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Whoops looks like I got drunk and lost someplace and still didn't get any goddamned work done. Ah well.
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Sep 16, 2012 10:48
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nubdestoryer posted:Shane's. The wage wasn't great but I figured I could have worked there for some months while I got my feet and found somewhere better. But yeah, they were constantly changing the date they wanted me to arrive, screwing with my plans. Shane schools are a very mixed bag so it's probably better that you didn't accept the job. Some of them I've heard are great, but others I've heard are total poo poo shows. Definitely a company you would want to see in person before you accept the job.
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Sep 16, 2012 10:56
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Dark Onion posted:Whoops looks like I got drunk and lost someplace and still didn't get any goddamned work done. Ah well.  gettin fk all done but drunk buddy 
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Sep 16, 2012 13:54
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Hi Taiwan goons, I'm planning to return to Taiwan since I'm having a hard time finding a decent paying job here in Portland. My family is in process of moving meaning my brother and I will have to find our own place. I thought I might give Taiwan a try, since I was there during childhood and I have relatives there. I have an associates in CIS, a conversational level of Chinese and Japanese, and a little of Taiwanese from memory. I'm hoping to find a computer related job or something I can use my English as an advantage. I most likely will end up in Kaoshiung since my grandmother has a place there I can stay. Are there any resources I can use to find jobs before and after I get there? Craigslist Taiwan seems to be pretty dead.
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Sep 18, 2012 15:19
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Revalis Enai posted:Hi Taiwan goons, I'm planning to return to Taiwan since I'm having a hard time finding a decent paying job here in Portland. Few questions first: - Do you have dual citizenship? Finding a job here can be tough without a 4 year degree. Unless your already a citizen, or plan to go to school. Edit: I meant to say that finding a job that will grant you a ARC that isn't a teaching job can be tough without a 4 year degree. - Can you read Chinese? The kind of jobs your looking for are generally posted on local job sites that are almost entirely in Chinese. - How important is making money too you? For those kinds of jobs you'll be competing with locals at the same pay grades they would make. Which compared to a US job is peanuts. The hours are usually very long too, and often times they only give you 4-7 days off a month. Not trying to turn you off coming here, but just trying to prepare you for what things might be like if you actually came over. Certainly it's possible to find a job that isn't like the ones I mentioned above, but it's a down economy here in Taiwan just like back home so better to prepared.
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Sep 18, 2012 15:39
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HappyHelmet posted:Few questions first: Since I was born in Taiwan(left during 3rd grade), I was told restoring my citizenship will be easy, so that shouldn't be an issue. My reading is somewhat rusty, but I think that can be fixed with time. I have been having an extremely hard time finding a job here, and my current $22k/yr salary isn't enough for me to live comfortably. I'm counting on my English skills and my relatives in Taiwan to hopefully find a decent paying job to settle down.
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Sep 18, 2012 19:46
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Revalis Enai posted:Since I was born in Taiwan(left during 3rd grade), I was told restoring my citizenship will be easy, so that shouldn't be an issue. Well you probably wouldn't make that much here, but cost of living is much cheaper so maybe it would be worth it for you. Here are the two best sites I know of for what you are looking for are: http://www.104.com.tw http://www.1111.com.tw
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Sep 19, 2012 01:19
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Revalis Enai posted:Since I was born in Taiwan(left during 3rd grade), I was told restoring my citizenship will be easy, so that shouldn't be an issue. If you're male and under 36 (or somewhere thereabouts), restoring your citizenship and establishing residency in Taiwan will subject you to the draft. This may or may not be a problem (I just finished my stint), but its something to keep in mind. Speaking from personal experience (academia), there's a small but steady demand for experienced translators/editors for academic and technical papers. Most university faculty / academic institutions also hire administrative assistants to handle paperwork and other miscellaneous tasks. English ability is a major plus there, especially for more internationally involved research groups. Chinese ability (written and spoken) will be required though. Downside is, it's soft money dependent on how good your research group is at rustling up research grants.
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Sep 19, 2012 02:37
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Oh, yeah there is the military thing too. Forgot about that. For someone born here that is definitely something to be aware of.
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Sep 19, 2012 04:31
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HappyHelmet posted:Oh, yeah there is the military thing too. Forgot about that. For someone born here that is definitely something to be aware of. I was told otherwise by my mother who said one of her friend's son, who's 30, returned bu didn't get drafted. I've also heard there is a movement in progress to remove the draft? I have no intent on being a grunt, no offense military folks. I may go down with my family and try my luck with jobs in Texas first. I really wanted to move to Taiwan to get away from all the politics bullshit going on in this country. Also the cost of living seems to be a lot lower compared to the states.
