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I'm Mrs. Us English, heyyy. I have a few questions too: 1. Is it easy to order stuff online? Korea has starting imposing some really stupid customs restrictions recently. We rely on iHerb quite a bit, so I'm mostly concerned with that, but I'm not shaped like an Asian lady and have to buy bras and shoes online, too, usually from ASOS. (Not a fatty) 2. Relative merits of a buxiban versus a public school? I am basically a slave at my public school here in Korea with as many as 38 teaching hours in a week, depending on what's happening at my school, and since I'm also required to do all prep and teaching and make everything from scratch, I get TIRED. I don't want to do this again. 3. Private lessons- legal or not? If not legal, how much of a poo poo does anyone give? 4. Are you usually paid what you are owned? My school likes to charge me for all kinds of arbitrary crap or just not pay me occasionally until I yell at them. 5. I have a Master's in a non-educational field. Will that earn me any extra points/money? 6. I have dual US/UK citizenship. Which would be preferable to employers? Whew, too many questions, sorry.
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Feb 26, 2015 15:00
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bringmyfishback posted:I'm Mrs. Us English, heyyy. I have a few questions too: 1. Yes. I order most of my stuff off Amazon and Ebay. Shipping can be pretty brutal though so you'll probably want to do large orders. 2. Public School will be guaranteed hours and pay, buxiban hours may depend on classes and students which varies from school to school. Pubic School hours will probably be as long as you have now. Buxiban hours rarely go over 24 or so. Most of the time you will be required to prep and make everything yourself. Personally I like the Buxiban a lot more as the hours are fewer, and my school doesn't force me to do any office hours or otherwise unpaid work. 3. Not legal because nobody pays taxes on them and also there's no way you'd get a work permit for them. It's all under the table type stuff and it works out better for all involved. I've never heard of anyone being busted for this kind of work and I doubt anyone ever will unless you run afoul of some people who are out for legal blood. 4. I have never had any employer withhold my pay, even the school that I parted on bad terms with. More likely scenarios are things like: you saw you're leaving in 3 months and they find someone to replace you next week and cut your hours for those remaining months. I've also never been charged for things excessively. My current school only charges me for copies and that's if I make more than 100 a week, and I rarely make copies so it's not a big deal. 5. I've never heard of anyone getting a higher rate of pay for having X certifications or X number of years already worked. Employers here want to pay you as little as they can but enough to remain competitive. Almost nobody gets raises that I know of, unless their employer really likes them and they pull in a lot of business; and even in those cases I've heard schools that would rather replace the teacher and see 4 students leave than pay them an extra 10nt an hour. Pretty much the deal is that schools pay what they pay and most of the time they aren't looking for the best, just a white person to speak English in front of a class. Some places might say they want X,Y,Z but chances are they still aren't going to pay you that much more than any other place. Public Schools are a different beast, but the point here is that even if you had a Masters in Education, a CELTA, a TESOL, a TEFL, and any other thing you can think of, you aren't going to get paid more than anyone else because most of the time you're a cog in a machine. 6. The majority of schools prefer American to English. However there are a few schools that "specialize" in the British vocal style and teachings. You'll know those when you see them. Otherwise just use your American passport for everything unless you find one of the British ones and then speak like you lived at Downton Abbey when you go there.
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Feb 26, 2015 15:35
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In addition to all that, if you really want to save money, don't come to Taipei. It's great up here, but it's also significantly more expensive than literally everywhere else on the island rent-wise.
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Feb 26, 2015 18:23
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TetsuoTW posted:In addition to all that, if you really want to save money, don't come to Taipei. It's great up here, but it's also significantly more expensive than literally everywhere else on the island rent-wise. I word this as: rent is not cheaper outside Taipei but you can get more for your money outside Taipei. For a place living major city you can get a really nice little 1 bedroom, kitchen, living room place for around 15000nt a month, which I'd say is pretty expensive given the location. If you dip out of the main city, you can find places in "Taipei County" which you could get something like a 2 bedroom, 1 bath, kitchen/laundry for the same amount. Outside Taipei in other counties you could probably live in a decent house for that amount. If you don't mind a roommate the two of you could live with 1 other person and rent a nice place in town for $24000 and split the bills three ways. Also if you work in the north of Taipei you can pay out $23k a month or so and live in one of the really nice looking apartment in Danshui, which would give you a pool/gym/nice new place/guard/etc. But you're also 40 minutes into the city at this point, however those places are really drat nice. If you live outside Taipei you can get some really nice places for extremely cheap compared to Taipei, but Taipei is itself fairly cheap for being a major city; unless you're trying to buy a place; in which case you're hosed. Rent wise though you can find some great deals, just don't look for anything new because anything new is going to be crazy expensive. I'm pretty sure the plan as of a few years ago was that President Ma would open up the door for Chinese businessmen to move here into a bunch of these crazy expensive apartments that locals could never hope to afford.
