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some questions from an incoming newbie

 
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Vim



Joined: 17 Dec 2003
Posts: 3

PostPosted: Tue Dec 30, 2003 7:35 pm    Post subject: some questions from an incoming newbie Reply with quote

Got a few questions I thought I'd spew out. Been lurking/asking questions on forumosa and tealit and I thought I'd see what this community thinks, though it seems to be mostly the same people.

My girlfriend and I are coming over Jan 25 - we bought only one way tickets but have an itinerary for leaving march 18th (if we get hassled we'll just buy a ticket out at customs - any suggestions on how to be prepared to do this?). We'll be showing up with about 4k US between the both of us.

1: Anyone gone with David of de-wey in Taichung? I've talked to him a couple times and he seems to want to help connect us to jobs. I don't think he's an "agent" but I thought I'd see if anyone has dealt with him and get your impressions.

2: Our visas say multiple entry 60 days in country, arrive anytime from Dec 18th 2003 to Dec 18th 2008. So is this the valued 5 year multiple entry? So this means we'd have to make two visa runs (on the cruiseline) and then leave the country for the third right? that is assuming we don't get ARCs... and so:

3: We might be only able to stay for six months - that is leave late June. Girlfriend has applied to school and if she gets in we'd need to come back at end of june. So I'm thinking we could A-work illegally (how much of a pain will that be for newbies off the boat in just six months?), B-get into a chain school for the ease and then quit after six months if we need to (will they mess up our ability to leave the country?), or C-get a legal job and then ditch if we have to (don't really want to do this one though... bad karma)? Or does anyone have a "D" option?

4: what're the chances we'd be able to leave after six months (if neccesary) with what we've arrived with? that is save about 4k between us in six months. I know that we'll have to deal with the first two months set-up costs, and plane tickets, and visas, and all the extra surprises that may crop up, and we live pretty cheaply already (eat healthy, no real expensive habits, though i do like a beer now and then) and then there' the tax (again, if we work ilegally we wouldn't have to worry about tax right?)?

5: Where should be go in the big three cities to meet y'all and ply you with beer and similar questions in person?

6: any advice from couples who came over to teach? ie finding a place to live (what kinda place do you reccomend?), finding jobs close by/same school etc.

thanks!

Vim
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matchstick_man



Joined: 21 May 2003
Posts: 244
Location: Taiwan

PostPosted: Tue Dec 30, 2003 10:33 pm    Post subject: Some answers Reply with quote

1) The guy that replaced me got his position from David at De-wey. I am currently using him as one avenue of my job search. He is looking for jobs for you. He will be paid for it by the schools.

2) No. This is a sixty day visa. A good school should have their act together so you don't have to do visa runs at all. I spent three years on Taiwan and never did one....unfortunately a lot of schools don't have their act together so a lot of people end up doing visa runs when they are totally unneccessary.

3) Don't mention this to a potential employer....there is an expectation that you will be there for a year if you are legal although you may change jobs

4) No real answer because in some cases accomodation is provided which can be a saving.

5) Finding foreigner bars is easy once you get here. Unfortunately they tend to be fickle.

6) Don't know although I will searching for accomodation myself in a few days but the job search part comes first.
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Aristotle



Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Posts: 1388
Location: Taiwan

PostPosted: Wed Dec 31, 2003 4:41 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yes, if the information you gave is accurate you have a 5 year multiple entry visa. Be sure to mark business as your reason for entering on all immigration forms at the airport. If there is a little stamp on the visa that says non extendable, you cannot extend it and have to leave the country every 60 days to renew it. Even then it may be possible to extend it as a student.
You can use that visa for five years and enter and leave the country as many times as you like unharrassed so long as you are a business oriented tourist.
The cruise counts the same as a visa run so you can do that every 60 days or more for five years. You can also extend that sixty days to 90 by just filling out the request form and having a ticket booking to show the official who stamps the extension in your passport, you may also be required to have a certification of residence from the local FAP to get a short extension under 90 days.
You can also use that visa for study purposes and get it extended up to 6 months with certification of enrollment in a registered school.
You may also change that visa into an ARC without leaving the country but be advised once you give up that visa you will have a very hard time getting it back.
Dewy Corporation is a foreign teacher job placement agency and like all agents should be avoided if at all possible. You need to be in country to find a good job and agents are not necessary once you are here.
4000$US is more than enough to get you settled in and find a decent job.
If you get nailed with no return ticket the airline that you came in on will assist you in purchasing an outbound ticket so you can clear customs. The average price per ticket for this is 350$US or there abouts.
You may want to contact star cruises and book a ticket on them now to alleviate unwanted stress during your journey.
Call Star cruises Taiwan,
886-2-27310808
Taipei is a good place to start and there are numerous pubs and clubs down by Taiwan National University, Hoping East Rd.
For an apartment I do recommend calling an agent, a real estate agent that speaks English, try the local papers.
Good luck,
A.
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Vim



Joined: 17 Dec 2003
Posts: 3

PostPosted: Wed Dec 31, 2003 4:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for all your help all!

So yeah I figured Dewey is an "agent." From what I've seen on this board and the others (I've been lurking and researching for about two months now - I tend to be a bit anal about such things but hey learning and planning and imagining and dreaming are half of the fun of adventure right? Otherwise why would Lonely Planet exist?) agents=bad, having guts and DIY=good.

