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Having done it in Korea, I'd never go back. The money is not as good in Taiwan, but the lifestyle is so much better. In fact, just about every English teacher you meet here will tell you the same thing. Taiwan only gets teachers from other countries. People don't leave here to teach somewhere else.
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Dec 11, 2012 04:09
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nubdestoryer posted:Nub question here. I've been doing ELT in S.America for a few years. Fun but terrible pay. I'm now trying to come work in Asia, and I've been looking at all kinds of countries, Korea, HK, Japan, etc. Trying to find where offers the best balance of pay/lifestyle/work.
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Dec 11, 2012 04:17
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Haraksha posted:Having done it in Korea, I'd never go back. The money is not as good in Taiwan, but the lifestyle is so much better. In fact, just about every English teacher you meet here will tell you the same thing. Taiwan only gets teachers from other countries. People don't leave here to teach somewhere else. Basically this. I have heard of a few people getting burned out here. However, it's usually because they end up with lovely jobs, or just the kind of people that don't handle being in a foreign country for an extended time well. A lot of people I have met here started in Korea, or China then came here and decided to stay.
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Dec 11, 2012 08:00
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Is Korea as cheap as Taiwan? The constant and unfaltering pro of living here is my ability to keep myself fed for like US$5 a day.
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Dec 11, 2012 15:01
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quadrophrenic posted:Is Korea as cheap as Taiwan? The constant and unfaltering pro of living here is my ability to keep myself fed for like US$5 a day. Korea is not as cheap as Taiwan for a lot, if not most, stuff. Oddly, rice was surprisingly expensive over there if you bought it at a grocery store. I never was brave enough to buy it from a market (nor do I hear), but it was several times more expensive. A decent sized bag of rice was sometimes $30. It is still possible to keep yourself well fed for not very much. It just depends entirely on your willingness to survive on kimchi and bibimbap. Kimbap was also a relatively cheap snack (about $1 from Family Mart) that was healthy and somewhat filling. It's everything else that's more expensive out there.
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Dec 11, 2012 15:27
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nubdestoryer posted:Nub question here. I've been doing ELT in S.America for a few years. Fun but terrible pay. I'm now trying to come work in Asia, and I've been looking at all kinds of countries, Korea, HK, Japan, etc. Trying to find where offers the best balance of pay/lifestyle/work. To put saving money into perspective, I've been here a year and I'm still in the hole. And I have been trying to save money. Its a great place to live, but yeah, its hard to save up any substantial amount.
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Dec 11, 2012 15:27
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I mean, I can only keep myself filled up super cheaply on noodles and 水餃, but I sure do love noodles and 水餃 more than bibimbap.
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Dec 11, 2012 15:30
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GoutPatrol posted:To put saving money into perspective, I've been here a year and I'm still in the hole. And I have been trying to save money. Its a great place to live, but yeah, its hard to save up any substantial amount. Where do you live? I've heard theres a big difference in cost of living between Taipei and the rest of the island? For savings im not aiming big, just enough to visit the uk a couple of times if I want to. I'm hoping to go to Tainan or Kaosiung since I have friends there already. I more or less decided I will come to Taiwan early next year, it seems at least a good place to start out, even if I move to Hong Kong later.
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Dec 11, 2012 17:35
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nubdestoryer posted:Where do you live? I've heard theres a big difference in cost of living between Taipei and the rest of the island? For savings im not aiming big, just enough to visit the uk a couple of times if I want to. I'm hoping to go to Tainan or Kaosiung since I have friends there already. I more or less decided I will come to Taiwan early next year, it seems at least a good place to start out, even if I move to Hong Kong later. Outside the big cities it is crazy easy to save money. I "only" make about NT$50k a month, but since I live in a small town and am ok with eating street vendor food for 90% of my meals, I can limit my expenses to NT$15k. That's including rent, utilities, and an occasional meal at a western restaurant in Taichung. That leaves me with over $1,000 US in savings per month, some of which goes home for student loans but most gets blown on Steam sales, computer parts, and trips. I'm planning on moving to Taipei this spring when my contract with HESS ends, so I'm hoping it's not going to be too great a shock to my wallet.