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Sep 19, 2012 05:57
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If you are a native English speaker, or can pass as one, plenty of cram school's will hire you. I know lots of teachers who are Taiwanese and make about the same as what a foreign English teacher would make. In fact, my school prefers them because they don't have to sponsor a visa.
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Sep 19, 2012 06:34
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Haraksha posted:If you are a native English speaker, or can pass as one, plenty of cram school's will hire you. I know lots of teachers who are Taiwanese and make about the same as what a foreign English teacher would make. In fact, my school prefers them because they don't have to sponsor a visa.
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Sep 19, 2012 06:36
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Revalis Enai posted:I was told otherwise by my mother who said one of her friend's son, who's 30, returned bu didn't get drafted. I've also heard there is a movement in progress to remove the draft? quote:I really wanted to move to Taiwan to get away from all the politics bullshit going on in this country.
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Sep 19, 2012 07:10
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I also find that most people here don't care that much beyond the occasional griping. It's way easier to avoid politics in Taiwan than it is in America, or at least it is for foreigners. Maybe if you speak better Chinese than I do people don't shut up about it. But because politics is so tied to morals and religion in America, people are always bringing it up because it's a way for them to say how right they are.
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Sep 19, 2012 08:10
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Two Kgoons are coming down for mid autumn festival. I can confirm that they are chill and a good time.
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Sep 19, 2012 09:21
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Tell them to bring soju.
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Sep 19, 2012 10:42
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Revalis Enai posted:I was told otherwise by my mother who said one of her friend's son, who's 30, returned bu didn't get drafted. I've also heard there is a movement in progress to remove the draft? One common way of doing this is getting an ROC passport, but with the expatriate status (僑居). You can enter on it without being drafted, but will have to leave the country every 6 months or so. If you overstay, then you're considered to have established residency in Taiwan and are subject to the draft. I have no idea if you will be able to get (legal) employment as an expat. Probably a better idea would be to just enter on your U.S. passport and try to get a job and ARC the usual way. If you insist on reclaiming ROC citizenship while avoiding the draft, the alternative is to get medically exempted (lose an arm, leg, eye, ear, finger, or toe). From what I understand, after 2014 they'll be drastically lowering the medical requirements for alternative service where you end up serving in a civillian capacity. A friend of mine who grew up in the US ended up doing this - they sent him to serve as an English teacher at a small elementary school in the mountains of Chiayi County. The villagers adopted him as their own and he had a great time. Revalis Enai posted:I really wanted to move to Taiwan to get away from all the politics bullshit going on in this country. Also the cost of living seems to be a lot lower compared to the states. You can never get away from politics. All you can do is trade one variety for another.
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Sep 19, 2012 14:24
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Also be aware that the cost of living going down usually means your salary goes down too. Be sure to check the ratios, you may have more buying power at the end of the month in your current higher cost of living local.
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Sep 19, 2012 15:19
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skysedge posted:One common way of doing this is getting an ROC passport, but with the expatriate status (僑居). You can enter on it without being drafted, but will have to leave the country every 6 months or so. If you overstay, then you're considered to have established residency in Taiwan and are subject to the draft. I have no idea if you will be able to get (legal) employment as an expat. Probably a better idea would be to just enter on your U.S. passport and try to get a job and ARC the usual way. I don't know if I can pass as an teacher, without a bachelors and me still having some accent when speaking. Also not being white may be a disadvantage in the field, I may be wrong. quote:You can never get away from politics. All you can do is trade one variety for another. It's more that I feel jaded for being told in mid the 90s that I can become anything I want when I get out of school, and now I'm getting paid $11.50 an hour in a field I didn't study for. I think at my age I should be getting at least $19hr, but in Portland that seems to be a 4yr degree/2-3 year experience position.
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Sep 19, 2012 15:24
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Revalis Enai posted:I don't know if I can pass as an teacher, without a bachelors and me still having some accent when speaking. Also not being white may be a disadvantage in the field, I may be wrong. They don't care about your race if you're in alternative service. You are basically a civil servent during your stint deployed to wherever there's a need. In the case of English teachers, this is usually some rural school in the boonies. If you do end up in the educational service, they give you 1 month education training, in addition to 1 month mandatory basic training (the alternative service version of basic is extremely watered down compared to the military version, which isn't all that tough these days either). My friend didn't speak Mandarin too well initially either. When you're forced to speak it everyday, you adapt fast. Anyhow, you can find out more details from the Ministry of the Interior. If the site is accurate, with overseas status you can establish Taiwan residency (full employment rights) without being drafted if you leave for a visa run every year.
