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I'm sorry this new thread has been late in coming, but I've had a lot of “real life” things going on lately. Anyways, its been coming up a lot lately that since we often talk about things other than teaching, the thread should be expanded, and moved to Tourism and Travel. As with the last thread this is a bit of a work in progress I'll be adding to as time goes on. Anyways, here we go: Table of Contents I. Taiwan I – A. Culture I – B. Drinking, Drugs, Smoking I – C. Politics I – D. Weather I – E. Food II. Regional Information II – A. Taipei II – B. Kaohsiung II – C. Taichung II – D. Tainan/Hsinchu/Taoyuan II – E. Rural Taiwan III. Vacationing in Taiwan IV. Living in Taiwan IV – A. Daily Life IV – B. Cost of Living V. Teaching English VI. Non-Teaching Jobs VII. Finding a Job VII – A. Teaching Jobs VII – B. Non-Teaching Jobs VIII. Getting your Visa/ARC VIII – A. Visa VIII – B. Cheating the system VIII – C. Visa runs VIII – D. ARC IX. Dating in Taiwan X. Going to School/Learning Chinese XI. Miscellaneous & FAQ I. Taiwan  While it is very interesting I'll spare you the history lesson, and recommend that if you want to learn about Taiwan's history you visit Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiwan. The country really does have an interesting history, and its worth giving it a read. I – A. Culture Taiwan has a fairly interesting culture once you really begin to get to know it. Its difficult to describe, and something you really have to experience to get a feel for. The biggest influence is of course Chinese culture with the ROC retreating to Taiwan following China's civil war, along with the many Chinese settlements that pre-dated the conflict. However, there is also a strong influence of Japanese culture (who also controlled Taiwan at various times), Korean & Western media influence, pacific island influence, and influence from Taiwan's aboriginal people. Architecturally speaking don't expect much more than concrete jungle in most cases. Taiwan (economically speaking) “grew-up” very quickly, and it shows in the building designs which were largely built as quickly and efficiently as possible. Plus the often occuring earthquakes limit creativity as well. Things are changing somewhat in the larger cites, and many newer buildings have a much more modern flare. Though, to be honest, the new buildings often end up being eyesores as they don't match their surroundings very well. * cough *Tuntex Sky Tower* cough *  All in all you can expect Taiwanese people to be more relaxed than mainland Chinese thanks to the islander influence. And honestly, the greatest thing about Taiwan (in my opinion) is the people themselves. Again its hard to put into words, and something you really have to experience for yourself. They are very welcoming of foreigners, and will often want to know more about you to the point of being annoying at times.* *This does not necessarily apply to Taipei where they are much more accustomed to foreigners, and the people are more like the typical metropolitan big city types you'll find anywhere else in the world. I – B. Drinking, Drugs, Smoking, Betel Nut Alcohol, Drugs, Smoking & Betel Nut Alcohol It is certainly possible to spend every night drinking yourself stupid in Taiwan, and many foreigners do. However, it should be known that it isn't really a part of the culture here. For the a lot of Taiwanese a night out on the town is going to KTV (Taiwanese/East Asian karaoke), spending way too much money on a single beer that you can buy at 7-11 for 1/5 the price, and then singing songs with 4-5 friends in a tiny sound proof room until 5am. Not to say all Taiwanese are like that. The Taiwanese working class can and do drink alcohol like its water, but since you will not likely come into much contact with them I won't really talk about them. However, be aware that many of these people drive trucks for a living, and yes they are sometimes drinking while driving. If you see a "blue truck" coming your way just do yourself a favor and give them as much space as possible while they go barreling past you. As for bars you will typically see 3 kinds: Taiwanese bars, Western styled bars, and clubs. Your typical Taiwanese style bars are usually on the small side and range from fairly cheap to completely ridiculous on prices. Ditto the Western style bars except they are usually filled with foreigners obviously. Then you have the clubs which are what you'd expect, with loud music and dancing. Prices in clubs (and some normal bars too) are usually on the expensive side, but some are “all you can drink” for a reasonable entrance fee  . In truth, its relatively common for people to wind up spending more time milling around 7-11 drinking beers than in bars because its so much cheaper. Drinking on the street is more-or-less OK here so no need to worry about the police unless you're doing something really stupid. If you're wondering, Taiwan has all your bases covered on alcohol selection. Though rum, gin, and tequila are always very limited in selection. Whiskey and scotch on the other hand are widely available at VERY reasonable prices. Beer tends to be on the expensive side compared with the hard alcohols, and almost all of your beer options will taste like Bud light/PBR. Beer drinkers paradise this is not. Wine is readily available, but a little more expensive than beer. The local hooch in Taiwan is called Kaoliang. It will get you drunk real quick in a similar fashion to Tequila, and tastes like white wine mixed with gasoline. Like malt liquor in America, sometimes you just have to have a Kaoliang night though. Enjoy! Drugs When it comes to drugs, they are of course illegal, but can be found readily if you know where to look. Drugs are not really a part of Taiwanese culture so mostly the only people using them are foreigners. If you need to score some drugs I'd suggest asking around the foreigners you meet. As I don't use them myself I can't really help you beyond that. thegoat posted:The section about drugs is way off. Saying that its not part of the culture and mosty foreigners is wrong. You can also add that in Taiwan you can be charged with what is in your system. Years ago they would drive a piss test truck up to the seedier clubs and test people on the spot. Something illegal in you? Automatic 30days in jail. Second offense is 6months. Third is 5 years. Smoking and Betel Nut Smoking is common and you will have no trouble getting cigarettes if that is your thing. You'll also likely notice red stains everywhere on the streets, or empty cups with gross looking red juice around them. If your not familiar with it already this is Betel nut which is basically a mild stimulant similar to chewing tobacco. It is very popular among Taiwan's working class, and you'd have a hard time finding a taxi driver/blue truck driver that is not chewing Betel nut every waking moment of their lives. I – C. Politics I'll keep this one short as I really don't know a lot about the politics in Taiwan. Try asking in thread if your really curious as some of the other goons have more of an interest in the subject, or try going here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politics_of_the_Republic_of_China One thing I will say is that if your here long enough you will inevitably be asked some form of this question: “What do you think I am, Chinese or Taiwanese?” Its basically like a woman asking if she is