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nicbur
Joined: 27 Mar 2005
Posts: 8
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 Posted: Thu Apr 21, 2005 8:41 pm Post subject: taiwan money and plug ins |
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1. we're trying to find plug adapters to bring with us so that we can plug in our electronics and hair stuff but every company we asks tells us we need different adapters- no one agrees. do any of you know what type of adapter we need? (they are lettered, like type a, type b, etc.)
2. for start up money we're bringing aout $1500 but i don't really want to carry that much in traveller's cheques. is that the best way or is it pretty easy to use an atm so that i can leave the cash in my home bank account? what did u guys do with your start up cash?
thanks a bunch! |
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Ki
Joined: 23 Jul 2004
Posts: 475
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| Posted: Fri Apr 22, 2005 12:14 am Post subject: |
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$1500 what? Hopefully not Taiwan dollars. Is this for two people? Use the ATM, they are much more convenient than traveller's cheques.
As far as adapters are concerned. It may be easier to wait until you are here to sort all of that out. But like the different companies back home (whever that may be) you will probably find a host of different answers here. |
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Taylor
Joined: 24 Oct 2003
Posts: 384
Location: Texas/Taiwan
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| Posted: Fri Apr 22, 2005 1:28 am Post subject: |
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Dear Nicbur,
You really do need to provide a few more details if you expect any significant responses.
Small appliances from the US work fine here in Taiwan--with no need for any adapters.
Did you mean $1500 USD? If you are traveling with someone else, then just split the money and each person carry $750 in your front pockets. To me, this is easier than messing with ATMs.
Just my .02
Taylor
Kaohsiung |
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nicbur
Joined: 27 Mar 2005
Posts: 8
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| Posted: Sun Apr 24, 2005 6:47 pm Post subject: |
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| sorry, we are Canadians. so our appliances are from Canada. is it easy to find adapters there if needed? Our money will be $1500 US, does anyone else have opinions on if it's best to use traveller's cheques or atm's? |
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Aristotle
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Posts: 1388
Location: Taiwan
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Pop Fly
Joined: 15 Feb 2003
Posts: 429
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| Posted: Wed Apr 27, 2005 7:39 am Post subject: |
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I read it. Why exactly should people stay away from Chia Yi and Hsin Chu? |
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nicbur
Joined: 27 Mar 2005
Posts: 8
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| Posted: Thu Apr 28, 2005 1:41 am Post subject: |
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| I read the sites recommended above. The 10 steps to success mentions avoiding using a recruiter. We are already coming to Taiwan with a recruiter so I'm just looking for a heads up as to why recruiters are a bad idea? |
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Pop Fly
Joined: 15 Feb 2003
Posts: 429
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| Posted: Thu Apr 28, 2005 8:40 am Post subject: |
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| nicbur wrote: |
| I read the sites recommended above. The 10 steps to success mentions avoiding using a recruiter. We are already coming to Taiwan with a recruiter so I'm just looking for a heads up as to why recruiters are a bad idea? |
Because you don't need them. |
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clark.w.griswald
Joined: 06 Dec 2004
Posts: 2056
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| Posted: Thu Apr 28, 2005 10:22 am Post subject: |
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The best advice that I can give is not to pay too much attention to the information on that site. A lot of the information is based upon personal opinion with little to no factual basis. Some of it is outdated. Some of it is just plain wrong.
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| Wages and working conditions continue to deteriorate on Taiwan for Foreign Teachers as a direct result of the Taiwan Ministry of Education's race based policies and outright ban on English Language Learning in schools. |
This is wrong.
Firstly, there is no ban on English language learning in schools here in Taiwan. In fact the truth is the opposite. English is a compulsory subject at all government schools from grade three elementary school and up. The vast majority of government schools actually teach English from grade one and up.
What is the outright ban that Aristotle refers to? He has never explained this despite my questioning of this many times.
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| 1. Don't take a job from overseas, you need to be in Taiwan to find a good job. |
One thing I am sure everyone agrees with.
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| 2. Do not work for a school that has any complaints filed against it. |
This is a pretty silly thing to say.
Firstly, not all complaints made about schools are legitimate, and it isn't unusual for disgruntled employers to go off about treatment at the hands of schools when in fact the school did nothing wrong. Sometimes this is done maliciously, while at other times it is due to genuine misunderstandings.
Secondly, complaints about a school don't necessarily make a school unsuitable for everyone. For example, one teacher may complain that the school asks the teacher to teach too many hours. The next teacher may want as many hours as they can get.
Obviously schools that have had legitimate and serious complaints made about them should be avoided, but there are probably only a handful of these here in Taiwan.
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| 3. Stay out of Chaiyi, Hsin Chu and Taidong counties. |
This has never been explained by Aristotle either.
The Chiayi claim is based upon the death of Elizabeth Bretel some years ago. By all accounts she was mixing with the wrong crowd and her death was ruled as a suicide. Aristotle has always suggested that she was murdered and that the whole thing was a huge coverup. He has never supported this claim with any evidence. The question needs to be asked of Aristotle - What do you base your claims upon?