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Sep 19, 2012 15:49
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Revalis Enai posted:... This is a pretty decent light read, but it was written pre-Great Recesion so some attitudes may be a little off for those of us in today's world. http://www.amazon.com/Quarterlife-Crisis-Unique-Challenges-Twenties/dp/1585421065
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Sep 19, 2012 16:32
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Revalis Enai posted:It's more that I feel jaded for being told in mid the 90s that I can become anything I want when I get out of school, and now I'm getting paid $11.50 an hour in a field I didn't study for. I think at my age I should be getting at least $19hr, but in Portland that seems to be a 4yr degree/2-3 year experience position.
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Sep 19, 2012 17:12
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DontAskKant posted:$11.50, hold on there Mr. Money Bags. With a four year degree, 5 years in journalism, 4 in university IT and 2-3 in various skilled trades I was pulling in $2.00 to $8.50 per hour. Before the recession even running the line at a high end French place I was making $11 and getting minimum wage in IT. $250 per 100 hour week as a trained carpenter. All this in a place with rent more expensive than Chicago and almost more than parts of NYC. $11.50 isn't so bad it seems. Even as an artistic director for the Cleveland Symphony you aren't making much more than that. Its also important to note that wages in Taiwan have been stagnant since the mid-90s or so, while the cost of living has kept going up. There are a lot of good reasons to come to Taiwan, but high wages generally aren't one of them.
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Sep 19, 2012 17:22
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DontAskKant posted:$11.50, hold on there Mr. Money Bags. With a four year degree, 5 years in journalism, 4 in university IT and 2-3 in various skilled trades I was pulling in $2.00 to $8.50 per hour. Before the recession even running the line at a high end French place I was making $11 and getting minimum wage in IT. $250 per 100 hour week as a trained carpenter. All this in a place with rent more expensive than Chicago and almost more than parts of NYC. $11.50 isn't so bad it seems. Even as an artistic director for the Cleveland Symphony you aren't making much more than that. That's bogus. I don't care what everyone else makes, I care if I make enough for what I want, and for me that wouldn't be enough. If you're not satisfied with your wage, pick the wage you want and work backwards how to get there. Can't do all that is required? Adjust your goals. Rinse and repeat. No shame in that. Where were you making that 2-8USD/hr with that much 'experience', Hati? Realistically I think your experience, education have nothing to do with being a carpenter or line manager so they don't actually add up to or count for anything; you're basically coming to negotiations as a high school graduate with zero experience. If you're not satisfied with your wage, then focus your time and energies on one thing. As sad as it is, the days of the Reneissance Man are over (trust me this saddens me). If however you are happy with what you do, then say fsck the wage and do what makes you happy, also a great place to be, but then you can't be critical of others's desires for a higher wage as you are gauging success on a different while equally acceptable scale. I've only been in Taiwan for less than a month this trip and a total of maybe three weeks from other trips throughout the years, but Taiwan seems to me to be a great place to say fsck to wages and really enjoy living. (That's why I'm here, even if for just a short while.) From my experience, I see people here making poo poo money with a big smile on their face where my 1%'er friends are miserable in Japan. There has to be a reason people in rich countries are committing suicide left and right.
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Sep 19, 2012 17:35
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dtb posted:That's bogus. I don't care what everyone else makes, I care if I make enough for what I want, and for me that wouldn't be enough. If you're not satisfied with your wage, pick the wage you want and work backwards how to get there. Can't do all that is required? Adjust your goals. Rinse and repeat. No shame in that. Took me three years of saving up to escape, now I am in Korea with a roof and food. WOOOOO!!!!
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Sep 19, 2012 18:46
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Sorry I'm just curious, where in South Carolina is rent more than Chicago and parts of NYC?
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Sep 20, 2012 02:49
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I don't think I make very much money here, but I can live comfortably, drink an unhealthy amount, and have time to study Chinese while doing it. Can't complain.
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Sep 20, 2012 03:58
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USDA Choice posted:Sorry I'm just curious, where in South Carolina is rent more than Chicago and parts of NYC? Charleston. It's a gorgeous city that is great if you are lucky or rich.
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Sep 20, 2012 05:11
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DontAskKant posted:In South Carolina. Factor in a city that is built on Old South networking and an economy where almost all entry level jobs are unpaid internships and you get that situation. Most entry level jobs requiring a bachelors after the recession in that city became an unpaid internship, except for tech fields. IT at the college was minimum wage as were almost all of the college jobs. Getting down to $2 was done by not getting paid the overtime that you worked, it's a choice of work the job for no overtime or lose the job. Good to hear that you've found a better place. I understand I have it better than a lot of people, but I know there are better jobs and living condition out there, and I'm trying to find that place. I know this country can offer so much better, that's why I think anyone who is in the same or worse situation as I am should feel that there's injustice taking place, not chalk it up to bad luck or bad times. Just being able to possibly make 5 times the rent of a place like the numbers posted in the OP sounds very attractive to me, as I'm currently only making about 2 times the rent of an average apartment here. Also not needing to upkeep a car is nice too. The draft is a big thing keeping me away though. Unless they have some kind of IT position that pays decent in the military, I may simply wait until I'm 34 before I return.