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Dec 11, 2012 17:47
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In Japan I imagine you make about 300,000JPY/Month teaching English which is about ~3,600USD at the current rate. If money is what you want, and you're putting it towards USD based student loans, I would say go to Japan. Yes, you'll spend more on rent in Japan that people will make in Taiwan, yes you'll spend more on other booze that in Taiwan, but 10% left of your 3.6k is much more than 10% of 1.5k. When you put that towards traveling outside of Japan or student loans, that's a huge difference. I'm saying this as someone who decided to leave Japan (however I was not an English teacher) because it is not a happy place. But if money is what you want, Japan is where to be. I've been on vacation for 6 months now and I'm not the backpacking type (ask any of the crew I met in Taiwan) and it's all possible because I made bank in Japan and got out.
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Dec 11, 2012 20:34
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I live in Kaohsiung and make 95/month. I can easily save 60 of that per month.
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Dec 12, 2012 00:59
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nubdestoryer posted:Where do you live? I've heard theres a big difference in cost of living between Taipei and the rest of the island? For savings im not aiming big, just enough to visit the uk a couple of times if I want to. I'm hoping to go to Tainan or Kaosiung since I have friends there already. I more or less decided I will come to Taiwan early next year, it seems at least a good place to start out, even if I move to Hong Kong later. I live in Taichung, which is alot cheaper than Taipei, but after living in a 1 room apartment for 9 months, I moved into a 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom place by myself, which is a bit of a drain on my finances right now (waiting for a friend to move in in February.) And then a few other unexpected expenses (student broke my back, scooter troubles) and I'm only taking home 55K at most a month (working for HESS doesn't exactly pay well.) Even then, I don't think I'm in the minority in terms of saving, most of the people I know just blow right through their pay.
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Dec 12, 2012 01:26
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Wait what? A student broke your back?
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Dec 12, 2012 01:45
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Seriously, that sounds like a story and a half. For the first three years here, I lived in a tiny, cheap, shoebox apartment. But otherwise, I never took home an amazing salary, and I bought a ton of stupid poo poo without thinking twice. I managed to save a decent amount of money all three years. A decent amount of money in Taiwanese standards. That's the thing--I think as long as you're planning on staying in Taiwan, the pay will get you quite far. I would always feel a little weird when my friend in Korea is talking about making the equivalent of like US$35-40k/year, cause I am no where close to that, but on the other hand when he came here he seemed at least to be in awe with the lifestyle that's affordable here on our more meager salaries. (Or he was just being really polite) But it sucks when you try to buy a plane ticket and take a trip back home, for instance, and realize just how much of your "big savings" it's gonna take just to buy anything in the outside world. Edit: And Haraksha, I'm definitely down for learning about some nerd poo poo, but it'll probably have to be after Christmas since I've got training for the next two weeks in Taipei City and Christmas activities to do as well. Didn't want you to think I was ignoring you!
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Dec 12, 2012 02:42
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thegoat posted:Wait what? A student broke your back? About 6 months ago I had a fat student try to jump up behind me onto my back (kind of like a horse collar tackle.) I was fighting to stay upright and I hurt my lower back really bad. I thought it would be get better after a week but it continued to really hurt so I went to the doctor. Took x-rays, nothing, so I just continued working and going to the gym. After another month I went back to the doctor and he said I have a L5 Pars Fracture and I needed to wear a back brace for at least 3 months (15000 NT for that out of pocket, and asking for any kind of reimbursement from HESS got me blank stares.) After 3 months of that and trying to get back to the gym, I re-injured myself trying to do squats. So I'm at a point where I have more good days than bad days, but whenever I need to do alot of bending over in the course of the day I'll feel it the next. Worst part is the kid who did this to me got off scot free because he's an ADHD twit and I didn't get a confirmation of my diagnosis until 2 months after it happened. Thank god I don't have to teach him anymore.
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Dec 12, 2012 03:16
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Moon Slayer posted:That leaves me with over $1,000 US in savings per month, some of which goes home for student loans but most gets blown on Steam sales, computer parts, and trips. I've been following this thread for a while, but have avoided teaching English in general just because. I generally prefer more rural settings than cities, so that's no biggie. Would you say that saving 1,000USD is something most could pull off right from the start, or is it because you've been in Taiwan for a while now? When I say right from the start, I mean after you get settled etc. I'll be working on a farm in Thailand starting this coming Jan, so assuming I don't expand agriculturally from there, Taiwan will definitely be an interesting and close option. I'm a pretty frugal dude, and my gaming days are behind me, so if I find some good food/people/music, then I'm set. US/Italy dual citizenship gives gives me a 90 day visa on arrival on the EU side, so that's nice.
