Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
White collar expats are only after money and career progression, which Taiwan doesn't offer a ton of. Most sectors (e.g. finance) are incredibly insular. Even the most competitive sector (tech) hire exclusively local graduates. The parameters of that poll (friendliness and other bull****) are laughable to say the least.
Not quite sure, it's a first world country and also very industry-oriented one, like Hong Kong maybe but with even more Chinese speakers. However the whole poll is very suspicious:
Vietnam, Mexico in top 10 and Italy and Japan at the bottom. Let me repeat: a totalitarian, poor, dog-eating country is better or a mafia-state like Mexico. I hope the people in those countries get rid of their corrupt governments..
Apparently these expats (pretending they aren't white, old American men...) only care about cheap rent and cheap hookers?
I was a returning Taiwanese-American expat-ish person living in various parts of Taiwan for a while, so it's a bit different for me as I spoke the languages and knew the culture. However, I had expat co-workers, friends and girlfriends occasionally. Generally, the consensus I've pretty much universally heard is the Taiwanese locals are genuinely nice and warm people.
I was a returning Taiwanese-American expat-ish person living in various parts of Taiwan for a while, so it's a bit different for me as I spoke the languages and knew the culture. However, I had expat co-workers, friends and girlfriends occasionally. Generally, the consensus I've pretty much universally heard is the Taiwanese locals are genuinely nice and warm people.
I think, as in most countries, knowing the language makes a big difference in terms of being able to "break the ice" and at least have a shot at making friends, or even getting a helpful response when asking directions or trying to manage basic transactions and whatnot.
I think, as in most countries, knowing the language makes a big difference in terms of being able to "break the ice" and at least have a shot at making friends, or even getting a helpful response when asking directions or trying to manage basic transactions and whatnot.
Absolutely! I'm relaying more the experiences I've heard from people who did not already come fluent in the languages there.
I was a returning Taiwanese-American expat-ish person living in various parts of Taiwan for a while, so it's a bit different for me as I spoke the languages and knew the culture. However, I had expat co-workers, friends and girlfriends occasionally. Generally, the consensus I've pretty much universally heard is the Taiwanese locals are genuinely nice and warm people.
The thing is in no way is genuinely nice and warm people a relevant factor in attracting expats. Investment bankers and consultants don't give two ****s about kindness and warmth, they only care about their US$250k+ paycheck and how they can go up the corporate ladder, which is why Hong Kong and Dubai have a ton of white expats in spite of all the rudeness and the unpleasantness while Taipei barely has any.
The thing is in no way is genuinely nice and warm people a relevant factor in attracting expats. Investment bankers and consultants don't give two ****s about kindness and warmth, they only care about their US$250k+ paycheck and how they can go up the corporate ladder, which is why Hong Kong and Dubai have a ton of white expats in spite of all the rudeness and the unpleasantness while Taipei barely has any.
I agree with that, but the OP didn't ask about this from an investment banker's paycheck perspective or about the corporate ladder. The OP specifically asked "What are the local like?"
Taipei isn't a major financial industry hub, though there are actually some really well-paying tech jobs in Taiwan at multinationals (local firms pay locals diddly)--it's just that a sizable amount of those expats appear to be East Asian descent expats.
However, I need some first hand experiences. What are the local like?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
