I thought you made more than me?....

Why would you think that? I've never mentioned it. I don't want to be the guy that talks about how much they make on an anonymous internet forum 

You seem like a hot shot.    You're always chiding me apparently for not making enough....

No, I'm not. I'm chiding you for being a broken record, being all talk and no action as well as your failure to understand that not everyone else is the same as you.

Broken record?  When did I say I was leaving?  I said if I made low pay, I'd be gone.  I also said when inflation comes for mine, I will be gone.  It is creeping up but not yet there.  I have been pretty consistent.  BTW  I don't brag about making more than most ESLers.  I simply make the point that it is why I haven't left yet when asked.  I said if I made low to mid 2's I'd be gone.    If you make this and stay, that's your choice.  I'm not telling you to go.  But many teachers are leaving and less are coming over lately.  So, I'm definately not wrong.

It was inflation. Then minimum wage. Inflation has been eating into your salary for more than a decade. Telling people not to come/leave is exactly what you have been doing. Next year never comes. And you will always be unable to comprehend that not everyone else is in the poor financial position you find yourself in.

Another thread successfully derailed, well done chaps.

Covid has blown through China. There's lots of jobs for those willing to take the plunge. I think hangook77 would have been better off coming over last Fall when Zero-Covid was still a serious deterrent to most people. The best time to start was four months ago. The second-best time is now.

China will not fill up anytime soon. Still a lot of demand.  I got to take a trip home this summer.  This will be my priority short term. 

I suppose they don't want to have to compete with top-end international schools.

Do buxibans require a teaching license from a teacher's home country? That would just be overkill in my opinion. Governments do need to balance their population's needs. It's going to suck for the teachers there now but it wouldn't be wise to set the qualifications so high that very few people who would be willing to do the job could meet them.

Seems many I knew who did were mostly old and retired teachers because they couldn't get many people.  It is still an esl position.  Not sure why they required all that.  I suppose if they did set up like EPIK they would get more teachers flooding in.  But there is still lots of competition from other countries.  Their hogwans pay lower and I didn't find it all that great at least on paper.  But the public schools seemed to pay a bit better.  But it seems private companies send you to the school and you work for them rather than the government plus there is no pension contribution for foreigners if you are over there for years.  China also no pension but at least you can bank a lot of cash. 

I think you have a lot of false impressions.

Most of the teachers are not old or retired teachers. Not all buxibans pay lower but most do, just like Korea. 

Their two systems for getting a job at a public school in Taiwan. Some schools are on county programs and the county hires companies like Teach Taiwan to recruit for them. Same as Korea. They will find a school on the county program that is looking for a teacher and suggest them to the school who will interview them and decide if they want the teacher. The contract is the same as the MOE contracts. The second method is that you can apply directly to the MOE and they will place you at a school that follows the MOE program after the usual interviews etc. There are pension contributions for those countries that have that agreement with Taiwan, just like Korea.

Buxibans do not require a teaching license.  Some of the international ones pay top dollar.

Some of you like Hangook think that money is the be all and end all of a teaching position. Having taught in China, Korea and now here in Taiwan my biggest regret was not coming here sooner. Pay is better than Korea, the basic pay I got in China was less and I only got more because I did illegal privates.

Something you need to consider too is quality of life. The quality of life here is great. Something you need to consider too is health care. You NEVER know when you are going to need it, not just older people need it. This is a huge consideration for me. The health care system, as I said in a previous post is absolutely world class and dirt cheap.  I had an operation here and unlike China and Korea, the nursing staff look after you. You don't need family or friends to do that for you as you do in China and Korea. They were just amazing.

Another HUGE plus is that after 5 years you can get permanent residence here and as I also stated in my previous post, that allows you so much freedom to do what you want. Teach where you desire, do whatever job you want or just live here on permanent vacation with no strings attached. As I said that is a huge plus.

If I look at the big picture, good pay, great living conditions, awesome health care, the friendliest people on the planet, the most polite students I have ever met in 45 years of teaching etc, etc, it is a no brainer for me.

In the words of the immortal MC Hotdog, "I love taimei, taimei love me."

They might not lower the salaries, but just like Korea they could and would just let salaries stagnate over time, with worsening work conditions each year...because the pool of applicants willing to get underpaid in bordeline abusive work conditions would now be massive.

We just got a raise at the beginning of this contract and I have heard precious few teachers being abused, even by the buxibans.  Of course it happens but I would say the majority of teachers (government and buxibans) here are pretty satisfied and there is no shortage of applicants for both places.

I think the reason they are doing this is that the government decided that they want Taiwan bilingual by 2030 and so they are increasing the number of teachers.