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Dec 12, 2012 03:50
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So I plan on moving to Taiwan this coming summer but I am a little worried about how to do my resume. My only teaching experience was one year in an NSA billet teaching advanced communications intelligence analysis. Is this even a positive thing to put on my resume or should I leave that bit out? It was indeed teaching, but obviously adults in a professional environment. The rest of my resume is fairly stellar but that bit I feel might not be something I should include.
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Dec 12, 2012 03:56
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Taxes in Taiwan can be rough when you first get here. You're looking at a 20% tax rate for your first 6 months or so. This is money you will eventually get back, but it can mean a tough time for awhile. Let's assume you make 50,000NT a month. 10,000 of that is gone from taxes immediately (but you'll get it back eventually). Rent shouldn't ever get above 14,000NT, and that's assuming you live in downtown Taipei by yourself. A much more reasonable estimate is something like 8000NT a month. Utilities are probably going to run you another 3000NT, but most of these come bimonthly (at least where I live). Again, having roommates will probably cut down on this. So, less than 20,000NT should be put towards basic living expenses. This number might go up or down based on things like cell phone use and mobile internet. After that, your only expense is going to be food and any debt you bring with you. Saving 30000NT a month is doable (especially when you get out of the 20% a month tax period), but it can be tough and you likely aren't going out and partying. And again, the further you get from Taipei, the easier it becomes.
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Dec 12, 2012 03:58
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Haraksha posted:Taxes in Taiwan can be rough when you first get here. You're looking at a 20% tax rate for your first 6 months or so. This is money you will eventually get back, but it can mean a tough time for awhile. I live in a nice 4 room apartment (Bedroom, Bathroom, Kitchen, Living Room) and pay 17,000+electric, so ~18,500 per month, in the middle of Taipei (near CKS). The only time I had a 9k apartment was when it was a single room deal a bit of a walk from an MRT station. Apartments on the edges of the city are a bit cheaper of course. Add on my phone bill for my nice new HTC One X (1,200?) and internet bill (~900 for 12/4) and I break 21k just for bills. I live with my wife, so we split some, but as she's an asian foreigner her pay is more of a standard Taiwanese rate. If you start at Hess, you'll get 580/hour to start with, and probably 20 hour weeks. That's just ~46,000/month, minus 20% for the first 6-12 months, depending on when you arrive. That 20% tax 'wait 6 months' bit resets in January of every year.
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Dec 12, 2012 04:13
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Awesome, I was planning to try to get to Taiwan somehow eventually. If I include teaching English, then my chances will be much greater! The tax hit will hit less if I know it's coming.
moflika fucked around with this message at 04:42 on Dec 12, 2012 |
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Dec 12, 2012 04:39
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moflika posted:Awesome, I was planning to try to get to Taiwan somehow eventually. If I include teaching English, then my chances will be much greater! The tax hit will hit less if I know it's coming. You mentioned coming in on an Italian passport, I'd avoid that. Because America granted Taiwanese visa-free entry earlier in the fall, starting this past Nov 1st Americans now get 90 days visa-free in Taiwan like most other developed countries enjoyed previously. If you come to teach English, a work permit can only be issued to passport holders of English-speaking countries. Entering on an Italian passport would only complicate the immigration process, if not make it downright impossible.
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Dec 12, 2012 04:55
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GoutPatrol posted:About 6 months ago I had a fat student try to jump up behind me onto my back (kind of like a horse collar tackle.) I was fighting to stay upright and I hurt my lower back really bad. I thought it would be get better after a week but it continued to really hurt so I went to the doctor. Took x-rays, nothing, so I just continued working and going to the gym. After another month I went back to the doctor and he said I have a L5 Pars Fracture and I needed to wear a back brace for at least 3 months (15000 NT for that out of pocket, and asking for any kind of reimbursement from HESS got me blank stares.) After 3 months of that and trying to get back to the gym, I re-injured myself trying to do squats. So I'm at a point where I have more good days than bad days, but whenever I need to do alot of bending over in the course of the day I'll feel it the next. This is one of my nightmare scenarios. I definitely have a few kids like that running around my school, and I'm always afraid one of them is going to do something stupid like that. moflika posted:I've been following this thread for a while, but have avoided teaching English in general just because. I generally prefer more rural settings than cities, so that's no biggie. Would you say that saving 1,000USD is something most could pull off right from the start, or is it because you've been in Taiwan for a while now? When I say right from the start, I mean after you get settled etc. I'll be working on a farm in Thailand starting this coming Jan, so assuming I don't expand agriculturally from there, Taiwan will definitely be an interesting and close option. Well if you don't mind living in a rural area, like Moon Slayer said, daily living can be very cheap. $2K per month will net you a shoebox, $5K something nice, and for $8K you'll often find something pretty nice. Also on taxes. I've said this before, but a lot of places fudge the numbers so that 20% thing may not matter at all. I've never paid more than $3000 a month in taxes.
