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Hi, as an expat in hsinchu I love it here! Can't help you with any of yur questions as I'm retired and schooling, babysitting are alien to me. Be prepared for the weather, very humid in Summer and as most homes are not equipped with heat it can get cool in the winter ( buy a heater )I find it much cheaper to live here than in the States regarding food. Public transportation is great.Taxis are cheap. It's nice to own a car if you have a parking space. The local drivers are nuts! Even worse than the Italians...Lots of people speak a little English and are very friendly..Crime? I've never ever felt threatened in any way, but I'm never out really late at night.
They have some great department stores here and millions of mom & pop stores..Television has HBO, CNN etc. Even The China Post newspaper in English...don't drink the water!! Once you get used to the dirt you will adapt quite nicely. Hong Kong is only two hours away, Went to Bali last year, a paradise!!
If you are on facebook look me up, Ron Martin, North Carolina.
I have tons of photos and videos there that will give you a feel of the place. I'm off to 7/11 store and Mcdonalds. Hope this helps..Ron

Thanks Huntersville....your pointers are very useful. Would you have any contact who may be able to help me understand how much rental costs are in Hsinchu.

Sorry, I don't know anyone. I own my house here..My wife says housing is expensive. This will scare you, my underground parking spot at our place cost us US$30,000, I kid you not. Our building is upscale, a majority of the owners work at Science Park. The good news, there is no tipping at restaurants or using taxis! I had lunch yesterday, bean sprouts with little pork dumplings, about a US dollar!Mcdonalds delivers on a motorcycle. The exchange rate is about US$1=30 New Taiwan dollars so something selling for $NT1000 is about 30 dollars..Taiwan is dirty,smelly,exciting & exotic. I love living here. I go back to my house in N. Carolina and after a boring month I shoot back to my home here..
Regarding groceries, they have everthing except for English muffins and breakfast sausage ( I make my own ) They even have a Costco store.
Sorry I can't help you too much
Regards, Ron

You might want to check tealit.com & type Hsinchu in the keyword field. There aren't many available listings but the older listings will give you indication. Taiwan is generally very cheap compared to living in most western cities. Tapei is rather expensive, but housing cost outside of Taipei can be about 1/3 the price.  I'm sure you can get a lovely 3-4 bedroom for under $30,000NT P/mth. Majority of rentals also include furnishings.  Hsinchu is a very wealthy area with many expatriates so easy to find good quality housing.  Although you may need to rent an appartment many of the nicer ones will have a small playground and are relatively child friendly.

There are many morning kindy's or playgroups suitable for a child from 2 1/2 years so this should not be a problem. Being close to an expat area It should not be hard to enrol in a english or bilingual centre.

Not so sure about a nanny -I think it will be hard to find someone qualified, however the pay for teachers is $600+ p/hr so if you are willing to pay this shouldn't be too difficult to find an experienced ece teacher. The other option is to do as the locals and hire a fulltime philipino nanny/housekeeper (they are generally cheaper)pay would be about $20,000mth or less.  If you go with the second option I would definitely make sure to enroll your child in a morning kindy and other activities, as I do not believe an untrained nanny is able to provide the early years education, stimulation and balance a child needs.


If you obtain a residency card you should be able to drive on your home country licence or apply for Taiwanese licence, however driving here is a little hectic as road rules are often ignored. I find traffic here is alot less hectic than in most of south East Asia - I drove in Cambodia, which is a harrowing experience.

Finally I would definately make sure your husbands proposed employer assists you with all these arrangements as it is very important that they manage the expatriation process adequately and provide support.  Good to see your getting involved and doing the research.  You may want to try and locate expat mums already in Taiwan and set up a support network for further advice

-Good luck on your decision.

