u/Dear_Comfort_4044

Hi everyone! I’ve been in the workforce for a little over a decade with a background in economic diplomacy, and I also spent several years working in a managerial role at the International Baccalaureate Organization.

I’ll be blunt: my long-term goal is to improve my Chinese while living abroad, and I’d like to teach English as a way to fund my language learning for a year or so before heading to grad school. My teaching experience is pretty limited and has mostly been with adults in professional or informal settings rather than traditional classrooms, although I did work as a Kumon tutor during college.

Given my background, I’d really appreciate some advice:

• Which country, in your personal experience, is a better fit for balancing English teaching with Chinese language learning: Taiwan or China? I previously lived in Taiwan and studied traditional characters through a Taiwanese language institute, but I’ve heard it can sometimes be easier to practice conversational Chinese in mainland China.
• What kinds of schools or teaching environments might suit someone with my experience? (Language centers, universities, international schools, etc.)
• Would any kind of university positions realistically be an option for someone with my background?
• Is a standard 120-hour TEFL certificate enough, or would it make more sense to pursue something more advanced for either market?

Would really appreciate any advice or personal experiences. Thank you!

I applied for a role months ago and wasn't accepted. Today I got an instant offer for $80 per hour and up to 40 hours a week. Is this legit? It might be my saving grace to pay for grad school, but I'm nervous about providing my SSN when I haven't met a single person face-to-face. Can someone advise or offer their own experience? Thank you!

Hi all, I'm intending on pursuing a degree abroad at a school that is not covered by FAFSA or any private student loan org like College Avenue, Sallie Mae, Citizens Bank, SoFi, Earnest, etc. Recent and unexpected medical expenses have gutted my personal savings as well that were originally intended for tuition.

I didn't land any scholarships unfortunately, despite getting to the semi-finalist round for each one I applied for. I will have to either defer my acceptance and save up for next September (I've been applying to jobs for months with no success though), or take out a private loan upfront to cover at least the first semester and start working while in school after receiving my work permit. Tuition is 2.5K USD per semester and the cost of living is around 500-600 USD per month including rent. I'll also have to purchase my flight out there which is usually close to 1K.

Are there any trustworthy credit unions you would recommend that have a really low monthly payment or decent interest rates? I would want to take a loan out for around $8-12K. For context, I am currently unemployed but have nearly a decade of professional work experience and a credit score of 805. Any help would be appreciated, I just want to know what my options are. If I have to defer for a year so be it, but if there is a realistic way to get started on my degree now, I would prefer to do that.

Hi everyone, I’m looking for input from people who have studied Mandarin in both Taiwan and China, particularly anyone working in policy, international affairs, NGOs or related fields.

I’ve worked for over a decade in trade diplomacy and the nonprofit sector in the U.S., primarily focused on the LATAM region as I'm fluent in Spanish and English. I lived and volunteered in Taiwan for a year nearly a decade ago and have wanted to return to Asia long-term ever since. My broader goal is to shift my professional regional focus more toward Asia-Pacific and develop fluency in Mandarin that will help me land a job with an international NGO/think tank or get into a decent master's program focused on the region. 

I started studying beginner Mandarin last July and currently take private online classes once a week with the Taiwan Chinese Academy, but would like to study much more intensively abroad. I’ve been leaning toward Taiwan because I felt traditional characters would be best to start with if I decided to also learn simplified further down the line (I heard it's harder the other way around but correct me if I'm wrong). However, I’d really appreciate perspective from people who have experience with both Taiwan and China and can address how the language learning in each might factor into my specific career context. For example:

- Was the class instruction or general program structure in your experience more organized or effective in Taiwan versus Mainland?

- Which option did you find more affordable or sustainable long term? I know there's the Huayu Scholarship in Taiwan but am not as familiar with funding/scholarship opportunities in the Mainland. I'm both a U.S. and Colombian citizen so could apply through either of the two countries

- Has traditional versus simplified Chinese mattered in your career or to your employer?

I know there’s no single “correct” answer, but I’d appreciate hearing from people who’ve navigated similar decisions. Thanks!

Hi all, looking for some information as my plans for attending grad school in Taiwan have changed. I originally had enough savings to cover my master's degree and living expenses, but some unexpected and severe medical complications drastically changed my financial situation over the past few months. Despite being accepted to NCCU, I can no longer realistically afford to attend out of pocket. I was also rejected by Fulbright and wasn’t invited to interview for the MOE Scholarship, so that route is looking unlikely as well.

At this point, I don't think taking out loans would even be worth it or a smart decision financially, but I want to make sure I’ve at least explored every possible option before giving up on the opportunity entirely. Has anyone here taken out private loans to fund a degree program in Taiwan? I’m from the U.S., and have had no luck with the 10+ lenders I’ve researched so far. Most seem geared toward semester-abroad programs, degrees in Europe, or international students studying in the U.S. and NCCU never appears on the eligible school lists.

I’m also curious whether anyone here has successfully deferred admission to a degree program in Taiwan. I’m considering asking NCCU for a one-year deferral so I could try to save more money and reapply for scholarships for 2027, but I’m not sure whether deferrals are commonly allowed. Thanks in advance.