fat. As unless the person is aboriginal they aren't really Taiwanese, and if they are aboriginal then they are whatever their tribe is not Taiwanese. So basically just say “Taiwanese” even if it isn't really correct in the same sense Westerners use it, or be prepared to defend your answer some. I – D. Weather The weather on the island varies depending on whether you are North or South on the island. In the North around Taipei expect lower average temperatures and much more rain. To the South around Kaohsiung you can expect the opposite, warmer temperatures and much less rain. Taichung being in the middle tends to be a mix of the two. On the whole I usually compare Taiwan's whether to that of states like South Carolina, Georgia, or Florida in the USA. So if you come be prepared for high-humidity, and semi-tropical weather for the most part. Be warned though, while temperatures in Taiwan rarely drop below 15°C (60°F) almost none of the buildings/houses have insulation or heating systems. So whatever temperature it is outside is the same inside. Even people from Northern climates like myself find the constant cold wears thin pretty quickly when the only way to get warm in your house is to take a hot shower. I – E. Food & Drinks Eating out, Vegetarian & vegen eats, Supermarkets, Drinks, Weird things to eat Eating out If you're expecting some great new culinary experiences in Taiwan prepare to be disappointed. Mind you, Taiwanese* food is not really bad, just a bit boring compared to foods in the rest of East Asia. When you first arrive in Taiwan you'll probably find many of the native dishes are surprisingly delicious, but as time goes on many people begin to find that all the dishes taste pretty similar. As a lot of the ingredients/spices they use carry over to other dishes. *As in food from Taiwan. There are plenty of VERY VERY VERY delicious Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese, etc. restaurants on the island.  This is a typical Taiwanese lunchbox. A bed of rice with a meat dish of your choice on top. The side dishes tend to vary on what the cook has available/feels like cooking, and there is usually a vat of very thin soup available to you if you like (typical soups you will see in these places are seaweed soup or a kind of mixed egg soup). In this picture the sides are (fried) cabbage, (fried) collard greens-like plant, and the brown bits are a (fried) mushroom/fungus (I think) with a texture similar to tofu (give them a try they are not bad. These lunch boxes should only cost you between 50-100NT$ depending on where you are and whats in them. If you're one of those people who refuse to try anything new then there are a few Western alternatives for eating out. A variety of popular fast food restaurants (and Subway) and a few chain sit down places. There are also a number of pubs/Taiwanese owned Western style restaurants located in and around the major cities with burgers, Pizza, Pasta, etc. Note, that prices for Western food, while comparable to US prices, will seem expensive here compared to native dishes which are quite cheap. Of course there are also plenty of Vietnamese, Thai, Indian, and other foreign restaurants here (particularly East Asian restaurants). If you know where to look you can find some really good restaurants of that sort. Again expect prices to be higher than what you find in Taiwanese restaurants. The only food I've found to be almost completely underrepresented (at least in Taichung) is Mexican food. There are some Mexican restaurants of course, but at least around Taichung they are all both expensive and awful*. *One notably horrible place in Taichung has "nachos" that consist of Nacho flavor Doritos  with cheese on top.Vegetarian and vegen eats Getting vegetarian dishes is no problem, and since Taiwanese don't really eat cheese or use butter vegetarian dishes are usually vegen as well. Be warned though that chances are very good the utensils and pans used to cook your food are the same as the ones used to cook everyone else's non-vegetarian meals. If that is a problem for you then you're mostly out of luck, but you can try looking for Buddhist restaurants as I hear they are strictly vegen. Supermarkets Your average supermarket in Taiwan will carry a range of vegetables, snacks, meats, etc. that you will be familiar with, and some things you won't be so familiar with. Expect Western foods (like bread, dairy products, cereal, hot sauce...) to be more expensive, and of limited availability. Though many of these things can be found at a French Walmart-like place called Carrefour. Also if you can swing it there are Costcos in all of the major cities in Taiwan now, and of course they generally have a good selection of Western food. Aside from that just go in them and look around. If you enjoy cooking don't be afraid to try some of the strange green vegetable. Most of them taste like green vegetables, and cook up just fine. Drinks For drinks the Taiwanese almost universally prefer to drink tea unsurprisingly. Bubble milk tea is particularly popular here, and actually originated from the city of Taichung, Taiwan. You can also find a good range of familiar and not-so-familiar juices, sodas, and power drinks available. For milk drinkers, milk is readily available at a reasonable price, but I find has a subtly distinct after-taste too it many people don't like. I still drink the milk and have gotten used to the flavor, but your mileage may vary on that one. Coffee houses are readily available in the cities almost everywhere if you're a coffee drinker like me. At worst convenience stores almost always have a coffee machine available. Note, if you like to brew your own coffee, finding pre-ground affordable beans can be a pain in the rear end. Buy yourself a grinder and go get some good coffee from Costco, or a local distributor otherwise Carrefour will usually have some ground coffee. Instant coffee is available everywhere. Weird things to eat “I want to be like that fat guy on Food Network that just goes around eating a bunch of weird poo poo” Don't worry Taiwan has a few of these things that you can try eating. First is the things you'll find all over east Asia like century eggs, offal, bizarre snack foods like chicken feet, a plethora of fruits and veggies you've never heard of (including durian), and more I can't think of right now. For local weird poo poo you'll want to go to the night markets. Just make sure you steel your stomach beforehand as some of the food can be pretty taxing if you're not used to it. Stinky tofu in particular is something Taiwan is famous for, and is in fact very stinky. II. Regional Information So you're definitely still interested in coming to Taiwan. Now what? Time to get to know the various regions of the country that you may be living in: II – A. Taipei  Stock photo of Taipei 101 About the city - Located in the northern tip of Taiwan it is the metropolitan center, capital and largest city on the island. It has the largest population of foreigners, the best selection of places to shop (especially for non-Asian related goods), and a more diverse selection of bars/clubs/restaurants. Taipei also has a great subway system, and is near Taiwan's primary airport as well as any other form of transportation you can think of. For anyone looking to vacation here Taipei should absolutely be your starting point. Jobs - Taipei county is where the majority of jobs (teaching or otherwise) are on