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What is it like for a North American expat living and working in Taiwan? Any advice or recommendations?

  • I am thinking of teaching and training in ESL for business communications and I want to study Mandarin too.

  • Answer:

    Everyone really has their own experiences and it depends on what you want from your life abroad. Some expats don't really involve themselves with local culture and stick to hanging out with expat friends and going to places that use English, they go to pubs and clubs and live that kind of life. Other expats dive in and try to learn as much Mandarin/Taiwanese as they can, try all the new foods, make new local friends and have a totally different experience. Personally, I recommend diving in because you won't experience another place like Taiwan. Studying the language is good and trying to speak it every chance you get, even when you don't know how to say things right and even when people try to speak English back to you. Be open and not reactive to each experience because sometimes people don't mean things to come across the way you take it due to cultural differences. Don't really have any expectations of the way things will be, just go with an open mind and see what is there. Taiwanese people are very kind and friendly and polite to foreigners, though some things like staring or pushing into personal space may not seem that way. You will always be well fed there! Patience is needed sometimes because sometimes they won't do things that you think are easy. Like ordering steamed milk in a cafe, for example.. even though they have the means to make it, it's not on the menu so the workers will say they can't do it (though I think Starbucks has it on their menu, if you ever want steamed milk ^_^) Lots of other cultural things you will learn there, especially if you take Mandarin lessons, there will always be little things taught about culture in class and you can always ask the teacher why did this person react this way, or does this sentence have a different meaning than you intended, etc. If you don't need school for a visa, you can try Guo Yu Ri Bao in Taipei (a smaller school run by a newspaper) and there is also the popular choice, Shi Da university. I guess you have to decide too if you really want to experience a totally different environment, or have some access to things that can remind you of home. Then you can live in the countryside and be surrounded by really Taiwanese traditions or you can be closer to a big city where they have western things. I don't know if this helps any, if you want more specific good and bad points, there was a recent question from someone thinking of moving there that had a bunch of answers. Good luck~

penwick at Yahoo! Answers Visit the source

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check out this video collection: http://youtube.com/user/moosediggler ...interviews of expats http://whatsupintaiwan.blogspot.com/ ...and this food blog http://lunchmaniac.blogspot.com/ enjoy!

blitzkrieg

I lived and taught in Taiwan for several years. It's not a bad life. The work load is fairly light, and rents are quite reasonable. I didn't like the traffic, noise, and pollution. If you want to read about others' experiences in Taiwan, go to this site:

similar_not

Its a bit of a culture shock. If you can pick up Mandarin fast enough you can adapt. If you can keep an open mind and accept that you are a minority you can get by without Mandarin, but it can be very frustrating. If you want to teach its very possible. If you have some qualifications, you will do well. Get at least a 100 hour TOEFL course prior to arriving. Having a B.A. from a recognized university is best, so you can prove that you have the grammatical, report writing and vocabulary skills. You can get by without that, but generally that if you dont have a BA you wont get the better jobs. Its best that you have some experience with speaking in front of others or controlling small children. (If you choose to work with kids- the easiest entry job to get) There is more competition for adult teaching jobs and if you have no experience its a little more difficult to get those ones. (possible, but more difficult.) Keep an open mind and try to meet up with some other people when you arrive with similar situations to yours. Taiwan is a fun place, usually. Or at least its like life: it is what you make of it yourself.

matt_of_asia

After working for the US Gov't for 31 years I retired, and a couple of years later got an opportunity to head up an office in support of the Taiwan government in Taipei. The almost 4 years in Taiwan were the best years of my life. After the contract, I retired again, and to be close settled in the Philippines. Then my old boss invited me back on another contract... for 2 more years I enjoyed the life there. And if Taiwan allowed me to live there in retirement, I'd apply first thing in the morning. To summarize, Taiwan is a beautiful country full of wonderful friendly people (great food too), good public transportation, and what more can I say? I love it!

luosechi 駱士基

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