American Black Male Seeking Employment - Looking for Work Discussions on Kaohsiung Living Forum

ChampionKaji

Hello everyone. I'm an American black male looking to find work in Taiwan. I have applied to places online, but I have not had any luck. Some have suggested for me to travel to Taiwan and hunt for jobs in person, but I don't want to spend the time and money flying to Taiwan and staying in hotels only to be rejected in person too.

Any suggestions?

Thanks.

Michael

The only suggestion I can offer is to apply to the schools that hire from overseas. You can try Hess as they are the largest. I think others like Shane and Kojen also hire from overseas.

Lighthouse

Great advice from @Michael

also PLS PLS PLS keep away from Siman/Simon/Selwyn .... he has has started cold emailing people.

Good luck

ChampionKaji

Thanks. I'm staying away from agents altogether and would rather deal with schools directly. I've applied for some, but haven't gotten any word back yet. Maybe it's time to terminate efforts.

Michael

Did you try Hess and the others mentioned?

Lighthouse

@ChampionKaji .... Never give up bro .... Siman is a isolated case and you can't judge the majority of lovely people hear by this **** ..

Hang in there .... We'll support you in anyway we can.

Black & Proud !!!!!!!!!!!!!

ChampionKaji

I have. Haven't gotten anything back. I'll give it a few more days.

Sometimes it is time to give up. I've tried finding employment in Japan for about a year and a half now and haven't had any luck.

ChampionKaji

I've given up, and I advise other Black men not to try at all.

arlene

Sorry to hear that @ChampionKaji

I do know of one black man (a member of this forum) who has recently found employment with Joy English school.

dreadlockjay

Yes, I work with Joy English and I like my branch very much. I can understand the feeling of wanting to give up. It took me two months and multiple rejections (after having landed multiple interviews and lesson demos). I would strongly suggest coming to Taiwan and going to schools in person. I know it sounds daunting, but there are a lot of schools that don't bother to recruit from overseas because there are plenty of teachers already in Taiwan that can fill the positions. I brought plenty of money to fall back on in the event that it took me a long time to find work and that turned out to be a good idea.

I STRONGLY urge you to make the leap and continue your search from Taiwan. I don't like the fact that people of color are discriminated against in the ESL market, but a lot of it has to do with lack of exposure. We can help change that.

If you're still thinking that you'd like to secure work before coming, Look up KNS and Horizon schools, both recruit form overseas and I have heard good things about them.

Don't throw in the towel yet.

greenkitty007

I agree with dreadlockjay. Don't give up. I'm a biracial (half black and half white) female. I was rejected by one school (not mentioning the name) here about 3 years ago because I wasn't white. The demo was fine and the hiring manager liked me but it was the director at the time that had an issue. Meh!! I shrugged it off, didn't let it bother me and found another school who didn't even question it. I worked there for 2 years and then found another job quite easily at my current school. There are jobs for everyone here but you need to come here to find them!! Good luck and don't let rejection stop you from coming to this beautiful island!

Lighthouse

NEVER GIVE UP

arlene

Well said @dreadlockjay and @greenkitty007

@ChampionKaji I am curious. Are you currently in Taiwan?

ChampionKaji

I'm not in Taiwan now. I was invited to come, I could have stayed for a month at a former friend's flat, but I deleted all Taiwanese contacts. Even if I went there, I wouldn't have a good time like the white boys can, so there's really no use.

dreadlockjay

I'm sorry you feel that way. I would argue that you could have as much fun as ANYONE here, but to each their own. Let us know if you change your mind. Taiwan might have more to offer than you think.

Lighthouse

@ChampionKaji .... Right my friend here it is .... I am like @dreadlockjay and others on this forum feel sorry that you feel this way but this is your own opinions and not that of Kl.org and our black members.

Yes you are right there is Discrimination here but there is discrimination in all the countries of the world.

Just because we are black or identify with being black does not entitle us to automatic jobs here in this country or anywhere else.

Have you ever been to Taiwan @ChampionKaji ??????????

Discrimination is also against the law here and if you have proof then take it up through the proper channels.

In Taiwan there will always be the minority that 'fear the unknown' but the majority of people are very warm and welcoming.

I hope that makes sense.

MO (Admin)

Raymon

Personally the reason for Taiwanese to discriminate dark people is different then it might seem, Taiwanese like many Asians prefer even their own skin more white, it's considered more beautiful. So they prefer white people doesn't necessarily means they don't like darker skin tones... But if you said that you couldn't get a job in Japan either I'm eager to say your rejections might be for a different reason as plenty Japanese prefer the (bigger sized) black man over a white one... Lol

You might want to consider Japan after all. Besides everything the face to face interview is highly preferred, if you choose not to come over first maybe it's really not suited for you...

Greets and stay positive ;-)

ChampionKaji

Raymon said:
Personally the reason for Taiwanese to discriminate dark people is different then it might seem, Taiwanese like many Asians prefer even their own skin more white, it's considered more beautiful. So they prefer white people doesn't necessarily means they don't like darker skin tones... But if you said that you couldn't get a job in Japan either I'm eager to say your rejections might be for a different reason as plenty Japanese prefer the (bigger sized) black man over a white one... Lol

You might want to consider Japan after all. Besides everything the face to face interview is highly preferred, if you choose not to come over first maybe it's really not suited for you...