the island. So if you're planning on coming over there is a very good chance that this is where you will ultimately end up. Be aware that jobs in Taipei county may still be a considerable distance from downtown Taipei. If you're not on one of the major subway/rail lines you may find yourself surprisingly isolated out in a no-mans land suburb of the city. The bad - Taipei is one of the rainiest parts of Taiwan, and though it isn't the hottest area on the island it still gets pretty hot. That combination of heat and wet can really be stifling at times. In addition, being the most metropolitan city means its also the most expensive city. You can expect your cost of living to be considerably more than other parts of the country. I've also noticed that people seem less friendly there, and generally have a “big city” mentality of being somewhat aloof about anything that doesn't immediately concern them, that you won't see on the rest of the island. Kaohsiung  The biggest indoor mall in Taiwan is apparently in Kaohsiung About the city – Kaohsiung is the 2nd largest city on the island. The city is located on the southern part of the island so the climate is generally hotter and drier than other places in Taiwan. It has a new(ish) subway system to help you get around town, but doesn't cover nearly as much of the city as the Taipei system. While on the surface the city is fairly metropolitan don't expect Taipei levels of shopping. In fact on a recent trip I had a hard time finding any sort of western style shops/restaurants at all. Which is fine for me, but I could see being a problem for some people. I'll also say that most of the people there seemed very friendly, and rumor on the street is that its a pretty cool place to live. Jobs - I don't see as many jobs down there for whatever reason. I'm not sure if there is less work, or if people are just more inclined to stay there for longer, and keep their jobs. The few jobs you do see are generally part-time, and would perhaps be difficult to live off of. The bad – Its really hot. That is the first thing anyone ever says when I ask them about Kaohsiung. No idea what rent is like down there, but it is the 2nd largest city so maybe on the expensive side. Taichung   Taichung at night from the central park in the middle of the city, and the roof of my old apartment About the city - Taichung is the 3rd largest city in Taiwan. It is relatively centrally located in the middle of the island so it has the benefit of being only a few hours away from any given place on the island. While not as foreigner friendly as Taipei, you'll still find a diverse selection of bars/clubs*, shopping, grocery stores, and anything else you could imagine. Taichung is also a good compromise in regards to weather. Not as hot as Kaohsiung, and not as rainy as Taipei. *After a bar fire early last year (I believe) the city of Taichung has closed almost every bar in the city. There are still around 4 clubs operating, but if you're looking for a small bar to have a beer with your friends you will probably have to go to a late-night Taiwanese restaurant instead. Which, isn't always a bad thing, but still pretty annoying. Jobs - Judging by the large number of construction projects its clear Taichung is a rapidly growing city. Like Taipei there are a large number of jobs in and around the city, and it is certainly possible that you may find yourself living in Taichung. The bad - Despite its size and growth there are currently no inner city options for mass transportation outside of the city buses. Which means, as a foreigner, you will have to largely rely on taxi's and scooters to get you around. Not the end of the world, but it can be problematic/annoying sometimes. Tainan/Hsinchu/Taoyuan  it was apparently the first photo I took in Tainan after I moved here. - Pocket Chomp About the cit(ies) – These areas are basically for people who want to live as close as they can to Taipei/Kaohsiung without paying for the extra cost of living. Of course they are all independent communities in and of themselves with all the standards of the large cities, just scaled down. If you prefer a more laid back existence to the rock and roll metropolitan lifestyle these areas may be for you. Hsinchu/Taoyuan are located in the North, to the West of Taipei. Tainan is down South, just North of Kaohsiung. Jobs – They are smaller communities so the job markets are not quite as large. I do see more jobs in these areas than Kaohsiung oddly enough, so keep your eyes open if you're interested. Hsinchu is loosely known as the silicon valley of Taiwan so most IT related jobs will probably be found around there. The bad – Like Taichung these areas are still too small to support inner city mass transit. Also while getting to the big cities from these areas is easy, it may get tiresome if you're constantly making the trip back and forth between them. Rural Taiwan  From an access road somewhere near JhuShan  View from my apartment in JhuShan overlooking part of the town About the areas – This is a very broad section that covers a lot of area, but its one I have first hand experience with. So I'll try to give a general idea of life outside the major city centers. Life in the country is very quiet compared to life in the cities. Most small towns will have your basics covered with things like a few small supermarkets, various Taiwanese restaurants/vendors, a pharmacy, and a small assortment of places like electronics/appliance/clothing stores (albeit with very limited selections). If you like the outdoors, small towns near the mountains are great as you are typically only a few minutes scooter ride from some of the best scenery you will ever see. Unlike the cities where it may be 40 minutes+ before you're even outside of the city. In small towns foreigners are also much more uncommon, so expect to be treated like a bit of a celebrity everywhere you go, for better or worse. Jobs – If you're looking for teaching work plenty of them out there for you to choose from, and you WILL want to be choosey. They tend to be small schools, and like small schools everywhere in the country you run the risk of getting stuck in a less than ideal situation. Except, without the benefit of being in a big city to look for a new one. As for non-teaching jobs there is some rural area work to be had, but generally most of the work is in the larger cities. The bad – Nightlife is non-existent outside of the cities. As I mentioned earlier the Taiwanese are not big drinkers like Westerners, its common for small towns to not have any sort of bar outside of maybe a KTV place. Also while busing is available throughout the whole country being off of a rail line can be a real pain in the rear end sometimes. So be aware of that as well. HappyHelmet fucked around with this message at 15:47 on Apr 18, 2012 |
