Children read
in the children's area of
a local bookstore.Michael A. Turton
| Children read
in the children's area of
a local bookstore. |
Michael A. Turton |
|
the Short Term in Taiwan? |
|
 Apartment
blocks define Taipei's
concrete canyons. |
The answer is: no.
It's really not feasible. Here's why.... |
 Want
something? Bulletin boards at the local American school
are a good
place to look. |
First, the schedules don't really overlap very well. The local school year runs from the first week of September to mid/late January. Four weeks vacation for Chinese New Year Follows. The next semester goes from March to July. There are only two months off in the summer -- part of July, all of August, maybe part of September. In the US kids are already starting school. In such a short space of time, you can't save enough to cover your ticket.... |
 The
owner of a local eatery works in her kitchen. In Taiwan you order as
you
come in the door. |
The second problem is that schools don't really
like temporary
employees. They want long-term teachers. For most schools there is a
period
of a couple of months when they give you only a few classes to see how
you will turn out. Thus, if you come just for six months, the first
couple
are wasted. No bucks for you. Additionally, they cannot get you a work
permit unless you stay longer. Hence, there is simply no market here
for
a three or four or six month position. |
 The Shihsanhang Site Museum in Bali, north of Taipei. |
You can, of course, simply
work six months and quit. But that leaves the rest of us here to live
in the stink you leave behind. So don't do that to us. |
 A
stand sells various kind of traditional tofu in a huge variety of
shapes. |
Some places allow you to teach for the summer as a volunteer. But paying work for the summer is really difficult to find. |