Greets and stay positive ;-)

This is true, but at any rate, Blacks will not have fun in Asia.

You are somewhat right about Japan, but as the world tightens its grip and the image of the Black man falls even further, what little success we were able to find in Japan is waning. Black folks have not conducted ourselves in ways that would allow us to capitalize off of our image (what little good there is to that), our creations, or what little opportunities were put in front of us.

I am giving it one last shot, one last punch. This is the 12th round, and we need a win by KO. The only way to do this is to literally box.

ChampionKaji

dreadlockjay said:
I'm sorry you feel that way. I would argue that you could have as much fun as ANYONE here, but to each their own. Let us know if you change your mind. Taiwan might have more to offer than you think.

Taiwanese women throw themselves at White guys and shun Blacks. How is that fun? that is disheartening and frustrating.

Lighthouse

ChampionKaji said:

dreadlockjay said:
I'm sorry you feel that way. I would argue that you could have as much fun as ANYONE here, but to each their own. Let us know if you change your mind. Taiwan might have more to offer than you think.

Taiwanese women throw themselves at White guys and shun Blacks. How is that fun? that is disheartening and frustrating.

@ChampionKaji .... how do you know?

ChampionKaji

I have read it, and I tried to talk to ladies on Tealit. in high school, we had a Taiwanese foreign exchange student and she outright said Asians want to be White so they dislike Black folks. A Black guy on Tumblr says the same thing. A black colleague of mine says the same. A former friend from Skype that invited me to stay at her flat also agreed.

I have actually been to Japan to know that is is the same there for sure. The only hope for the [average] Black man in Asia is boxing.

Lighthouse

@ChampionKaji .... wanting to be White and disliking Black people is not the same.

Do not take the word of anyone unless you experience it first.... especially in Kaohsiung.

GOLDEN RULE ... DON'T BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU READ AND HEAR.

I have not been to Japan so cannot comment .. but come to Taiwan for a holiday and see for yourself.

tlwpalma

@ChampionKaji...I am not a black man, but I have lived all over Asia for the last 5 years. There is discrimination, but there is no more here than anywhere else. As for Asian women not liking Black men, I don't know about that. I have several Black male friends here and they are ALL married to Taiwanese women. In Japan, my black male friends there were dating Japanese women. Not that it matters but, you do know that Taiwan has women from many different places living here? So if a Taiwanese woman won't have you, I'm sure one of the other races/nationalities of women would not mind giving it a go.

As for jobs, Kaohsiung, and many smaller cities would love to have you as a teacher regardless of your skin tone. What is important is the origin of your passport and education level.

So hang in there and don't give up! Listen to your heart and not your eyes. ;)

dreadlockjay

ChampionKaji said:

dreadlockjay said:
I'm sorry you feel that way. I would argue that you could have as much fun as ANYONE here, but to each their own. Let us know if you change your mind. Taiwan might have more to offer than you think.

Taiwanese women throw themselves at White guys and shun Blacks. How is that fun? that is disheartening and frustrating.

I should apologize. I wasn't as clear as I could've been. I meant "fun" as in enjoying a rich culture and exploring the country, eating strange and interesting foods and frequenting the various cultural sites. If you feel the only fun to be had in Taiwan is having women throw themselves at you then maybe this isn't the place for you after all. May I suggest Angeles City, Philippines or Pattaya, Thailand? ;)

Also, I haven't been here in Taiwan that long, but I've never been shunned by Taiwanese women. Of course, I cannot speak for other men of color.

All jokes aside, I have to formally disagree that blacks (American or otherwise) will not have fun in Asia, or even specifically Taiwan. I have traveled to and through many countries in Asia and happen to enjoy it a lot, and while there may be disagreements as to why discrimination and racism exists in certain places around the region, it is my personal belief that the majority of it is due to lack of exposure with our (African-American) people and culture.

As you somewhat alluded to above, what tends to make it over here is rap music, movie images, sport stars, Obama and a few other instances of black American culture that are in no way representative of us as a people. As I said before, my friend, WE can help change that. I do not deny that you have heard things about how blacks are viewed here, but coming from a person that researched this topic quite a bit before making the jump, I can honestly say that the view is quite different from within the country. That is to say, what I read was a bit more dramatic than what I have experienced.

To be clear: YES it did take me a while to find a teaching job which, in at least two cases of potential employers calling me in for interviews and demos, I was not given the job based based on my appearance. However I choose to continue my search and found a school that saw my teaching abilities and didn't care about my skin color. There are plenty other blacks here who have similar stories. As such, I'm not some random rare exception. That being said, the kindness, warmth and understanding I have experienced here exceeds the discriminatory practices.

Make the hop over, Champ. I'll buy you a beer and we can discuss more.

ChampionKaji

I'm not going this year. I could have been in Miaoli for cheaper, and I threw that opportunity away.

I'm going to train up in boxing and weights, and if I'm still alive next year and can still travel, then maybe I'll think about Asia.

Howdy, Stranger!

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