Mistakes expats make in Taiwan

One of the biggest mistakes by English-speaking Caucasian expats in Asia is believing their English skills (often subpar due to being ONLY their native language) is actually in demand, when the Asians who do need help with English in fact need a foreigner with multiple skills, cross-cultural perspective, ability to put oneself in another's shoes, well-rounded knowledge, acute business instincts and ideally bilingual ability (in the major local language and English).

Instead the Caucasian English-speakers who come to Asia typically mistakenly believe they are hired to "teach" English when language schools know it's hype and deception to tell adult Asians that they can "learn" the language. In short, these Caucasians are players in the TESOL racket.

Many of the Caucasian English speakers in Asia are barely employable back home, bottom-feeders, welfare cases, of dubious character and intellectually challenged, also mistakenly believing they can eke out a living with ONLY English in Asia. Teaching English is a job with low threshold of entry, which suits lazy English-speakers evading western lifestyles, vocational demands and cost of living to "chill" in Asia.

Many western hippies in fact dress up as English teachers in Asia.   

I unfortunately know such characters personally and have worked with them. Pardon my candor.

My first mistake when moving to Taiwan was in actually doing it already!
I've spent/wasted 13 years of precious life by living in Taiwan!
My experience in a nutshell: 141 accidents (all non-fault, btw!), thousands of nearly accidents, countless altercations, over a dozen of actual fights (with arrogant Taiwanese men), uncountable incidents of a sub-standard society!
Check out my book "Cultural Shock-Taiwan" via Amazon, etc.
I love my job, I can't stand the socially primitive and uneducated society!

I'm that far that I'm sacrificing my marriage of 16 years (to a Taiwanese) and will, 100%, leave - for good, this year!
I've been working/living in 38 other countries prior to Taiwan; so, I'm entitled to compare, and to judge.

Respectfully,

Dr. Georg Woodman, PhD, Dr.Msc.

Bravo for finally realizing that the true colors of Taiwan are too lurid and unbearable for many westerners. Another mistake you made was not consulting other expats and living as tourist in Taiwan before committing to long-term stay and marriage.
Instead of a book, I've written dozens of articles based on observations, interactions with Taiwanese and personal experiences highlighting the shadier, repulsive sides of Taiwanese culture.
Your regrettable experiences notwithstanding, Taiwan, like any nation, has a small proportion of truly civilized, cosmopolitan homo sapiens.
One Brit with a Oxford PhD modestly said to me that there is no such thing as the proverbial "English gentleman."
And let's not forget the world-leading stats of gun-related deaths and violence in the USA, which would of course be outdone by Taiwan if it allows private gun ownership.
Look on the bright side. If private gun ownership were legal in Taiwan, you probably wouldn't be writing on Expat.com today.
Finally don't neglect the sad fact of Taiwan's abnormal birth, which only occurred in 1949 after the Nationalists were defeated by the communists and kicked out their homeland. Such genesis does not breed a "wholesome" start to nation building.
And the "arrogance" you've experienced is partly due to the Beverly Hillbilly effect, with so many impoverished Taiwanese yokels having achieved financial success since the 1970s.
Good luck and may you find more civilized, happier shores.

Incidentally you suggest by calling Taiwan "uneducated society" that the thousands of Taiwanese who have splurged princely sums to go the USA, Australia and the UK for post-grad studies have been given phony sheepskins?

Don't discredit the whole bunch. I've helped hundreds of these ambitious Taiwanese via so-called educational consultants to translate from Chinese to English statement-of-purpose or study plans to apply for admission to western universities. Most of these Taiwanese incredibly would falter ordering a fancy meal stateside to specify an egg over-easy, nor can they easily understand Maggie Lake on CNN, not to mention being able to write only Chinglish and gibberish.

Some of these Taiwanese are heirs of CEOs of sizable firms, so they're certainly "sufficiently educated" (with pompous western degrees to show) to know the score, that the corporate game in Taiwan can often be won by emperors-without-clothes swaggering among compatriots who have been taught to patronize, humor the well-heeled.

Yes, sir - all right to the point. However, the mass outnumbers and overwhelms the few. And, 13 years here have done its impact.
My home is the "better shore", which even don't need to find anymore: Hawaii. Where I left from, by listening to my (Taiwanese) wife.....my first mistake.