Hi-
Hope you are doing well. I am from Taiwan and working in the US now. I am currently living in Dallas, TX and will be moving back to Taiwan at the end of March. I'd try to answer some of your questions.
1. The monthly rental cost depends on where you live. But I will ensure you that it's much cheaper than that in Austin or Dallas. I don't know where your housband's company is. But if it's close to Hsinchu Science Park, you probablly will need to live in the area close by since the traffic is not so good during rush hours. The average rent for an unfurniished apartment with three bedrooms/two baths ranges from $400 to $700, depending on what area you choose.
2.  The cost for a full time help will be around $700. (based on my family's experience, we pay $700 for the maid.)
3. It's easy to drive in Hsinchu as long as it's not during rush hours. But I would like to remind you that roads in Taiwan are not as wide as that in Texas! Be cautious.
4. I have not idea. But it's convenient to hail a taxi in Taiwan. You will see yellow cars(Taxi) everywhere. Normally, it's under $10 bucks for all short trips around the city.     
5. I am not sure how much it's gonna cost for kids schooling since I don't have a kid. But there are many bilingual kindergardens in Hsinchu. There is a famous bilingual high school in the science park which has a kindergarden for day time care too. Here is one of them.

I know how hard it is to relocate and settle down. If you have any questions, you can contact me via email.

Hi All -- We are now in Hinchu. Moved here 2 days back. Thank-you for all your fabuolous tips. We are in a hotel right now, and my son started his school yesterday. We decided to put him in an American school so that he is not overwhelmed with too many changes all at once. His first day went better than expected (fingers crossed this trend continues).

My first impressions have been mixed, excited to begin this new chapter in a land so different to what I am used to. But, the language barrier is making me feel emencely alienated. Hoping to take come Mandarin lessons soon.

Any tips on how I can find other expats in Hsinchu. Have come across many in Taipei, but not so many in Hsinchu.

Thank-you once again.

Hello Ruchika,

There are foreigners in Hshinchu and Zhubei Yes

I have been living in Hsinchu for a year now and the place is nice.

Please in you have questions or need some help you can contact me.

for finding a place to live you can just go around the streets, often if you ask people they can show you the places. Also you have post walls where people can put adds and places to rent.

you can also  go on 591.com.tw but there you need a little chinese to understand.

I hope you will enjoy your life here.

Taiwanese people are really open minded and nice

Hi and welcome to Hsinchu! Are you staying at the Royal Hotel? If so we live just a five minute walk from there. I talked to my wife ( She's Chinese ) & she said if you are interested she'll take you under her wing and show you how to do this & go here etc. Let us know, with our assistance you'll be an old China hand in a month, plus we eat gorgeous American food every night at our place...Ron & Nancy Martin.
rxxmartin@yahoo.com plus on Facebook..Ron Martin, either Charlotte or North carolina.

Thanks Ron and Fleurcmoi. I am definitely going to take you up on your offers!! :-)

Does anyone have any recommendations for local restaurants with vegetarian options?

I came across this site, through it was quite useful:

Hi Ruchika,

Have you find an apartment yet?

I've been in Taiwan for 11 years and am moving back to Europe at the end of the month for kids' education.
Since I've bought a house, I'm trying to rent it out now. It seems to fullfill your criterias: big house (~2000 square feet) fully furnished (including air conditioners) in middle/high-end residential area with 24h security guards, 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, garden with toboggan/wooden house for kids.
The residence has a tennis court, basket ball yard, small private hike trail, small private temple. It's a 5 minutes drive to the Science Park. It's a 10 minutes drive to MinHu Road and the Lakeshore hotel.
During the week-ends my kids play with other kids in the residence and drive their bicycle around. It is very safe. Rent is 38000NT$/M. You can contact me at emmanuel.batt@gmail.com. Thanks.

Hi Emmanuel,
Is your house still available?  We are looking to move to Hsinchu in the next 2 months and are beginning to look for suitable accomodation.  Would love a house with space for our 2 boys!