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III. Vacationing in Taiwan I'll come right out and say that Taiwan isn't really the best vacation destination. What beaches there are pale in comparison to places like Thailand/Vietnam, the food isn't as good as those places either. As I said before what really sets Taiwan apart is the people here which is great for living in the country, but less important if you are on vacation. Still, not to say you can't have a good time here. If you're into hiking there are some absolutely beautiful areas in the mountains. Kenting, Hualien, and (I think) Taitung have decent beaches. Nightlife in the cities is comparable to anywhere else in the world if you are looking for a good time. If you're interested in coming here I'd recommend posting in the thread roughly when you will be arriving, how long, and maybe some clues on what you would be interested in doing. From there we can give you some recommendations on what to do. See the Visa section for questions about your passport, or getting a Visa. IV. Living in Taiwan IV – A. Daily life Being that most foreigners are 20 somethings, drinking is fairly prevalent among the foreign population. I find the foreign community to be fairly cliquish with surprisingly little camaraderie between them. I thought about really going into the dynamics of the foreign population here, but I'm rather opinionated on it so its probably better that I don't. Whats really important is that there are generally enough foreigners around (at least in the big cities) to find a decent group of people who you get along well with. As I've said before the native people tend to be very friendly, and welcoming to foreigners. While knowing some Chinese is immensely helpful its not necessary. I'd say the majority of foreigners here can barely speak any Chinese at all, and they are doing fine. I've covered most of the other bases so if you have any questions just ask in the thread. IV – B. Cost of Living  Just think this could all be yours for a mere $8,000 NT per month! If you get a job teaching expect to make somewhere around $40-60,000 NT per month. Probably more towards $45-55,000NT. If you're making $60,000 NT as a first job consider yourself pretty lucky though your hours may be poo poo. The good news is $40,000 a month is more than enough to live comfortably on (at least anywhere but Taipei). I can't comment on what non-teaching jobs in Taiwan make, but obviously if you are a professional in your field it will probably be considerably more. Here is a rough breakdown of what I would consider the average foreigner lives on per month: Rent : $5-10,000 (depends on if you have roommates, and where you are: aka Taipei City will be more in the $10-15,000 range) Utilities/internet: $2500 Food: $10,000 (this is the equivalent of spending $320 NT per day, you can easily keep this lower) Taxes: Starts at 20% then goes down to 10%(ish) (just to be safe assume 20% off and anything extra is a bonus for you) Lets assume you are only making $40,000 per month. After taxes you have $32,000 to work with. We'll assume you don't have a roommate and a cheap single apartment ($5000) you now have $24,500 after rent & utilities. $10,000 is kinda a lot to spend on food per month, but we'll use that number so you're left with $14,500. That last $14,500 would presumably be put in the bank, spent at bars, bills from back home, or whatever other miscellaneous things your heart desires. Thing is, that is a fairly generous budget too. I used to keep myself on a tighter budget at my old job, and according to my spreadsheets I average spending ~$15,000 NT per month total (rent, bills, food, and things like alcohol and what-not as well). By strictly keeping to my budget I managed to save ~$2400 US after 6 months at a job that only paid $42,000 per month after taxes. Which includes buying a few luxury items like a new camera that cost ~$300 US. At my new job I make enough money to pay for classes at a University, monthly bills, food + alcohol, loans + credit cards back home, stupid poo poo I don't need like a TV/PS3/laptop/etc.., and am still putting aside plenty of money for a trip to visit the folks back home. Its not Korea money, but you need not worry about money unless you're really stupid with it. V. Teaching English As an English teacher expect to be working either mornings-afternoons (for Kindergarten jobs/actual teaching jobs), or afternoons-nights (typical cram school hours). Generally you will be teaching students somewhere between K-9th grade*. You are most likely to be working at what is known as a “buxiban (bu-shi-ban)”, which is what they call private cram schools here. Your typical buxiban work consists of a few 1 hour classes per day with some time spent prepping for classes beforehand. Most of the actual teaching is left to the native teachers, particularly with the younger kids. Though with that said job responsibility depends wildly on the school you're in. Some schools put much more responsibility on the foreign teachers, and will expect you to actually teach. While in others you're nothing more than a mascot meant to entertain the kids. If you have a degree in education/you are a licensed teacher you can find a job at a public school where obviously you'll be working as a real teacher, and will be treated as such. You won't make as much as you would back home, but with the way the teaching job market is back in America, the low cost of living here plus opportunity to travel a job in Taiwan may still be appealing to you. * “Isn't it illegal for foreigners to teach Kindergarteners?” Yes, it is, but that doesn't stop many of the buxibans/kindergartens here from accepting them usually. VI. Non-Teaching Jobs They are out there if you look hard enough. Most non-teaching jobs in Taiwan involve editing, or translating documents. Work outside of those areas can be had though. I can't comment on how to find them unfortunately, but I am hoping to land a non-teaching job here soon so hopefully I'll have more info then. For now try asking in the thread for information, and hopefully one of us can help you. VII. Finding a Job VII – A. Teaching Jobs For teaching jobs you will want to start with HESS here: HESS http://www.hess.com.tw/ HESS is basically the epitome of the cookie cutter buxiban to work for. Its the largest school on the island, and has a very good online recruiting program for people overseas. You'll hear mixed opinions on Hess as a school to work for. Though, to their credit they are very experienced in helping new teachers move to Taiwan. The pay isn't the best, but the trade off will be about as smooth an entry into the country as you can get. General consensus is that quality of the job depends entirely on the school you are placed at. Several Goons work/have worked for them so they can provide you with more information. If HESS doesn't work out for you, or you're not interested in working there don't despair. Your next best bet is to start perusing the internet here: http://www.tealit.com: will be your best source of jobs over the whole of the island. Click on the “Teaching Jobs” tab at the top of the page for ads from schools around the country looking for teachers. I got my most recent job through this site. http://www.eslcafe.com/jobs/: Daves ESL cafe has a section devoted to jobs around the world, and has some Taiwan jobs posted in there. Just run a search on “Taiwan” for jobs here. By far the best method for finding teaching work though is to simply take a chance and arrive on your own then hit the streets, and start looking. There are buxibans everywhere here, and a lot of them don't post their jobs on the internet (at least not right away) so its better if you're pro-active in your searching. Plan to arrive sometime around July-early August as that is the primary hiring time. Though jobs can be found any time of year your odds are much better around that time. Also while a TEOSL (or similar) certificate is a nice feather in your cap it is not a necessity at all in most circumstances here. VII – B. Non-Teaching Jobs Again unfortunately I'm not of much use here. The method I plan to use since I'm already here is to go door to door with my resume. Most of the websites for non-teaching jobs are in Chinese, and generally focus on jobs for locals that foreigners would not be interested in (very low pay). As before try asking in the thread, and we will try to help you if we can. VIII. Getting your Visa / ARC To start if you are just planning to come here for a vacation lasting under a month you do not need to worry about any of this. Your passport will cover you for a month no problem at which point you will need to leave. If you plan to stay for more than a month then read on. VIII - A. Visa First let me say getting your Visa is not as complicated as it seems, and really is a pretty straight forward process. We've all been there, and we were all nervous as poo poo (like you're probably going to be) as we prayed to god that we didn't gently caress something up while turning in our application. Start off by going here: http://www.boca.gov.tw/mp.asp?mp=2, and look under the “Visa” tab in the top right, then go to the “download” section to get yourself a copy of the application. There is also a fair amount of other important information on that site you probably want to look over as well. Anyways look over the application, and get familiar with it. When you fill out the copy you're going to use here are the key points: Visitor Visa multiple entry(this is very important in case you have to do a “visa run”) reasons for going: “tourism” address you'll be staying at: if you'll be staying at a hostel use that. If you are not sure just use the address of a hotel in the city you'll be in. If they press the issue tell them you'll be traveling a lot between different places. Basically if you are coming for work reasons then you're just trying to look like a tourist for now even though your plan is to work in Taiwan. If you are just a tourist then no problem. If they ask why you need a multiple entry visa tell them you plan to spend a week in Vietnam/China/Wherever before coming back to Taiwan then heading home. Even if you are just coming to Taiwan on vacation, and don't need the multi-entry one I suggest getting it anyway as its a pain in the rear end to change it and you never know. Note that you will also need some proof that your bank account has at least $2,000 in it, passport photos, your passport, money for the Visa fee (off the top of my head I think it was like $50), and a trip itinerary showing both you are going and returning flights from Taiwan. VIII - B. Cheating the system Don't have $2000 dollars? Don't want to buy a round trip ticket for what you're planning to be a one-way trip? Here are some work-arounds: - Many (not all) Taiwan consulates will except a trip itinerary as proof of your planned arrival and departure times from Taiwan instead of a receipt. So what you can do is go on a website like Expedia and setup your flight to just before you actually pay for it. Then print out a copy of your itinerary. If for some reason they ask why it says it hasn't been paid for try telling them that you must have accidentally printed out the wrong one. - For the money this is sorta simple. Have someone you know deposit the necessary amount into your bank account. Print out a bank statement showing this. Transfer the money back into the other persons account. Voila!* *Note: I would not recommend coming over with less money than $2,000 unless you already have a job. If anything you should have more than $2,000. VIII - C. Visa runs There was a time not long ago where many businesses here would allow you to work for them illegally, or sometimes even expect you to work illegally. During this time what is known as a visa run was much more common. A visa run is where after the typical 2 months on your multiple entry visa are about to go by you take a trip out of the country then right back. Which “renews” your visa for an additional 2 months. Rinse and repeat every 2 months until the person got a proper residency card, or moved on. These days the government is much more pro-active about cracking down on illegal workers, and businesses will set you up with a proper ARC card. Visa runs do still play a role occasionally though particularly with some non-teaching jobs I've heard, which is why it is important that you apply for a “multiple entry visa” as I said before. If you find yourself after 2 months still without a job, but still having enough money to continue looking you could then jump a cheap flight to Hong Kong/Macau/wherever and right back to renew your visa. Also if you're forced to resign from a job, or your contract is up and you want a new one you only get something like 1 month to find a new one. So you may need to renew it with a visa run. If you got the wrong kind of visa (single-entry) you will need to get a whole new one once your time is up. I was stuck in this situation and had to do an emergency trip to Macau to get a whole new visa. Thankfully it only took 1 day to get it done, but the whole ordeal was still pretty stressful. So make sure you get a multi-entry visa to start with. Multi-entry visas also have the benefit of being extendable within Taiwan. Provided you have a decent excuse for needing to stay you can go to the nearest consulate and get a 30 day extension. You can do this several times provided you have a good enough excuse, though after your 1st extension they will be more suspicious of your need to extend it. VIII - D. ARC Once you get a job its time to get your ARC. A lot of jobs will take care of most of this for you. If not you can go to the local consulate and they will help you out. Plan on needing your diploma (or a copy), passport, money for fees, and passport photos. Once you get your card, you're free to travel as you please in and out of the country as much as you like until it expires, or you leave your job for whatever reason. Its a pretty simple process. Ask away if you have any questions. IX. Dating in Taiwan *To come soon* X. Going to School/Learning Chinese If you're thinking of learning Chinese (especially traditional Mandarin Chinese) you should absolutely think about coming to Taiwan. The most recommended schools for learning Chinese in Taiwan are NTU, and NTSU (I think). Though there are plenty of other schools in all the major cities (and a lot of the small ones) that offer pretty good programs as well. If you are coming to Taiwan, or you are already here and think you might want to take a class I highly recommend asking in the thread. Many of us are either students now, or have been to school before and will try to give you some good advice on where to go. As for non-Chinese related degrees. They are certainly available. I know a few people at the school I am/was attending that decided to go back for the Master's degree. All the classes were in English, and actually pretty easy because most of the other students were Taiwanese. So the grading curve was pretty low given their command of the English language. Again try asking in the thread if this is something you're interested in. XI. Miscellaneous & FAQ *To come soon* HappyHelmet fucked around with this message at 16:04 on Apr 18, 2012 |
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Mar 5, 2012 03:32
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What the hell is with the roadside convenience stores that feature the attendants' legs?
