In today’s interconnected world, young Taiwanese are increasingly looking beyond the confines of their island nation to gain enriching life experiences overseas and boost their career trajectories.
Working holidays have become attractive for those seeking to combine travel with meaningful employment, offering unique opportunities for cultural immersion and professional development. This reflects broader trends in youth mobility, driven by the desire to navigate a rapidly globalizing world more effectively.
Working holidays present a dual opportunity, allowing young people to travel and explore new cultures while gaining work experience that is often highly valued at home. For many young Taiwanese, these programs provide a practical solution to the quandary of wanting to travel, but needing to maintain career progression. The ability to live in a foreign country, learn a new language and develop a global network is facilitated and augmented by the ability to earn money, which funds their travels.
The primary motivation is to enhance their career prospects. Global exposure gained through such experiences is invaluable, providing insights into diverse business practices and workplace cultures. It is a differentiator in a competitive job market where employers increasingly value international experience and adaptability.
Working holidays also offer a platform for profound personal growth. Immersing oneself in an entirely different culture fosters adaptability, open-mindedness and resilience. These soft skills are crucial in personal development and are highly transferable to professional environments.
Participants can not only share their own culture, but also learn to appreciate and respect the nuances of others. This cultural exchange nurtures global citizens more equipped to operate in multicultural settings.
However, working holidays come with their own set of challenges. The initial costs of visas, flights and setting up in a new country can be daunting without adequate savings or financial support. Moreover, while some programs offer a stipend or salary, these might not always cover living expenses, particularly in expensive areas.
Culture shock and homesickness are common experiences. The difference in workplace etiquette, communication styles and daily life can be overwhelming without proper preparation and support.
For Taiwan, this trend can enhance its global connectivity and cultural footprint. Recognizing the value of these programs, policymakers could develop more robust frameworks to support potential participants. This could include partnerships with host countries, financial grants and predeparture training programs that prepare young people for overseas experience.
Institutions and governments have the opportunity to harness this potential by facilitating smoother pathways for young adventurers seeking global horizons.
As more young people embark on these journeys, the fabric of Taiwanese society becomes increasingly woven with diverse global threads. This demonstrates the importance of supporting such ventures for a future-ready Taiwan.
Tseng Chu-ching is a student in the Department of International Affairs at Wenzao Ursuline University of Languages.
As strategic tensions escalate across the vast Indo-Pacific region, Taiwan has emerged as more than a potential flashpoint. It is the fulcrum upon which the credibility of the evolving American-led strategy of integrated deterrence now rests. How the US and regional powers like Japan respond to Taiwan’s defense, and how credible the deterrent against Chinese aggression proves to be, will profoundly shape the Indo-Pacific security architecture for years to come. A successful defense of Taiwan through strengthened deterrence in the Indo-Pacific would enhance the credibility of the US-led alliance system and underpin America’s global preeminence, while a failure of integrated deterrence would
The Executive Yuan recently revised a page of its Web site on ethnic groups in Taiwan, replacing the term “Han” (漢族) with “the rest of the population.” The page, which was updated on March 24, describes the composition of Taiwan’s registered households as indigenous (2.5 percent), foreign origin (1.2 percent) and the rest of the population (96.2 percent). The change was picked up by a social media user and amplified by local media, sparking heated discussion over the weekend. The pan-blue and pro-China camp called it a politically motivated desinicization attempt to obscure the Han Chinese ethnicity of most Taiwanese.
On Wednesday last week, the Rossiyskaya Gazeta published an article by Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) asserting the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) territorial claim over Taiwan effective 1945, predicated upon instruments such as the 1943 Cairo Declaration and the 1945 Potsdam Proclamation. The article further contended that this de jure and de facto status was subsequently reaffirmed by UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 of 1971. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs promptly issued a statement categorically repudiating these assertions. In addition to the reasons put forward by the ministry, I believe that China’s assertions are open to questions in international
The Legislative Yuan passed an amendment on Friday last week to add four national holidays and make Workers’ Day a national holiday for all sectors — a move referred to as “four plus one.” The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), who used their combined legislative majority to push the bill through its third reading, claim the holidays were chosen based on their inherent significance and social relevance. However, in passing the amendment, they have stuck to the traditional mindset of taking a holiday just for the sake of it, failing to make good use of
RSS