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Feb 26, 2015 23:47
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How is that not the same thing as rent being cheaper? You're comparing apples and oranges (little apartment in Taipei vs big apartment in New Taipei) If you want you can find those tiny apartments outside of Taipei too, like taofangs for 3,000 in bumfuck Yunlin I've posted this before, but I knew of a full 2BR apartment right near Guanghua market/Huashan cultural park (ie very central location)-- including kitchen!-- for 10,000 but it was an absolute poo poo heap. Then there are friends living in fully serviced/furnished apartments that are directly connected to the MRT for ~30,000 a month. There is quite a range of housing out there. It seems like every English teacher I meet lives in a very standard generic 15k a month 1br apartment. And the Chinese language students all live in 8k-10k a month taofangs. e for newcomers posting above: taofang is a studio with no kitchen, 1 bedroom+1bathroom hitension fucked around with this message at 00:43 on Feb 27, 2015 |
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Feb 27, 2015 00:40
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What does a two-bedroom in Taipei run? Obviously it depend on neighborhood, but maybe somewhere on the metro but not the city center?
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Feb 27, 2015 01:22
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PaybackJack posted:very helpful awesomeness Thank you so much! It's interesting to see how different things are in Taiwan versus Korea. And to be honest, my complaint about all the prep, etc. I do here is mostly because they're always trying to charge me hidden fees and poo poo. If they were nicer to me, I'd mind a lot less.  But I feel like right now I'm more interested in a buxiban lifestyle. I was an eikaiwa teacher back in Japan and sometimes I sit at my desk surrounded by my piles of work and dream about those days where I wasn't accused of peeing on the bathroom floor/being stolen from/having to prepare lessons for classes I don't even teach. 
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Feb 27, 2015 01:22
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I live in a 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom, two-floor apartment in New Taipei City and pay less than $9000 a month. It's not the newest building but it has security guards and trash service and stuff, it's nice enough for me. It's next to a 7-11 and only about 3 minutes away from a train station. When I see people quoting $15k or even $25k per month my head starts to get dizzy. Holy poo poo. For me, my rent here is high compared to my old life in Tainan city, and I lived downtown there.
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Feb 27, 2015 02:24
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POCKET CHOMP posted:I live in a 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom, two-floor apartment in New Taipei City and pay less than $9000 a month. It's not the newest building but it has security guards and trash service and stuff, it's nice enough for me. It's next to a 7-11 and only about 3 minutes away from a train station. When I see people quoting $15k or even $25k per month my head starts to get dizzy. Holy poo poo. For me, my rent here is high compared to my old life in Tainan city, and I lived downtown there. In New Taipei City it's probably different, but this drove me up the loving wall when I lived in Taipei proper. There is literally nowhere not next to a 7-11 but all my Chinese friends would be like, "It's on this street, by the 7-11!" and sure enough that street would have like 4 different 7-11's on the same block.
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Feb 27, 2015 02:33
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Yeah, rent outside the city isn't bad, but there's sometimes other interesting quirks. I'm in Chiayi and this is kinda the spread: I live in a studio with bedroom area/living area/kitchen area, small bathroom, sun room/deck that was remodeled before I moved in, paying NT$7,500/mo + doorman fees once every three months; which is high for this area. Unfortunately the fastest internet I can get is 20M down/5M up. A coworker lives in a taofang and is paying $5,500/mo; and I think the other living in a taofang is paying about $6,500. My boss just moved into a 3-bedrom, 2-bath, kitchent, three seperate balconies, large tower complex located just inside the city proper, and is paying $12,500/mo, I believe. I have friends in Taipei who are paying $14,000 for a taofang of similar size to the one my coworker is paying $6,500 for. Basically, Taipei City is expensive compared to other places, but if you're willing to look you can get a great deal. Also, I don't live next to a 7-Eleven, I live next to a school and a Turkish restaurant.