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Mar 5, 2012 04:23
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TheBuilder posted:What the hell is with the roadside convenience stores that feature the attendants' legs? Those are usually Betel nut stands, and many times the girls will be wearing lingerie to attract customers. Its kinda creepy, but whatever works I guess.
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Mar 5, 2012 04:31
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HappyHelmet posted:Those are usually Betel nut stands, and many times the girls will be wearing lingerie to attract customers. Its kinda creepy, but whatever works I guess.
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Mar 5, 2012 04:48
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Haraksha posted:Yeah, 66,000 NT a month is ridiculous. You should probably expect to make like 500-600 NT an hour for your first job if you have no experience. The only way you're going to pull in more than 60,000 a month is if you work 25-40 hours a week teaching kindergarten in the morning every day and then teaching elementary school or junior high at night. Commenting on this from the previous thread. Somehow, when I asked about the wage rate for English teaching a few months ago, I got the impression that 2200 USD per month was what is typical. Still, even with the update, the wage rate is still fine. I will definitely have to save up some money here in the States as a cushion before I leave, though. Thanks for the help. 
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Mar 5, 2012 04:50
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The section about drugs is way off. Saying that its not part of the culture and mosty foreigners is wrong. You can also add that in Taiwan you can be charged with what is in your system. Years ago they would drive a piss test truck up to the seedier clubs and test people on the spot. Something illegal in you? Automatic 30days in jail. Second offense is 6months. Third is 5 years. The same thing applies in Taiwan as in every country. If you want to do these types of things just be smart / safe. At home is best!
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Mar 5, 2012 04:59
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^^^ I'll add that to the OP. In my experience most of the drugs are centered around foreigner, but like I said I'm not really part of that community so I'm not the most informed.OrangeGuy posted:Commenting on this from the previous thread. No, that is more the kind of wages you would make in Korea. Taiwan is probably closer to $1500 US per month for the average.
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Mar 5, 2012 05:24
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Lots of good information. But as an English teacher, I am compelled to point out that you used "your" in almost every instance that you were supposed to use "you're".
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Mar 5, 2012 05:36
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HappyHelmet posted:
Which is what I'm getting just starting out. Please remember that is pre-tax. After taxes I'm only getting around 42,000 a month, which is around the bottom end of the pay spectrum. What is missing from the OP is a list of where goons are around the island. I know some people have moved around since the original.
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Mar 5, 2012 05:47
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I've been here 9 years and after tax I'm hitting about 95,000 a month. Morning hours make a big difference.
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Mar 5, 2012 05:50
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Haha, I like the thread title! That's a great start on the OP! Maybe some info in the OP about scooters and such. Seems to come up quite often.
SB35 fucked around with this message at 16:14 on Mar 5, 2012 |
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Mar 5, 2012 05:51
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There's loads of great info in the OP. Nice work. But, of course, everyone's going to find flaws in it. Here's what I can say. The city bus systems in Taiwan are generally really good. Cabs are great in a pinch, but if you're commuting and there's no MRT stop, then consider busing it. Yes, even foreigners can figure it out. drat, Google maps does all the work for you. Just click the public transit button. (When I was your age, I had to learn to read just so I could ride the bus  )Taiwanese food is good if you aim higher than 70 NT lunch boxes. Din Tai Fung comes to mind. Asian food in general is really well done and is cheaper than Western food. It is possible to line up a technical job when over there, but you need technical qualifications. The jobs usually involve English, and are mostly for tech writers. And for gods sake get out of Taipei once in a while, if only for a vacation. The East coast is beautiful. Far too many English teacher types work, drink, and do gently caress all. Taiwan is a really, really fun place to explore.
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Mar 5, 2012 06:26
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OrangeGuy posted:Somehow, when I asked about the wage rate for English teaching a few months ago, I got the impression that 2200 USD per month was what is typical. Also, Christ, if I were making NT$65,000 a month on the regular I wouldn't know what to do with myself. I'd actually be capable of accruing savings!