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Dec 12, 2012 04:55
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If you ever want to get your APRC make sure the company you work for is claiming the correct amount of tax. If you're only paying 3000/month you aren't paying enough. This is only if you want to get your APRC now. Which is amazingly easy to get after 5 years in the country. For 2012, you need the 2011 LONG FORM tax form showing every month for the year, and it has to show that you made a minimum of 429,120nt for last year (minimum of 35,760nt / month)... In 2013, it's going up to 450,720nt (37,560 / month) thegoat fucked around with this message at 05:25 on Dec 12, 2012 |
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Dec 12, 2012 05:13
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USDA Choice posted:You mentioned coming in on an Italian passport, I'd avoid that. Because America granted Taiwanese visa-free entry earlier in the fall, starting this past Nov 1st Americans now get 90 days visa-free in Taiwan like most other developed countries enjoyed previously. If you come to teach English, a work permit can only be issued to passport holders of English-speaking countries. Entering on an Italian passport would only complicate the immigration process, if not make it downright impossible. Noted! I prefer traveling as an American anyways. Always nice knowing that when poo poo hits the fan, there is a slim chance that Bill Clinton may fly in and save you 
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Dec 12, 2012 05:24
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I knew that Taiwan now is part of the Visa Waiver program with the USA, but I didn't know how that affected Americans just landing without any visa here in Taiwan. So, it's 90 days now? That's good to know, especially since some family members have expressed an interest in staying for longer than 30 days without all the rigamarole of getting a visitor's visa. And just for curiosity's sake, I could do for a refresher on how one goes about getting a resident visa these days. Back when I came, you had to start with a visitor's visa--the 30-day landing visa thing was something that you couldn't convert to anything else once you were in country. I remember hearing that changed a year or two ago, though. Anyone know how that's affected by the 90-day landing visa now, too? Seems like a visitor's visa would almost be worthless now for visitors and job-hopefuls alike.
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Dec 12, 2012 06:52
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POCKET CHOMP posted:I knew that Taiwan now is part of the Visa Waiver program with the USA, but I didn't know how that affected Americans just landing without any visa here in Taiwan. So, it's 90 days now? That's good to know, especially since some family members have expressed an interest in staying for longer than 30 days without all the rigamarole of getting a visitor's visa.
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Dec 12, 2012 07:05
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POCKET CHOMP posted:I knew that Taiwan now is part of the Visa Waiver program with the USA, but I didn't know how that affected Americans just landing without any visa here in Taiwan. So, it's 90 days now? That's good to know, especially since some family members have expressed an interest in staying for longer than 30 days without all the rigamarole of getting a visitor's visa. You still need a visitor's visa to convert it to a resident visa. The difference is that you can go to the MOFA and apply for a visitor's visa in-country as long as you have a week or so left on your landing visa. Same price but you don't have to do a visa run if you're already here (and much easier to fit everything in now with a 90-day landing visa).
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Dec 12, 2012 13:02
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thegoat posted:If you ever want to get your APRC make sure the company you work for is claiming the correct amount of tax. If you're only paying 3000/month you aren't paying enough. Ah, this makes sense, and I could see that biting some people in the rear end. If i ever go for permanent residency here it will almost certainly also involve marrying a Taiwanese girl, though. So, fairly sure that wouldn't be a problem.
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Dec 12, 2012 15:57
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The new APRC rules are pretty great though. No medical. No FBI check or police report from home country. They are also changing the amount of time needed to live in Taiwan from six months each year to being in Taiwan once in five years.
