See the True Taiwan: an insiders guide

This post has been updated and expanded, including tons of math. Find it on this blog here . A recent post about the cost of living in Taiwan got me to thinking if I would still recommend English teaching in Taiwan as a thing for people just out of college to do. There have been a lot of Facebook friend-of-friend messages asking me about it, with questions that are now answered in question and answer format below. For those looking for a simple answer, I went ahead and polled everyone I knew in the English teaching game, and the overwhelming majority of people, when pressed for a simple "yes" or "no" answer said you shouldn't move to Taiwan to teach English. Let's look at why you shouldn't come, and for whom Taiwan is actually a good fit. Can I make and save money teaching English in Taiwan? Yes, you will be able to make and save money while you are working in Taiwan. If you work the minimum 14 hours for an Alien Resident Card (ARC) at

Spring has finally arrived in Taiwan, which means there is about a two week window to get out and enjoy what may be the best hiking weather on earth until the temperature cranks up to unbearable levels. If you want to go somewhere that's close to Taipei, doesn't involve cramming it into a train to cat town, and is not full of other foreign faces, get down to Shiding 石碇. This is a day trip isn't far down the road from Shenkeng, the self proclaimed stinky tofu capital of Taiwan, but you'll still be getting long looks for being a foreigner here. The river view west and slightly south of the old street. A tribute to the village's mining history. Highway 5 runs overhead, Tanlan trail below. Off the beaten path? Not really, anymore, but still a great place to be for a day out of the city. It features genuine hiking, low-tempo river walks, and old street, and is based around an old school mining community. The main draw here is the hike at Huangdidian