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Mar 5, 2012 06:26
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On drugs, you may want to add "if you want them, don't bring them yourself"; getting caught smuggling is not a happy place. Also, other than to work and to visit, lots of people visit Taiwan as a place to study Chinese either through a university, or through a language school like TLI. You can learn Chinese in a country that's less scary than China depending on your views, though you'll be learning Traditional Chinese characters(used generally everywhere but China to a degree) vs Simplified Chinese characters(used in China, and China is big), though it's recommended that if you want to be able to learn both scripts or really get into learning Chinese, starting with Traditional Chinese is the way to go. For technical writing, generally you'll need both a university degree and at least 2 years of work in an at least semi-related field; it's not that it's necessarily a qualification, it's more that it's what you'll need labor law-wise when getting a work permit(your company will do most of the legwork for this though, thankfully). Otherwise, you'll need something like 5 years and a high school diploma or a PhD and no work experience. I don't know how the rules work if you've already been working in-country for a while(like for teaching). Additionally, if you're interested in learning Chinese fast, I would not recommend technical writing as it's a jobby job with a schedule that will make it very difficult or stressful to try to schedule formal classes. I can post more on this side of things(non-teaching work) whenever I feel  , though if you're actually, genuinely looking for a tech writing job like now-ish, PM me.
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Mar 5, 2012 06:59
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Thanks for the suggestions guys. I'll update the OP with some of them when I have more time, and am not so bored with writing it. Also for the record I plan to add something about schooling, and I'll put the transportation stuff (like scooters) in the FAQ section.
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Mar 5, 2012 06:59
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duckfarts posted:On drugs, you may want to add "if you want them, don't bring them yourself"; getting caught smuggling is not a happy place. When you come into Taoyuan they have that scary sign that says that drug smuggling carries the death penalty. They're not even that hardcore in the PRC, well at least in the cities I've flown into. quote:Also, other than to work and to visit, lots of people visit Taiwan as a place to study Chinese either through a university, or through a language school like TLI. You can learn Chinese in a country that's less scary than China depending on your views, though you'll be learning Traditional Chinese characters(used generally everywhere but China to a degree) vs Simplified Chinese characters(used in China, and China is big), though it's recommended that if you want to be able to learn both scripts or really get into learning Chinese, starting with Traditional Chinese is the way to go. It should be noted as well that the Taiwan accent, which is like the Fujian accent, is awesome. I loved talking to people because they were always clear, reasonably paced, and had good pronunciation. It's almost like textbook Mandarin.
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Mar 5, 2012 07:51
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RocknRollaAyatollah posted:When you come into Taoyuan they have that scary sign that says that drug smuggling carries the death penalty. They're not even that hardcore in the PRC, well at least in the cities I've flown into. They're pretty much exactly that hardcore in the PRC. http://articles.cnn.com/2009-12-28/world/china.britain.smuggler_1_akmal-shaikh-mentally-ill-man-execution?_s=PM:WORLD
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Mar 5, 2012 08:35
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RocknRollaAyatollah posted:It should be noted as well that the Taiwan accent, which is like the Fujian accent, is awesome. I loved talking to people because they were always clear, reasonably paced, and had good pronunciation. It's almost like textbook Mandarin.
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Mar 5, 2012 09:26
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Spanish Matlock posted:They're pretty much exactly that hardcore in the PRC. I meant telling people about the punishment when they enter the country. Last two times I've flown into Shanghai I don't remember seeing a sign informing people that smuggling drugs carries the death penalty. I guess China's reputation is well enough known to the world that they don't need a sign. Some people probably forget that Taiwan is still pretty hardcore about the death penalty even though they're a full democracy now.
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Mar 5, 2012 10:17
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RocknRollaAyatollah posted:It should be noted as well that the Taiwan accent, which is like the Fujian accent, is awesome. I loved talking to people because they were always clear, reasonably paced, and had good pronunciation. It's almost like textbook Mandarin.
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Mar 5, 2012 10:30
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I am in no the no man's land south of Taipei but off of the rail lines. I'm really not that far out of the city, but it can be a pain in the rear end to commute back and forth. However, if you ever find the need to sit in a depressing rural bar where Taiwanese faux-gangsters get in dick measuring contests over who gets to chat with you, let me know! It's definitely one of those terrible suburbs mentioned in the OP, but it's actually not all that bad. It's growing fast and has plenty of western amenities; you just have to try a little harder to find them.
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Mar 5, 2012 11:02
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The OP is really underselling food in Taiwan. One of my highlights of every Taiwan trip is the food, everything from small, specialty beef noodle restaurants and street food to more upscale restaurants. Ask around about the Wang Group family of restaurants, all of which are excellent and hold their employees to a high standard of exceptional service. Their flagship is the Wang Steak restaurant, which American steak fans may scoff at, but it's interesting to see a different take on beef. My personal favorite is Yuan Shao, a yakiniku restaurant that I try to visit every trip. They are fairly expensive by Taiwan standards, but tourists will find the prices reasonable. Here is by far the best blog on food in Taiwan (though it focuses more on Taipei) http://hungryintaipei.com/
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Mar 5, 2012 15:36
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I didn't feel I was underselling the food here, but I'll look again. What I was trying to say is that when it comes to your typical Taiwanese food it all starts to blend together after awhile. There's more to cooking than fried/stir-fried whatever with a healthy dose of soy sauce & 5 spice powder dumped on it.
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Mar 5, 2012 15:56
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HappyHelmet posted:There's more to cooking than fried/stir-fried whatever with a healthy dose of soy sauce & 5 spice powder dumped on it. Yes, yes, there is. And that's exactly the beef (tee hee) I have with the OP. Steamed dumplings 100NT/plate roadside seafood Seafood in general Beef noodle soup Shabu shabu Korean BBQ Teppanyaki Hainan noodle shops All of which is non-lunch box food and done very well. (We could debate whether the above is truly Taiwanese food, but the same applies to most countries. Cuisine migrates and is invariably tweaked by the locals.) Seriously. The local food part of the OP is like "America has cheeseburgers and you'll get sick of them." Ok, that's the end of my rant. I'm touchy about this subject because, like others have mentioned, the food in Taiwan has a special spot in my memory. I look forward to it every time I go there (and I rarely, if ever, eat lunch boxes).
