Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Would you recommend moving to Taiwan to teach ESL?
Would you recommend moving to Taiwan to teach ESL?
Just turned 30 and have been laid off twice in 3 years. I have a degree in Mechanical Engineering from a decent school. I am single and don't really have much debt besides 20k in student loans. I am kinda concerned about my future and feeling like this would be a stable gig for awhile. Realistically, would I be able to make enough to get married and retire in Taiwan?
Taiwan - 3 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
you can certainly make a living...but would you really want to teach English for the rest of your life? because once you head down that career path, you really can't do much in terms of turning back to mechanical engineering. i have a frd who did chemical engineering, now i dont' know if this is any similar to your field...but what i do know is that once he started teaching ESL, he basically never could go back to his old field. he lost the momentum u no? lag behind compared to the new graduates in the field. it's a competitive world out there, as i'm sure u know. if you lost the edge, i'ts hard to regain.
2 :
No, I do not recommend it. You should try to get a job in your Mechanical Engineering field. I do not think you will get pay enough by teaching ESL in Taiwan.
3 :
I don't "recommend" it; it's a matter of personal choice, and you should gain as much information as you can before choosing to come here. Mengmeng and jjohnny are correct about the downside. Although you might be able to make a fair living here, find a wife, and settle down for the rest of your life, I'm not sure that, in the long run, you'd be content with the lower pay scale and more humble lifestyle here. Your student loans are huge liability; they equate to an ESL teacher's entire annual salary. Many foreigners come here with the idea of making a few bucks for a year or two, and then returning home to the Western lifestyle they actually prefer. Some succeed, some don't. It's a risky proposition; surely it's possible, but you'd really have to ask yourself, "Why would I go running off to some foreign country to teach ESL and stretch my budget to the limit in order to pay off the student loans I took out to pay for a degree I won't ever use?" I suggest you begin your investigation of life in Taiwan by making a few online friends from here. There are plenty of weblogs you can join. I also recommend you try out teaching ESL where you are, or volunteer through an elementary school's PTA to help out at one of their activities, so as to offer you a better idea of what it's like to face 100 or more children every day, and then think about doing that day after day for the rest of your life. As for me, I had fallen in love with a Taiwanese lady, and I did not come here for the ESL teaching (though I have found it enjoyable at most times) or because I had a "get rich quick" scheme. It was because we jointly decided that Taiwan would be a good place to get married and raise a family. So far, so good!
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