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Teaching English and Living in Taiwan

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NCKU - JAY

Jay Gaddi
Jay Gaddi

I also had a friend in the program, who took the same route as me. He also came to teach English and then he came to NCKU.  

 

Born and raised in Toronto Canada Jay Gaddi graduated from the University of Western Ontario in London, Canada with a Computer Science degree. Before graduation he took the time to tour Asia, going through Hong Kong, Japan and Taiwan. Jay’s plan: decide where he would teach English after graduation.

Today he is running the administrative office for international students at NCKU, teaches English full-time and is busy finishing his International MBA degree at NCKU. Clearly a multi-tasker, Jay’s Chinese ability is nearly fluent - he recently took 3rd place in a city-wide Chinese speaking competition. Jay sat down to discuss his arrival in Taiwan and his experiences studying at NCKU.

Having come to Taiwan to teach English Jay soon set his sights on wider vistas. Taking advantage of the generous scholarship program in Taiwan, Jay was strongly encouraged to enter NCKU by two of his friends who were already in the program.

“I also had a friend in the program, who took the same route as me. He also came to teach English and then he came to NCKU. [He] highly recommended that I do this program. He’s in the Ph.D. course right now. And then, I have another friend and he’s actually in Germany right now working for a company. It was actually me, and another friend. So, we were a group of 4 friends. The two of them went 1st.”

Jay Gaddi
Jay Gaddi

In the south, NCKU is the best school.

In addition to his friends’ strong recommendations Jay noted “In the south, NCKU is the best school.”

Jay strong ambition is clearly a product of innate drive, and the powerful example of his family’s achievements in Canada. Arriving in Toronto as “fresh immigrants” today Jay’s mother works in a bank and his father is the director of the landing gear division of Goodrich Aerospace. Jay’s father’s is really a great success story.

“He used to work in a hotel… he worked his way through the management and became a general manager in the Philippines. And then, when he came to Canada he just started off in the same way – small jobs in the hotel. And then, he got an engineering degree in Toronto. And them from there, just went up.”

When asked why he didn’t return to Canada or the U.S.A. to get an MBA Jay replied: “I still want to experience what Asia has to offer.” He further noted the scholarships: “A big incentive was the government’s 50 billion 5 year plan… and, I mean, its pretty much a free education. I mean, you can't pass up a free education.”

Jay Gaddi
Jay Gaddi

Its pretty much a free education. I mean, you can't pass up a free education.

NEXT STEP

Jay described his post-graduation plans. “Looking for a job within Asia. Hopefully in a multi-national corporation.”

EASY PLACE TO LIVE

When asked if he thought Taiwan was an easy place to live he 1st responded with a story.

“I think Taiwan is a great place to live. If you’re in trouble, if you need help – someone will always help you out. I go back to when I 1st came back to Taiwan and I was trying to find a school. And so, I knew it was somewhere in An Ping and I kind of knew where I was going - and so, I just drove out there. All that I knew was the name of an elementary school. And so, I was driving around and, after maybe 20 minutes , I’m like ‘Ok, I'm lost.’ So, I just go to a tea shop - a local tea shop. And I’m just like ‘Oh, can you speak English? I need help.’ And then, she didn’t know what I was saying and she was just like – ‘Wait, wait.’ And then, so I understand the body language - like ‘Wait.’ And, she runs out of her store and goes somewhere - maybe 2, 3, 4 stores down. And then, she comes back with someone who can speak English. So, she just went and got someone who can speak English.

“The guy came up to me and said ‘Can I help you?’ I said ‘I’m kind of lost. I’m looking for [the elementary school]. And he said ‘OK let me help you.’ So, he takes me into his car. And then, he drives me to the school, shows me where it is and then he drives me back to the tea shop, so I can get my scooter.”

In addition to the hospitality, Jay also mentioned that though his friends in Japan and Hong Kong earn roughly the same wages overseas folks in Taiwan, its much easier to save money in Taiwan because the cost of living is significantly lower.

 

PROGRAM STRENGTHS

“Our program is quite unique…our program actually makes me feel at home because of the many different cultures that are here. We have 36 different countries that are represented in our program. And, its just – how often do I get to sit in a class and, you know, we’re talking about politics in Australia or ethics in India. The person [next to you says] ‘Oh, yeah I can tell you about that.’ You are learning 1st hand…learning how the industry works in Vietnam or, its really – saying you’re in an international management or MBA program and really being able to say ‘Yeah I've had classmates from Africa, from Asia, from Europe’ – I think it’s a great thing.”