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Feb 27, 2015 02:46
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Magna Kaser posted:In New Taipei City it's probably different, but this drove me up the loving wall when I lived in Taipei proper. There is literally nowhere not next to a 7-11 but all my Chinese friends would be like, "It's on this street, by the 7-11!" and sure enough that street would have like 4 different 7-11's on the same block. How does Taiwanese 7-11 compare to Japanese. Korea's convenience stores suck beyond imagining.
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Feb 27, 2015 02:50
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Magna Kaser posted:In New Taipei City it's probably different, but this drove me up the loving wall when I lived in Taipei proper. There is literally nowhere not next to a 7-11 but all my Chinese friends would be like, "It's on this street, by the 7-11!" and sure enough that street would have like 4 different 7-11's on the same block. Yeah, since I'm out in the boonies by Taiwanese standards, it is actually the only 7-11 or even only convenience store in the near vicinity. You'd have to walk for a few more minutes to find another one. Edit: Our convenience stores are awesome, but they do vary based on size/location. If they've got a bigger spread, they'll have every amenity imaginable. But not all convenience stores are the same, some of those that are just little corners in the wall have the bare basics. Compared to the ones I visited in Korea, I'd definitely hand the crown to Taiwan's. POCKET CHOMP fucked around with this message at 03:13 on Feb 27, 2015 |
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Feb 27, 2015 03:10
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Anyone have pictures of taofang? I hope it's not subdivided closet with just enough space for a bed
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Feb 27, 2015 03:10
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 All yours for 8000 a month (plus electricity!)
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Feb 27, 2015 03:20
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POCKET CHOMP posted:Yeah, since I'm out in the boonies by Taiwanese standards, it is actually the only 7-11 or even only convenience store in the near vicinity. You'd have to walk for a few more minutes to find another one. Yeah, compared to Japan's or Hong Kong's or even mainland China, Korean convenience stores are pretty poopy. And they're making drinking in public illegal here- I love Bar 7-11. GoutPatrol posted:
:/
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Feb 27, 2015 03:45
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GoutPatrol posted:
Oh wow and a window? That's perfect if there's fiber internet. I'm a horribly twisted honger. Everyone wants to migrate to the promised land of fight club democracy
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Feb 27, 2015 04:05
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There's no rhyme, reason or sense to how Taiwanese value the rent on an apartment, house or land. You just have to look or have someone help you. Taofangs are good for saving money and the simplicity since the internet, gas and electricity are all included in the rent normally.
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Feb 27, 2015 04:26
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caberham posted:Anyone have pictures of taofang?  NT$14,000/month but that's because it's in the middle of the city just up the street from Taipei 101. Window is behind the camera but it's frosted because there's an office building directly across the street.
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Feb 27, 2015 06:32
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Let us English posted:How does Taiwanese 7-11 compare to Japanese. Korea's convenience stores suck beyond imagining. They're decent here, but Japanese convenience stores still reign supreme.
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Feb 27, 2015 09:43
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okami posted:There's no rhyme, reason or sense to how Taiwanese value the rent on an apartment, house or land. You just have to look or have someone help you. Age of the building was always the determining factor in my experience. Taiwanese generally don't put much value in anything that isn't relatively new when it comes to things like consumer goods/vehicles/apartments. So if you want to find a cheap place to live just focus on looking for an older building.
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Feb 27, 2015 19:57
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The other day I paid my tuition/fees, 8 months of rent, 5 months of health insurance, and cell phone bill at 7-11 in about 2 minutes. Also constant availability of soft serve ice cream (more options at Family Mart though). And you can buy bus/train/exhibition/etc tickets. Send a fax or print something. Pretty much anything. I'm a fan of 7-11.
hitension fucked around with this message at 17:03 on Mar 1, 2015 |
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Mar 1, 2015 17:01
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You can renew your license and pay traffic tickets as well! Or even use it as your personal delivery service.
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Mar 2, 2015 00:38
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Atlas Hugged posted:You can renew your license and pay traffic tickets as well! Or even use it as your personal delivery service. I just saw on my taxi tv that now Family Mart has a service for dry cleaning. You can drop your clothes on there and they'll get cleaned and ironed and sent back to you.