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Sep 20, 2012 06:33
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Revalis Enai posted:Good to hear that you've found a better place. I understand I have it better than a lot of people, but I know there are better jobs and living condition out there, and I'm trying to find that place. I know this country can offer so much better, that's why I think anyone who is in the same or worse situation as I am should feel that there's injustice taking place, not chalk it up to bad luck or bad times.
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Sep 20, 2012 06:45
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Revalis Enai posted:The draft is a big thing keeping me away though. Unless they have some kind of IT position that pays decent in the military, I may simply wait until I'm 34 before I return.
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Sep 20, 2012 08:20
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duckfarts posted:I think there's a thing where you can go work in a company for [n] months for what amounts to something like an military-sponsored internship in order to not have to serve. I don't know the full details of it though. A master's degree is required for that now and it's for 3 years unfortunately. Really the best bet is that expat deal, I've heard of a lot of people that do it and just hop over to Japan or Hong Kong for a weekend every few months. I'm pretty sure you're able to look for regular work with that status. For the alternative military service the normal barriers are physical status and any family reasons (older parents to take care of, siblings in military service). Every once in a while they have bonus openings for foreign degree holders, this is to entice people to come back and serve. I think it's lottery based, meaning you just randomly draw what openings there are. You could be working EMT support, directing traffic, or doing IT at the local government. The range is huge. mirror123 fucked around with this message at 12:59 on Sep 20, 2012 |
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Sep 20, 2012 12:55
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Hello! Coming over to Taiwan on the 29th of september til the 3rd october. Any thing off the "beaten" tourist track i should check out? Staying in JVs hostel for my trip which has got good reviews. Anything fun or interesting I could take a trip out of Taipei for?
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Sep 20, 2012 16:31
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SqueakyDuck posted:Hello! How much free time and how far off the beaten trail do you want to go? Also, can you give us an idea of what you consider fun or interesting?
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Sep 20, 2012 16:49
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skysedge posted:How much free time and how far off the beaten trail do you want to go? Also, can you give us an idea of what you consider fun or interesting? I wouldn't mind wandering away from Taipei for a day or so. Anything cool and historical would be a welcome change to city wandering. The weather in Korea is starting to cool down a bit now. Is Taiwan doing the same at the moment? (Wouldn't mind checking out a beach or two if it's possible and WARM.) Interests:  history wandering meeting some cool locals beaches getting to know some culture (most likely in a short space of time.)
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Sep 21, 2012 02:32
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Taiwan is entering it's autumn phase, which means the daily rain is a bit cooler than the summer rain. It hasn't gotten below 20c yet I don't think and I doubt that will change within the week. Watch out for the rain though. Edit: Oh god it's 33c outside again. drat YOU SUMMER WHEN WILL YOU LEAVE US! Atlas Hugged fucked around with this message at 05:24 on Sep 21, 2012 |
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Sep 21, 2012 03:13
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Looking for a good bar/lounge: Must serve real cocktails (if the ingredients are in the name it's not a real cocktail) Have cigars Studded leather chairs Ambient lighting No one in shorts, jeans or sandals Any suggestions? Oh, in Taipei. I want to walk home in a drunken stooper, not pass out and wake up in the middle of getting sexually assaulted in the 'berbs
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Sep 21, 2012 05:41
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Haraksha posted:I don't think I make very much money here, but I can live comfortably, drink an unhealthy amount, and have time to study Chinese while doing it. Can't complain. This! I heart the summer, and I miss it already.
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Sep 21, 2012 07:40
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dtb posted:Looking for a good bar/lounge: I know of a place that meets most of those requirements, but rather than serve girly drinks (i.e. cocktails without the ingredients in the name) they serve straight whisky.
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Sep 21, 2012 08:04
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Spanish Matlock posted:I know of a place that meets most of those requirements, but rather than serve girly drinks (i.e. cocktails without the ingredients in the name) they serve straight whisky. Go on. url posted:This! Haven't seen you in awhile. How's your dumbass doing? Still working hard on the Chinese? Let me know when you want to drink a couple of bottles of whiskey again.
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Sep 21, 2012 08:55
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