Hi,

It might be too late for you, but my answers below might be helpful for others moving to Hsinchu:

Ruchika wrote:

1. The monthly rental cost of a two/three bedroom, 2 bath fully furnished apartment in a middle/high-end location which is both safe and child friendly?

I rented an upmarket (5 bedrooms, own basement car park and jacuzzi on the roof, but no garden) terrace house in Jhubei, near the THSR station for NT$40000. There are much cheaper options available, but my company paid. The commute to Science Park was short (15 to 30 min, depending on traffic) and there were even buses (rare in Hsinchu).

Ruchika wrote:

2. The cost for a full time help (i.e. nanny and cleaner/cook)?

I had a cleaner once a week for a few hours. I think she charged NT$500/hr.

Ruchika wrote:

3. Is it easy to drive in Hsinchu?

Yes, as long as you forget everything you know about following the rules and expecting others to follow them. You also need a good sense of direction or a GPS, since roads are confusing and signage is bad.

Ruchika wrote:

4. The cost of a part-time driver?
5. Are there schooling options available for 2 year olds (for example a few hours a day/week)?

Sorry, no idea since I didn't need those.

Ruchika wrote:

Any useful links/sites would be greatly appreciated.

Google the "Windy City Club", the only English speaking social circle I found that mixes locals and foreigners. They meet once a month in a cafe and it's a great way to make friends. Don't stick only with other foreigners (of which there aren't many in Hsinchu anyway) if you want to learn about Taiwan.
Forumosa.com is great for all kinds of questions about living in Taiwan, but not much Hsinchu-specific there.
My private language teacher came twice a week and charged NT$700/hr, which was a very good investment since English is not common. PM me if you want her contact!

Good luck,
    Frank

Hi,

Anyone moving to Hsinchu soon?
My house is for rent again (starting Aug/1).

Big house (~2000 square feet) fully furnished (including air conditioners, internet) in middle/high-end residential area with 24h security guards, 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, garden with slide/wooden house for kids.
The residence has a tennis court, basket ball yard, small private hike trail, small private temple. It's a 5 minutes drive to the Science Park. It's a 10 minutes drive to MinHu Road and the Lakeshore hotel.
During the week-ends my kids play with other kids in the residence and drive their bicycle around. It is very safe. Rent is 38000NT$/M. You can contact me at emmanuel.batt@gmail.com

Emmanuel

Hello Emmanuel!

You should post an advert in the Taiwan classifieds > accommodation section.

Thank you,
Harmonie.

Ruchika,
  We are hopefully going to be heading to Hsinchu by the first of the year 2012.  I will be heading out first then the wife and kids will be coming later in June.  What advice or lessons learned do you have?
Thanks!

folks, I am also planning to move to Hsinchu soon. Could you tell me if it is possible to find osteopath for children there?

Folks, you migth want to check this website out. Forumosa.com. You will find a handful of information about Taiwan.

Cheers!

Hello from Colorado.  Cannot really help you persay, but would be interested in keeping in touch as we may be moving to taipai with 3 kids.  Scared after reading some blogs.  Lived in Dubai for 6 years and loved it.  Let me know what you find out and I will do the same.  Jen.   Jkbarrier@ yahoo.com

Hi

I'm Maxime a french engeneer student, and I'm going with four of my classmates to Taiwan for a semester at NCTU universtiy in Hsinshu.
We are looking for an accomadation (appartment or house) for the five of us near our university.
Unfortunatly we didn't find a lot of opportunites on internet.
I'm contacting you because you are all leaving in Hsinschu.
Do you have any contacts looking to rent there house? Or do you know any good website to find a house?
Any informations or help from your part would be greatful.

Cheers

Hi mantoine, I invite you to post an advert in the section Housing in Taiwan, it may help.

Harmonie.

Mantoine,

If anyone of you guys can read Chinese, you may start from here:

Another way is to get into a hostel when you get here and plan on getting to know the city first and then hunting a place to rent. In my case, I used an agent (I'm one of the lazy ones).

Cheers!