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DontAskKant posted:Yeah, the unpaid work. In Korea I am working about 40+ a week once you factor in all the grading. After skimming the Korea thread a few times before, I can easily see the difference in "unpaid work" (i.e. people seem to be exploited a hell of a lot more in Korea than in Taiwan).
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Mar 8, 2012 16:53
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OrangeGuy posted:Alright, is there an alternative to Amazon, then? quote:Also, are the things that this blogger complains about Hess true?: http://teachingenglishathesstaiwan.blogspot.com/
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Mar 8, 2012 17:16
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TetsuoTW posted:What about like buying a guitar, amp, computer parts to build a desktop PC, DSLR cameras, and the like? Having studied in a rural college town campus, I am just used to mainly relying on Amazon and NewEgg to deliver my crap to me. That said, as long as I could at least buy these kinds of things in person (come on, it's Taipei), there's definitely no problem. Oh, and yes, I definitely want to either bring an Amazon Kindle with me or buy one while I am in Taiwan. It's been on my wishlist for a while.  There's a hell of a lot I've been wanting to read but been pushing off due to lack of time.Also, I've studied Mandarin Chinese (Simplified, though) for three years and use Mandarin Pop-Up through Mozilla Firefox (really awesome and handy tool to use, by the way), so I can navigate a website like that given enough time. Teriyaki Koinku fucked around with this message at 17:28 on Mar 8, 2012 |
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Mar 8, 2012 17:22
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OrangeGuy posted:What about like buying a guitar, amp, computer parts to build a desktop PC, DSLR cameras, and the like? Having studied in a rural college town campus, I am just used to mainly relying on Amazon and NewEgg to deliver my crap to me. quote:Oh, and yes, I definitely want to either bring an Amazon Kindle with me or buy one while I am in Taiwan. It's been on my wishlist for a while. quote:Also, I've studied Mandarin Chinese (Simplified, though) for three years and use Mandarin Pop-Up through Mozilla Firefox (really awesome and handy tool to use, by the way), so I can navigate a website like that given enough time.
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Mar 8, 2012 17:35
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OrangeGuy posted:What about like buying a guitar, amp, computer parts to build a desktop PC, DSLR cameras, and the like? Having studied in a rural college town campus, I am just used to mainly relying on Amazon and NewEgg to deliver my crap to me. Guitar stuff; I think there's a nice shop called Galaxy Guitars or something around Shandao MRT station-ish, and there are other ships besides. Computer parts: the Guanghua digital plaza (aka Guanghua market) and nearby shops at Bade/Civic will do great, Nova at Taipei Main Station if you're lazy. Cameras: Hankou Street neat Taipei Main Station has a lot of great shops(edit: some of those places will prey on foreigners, I'd recommend the shop with tons of used and old cameras in their window, they're pretty on the level and even have darkroom supplies god I miss Ilford), though their prices may be higher. There's some place near Zhongxiao Fuxing MRT on the 3rd or 4th floor of some building that normally advertises on yahoo auctions that isn't bad. All this said, expect to pay a bit more than you would in the states on average. (my theory is that the US has massive competition through the internet that drives prices down)  There's also PC Home, which is definitely more than market price usually, but they 1) deliver, 2) have a 7 day return policy that includes opened items and "I don't like it" returns, 3) will take care of return shipping. duckfarts fucked around with this message at 17:41 on Mar 8, 2012 |
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Mar 8, 2012 17:37
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TetsuoTW posted:iTunes is a no-go If you're coming from an America (or a place where iTunes is a go) all the Apple stores will continue to work just fine with absolutely no trickery at all. Seriously, Apple gives no fucks at all and doesn't even do any IP geo-checking or anything as long as you have an American account and a way to pay for it. It owns. You can also get pretty much everything else to work with a VPN for about $5/month if you really want to. I use it to stream a bunch of sports stuff from back home, and also it works for Hulu and Netflix.
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Mar 8, 2012 17:46
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OrangeGuy posted:After skimming the Korea thread a few times before, I can easily see the difference in "unpaid work" (i.e. people seem to be exploited a hell of a lot more in Korea than in Taiwan). The lower pay in Taiwan may not be so bad if I can pick up privates. Can someone save me the pages and pages of visa documents?
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Mar 8, 2012 18:04
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Privates are not allowed. Having worked in Korea and Taiwan, it's not even comparable. Basically everything you hear is how the flow of teachers goes strictly from Korea to Taiwan but never the other way.
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Mar 8, 2012 18:12
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I just got back from vacationing in Taipei and I've fallen in love with the indie music scene over there. Is there some sort of online resource for up and coming bands in Taiwan? I remember there was a chinese music megathread on NMD(?) before, but I think it's in archives by now.
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Mar 8, 2012 18:53
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Haraksha posted:Privates are not allowed. Having worked in Korea and Taiwan, it's not even comparable. Basically everything you hear is how the flow of teachers goes strictly from Korea to Taiwan but never the other way. Privates are not allowed? I've got a couple.
