Appreciating Taiwan as an Adult

Hey Laowinners!

Sorry, had to pull the video I posted last night, I have some things to fix first.

I wanted to address something that a few of you have asked me about, and that is, if you were to spend a year abroad, specifically in Asia, would you choose China, Taiwan, Japan, or South Korea.
I want to tell you my personal experience teaching in at least two of these places from an ESL teacher's perspective (Not talking about my University jobs in this post).

As for the 2 ESL positions I had in China, I made very little. The first job paid about $800 a month, and the second one, about $1200. However, the job took care of my flat rent, which was $150 per month (a tiny little place I have on a really bad video here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeL8XzTZ71g)

I also taught about 12 to 16 hours per week, with an hour a day or so lesson planning. I worked 4 to 5 days a week, and got all the Chinese public holidays (there are a ton). Class sizes were from 4 to 12 kids, and classes lasted about an hour. There were provided text books, but we were free to teach outside the book as well, and play any games we liked with the kids. It was actually pretty fun sometimes (when the kids weren't being terrors) I particularly liked the chats with my high school students, because their English was a decent level, and they had really interesting ideas and opinions from a totally different perspective. They still keep in touch with me today (some are married now!)

This didn't afford much in the way of take home savings, but it did give me a lot of time to mess around, travel within China, and more or less live like a local. My standard of living took a massive hit when compared to back in the USA, but that is what I was in for. My living space was smaller, I frequently got sick from the food, but I was a free young 22 something year old with China to explore. In a way, the low pay and lower standard of life helped me to understand China a lot better, and I am really thankful that is how I got started.

Fast forward to when I moved to Taiwan, and I instantly made double (actually $2900/month give or take). I also realized that everything was just as cheap as in China, which kind of shocked me, since everything was nicer, cleaner, and more modern in many ways. Things like having to separate recycling, follow the traffic rules, keep my voice down in the train, and basic developed world trappings really threw me for a loop after living in China. Pair this with a 32 teaching hours/week, 6 days a week job with almost no vacation time, and things started to feel like the real world very quickly. Gone were the 3 day motorcycle trips. I had to force myself after a long tired day to get on and ride, which became a two hour ritual after work (the roads in Taiwan are fantastic). The lesson plans were rigid, and we had to follow the book down to the minute. There was literally a local Taiwanese teacher that sat in the back to keep you on point, make sure you taught the grammar correctly, and was there to hurry you through to the next section when it was time. Games were limited to a few minutes after class, or sometimes a quick one for review. The job was tiring, but the kids were much better behaved. The job was stable, and pay was always on time. The school sponsored a green card, so you were basically treated as an equal (something impossible in China). Your green card also gave you access to Taiwan's free health care system, which is both professional, and excellent. You can trust the doctors, and they don't try and prescribe you Chinese medicine.

The bonuses were nice, and I actually managed to pay off all of my student debt within a year, but 1 year was enough. I wanted to like Taiwan, but it was hard when I was in a classroom for 90% of my time there. I left, and moved to Inner Mongolia to take a university job, but that is a different story.

Going back to Taiwan after all these years, and not being stuck in a classroom made me appreciate it so much. Everything works. I've never felt safer in my life. People go out of their way to be polite. If you speak Chinese, no one randomly cheers because you know how to say hello, they speak to you normally, as if you were a local.  Things are clean, and cheap. I don't feel like I am going to die in traffic. People don't smoke in elevators. People don't shout at waitresses. People wait in line.

But you know what? China is a blast. If you are willing to throw away a year and chalk it up to adventure,  and just taking home pictures and stories, China is where it's at. It'll make you very angry sometimes, and it will drive you insane, but I promise you, you will never be bored.

If you want to feel safe, and go to work, get paid on time, and experience CHINESE CULTURE (yeah, it's here in full force unlike mainland China), but don't mind bearing the burden of a hard working society, and put in the work, then Taiwan is the place.

Thanks for all of your continued support, I hope I answered a lot of your questions.