Pros and cons of living in Taiwan - the ones you didn’t know

Many people talk about Taiwan and why they’re living there, and I’ve been living in Taiwan since 2015. Here’s the thing, right? You got to find a reason why you want to live in Taiwan. For me, I already figured it out. There are a lot of people out there who are confused about what Taiwan is and why they need to go there. In this article, I will tell you a little about my version of the pros and cons of living in Taiwan. I promise you some of them you will not of heard of before.

Con: Protocol at the hospital 

So one of the good things about living in Taiwan is that you get medical insurance if you have a job. Now, I heard this actually from a friend of mine. He told me that when he went to the hospital to get a routine x-ray, it took forever. And the thing is that it’s because of the protocol that they have to follow. 

Because they’re using medical insurance, these people doing this job are getting paid the bare minimum of what they should be getting paid. For example, if you go over to a clinic and you pay cash, then you’re going to get more services than if you used medical insurance. So they might do more stuff for you than is required. But if you’re using medical insurance, and you’re asking for some routine thing you’re supposed to do, chances are it will be super slow. You’re going to have to wait.

Pro: Quality of medical care

Now on the upside, the medical care is excellent. I mean, the medication is real, for starters. I would say most of the doctors that I have talked to speak English because they have been educated abroad. The only thing that I haven’t been able to find is a chiropractor, to be honest with you. They have a joke about Taiwan saying that it’s the land of dialysis because if you need any things medically, then you can find it here, and it’s super cheap. Probably except for surgery.

Pro: Beautiful places in Taiwan to look at and scenery 

When you ask a Taiwanese person outside of Taiwan where they’re from, they might tell you that Taiwan is like Hawaii. And I mean, the thing is that they are not wrong. Some places in Taiwan are very, very beautiful. There’s some beautiful scenery, especially in the north. There are actually some islands also to the east that are beautiful. If you want to go surfing in Taiwan, you can find a beautiful spot where you can go surfing.

Con: Everyone has a scooter and doesn’t walk ten minutes 

Now here’s the thing. In Taiwan, most people live in Taipei. Taipei is pretty far from beautiful scenery unless you probably go to the part that’s close to the ocean. And the thing is that I would say probably the view saved for weekend trips. Most people don’t want to go 10 minutes outside of their house and walk. They will usually use a scooter. What I’m trying to say is that depending on where you live, sometimes it’s challenging to get to the beautiful places in Taiwan. Nobody wants to go there, because it takes too long.

Pro: English education and plans to be a bilingual country by 2030

So I heard a rumor about this a while ago about how people in Taiwan want to be bilingual by 2030. I would say to be more accurate, that the government is saying that they will be bilingual by 2030. 

That’s an excellent idea. If you look at places like the Philippines, their English is excellent. In Thailand, many people speak English, but it’s mixed with the Thai language. I mean, if you’re in Asia and you’re trying to find people that speak English, then some countries are better than others. I would say that because Taiwan is a tiny place, it might be straightforward for them to integrate English into their educational system. Hopefully, they will reach their goal.

Con: Lack of interest in English in youth due to laziness

Now here’s the deal. Because I live in Taiwan, and I’m basically at ground zero. The young people I have talked to about learning English, some of them don’t even think they need it. And a lot of them are sluggish to learn English. And I mean, I believe a part of it is because of the Internet.

At the same time, there are also a lot of other factors: obesity and computer games. And the thing is that most of them think that why do I need to learn English if I’m staying in Taiwan? And I get that. The thing is that English will open up huge doors for them. 

If you’re bilingual in Mandarin Chinese and English, you are fantastic. And I think the young people probably don’t see that because they’re so shortsighted. Because they don’t have any life experience, to sum it up, I would say that a lot of people are not motivated because they don’t see what it’s used for.

Con: Low birth rate, the rising elderly population

Now, you can stay in Taiwan if you have an ARC. I think it stands for an alien registration certificate. The thing is that you have to stay in Taiwan for work consecutively for five years. And as long as you have a visa for five years consecutively, then you can apply for some permanent residency. It’s like immigration if you will. The thing is that many people are not having babies, as I said, and there are a lot more older people in Taiwan. That affects the economy negatively. And the thing is that Japan and Hong Kong are experiencing the same thing. 

Pro and con: Low salary, low cost of living

A lot of people will complain to you in Taiwan about how their salary is low. At the same time, if there are certain places where you are willing to relocate, then it might be OK for you to make that wage because you can live cheaply. The food is cheap here. The medical care is reasonable here. The only thing is that you will have to make a lot of money if you want to stay in Taipei. But if you relocate to a smaller city, maybe even the middle of Taiwan, you might be better off. It all depends on where you’re willing to live and what you’re ready to put up with.

Pro: Most convenience stores per capita next to South Korea

People don’t know this, but Taiwan has the Second most convenience store per capita next to South Korea. I think that’s pretty awesome. I mean, coming from Canada, I can understand per capita because Canada has the most coffee shops per capita in the world. 

And the thing is that it just makes everything so convenient. People can live at 7-Eleven. You can pay your bills, you can buy food, you can buy drinks, and you can send packages to another 7-Eleven. There are just too many things that you can do at the convenience store. And I think that’s another reason why Taiwan is great because it’s so convenient everywhere.

Con: The same convenience store may be on two different corners

This is a little bit of a small con. I’ve seen two of the same convenience stores on both sides of the street. I’m thinking, well, why do you need both of these convenience stores? If the same person owns them, then it will be OK. Isn’t it just creating competition for the same company? I don’t understand, but I think it probably makes sense in Taiwan.

Con: Lack of English, use of traditional Chinese characters

If you go to somebody in their 30s or 40s, and so on, they likely will struggle with English a little bit here. And it’s not their fault, though, because they were raised outside the dawn of the Internet. I mean, if you talk to somebody younger, then they’re watching YouTube all day, so they practice English. 

If you want to go to a place where English is very natural for most adults to know, then Taiwan is probably not your cup of tea. As well, Taiwan uses traditional Chinese characters, which are used in Hong Kong, to an extent, Japan, and a couple of other places. If you go on YouTube and look for Chinese lessons, I would say 90% of all the classes are done with simplified characters. So basically, what it means to you is that if you’re studying Chinese Mandarin in Taiwan, then you’re going to have to learn traditional characters as well as simplified characters. There’s no other way around it.

Pro: Enthusiasm for talking to foreigners

While they might not be interested in cracking open a grammar book, most people, I would say, are pretty interested in talking to foreigners. There are so many reasons why they do need English in Taiwan. And it’s fascinating because I’ve heard of so many jobs that require their employees to be strong in English here, and I don’t know why. I don’t even know if they need it to talk to the customers in English or anything like that. 

I’m on the other end of the spectrum, where I’m fluent in English, and I’m studying Chinese. I recognize that knowing Chinese Mandarin and English has such an advantage. In any case, you’ll find that most people in Taiwan are excited to talk to foreigners, but the problem is that they can’t speak English, so maybe they give up. That’s just my theory anyway.

Conclusion

I would say this is a pretty good list of the pros and cons in Taiwan. In Taiwan, there are so many great reasons to live here. The food is good, the medical is cheap, and I would say that most people in Taiwan probably mind their own business. The bad things are, for example, the salary is low, and lack of jobs. If you’re in native English speaker, you won’t have any problems trying to find a job in education. But the thing is that if you want to get out of that endeavor, then it might be a little bit difficult for you. Although you can open your own business, so there are some options. Hopefully, this is useful for you. Please come to Taiwan and figure out for yourself what you like and what you don’t like. It’ll be fun