wouldn’t be my first choice for a fun gap year. As Housecat says, you simply won’t have time to travel. Also, if you’re looking to save money and pay off some debts most people find it a struggle to save much in their first year.
So, no, I wouldn’t recommend Taiwan unless you have some other reason for spending a year here.
If you really want to teach, you’d probably find it much more rewarding to go and do so in really poor countries. There are tons of opportunities for such things in places like Cambodia, though I believe you basically have to pay your own way (and often pay them too). There are, of course, lots of great kids here, but the snot-nosed, spoilt little brats make up a sizeable chunk of the buxiban population. You’d have them running riot, their parents hassling the school about inane things, and the school simultaneously breathing down your neck about being too lax and too strict (and never backing you up against the parents or students). The working hours thing would also really suck (many buxibans do make their employees work on Saturdays). Unless you had other funds and could work a three day week, you simply wouldn’t get enough time to travel. Being stuck in a buxiban in Banqiao for the better part of fifty-two straight Saturdays would not be my idea of a great year off.
Yes, you could do it. You won’t make a lot of money but you could certainly save enough to do a nice 3-week trip (or so) on the way home, and travel around the island one weekend a month. Taiwanese are friendly and if you find a reasonable job and don’t have high expectations the work scene is not too bad.
I think a gap year is a great idea no matter where you do it. If I were you, I would spend it in Vietnam or Thailand instead (better travel), but Taiwan would be pretty cool to do it in too.
Yeah haha, it can invite you with a little sing and dance and pretty soon 20 years have gone by and you still never got that grad degree and you sit back with your Yuehanzhoroo and just wonder wheres its all gone?
But of course dont wonder too loud as you may wake up the kiddies and miss pretty herself.
It has a way of living your life for you. It takes an arm then a leg, then you realize it wants your mortal SOUL ! 
I think that a good proportion of people who come to Taiwan to teach end up leaving after a year or two. It’s only a small percentage that end up staying for years and years / forever!
Yes, you could do it. You won’t make a lot of money but you could certainly save enough to do a nice 3-week trip (or so) on the way home, and travel around the island one weekend a month. Taiwanese are friendly and if you find a reasonable job and don’t have high expectations the work scene is not too bad.[/quote]
Dude, a three week trip and one weekend a month? You are old! Young people would think that sucked. Hell, I’m no spring chicken myself and that sounds like an awful gap year!
Yes, you could do it. You won’t make a lot of money but you could certainly save enough to do a nice 3-week trip (or so) on the way home, and travel around the island one weekend a month. Taiwanese are friendly and if you find a reasonable job and don’t have high expectations the work scene is not too bad.[/quote]
Dude, a three week trip and one weekend a month? You are old! Young people would think that sucked. Hell, I’m no spring chicken myself and that sounds like an awful gap year![/quote]
It’s not bad for a working holiday.
There are also day trips and other benefits! 
I’ll never miss an opportunity to quote from my favourite movie:
thats actually true. thats why theres the three year grace period. After you have been in Taiwan over three years, you MAY end up with a longer sentence.
You might look into Taiwan’s working holiday program and fashion a gap year out of that. There’s precious little information about actual job opportunities but I think a resourceful person should have no problem finding gainful employment in Taiwan once the work permit is sorted. Employers are also slowly becoming aware of the program which has not been publicized at all in Taiwan.
I’ll never miss an opportunity to quote from my favourite movie:
[/quote]
Indeed! 
Scooter I agree, but PXJ won’t be a problem as long as you don’t ride them.