Living in Taiwan: the Pros, Cons, Study Opportunities & More!

Taiwan has been hitting the headlines over the past couple years, but there’s more to this disputed island nation just 160 km off the coast of China than you might think. For starters, Taiwan is home to the tallest mountains in East Asia. As a bustling - there’s a population of about 24 million people crammed into Taiwan - subtropical island oasis with plenty to explore and eat, expat life in Taiwan is notoriously good. Hence why Taiwan has continually placed within the lists for the top 10 best places to live for expats.

But what about living in Taiwan? With 822,319 foreign nationals living in Taiwan in May 2023, you won’t be alone in making the leap across the pond. In this article we’ll detail the pros and cons to life in Taiwan, as well as how to live in Taiwan permanently and how to find Taiwan expat jobs and/or study opportunities.

As much as we could wax on about the captivating beauty of Taiwan, life in Taiwan is not without its challenges. In this section, we’ll be providing an overview of the pros and cons of living in Taiwan to help you more accurately assess whether Taiwan is the right place for you.

Pros of Living in Taiwan

1. Quality of Life

There’s a reason expat life in Taiwan gets rave reviews, and not least because of the extraordinary high quality education and healthcare systems in place. Life in Taiwan is also super safe, with Taipei, the capital of Taiwan, ranked the 4th safest city in the world.

2. Public Transportation and Infrastructure

Taiwan transportation is one of the most enviable, and comprehensive, systems in the world, consisting of Ubikes (bicycles for hire), buses, slow trains, High Speed Rail trains, and the MRT (underground). Efficient, well-connected, and sparkling clean (no, really!), this may just be one of the biggest catalysts for moving to Taiwan.

3. Cultural and Culinary Richness

A constant favorite of life in Taiwan for expats is the culture and food. Whether a formosa historian, foodie fanatic, or casual observer, expat Taiwan movers will be immersed in the diverse and vibrant culture (and food) of Taiwan. In other words, there’s plenty more to slurp up than just bubble tea. 

4. Cost of Living

While Taiwan currency has an attractive exchange rate, the cost of living in Taiwan is probably the main draw for expat life in Taiwan. That’s because, even in comparison to other Asian countries, food and rent prices are incredibly low. In fact, the average price of a meal in Taiwan costs just $50 to $150 NTD, which is under $4 USD! NTD is the Taiwan currency, and stands for New Taiwan Dollars, by the way.  

Cons of Living in Taiwan

1. Language Barrier

Make no mistake, Taiwan is a Chinese-speaking nation. Even if there’s a government policy to become officially bilingual by 2030. As such, it can be difficult for non-Mandarin speakers to communicate and construct a comfortable life in Taiwan. Luckily, and this is kind of a pro within a con, Taiwan is home to some of the greatest and most renowned Chinese-language teaching centers in the world, so there’s absolutely no excuse on only being able to parrot 您好，您好嗎？.

2. Air Quality

While there are parts of Taiwan with amazingly clean air, this is not the case for Taipei. Located in the Taipei Basin, Taipei, the city with the largest number of expats in Taiwan, is prone to such extreme levels of air pollution during the winter months that it can make living in Taiwan uncomfortable, especially for those with health concerns like asthmatics. 

3. Natural Disasters

Even though Taiwan lies within the infamous “Ring of Fire'', and even though it is regularly hit by earthquakes, they usually cause little damage to urban cities as the epicenter is often located on the more underdeveloped east coast of Taiwan. However, regardless of where you’re living in Taiwan, you may still feel a jolt. Taiwan also has typhoons, which are equally destructive but a bit more predictable. This is largely due to typhoons being seasonal, much like the monsoon rains of Southeast Asia, landing mainly during the summer months.

4. Visa and Residency

While living in Taiwan may be a breeze, actually moving to Taiwan can be tricky. That’s because Taiwan has a fairly complex visa and residency application process, regardless of what nation you hail from. Let’s take living in Taiwan for study as an example. Unlike other places, Taiwan doesn’t have an actual “Study Visa”, instead splitting the visa into two “Visitor” and “Resident” visas that determine your length of stay in Taiwan. Resident Visa holders can apply for an ARC, but only if they do it within 15 days of arrival and if all their paperwork is in order (more on this later).

Taiwan has incredibly high quality universities, which is evident through National Taiwan University (NTU), the most prestigious university in Taiwan, ranking #69 on the QS World Rankings for 2024. If that wasn’t enough, foreigners studying and living in Taiwan are particularly welcomed to attend universities in Taiwan, often receiving large scholarships, being accepted onto excellent programs, and being eligible for fantastic research opportunities.

Government Scholarships

The Taiwanese government offers several higher education scholarship opportunities, many of which include full tuition plus a monthly stipend.

University Scholarships

Most universities in Taiwan offer attractive scholarships to international students, including the top universities in Taiwan. Scholarships can include partial or full tuition.