So just to clarify a couple answers: Our five year multiple reentry visas can be extended in the country without having to get on a plane or cruise ship? Oh yeah - they do NOT have the "non-extendable" stamp in them. I spent a week in Taiwan before (during my geeky band days the band I played with toured - got to play in the National Concert Hall... pretty cool), and my girlfriend has been all over Southeast Asia. Add these bits of info to the fact that I told the TECO office girl that we wanted to visit, maybe learn chinese, and look into doing business (I actually have a business - super small time no proft - doing herbal salve for rock climbers so it's not a complete line - and Girlfriend is a Massage Therapist and she said she wanted to learn chinese techniques too) and I figure that's why we got the five year visas... or am I trying to read too much into the thing (ie the visa gods were just on our side that day). Anyway sounds like we won't have too many problems with visas.

I had figured about $400US if we had to buy a ticket at the airport. Would it be worth coming in with an itinerary (plane or cruiseline - that is not an actual ticket but an itinerary to buy one) to leave and showing that to the immigration officer if we're asked?

You've both said we should be fine on 4k US to start. Just want to make sure this will be the same for two people living together. On that note - when I see a listing for "3 bedroom" does that really mean 3 bedrooms (plus kitchen/livingroom/etc) or does that mean 3 rooms altogether? I figured 15k for an apartment in which the two of us can sleep in one room and have a situation room for dirty laundry, chilling out, and just to have the extra room from time to time is right. I figured this price for Kaoishung or Taichung (don't know that we want to live in Taipei with all it's big capitol city high price glutted teacher market potential issues) - does that sound about right?

We've been studying Pimsleur Chinese - is it going to help? Do people actually greet each other with "nin hao" these days?

So Aristotle or others I know you may be reluctant to give such advice but maybe you can tell me what we might expect if we ran into a situation in which we needed to head back to the states after only six months. Sounds like we shouldn't go into jobs stating this (which sketches me a bit - I believe in honesty above all else but then again it's probably not easy to do that in a uuh... developing thirdworldslashfirstworldslashcrazy country I suppose) but if we are faced with this should we let a school know when we find out, a month beforehand, or just ditch em? And what happens if you were to fly at midnight? Can you ever go back to Taiwan? Do you somehow get blacklisted with immigration or just with schools?

Thanks again for your wonderful answers! Personally I've always found expat communities in other countries to be a bunch of stuck-up jerks but it also seems that there's always some cream to each expat crop and I've noticed that there are some genuinely creamy people that post to these forums.

Vim

Uhh... so maybe creamy wasn't quite the right word. Hah I'm so funny

Yeah yeah I know I write too much but it's kinda my thing ya know. On that note... one more question. Has anyone ever tried to write stories for magazines/newspapers/whatever about travelling and teaching in Taiwan? I mean serious stories that you actually may get paid for and that actually may get read - not the kind you sneeze onto a weblog in the vague hope that someone will stumble across it and vindicate your creative existence (which, I'll admit, I've done... the hope for vindication that is... and the sneezing as well I suppose).
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Vim



Joined: 17 Dec 2003
Posts: 3

PostPosted: Wed Dec 31, 2003 4:56 pm    Post subject: Oh yeah - just to be a further pain in the ass Reply with quote

So I'm thinking of applying to Peace Corps for some more adventure after a year (or six months - see above) in Taiwan. Anyone have any idea if I can find some sort of volunteer work while I teach (just a couple hours a week) while I'm over there? I don't really speak any chinese yet - just wo bu hui shuo zhongwen... shangwei (that means yet right?).

Vim
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Aristotle



Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Posts: 1388
Location: Taiwan

PostPosted: Fri Jan 02, 2004 4:11 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

All the moral BS about honoring a commitment aside my approach to breaking an agreement goes like this. If my employer fails to make a concerted effort to honor the agreement we made when they hired me, I have the right to walk.
If my employer arbitrarily cuts my pay or hours without compensation I start looking for a new job ASAP.
One way to get out at six months would be to find a disreputable school with high turnover of employees. Tell them you have researched the school and because they have a bad track record, to pay you daily. They don't expect their teachers to stay long and may be quite happy to have a teacher for six months.
There is always the death in the family option as well.
Do not give prior notice when you leave.
Apartment shopping is the same as anything else in Taiwan don't make a commitment until you have seen it first hand.
You cannot be blacklisted from having an ARC/ work permit if you have never had one.
Three bedrooms usually means three bedrooms unless of course they mean two bedrooms or it could be a "communication problem". The Chinese on Taiwan are very reluctant to give out information about what you are paying for until you have paid for it. You have to actually see the apartment before you really know what it is.
If you have a problem with lying to people or being lied to, you will have a problem with Taiwan!
Good luck,
A
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daily chai



Joined: 16 Nov 2003
Posts: 150
Location: Brussels

PostPosted: Mon Jan 12, 2004 3:33 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

If you have a problem with lying to people or being lied to, you will have a problem with Taiwan!
Quote:


Aristotle, how true! I wish I'd had your keen common sense when I first started working here. I would get classes at my buxi (as a legal teacher w/ARC) then one or two would cancel--leaving me destitute for at least a month. If I hadn't had a work permit, I could have walked w/no problem. Currently I'm researching from Taiwan a middle eastern school. They want to hire me as a tourist and pay me a month behind schedule--no way. No contract, no legal status, no legal remedies for payment disputes. Follow Aristotle's advice!
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