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Mar 2, 2015 05:32
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Man, if the Family Mart in my neighborhood had a soft-serve machine, I'd probably be eating way too much ice cream and end up a fat goon.
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Mar 2, 2015 06:06
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YF19pilot posted:Man, if the Family Mart in my neighborhood had a soft-serve machine, I'd probably be eating way too much ice cream and end up a fat goon. You could just try the next one or two.
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Mar 2, 2015 06:13
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Is that normal in Taiwan? I always thought Taiwan was ahead of China and closer to Japan when it came to everything being app/NFC/phone based, but I guess that isn't the case???
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Mar 2, 2015 06:18
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Magna Kaser posted:Is that normal in Taiwan? I always thought Taiwan was ahead of China and closer to Japan when it came to everything being app/NFC/phone based, but I guess that isn't the case??? What is "that"? Ice cream? Fat goons? Does China have NFC based fat ice cream goons???
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Mar 2, 2015 08:12
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Taiwan is super in love with convenience stores and you can build all the internet infrastructure you want and Taiwanese people will still go take care of that poo poo at 7-11.
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Mar 2, 2015 08:31
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Spanish Matlock posted:What is "that"? Ice cream? Fat goons? Does China have NFC based fat ice cream goons??? Paying all your bills at a 7-11. I pay all my bills with NFC/on my phone. The only one I can't is electricity cause my current complex uses a different system, at my old place I could. I can even top up my phone from my phone!!! Not ever having to go anywhere or interact with anyone has really made my life more fulfilling. Also our 7-11s and Family Marts have soft serve AND slurpees.
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Mar 2, 2015 08:44
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Ah, well 7-11s are kind of a one stop service center. No doubt you can't get packages delivered to your phone or do your dry cleaning with it. Can you pay parking tickets with it? Also you may not be considering the fact that in Taipei you could walk out your front door and fall down and land with an arm inside one seven eleven and a leg inside another one.
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Mar 2, 2015 08:55
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As a goon the less I have to actually interact with people the better. In my building they have a cool thing where the kuaidi dudes deliver a package and then text you a QR code, then you go to this giant wall of lockers and have the machine scan the QR code and one pops open with your package. They even have a refrigerated section for if you get veggies or milk delivered from one of the organic food people. The first floor of my building has both a 7-11 and a Family Mart and they will actually deliver poo poo to your apartment so I don't even NEED to go there to get stuff, I can ask them to bring me coke zero and pocky and shame--especially the shame.
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Mar 2, 2015 09:10
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Magna Kaser posted:Paying all your bills at a 7-11. I pay all my bills with NFC/on my phone. The only one I can't is electricity cause my current complex uses a different system, at my old place I could. We'd have Slurpees if they'd loving maintain the machines and run them normally.  For bill payment, ATM or web ATM transfers make things really easy.
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Mar 2, 2015 09:14
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Magna Kaser posted:I pay all my bills with NFC/on my phone. The only one I can't is electricity cause my current complex uses a different system, at my old place I could.
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Mar 2, 2015 09:47
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TetsuoTW posted:I've said it before, but just because Taiwanese companies manufacture most computery things sure as hell doesn't mean Taiwan knows how to use them effectively or efficiently. Or, often, even correctly. What do you mean?
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Mar 2, 2015 17:30
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From a long termer's perspective I can see this, but things have changed due to smartphones and greater processing power. I find getting Taiwanese to email to be a pain unless they are in the overseas marketing dept of a company.
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Mar 3, 2015 18:13
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LINE is the new email
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Mar 4, 2015 03:50
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duckfarts posted:LINE is the new email So 柯P 
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Mar 4, 2015 04:49
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Finally got off my butt and am taking Chinese classes at the local Uni. 苦喜歡貓 Hopefully that's correct. I know the bopomo but not the actual characters yet. 
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Mar 4, 2015 06:11
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YF19pilot posted:Finally got off my butt and am taking Chinese classes at the local Uni. You bitterly enjoy cats?
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Mar 4, 2015 06:20
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Spanish Matlock posted:You bitterly enjoy cats? Not what I was aiming for, but possibly more accurate.
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Mar 4, 2015 06:26
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