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Mar 8, 2012 19:03
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eSKAObar posted:I just got back from vacationing in Taipei and I've fallen in love with the indie music scene over there. Is there some sort of online resource for up and coming bands in Taiwan? I remember there was a chinese music megathread on NMD(?) before, but I think it's in archives by now. IIRC there's a YouTube channel called TheNextBigThingTW that has a bunch of indie stuff on it, plus GigGuide.tw. Indievox might also be worth a look. POCKET CHOMP posted:If you're coming from an America (or a place where iTunes is a go) all the Apple stores will continue to work just fine with absolutely no trickery at all. Seriously, Apple gives no fucks at all and doesn't even do any IP geo-checking or anything as long as you have an American account and a way to pay for it. It owns. quote:You can also get pretty much everything else to work with a VPN for about $5/month if you really want to. I use it to stream a bunch of sports stuff from back home, and also it works for Hulu and Netflix.
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Mar 8, 2012 22:08
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Spanish Matlock posted:Privates are not allowed? I've got a couple. I guess I could be wrong about this, but I was fairly certain that private lessons were a violation of the work visa/ARC. If you have an APRC, you're a legal permanent resident with all of the benefits associated with being a legal permanent resident (ie: your status in the country is no longer dependent on employment and fulfilling certain criteria). Every few years, a dumbass foreigner gets deported for teaching private lessons on an ARC because he made someone more important than him angry. Basically everyone does it and it's nearly impossible to get caught, but if you flaunt it, it might come back to haunt you.
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Mar 9, 2012 03:06
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I used to have a 2nd job for a director and producer, teaching their actors and actresses English. It was 4 hours a week for about a year. It all got reported to the government for tax purposes, and I didn't get in trouble. I also used to have up to 6 hours a week doing privates. Just keep it small, and based out of coffee shops and you're fine. One ex-coworker had the grand idea of renting an apartment and outfitting it as a mini-school, and running entire classes of children out of it. He quickly got reported and deported.
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Mar 9, 2012 03:59
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Ah, so less enforced than in Korea. Korea has started offering bounties for people to turn in E2 Visa holders teaching privates.
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Mar 9, 2012 05:17
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Right, I think it depends entirely on what you're doing and who you work for. Like, if you're doing privates for the same age group that your school tries to teach, then you could piss off your boss and they'll report you. Whenever I've done any kind of private tutoring, I've always made sure to do adults or students who weren't in my school's demographic.
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Mar 9, 2012 05:40
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Yeah, I tutored actresses and showgirls mostly, with a single junior high student who is the cousin of a friend. Don't snipe your own school's students, that might get you in trouble. Edit: Fun showgirl fact: There are two main pay scales for them, based on English proficiency. Basically, if they can speak English, they will get like double pay. Tutor a showgirl today! Ravendas fucked around with this message at 05:52 on Mar 9, 2012 |
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Mar 9, 2012 05:49
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Only in this thread could a post like that be taken completely at face value. So, exactly what is a "show girl"? Are we talking girls that hold up products at Samsung events, or... the other kind?
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Mar 9, 2012 08:08
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Haraksha posted:Only in this thread could a post like that be taken completely at face value.
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Mar 9, 2012 08:27
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Some of them can speak English? I didn't realize talking was in their job description at all. I thought they were just there to draw customers over but they had trained sales reps on hand to actually talk about the products.
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Mar 9, 2012 08:56
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You say that like half of Taiwan doesn't just think "speaks English" is worthy of a gold star regardless of its relevance.
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Mar 9, 2012 10:30
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I suppose that is a fair assessment of the culture.
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Mar 9, 2012 12:14
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Haraksha posted:Only in this thread could a post like that be taken completely at face value. What Duckfarts (heh!) said. The expo and events girls, the ones that pass out fliers dressed in costumes, stuff like that. Got that job through a friend of a friend, back when I used to teach the Subway restaurant staff in Ximen Ding. One of their regular showgirls was part of the group, and she introduced me to a few others. I used to be a cool kid when I first came here. Then I worked for Hess and it all went away.
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Mar 9, 2012 14:45
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Christ, you must have some stories. I can only imagine the kind of poo poo that happens to them given the throngs of drooling, spotty perverts that congeal around them at every show.
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Mar 9, 2012 15:24
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Haraksha posted:Some of them can speak English? I didn't realize talking was in their job description at all. I thought they were just there to draw customers over but they had trained sales reps on hand to actually talk about the products.
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Mar 9, 2012 16:04
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TetsuoTW posted:Christ, you must have some stories. I can only imagine the kind of poo poo that happens to them given the throngs of drooling, spotty perverts that congeal around them at every show. One of the first questions "What's it mean when a guy touches you, or grabs you, and you don't want it?" as she made a shoulder/boob rubbing motion. "Grope? You get groped?" "Sometimes, but not often." Ugh! The 3 main ones I used to tutor/hang out with have gone on to other things now.
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Mar 9, 2012 16:22
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duckfarts posted:Maybe this will blow your mind, but the showgirls that make the big bucks are the ones that can talk about the products. This doesn't blow my mind, just explains a part of the job I wasn't aware of. It makes a great deal of sense that the girls would be able to discuss the products. I just didn't realize they actually planned for that.
