Taichung City :: XPAT oasis

We packed up our gear in Hualien.... two huge black suitcases, two huge double backpacks and a 12 string guitar. We were loaded down pretty heavy to say the least. I suppose if you consider the fact that we were moving... not just travelling.... the load was pretty light. Have you ever seen an Asian train in a movie? you know... packed to the brim with lads and lasses... well its true, there are lots of people here. Getting those bags on, and off the train, was definitely an experience we won't soon forget.

We ended up crashing in a Lonely Planet recommended hotel which featured a great view of the train station. Little did we know, we would end up living in the Fu Chun hotel for a month or more... on and off. (let me explain the on and off bit)

The School was called Little United Nations Academy. We found the job ad on the very popular tealit.com (teaching english and living in taiwan). The positions seemed great. They were looking for two teachers, the pay was very high, no experience needed and was located just outside the city centre, where rent would be much cheaper. Perfect! we got a call back within a couple days and went in for an interview. The school was gorgeous, the students were fantastic (we had learned a few things about demo lessons at this point... the dos and don'ts) and we got the jobs! We were quickly moved out of Fu Chun and into a practically rent free apartment near the school. We were so happy that we went out and bought some pillows and a duvet for our bed. Semi-settled at last!

Looking back on it... we realize now that there were lots of signs that things we're just not right with the school. The staff being obviously unhappy was one sign... but there was many... we don't really want to go into too many details.... it was ugly. real ugly. we got fired after one day and had to move our increasing mound of crap back to Fu Chun hotel.
(The main reason that we got fired, if you must know, was that we were making a big stink about the contract they wanted us to sign. The contract allowed them to have complete control over our stay in Taiwan and afforded potential teachers zero rights in the event of a dispute. There are lots of contracts like this in Taiwan... sign them at your own risk. Technically though we didn't get fired as we never got around to signing a contract.)

This was the lowest we had been in a long time. Taiwan was kicking the crap out our spirits. We took a day to clear our heads.

We were left with no choice, we worked together, got super serious, and were dedicated to getting the best of this Taiwan we thought we were so prepared for. Out of nowhere, a Joy English School contacted us for interviews. We went in there with our best suits on, and wowed them. They were only looking to fill one position, although they wanted to hire both of us. We had realized by that point that finding a job for a boy in Taichung city would be much more difficult... so Jacqui allowed her much less desirable male friend to sign the contract and begin work the next week.

There are two types of schools in Taiwan. Buxibans or cram schools, which operate after regular school hours... 3:00pm - 9:00pm, and privately run elite English kindergartens... 9:00am - 5:30 pm. Joy is a Buxiban. Jacqui on the other hand started a small bidding war for her teaching services, between several competing private kindergartens. Because we had come to Taiwan without any contracts or paperwork, we were essentially free agents in what seemed like a dead market.... but things were really starting to pick up. Jacqui had a whole series of interviews and demos... schools we're telling her to call them back before she signed with a different school. Finally, we had the upper hand. Jacqui ended up signing a great contract with one of the most elite kindergartens in town. Season Arts offers very competitive pay and a top notch facility. The private kindergartens also allows teachers to participate in (paid) field trips, activities, cooking lessons, songs and dances.... they are real schools. The Buxibans on the other hand have a very strict curriculum with a lot less room for creating relationships with students.... but you get to work at night for only 6 hours..... which would you pick?

Moral of the story = we both found jobs in Taichung city (where the action is) not in some little tiny village in the middle of nowhere. The only thing left to do was the mound of paperwork. We won't go into details but.... it's quite a bit of hassle. Jacqui ended up getting her Resident Visa/A.R.C ( like a social insurance number) one day before she would have to fly to Hong Kong. phewwww! EAT OUR SHORTS TAIWAN! WE GOTCHA!