Chen loved the environment when he was taking MBA classes in University of Rhode Island. However, studying aboard is not the same as working aboard. Thinking it will be terrifying and lonely working here, he went back to Taiwan for job opportunities after finishing his Master Degree. He worked for Pou Chen’s Nike division with a salary only just above NT$40,000 ($1329.47).
Chen later on went to teach economy and finance in Ling Tung commercial college for three years. Although he must do extra works on school administrative affairs and encouraging new enrolls, Chen loved the stability of being a professor while enjoying summer and winter vacations. So he started to think of working in education field. During those years, many technical colleges was going to reorganize as University of Technology. Schools gave subsidies to teachers and professors to study aboard. They can come back to teach after they finished their studies. Chen also went aboard, but he never thought this was a turning point of never return while costing a lot of money.
During his first year in the US, Chen spent almost his entire savings. He had to rely on his wife in Taiwan for financial supports, which made him felt bad about it. Originally, he planned to teach in Taiwan after graduation. “I never thought I would teach in here. My plan was to go back to Taiwan as soon as possible and find a job. Even before my last semester I did not change my mind. But when I went to America for my last semester, I saw my classmates had already found jobs, some of them were paid up to ten thousand dollars a year. That was the time I started to think maybe I could stay in America.”
Chen said, if you have the skills you can manage to have higher salaries in American schools. There are those with five thousand dollars a year, and there are those with twenty thousand dollars a year, even they are from the same college. It is very normal. However, professors in Taiwan are paid mostly on the same level. For talented person, it is of course without any attraction.
Besides salary, the other thing that keep Chen in the US is the respect they give to professors. “In America, I sent my application first and took a phone interview later. After that they arranged tickets and travel expenses for me to go to interview. I do sent my application to a Taiwanese national university at the same time, but they needed every candidate to fly over by themselves. Every arrangements were according to school’s convenient only. The differences is crystal clear…”
“My wife did not agreed with me for staying in America. I said to her that I wanted to stay. With American job experiences, it will be better for me to come back to Taiwan for jobs. On the other hand, I was almost 40 back then, I wanted to earn my money fast for I had invested a lot before. I had no money in my pockets. I spend it all during studying. Money pressure was heavy.
Considering the long gap between salaries, different respects from school and future possibilities, plus he started to get used to being part with his families, Chen decide to stay in America for a “trial.” What he did not know is that this trial would lasted for nearly two decades. After years of teaching, he found out that America’s teaching environment is simple while the evaluation system is without cheats. Unlike teaching in Taiwan where you have to pull some string with others and bringing things complicated. He started to abandon the thought of coming back to Taiwan.
As a foreigner working long years in the US, Chen said that despite America still exists racial and class problems, but there is nearly no discrimination on different nationality. Instead, he believed that in high education environment, Americans hold no advantages. He pointed that for American education field, there is no differences between locals and foreigners. They only ask whether you can work here legally. And there cannot have discrimination during interviews. School even has specialized department checking there is no illegal questions regarding marriage, sexuality and nationality during interview.
“I had interviewed many persons in America also. Nineteen foreigners out of twenty candidates, so no discriminations allowed. Many of my colleagues are not American. I guess my colleagues prefer using non-Americans, so there are no discrimination based on nationalities. Finding jobs in here are just as hard for locals. It may not be fair for Americans. Contemplate that, when you seeking jobs in Taiwan you have to compete with foreigners on equal bases. Taiwanese will be mad.”
They do not allow discrimination based on nationalities. Even working visas are relatively easy to apply. Universities in the US have specialized department for international employees on Visa affairs. Persons with doctorate degree are all belong to Specialized Professionals so there are no limited amount for H1B visa. During their working period, their families can stay in the US. They have nearly every rights as a American except for political right (such as voting). It is more convenient than Taiwan whether on civil affairs or right protections. Chen said it further, whether it is easy for you to work in America is actually depend on your career type. According to his observation, although the US government claimed to welcome international professionals due to the lacking of human resources in professional fields, but many jobs didn’t have many special requirement. So he can understand why Americans felt unprotected by their own country despite society is open-minded.
Although he teaches international business administration, Chen understand that for corporation it is natural to recruit talented persons. It will definitely be an obstruction for corporations if government lay total protection on local employees. However, he put compassion for locals who strived to find a job. He believes American immigration policies had already harmed African-American and other minorities below. It is also harmful for those countries exporting human resources.
He said, “Around 70% of employees in Silicon Valley are foreigners. Americans cannot compete with these people. It is very contradictory for there is also a high portion of foreign students studying technology in America. And almost one third of doctors in America are Indians, Pakistanis. As for nurses in California, Pilipino nurses stand a large portion. As for India, if people can go aboard, they will go because it is cheap for them to study University in India. But if they all go to America, isn’t the poor on India took harm then most? “
“Disney laid off its IT department in recent years and contracted jobs to India. They even asked the original staffs to train Indians before they get their disbursements. Won’t you be angry if you are American?” Chen said honestly, “If my daughter grown up in America and didn’t get a job but a Taiwanese student did, my feelings will definitely be complicated.”
Even when he is angry about this kind of situation, yet as a professor of business administration, he still emphasized, “I agree Taiwan recruiting best teachers from aboard and that’s all. But standing for Taiwanese, I think it should come to an alternative. You can hire foreigners when Taiwanese are not suitable enough.”
We can see contradictory feelings in Chen. This kind of emotion can be seen not only on his view on working aboard but also on his living habits. For example, although he is a professional on international business administration, he seldom go to chain store and department store. He even stays in the countryside when he go back to Taiwan while avoiding shopping in the big city hopping to protect local businesses. However, he believes competitive corporation and personal welfare is most important. Everything seems uncoordinated in his life.
Despite he cherishes his homeland, he still encourages Taiwanese to work aboard because he doubts that Taiwanese working environment can really attract international talents. He have no intentions to return to Taiwan now. He believes that the fundamental problem in Taiwan is still low salaries. Even the law becoming easier for foreigners to come, it has still little attraction. “Why should they come for the low salaries in Taiwan?” “Some of those learning finances can have a salary up to twenty thousand dollars. I don’t see why they should come to Taiwan…I could not understand also why professors in NTU and NCCU worked here while they can teach in any universities in America.”
“I have left for 20 years so there are little I still understand about Taiwan. I always tell others to stay aboard and not to return to Taiwan. The salary are too low. Living environment is not good enough. Pricing on everyday supplements and housing are ridiculously high. Although I feel pity for Taiwan when I said those words. But considering personal welfare, it is logical to stay aboard where I am treated reasonably.” Chen said with a sigh.