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Mar 9, 2012 20:36
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TetsuoTW posted:The Chinese music thread on NMD sucked rear end and was solely interested in Carsick Cars. Hey, Carsick Cars does indeed own and without the thread I don't think I would have found about BOYZ & GIRL. Thanks for TheNextBigThingTW, I never heard about that!
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Mar 10, 2012 00:15
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There is a whole subculture involving shooting/filming show girls at these expos. Part of the appeal is getting practice using expensive camera equipment, but the girls are the main draw obviously. I have a lot of fond memories going to expos in Taiwan so I subscribe to a few of these guys. It's like a little community, many of these guys have coverage of the same events  This video always makes me laugh. So many cameras  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPaRR248cPs&t=2m20s
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Mar 10, 2012 03:50
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SnowWolf posted:There is a whole subculture involving shooting/filming show girls at these expos. Part of the appeal is getting practice using expensive camera equipment, but the girls are the main draw obviously. I have a lot of fond memories going to expos in Taiwan so I subscribe to a few of these guys. It's like a little community, many of these guys have coverage of the same events And the showgirls have to pander to them to get more jobs. More photographers on them = more interest by the vendors/companies after all... My one friend basically said a few guys practically stalked her, going to every event she went to. They were all terribly goony from what I saw.
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Mar 10, 2012 04:18
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eSKAObar posted:Hey, Carsick Cars does indeed own and without the thread I don't think I would have found about BOYZ & GIRL. If you've got any particular favorite bands/singers, Facebook is actually a pretty good way to follow them and maybe find new ones. Ravendas posted:And the showgirls have to pander to them to get more jobs. More photographers on them = more interest by the vendors/companies after all... sub supau fucked around with this message at 10:25 on Mar 10, 2012 |
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Mar 10, 2012 10:21
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自由發揮 for all my Taiwanese music.
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Mar 10, 2012 14:34
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Hells yes 自由發揮. Their second album is pretty great too. Man, I really need to get back into hitting live gigs again....
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Mar 10, 2012 15:31
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When's the latest I should apply through HESS for a TEFL job starting this summer/fall? I've been looking at Korea vs. Taiwan and Taiwan looks a lot more attractive. I should probably get started on my TEFL cert too. Also any other tips would be appreciated. Capt. Carl fucked around with this message at 20:28 on Mar 10, 2012 |
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Mar 10, 2012 20:20
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Capt. Carl posted:When's the latest I should apply through HESS for a TEFL job starting this summer/fall? I've been looking at Korea vs. Taiwan and Taiwan looks a lot more attractive. I should probably get started on my TEFL cert too. Apply any time, as while there are some major times when they do hiring, they do hire year round in smaller batches. Mostly to fill in those people that couldn't deal with the country or the job and fled. I came in in a small group. The last big training group was about 50-60 people. Mine was 10.
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Mar 11, 2012 04:01
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Capt. Carl posted:When's the latest I should apply through HESS for a TEFL job starting this summer/fall? I've been looking at Korea vs. Taiwan and Taiwan looks a lot more attractive. I should probably get started on my TEFL cert too. Have you fully decided on Taiwan? If so, rethink getting that TEFL. How much is it going to cost? Most all the cram schools in Taiwan are not going to care about you having a TEFL. Some might, but those also tend to be ones that a) require applicants to have experience and b) prefer they are certified teachers in their home countries. If you have neither a nor b I would not recommend getting a TEFL. If you work for Hess you'll get a "TEFL" by the end of a year and though the value of it is minimal at best, it's at least a piece of paper to wave around at your next teaching job. If you want to make a career out of teaching, especially if you plan on going back home, go for the TEFL. If you're going to come to Taiwan for a year or two because it's a fun place to be, don't bother. If you don't know, hold off because you can always get one later and it won't really damage your chances now.
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Mar 11, 2012 06:48
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Ok, thanks. Saves me a lot of money and time. I'm graduating this spring and want to teach abroad somewhere for a year, and Taiwan looks like a great culture/place to be. Not 100% set...but I'm definitely leaning more towards it than anywhere else.
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Mar 11, 2012 22:29
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I wonder what those of you teaching in Taiwan think of Thomas Friedman's column this week. He goes so far as to call it his favorite country, after America.
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Mar 13, 2012 06:18
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As usual he has gently caress-all to say and a bunch of words to say it in.
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Mar 13, 2012 06:30
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Taiwan is great because it is lucky. Now I won't mention Taiwan again for the rest of the article.
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Mar 13, 2012 07:24
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Haraksha posted:Taiwan is great because it is lucky. Now I won't mention Taiwan again for the rest of the article. Well to be fair to him the article is clearly not about Taiwan and it's just the hook to get people's attention. As far as the op-ed itself, it reminds me of an article from The Onion about obvious correlations. It should be pretty obvious that if a country satisfies the requirements of not having many natural resources and yet having enough money to educate people well, then they quite obviously are emphasizing education correctly as there would simply be no other way to get the GDP needed for good K-12 teaching.
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Mar 13, 2012 11:02
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