Research Opportunities

International students living in Taiwan have the opportunity to pursue doctoral and postdoctoral programs across universities in Taiwan, including NTU. The Taiwan Scholarship program additionally offers a monthly stipend of $20,000 NTD to students undertaking a PhD in Taiwan. Notable fields to consider include green energy development, and AI.

From technology, manufacturing, and finance, to healthcare and education, Taiwan has an incredibly diverse job market. What’s more, foreigners contribute to a significant proportion of the Taiwan job market, which means that many of these employment opportunities are actually open to you as Taiwan expat jobs! In this section, we’ll cover where to find jobs in Taiwan, and what to look for. 

Taiwan Job Search Sites

The best way to start your working expat life in Taiwan is by hunting down your job. Jobs in Taiwan are most commonly found on online job sites (such as these ones), through recruitment agencies, and at networking events. Luckily for you, CakeResume encompasses all three, with its annual career fairs and impressive online job board for employers and recruitment agencies.

CakeResume also helps solve job application woes by making building your resume a piece of cake with our free online resume builder. Once done, you’ll be ready to break into Taiwan’s competitive job market with a tailored resume, cover letter, and prepared candidate (aka you).

Finding Employment

Looking for Taiwan expat jobs but not sure where to start? Although we have a comprehensive guide on how to find jobs in Taiwan for foreigners, we’ll give a brief overview of the job opportunities that are commonly available to foreigners living in Taiwan here.

Education and Language-related jobs

It’s not hard to become an English teacher in Taiwan, what with all of these possibilities: Private Tutor, Secondary School English Teacher, Cram School English Teacher, and more!

Freelance

Freelancing is another big draw for foreigners looking to make a living in Taiwan. From Translators and Marketers to Data Analysts, there’s a position for every profession…so long as your Chinese is relatively okay.

Technology and Engineering

Semiconductors are the bread and butter of exports in Taiwan, so it goes without saying that Mechanical Engineer, Quality Supervisor, and factory jobs in Taiwan are super in demand. However, while there are numerous openings, foreigners may find it tricky to fill these roles due to the language barrier. 

Finance and Banking

While finding a job at a Taiwan bank like Bank of Taiwan or Chinatrust Bank is tricky for foreigners living in Taiwan with no Mandarin proficiency, it’s not as hard to find a Taiwan expat job in sales, trading, or analysis, at an international company like JPMorgan, HSBC, or Bank of America.

Tourism and Hospitality

Getting involved in the tourism and hospitality sector is a great way to improve your Chinese if you’re thinking about living in Taiwan long term. International talent is always welcome in culinary roles, as well as wait staff, tour guides, and janitorial services.

Work Permits and Regulations

Acquiring a Work Permit

Let’s get this straight; a work permit is not the same as a work visa. To obtain a Taiwan work visa for working and living in Taiwan, your employer must first apply for a work permit before you make your visa application. 

Visa Types

Taiwan has a variety of visa types allowing foreigners to start their life in Taiwan, including the classic Work Visa, Resident Visa, Working Holiday Visa, and Taiwan Gold Card. Where the Taiwan Work Visa allows you to work in Taiwan, it’s really the Resident Visa and subsequent Alien Resident Certificate (ARC) that will allow you to make a permanent life in Taiwan.

Although Taiwan is experiencing slow and steady growth, there are many business opportunities tailored to foreigners living in Taiwan, a number of which offer considerable incentives to entrepreneurs and foreign businesses.

Starting a Business

Regardless of the industry, Taiwan has a business-friendly landscape. This rolls over into starting a business in Taiwan, where Taiwan expats living in Taiwan can establish their own companies and partnerships.

Government Support

Support for Startups

Taiwan’s government loves startups, and they love foreigners, which means they’ll love you! Startups are eligible for numerous government incentives like subsidies, grants, and loans, as well as support and guidance programs.

Investment Incentives

Speaking of money, life in Taiwan for foreign businesses is also fairly comfy with tax benefits to foreign businesses in Taiwan Special Zones, in certain industries, on certain projects, and on certain land types.

Networking and Collaboration

Business Associations

Alongside befriending employers on CakeResume, there are a variety of business associations in Taiwan to join to network and collaborate. From AmCham (the American Chamber of Commerce) to Facebook Groups (like the Taiwan Expats Association), you can easily connect with local and international business communities while thriving and living in Taiwan.

Wondering how to live in Taiwan permanently? In this article, we’ve given you a brief overview on how you can do just that, plus all the reasons why you definitely should. From the low cost of living in Taiwan to the numerous scholarships for study and work opportunities, there are so many reasons to start living in Taiwan!

Looking for more ways to perfect your job application for future work in Taiwan? CakeResume is the best resource for career development and guidance, helping you craft amazing cover letters for a variety of professions, and nailing that job interview. What are you waiting for? Let’s start that application today!

--- Originally written by Eva O’Mara ---