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Mar 5, 2012 16:20
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So with ESL I shouldn't expect to save that much, though maybe more than in China right? Looking to leave Korea for something else, but I still need to save money. I guess I can't have both. What about with technical writing? I have some journalism experience as well, but if the hours are Asian hours is it really worth it?
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Mar 5, 2012 16:22
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Anyone just go through the Hess initial training like 2 weeks back? I got picked to help out with the training and be one of the trainers watching the small group demo classes. Felt odd being on the other side of the training, and getting to hear a bit of the ins and outs of it. Edit: Hess recently changed its pay policy. Previously: $560nt/hour starting, raise of 10-30nt every 6 months. Now: $580nt/hour starting, raise of 20-40nt every year. Paycap is $750nt/hour. Possibly higher if you're a head NST or something. Around where I am, everyone has 20 hours of teaching time a week, maybe more if they do kindy. You don't get paid for anything else besides facetime with the kids. Multiplying that out to ~4 weeks in a month and you get 46,400nt/month pre-tax, 38,000ish after the 18% tax you pay for at least half the year. That's ~$1,300us a month after tax. Double edit: I live in Taipei, right near the CKS Memorial, in a nondescript apartment building, 4th floor. It's got the main room, bathroom, kitchen, bedroom and a rear concrete stairwell that houses my washing machine. It's been redone really nice, and costs me $17,000nt + utilities a month. A decent apartment in the middle if Taipei is expensive. Also, I recently got married to another foreigner here in Taiwan. So if people have questions about that kinda thing, I might be able to help. Ravendas fucked around with this message at 18:05 on Mar 5, 2012 |
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Mar 5, 2012 17:48
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Haraksha posted:However, if you ever find the need to sit in a depressing rural bar where Taiwanese faux-gangsters get in dick measuring contests over who gets to chat with you, let me know! Oh man, can we please do this some time?
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Mar 5, 2012 18:26
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Holy poo poo y'all, I can understand the attraction of living alone or whatever, but god drat do some of you pay a lot of rent.
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Mar 5, 2012 20:43
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Has Linsanity started to die down a little in Taiwan? I still see news reports of people crowding bars for 2 AM Knicks games on a weekday, but it doesn't seem like he's dominating the Taiwan news anymore.
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Mar 5, 2012 21:40
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Haraksha posted:Lots of good information. I'm sorry, but this has been driving me nuts and I believe this bears repeating. If only there's a way I can help out with those corrections. 
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Mar 6, 2012 00:52
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mad carl posted:Oh man, can we please do this some time? Like everything in life, it will probably be far more disappointing than the way I described it. However, if you want to get loving trashed on whiskey or beer with the possibility of a guy spending half an hour demanding that you dance like Michael Jackson, then it's not a terrible bar.
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Mar 6, 2012 03:19
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TetsuoTW posted:Holy poo poo y'all, I can understand the attraction of living alone or whatever, but god drat do some of you pay a lot of rent. Anything in the middle of Taipei near an MRT with 4 rooms (mainroom, bedroom, bathroom, kitchen) will cost at least 14,000 a month. We've been looking around for a new apartment, but nothing so far is better and cheaper than the apartment I've got now. I am married, so it's not me alone in here. My first apartment was in Ximen Ding, a studio single room deal with a bathroom in a dirty alley for $9,500.
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Mar 6, 2012 04:36
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sirormadman posted:Yes, yes, there is. And that's exactly the beef (tee hee) I have with the OP. Steamed dumplings are delicious, but get old quickly, and I believe originate from China not Taiwan Seafood dishes, ok I'll give you that I guess Beef Noodles is good, and different, but not something you want to eat everyday Shabu Shabu is Japanese Korean BBQ is Korean Tappanyaki is Japanese Hainan Noodle shops I'm not sure on, google says its from China I see your point though, I'll specify that when I say Taiwanese food gets boring after a while I mean specifically "food from Taiwan." Yoshi Jjang posted:I'm sorry, but this has been driving me nuts and I believe this bears repeating. If only there's a way I can help out with those corrections. I don't really have time right now, but I will correct those hopefully this week. The grammar nazi's in the thread will have to ignore it for now.
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Mar 6, 2012 05:47
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HappyHelmet posted:I see your point though, I'll specify that when I say Taiwanese food gets boring after a while I mean specifically "food from Taiwan." HappyHelmet posted:I don't really have time right now, but I will correct those hopefully this week. The grammar nazi's in the thread will have to ignore it for now.
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Mar 6, 2012 06:36
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duckfarts posted:You fucker. I'll admit I did that by accident at first, but then left it because I knew it would bother you guys 
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Mar 6, 2012 07:20
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Haraksha posted:Like everything in life, it will probably be far more disappointing than the way I described it. However, if you want to get loving trashed on whiskey or beer with the possibility of a guy spending half an hour demanding that you dance like Michael Jackson, then it's not a terrible bar. Ravendas posted:Anything in the middle of Taipei near an MRT with 4 rooms (mainroom, bedroom, bathroom, kitchen) will cost at least 14,000 a month. We've been looking around for a new apartment, but nothing so far is better and cheaper than the apartment I've got now.
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Mar 6, 2012 08:05
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duckfarts posted:I bet you got asked because you're white. The dude was apparently just a huge loving Michael Jackson fan and (I think) wanted to have a dance off. He kept imitating some of MJ's signature moves and then demanded that I do likewise in response.
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Mar 6, 2012 08:53
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We have two bedrooms a kitchen and a living room (kind of) and a bathroom and we pay like 20,000? For the two of us. Which means we each pay like 10k. Our apartment is also like 5 minutes from shuanglian station, 5 minutes from zhongshan elementary school station, and right in the middle of all the whores you can eat.
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Mar 6, 2012 09:00
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Hey, so when should we do another goonmeet? I was thinking some time in mid to late March.
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Mar 6, 2012 20:00
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