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Dec 12, 2012 16:32
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duckfarts posted:Have a guy at work who is in the process of going from landing visa to visitor to resident visa/ARC, all in country. fwiw: I did this too in May I was explained the enitre process of what they were doing, how long they would need to hold my passport for and why (and i was given a stamped receipt for my passport), which offices I would need to see, and so on. Basically it was a paperwork hoop, utterly unimpressive, but entirely understandable and painless. In fact the only stress was self inflicted. ....... Rent in my office (3 white guys) 10,500 36M^2 (Neihu) 26,500 36M^2 (Da'an) 16,000 80M^2 (Xinzhuang) The other 3 idk about, but if you read that you should now understand, rent in taipei is variable, and the largest variable is where you rent, then the space you require. Utilities are on you too, I pay more because, I like AC and I like to run a well specced computer 24/7.
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Dec 12, 2012 17:34
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I want to move just because of the amount of gaming stuff I have. I need a gaming room. I pay 17k for a place near CKS, but I'd like to move somewhere farther down on the new orange line, since my job and the wife's job are both near one of the stops, and it's relatively cheap. I've got setups for 40k, Necromunda, and run a 2e D&D game out of my apartment, and do some modeling and painting stuff. All on my coffee table. Since it's such a pain to put stuff up and take it down, I haven't run a Necromunda game in like 2 years. I don't do as much modeling and painting stuff as I'd like because I gotta clean it up and put it all away in whatever little shelf space I've got each time. Kind of a pain.
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Dec 12, 2012 17:38
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thegoat posted:The new APRC rules are pretty great though. No medical. No FBI check or police report from home country. Is this for real? This was what was holding me back so far because it's a huge pain in the rear end.
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Dec 12, 2012 17:45
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Ravendas posted:I want to move just because of the amount of gaming stuff I have. I need a gaming room. I pay 17k for a place near CKS, but I'd like to move somewhere farther down on the new orange line, since my job and the wife's job are both near one of the stops, and it's relatively cheap. It really makes you appreciate the parents' basements of our childhoods. Even the dumps I lived in in university had more floor space than these places do. I'm pretty sure I have enough space to play Necromunda scale games here, but that's because I'd just run it on the kitchen table. I'm sure getting your stuff all the way down here would be a pain though.
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Dec 12, 2012 17:45
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duckfarts posted:So, my company's looking for technical writers again, requirements being that your English is loving flawless and you know how to write. If you're a goon, chances are you have some tech competency already. Not sure how many people we're hiring exactly, but to my knowledge, it is "plural". I see this was updated on Forumosa a week or two ago saying it's still open. I don't know if that's true, but I was wondering if you knew what the salary range might be?
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Dec 12, 2012 18:01
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duckfarts posted:whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa This is 100% for real. If you have been here on an uninterrupted arc for 5 years, AND you have tax records that state you have been paying the proper amount of tax. Pay 10k and get your APRC.
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Dec 13, 2012 01:35
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Haraksha posted:It really makes you appreciate the parents' basements of our childhoods. I've got the space to play it, it's just I have the terrain stored in half a dozen different spots, with the two sheets of 2'x4' plywood are outside on the back stairs. It takes an hour to set up, an hour to play, and an hour to put away. Which led to me never playing it again. At least my D&D stuff fits on two shelves right behind my DM'ing spot. Edit: About the APRC. I thought we needed some papers from our work saying that we worked a total of 5 years. Tax forms do that instead? Uncomfortable questioning for a co-worker when he was asking for the work papers for the APRC. "Why would you want an APRC?" Schools prefer their minions being on a short leash of cancelable ARC I guess.
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Dec 13, 2012 02:28
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You do need something from the school regarding employment with their stamp
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Dec 13, 2012 04:53
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thegoat posted:This is 100% for real. If you have been here on an uninterrupted arc for 5 years, AND you have tax records that state you have been paying the proper amount of tax. Pay 10k and get your APRC.
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Dec 13, 2012 05:07
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Everything is 100% except you still have to live in the country for 6 months each year. This has gone to the executive yuan but hasn't passed as a bill. YOU DO NOT NEED A HEALTH CHECK OR A POLICE REPORT FROM YOUR HOME COUNTRY FOR YOUR APRC. I know two people who have done this since the change.
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Dec 13, 2012 06:48
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Barracuda Bang! posted:I see this was updated on Forumosa a week or two ago saying it's still open. I don't know if that's true, but I was wondering if you knew what the salary range might be? As for the position, yeah, still hiring writers. Definitely going to look into APRC when I get back from holiday stuff, thanks for the heads up.
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Dec 13, 2012 06:57
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