The Hsinchu incident was a few foreigners who were beat up by some locals at a bar in the earlier hours of the morning. It was a vicious and unnecessary attack by a group of cowards, however according to the information from the people who were there it was nothing more than a bar room fight. There is no evidence that the attack was racially based and the attack does appear to have been provoked - this despite Aristotle's continued claims to the contrary.
The Taidong claim is based upon the local foreign affairs police officer Peter Chen. He sounds like a particularly petty and unprofessional guy, but is hardly likely to be a problem for any foreigners working in the area legally.
None of the above are ongoing concerns for legal foreigners and this calls into question the validity of Aristotle's claims.
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| 4. Don't use a recruiter or work for chain schools if you can avoid it. |
In itself, this is useless advice.
Recruiters are not necessary, but can serve a purpose. They are not all bad, and anyone using them is advised to do their homework.
The advice to avoid chain schools is ridiculous. Chains are the best way to go for newbies. Please direct me to complaints about teachers who have been deported for working for chain schools, who have not been paid working for chain schools, or who have been severely disadvantaged by working for chain schools. There are none. There are plenty of such problems found by those working for independants.
Assuming though that Aristotle is right in what he says, then I ask him again - Who should new teachers work for? It is not particularly helpful to say don't work for these companies if you don't counter this with advice about who is good to work for.
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| 5. Do your homework and get a multiple entry, tourist visa for business purposes. |
The first two categories are a good idea. The final one that Aristotle recommends has never really been explained by Aristotle.
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| 6. Only allow a school to sponsor your ARC if you are 100% sure they can offer you a valid ARC for the only school you will be working in. |
How can anyone be 100% sure? I guess that a newbie would have to work off the experiences of past teacher to judge this. Assuming this to be the case, then it would seem that the only way to be really sure that you will indeed get your ARC is to work for a chain school. This however goes against Aristotles earlier advice.
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| 7. Visa runs are worth the price and not just because of the money or visa. |
Disagree.
Anyone working here who is doing visa runs is working illegally. Working illegally doesn't make good sense legally.
Schools do not pay for visa runs in this situation, nor do they pay the teacher for the time off work to take the visa run. Teachers doing visa runs regularly can therefore expect to have to wear the costs of travel and accomodation, plus the added cost of not earning an income.
How can this be worthwhile financially?
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| 8. When things go bad and they usually do for newbies, quit and find another job quickly. |
It is untrue that newbies usually encounter problems. Some do, but it is certainly not a majority. Most newbies who do encounter problems have diregarded the advice often offered on forums such as this one, and have instead thrown caution to the wind and gone for the highest paying job they could find. Teachers who research schools are unlikely to have problems.
I agree that should a teacher be having legitimate problems then they should consider leaving and finding another position.
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| 9. Do not sign a contract that is written in a language you can't understand or allows for illegitimate pay deductions. |
Assuming that this is good advice then it should apply to employers as much as it does to employees. If everyone followed this advice then no contracts would be signed here. Why should Chinese employers living in a Chinese society where the language is Chinese, be forced to operate in English?
The fact is that the vast majority of contracts are Chinese contracts with an English version attached. The Chinese version generally prevails as per a clause to this effect often toward the end of the contract. On the whole employers are legitimate in their contracts offered. I have seen discrepancies between the English and Chinese versions of contracts, but in my experience this has never been intentional and didn't affect the contract. In coming to Taiwan teachers should expect that they will be signing a contract written in Chinese. If you feel uncomfortable about this then you should ask an independant person to verify the translation.
Suggesting that teachers shouldn't sign such contracts just isn't feasible.
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| 10. Find a school that has been around for a few years, has a good reputation and is professionally run by teachers, not egocentric business people. |
Sounds like a chain school! It's a shame that Aristotle advised against this in the past. |
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Aristotle
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Posts: 1388
Location: Taiwan
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Pop Fly
Joined: 15 Feb 2003
Posts: 429
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| Posted: Fri Apr 29, 2005 10:38 am Post subject: |
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No, Clark didn't rant. He explains your rants. Chia Yi and Hsin Chu are no more or less dangerous than anywhere else on the island. you know this, yet you still run around yelling "the sky is falling". |
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Ki
Joined: 23 Jul 2004
Posts: 475
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| Posted: Fri Apr 29, 2005 12:22 pm Post subject: |
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Hypothetically speaking, recruiters aren't necessarily a bad idea. It is just the practical elements of some recruiters here which make them best avoided. Some people can find work relatively quickly while others may take a bit longer for various reasons. One thing in their favour is that they do find you a job and quickly. After all, it is their business. It is also there business to make money.
You say that you are coming over with a recruiter. What is their name? Register on buxiban.com and check out their recruiter list there. Don't sign anything before coming here (if you do don't worry, it's not enforcable) and make sure it is the school and NOT the recruiter who pays your salary. Also, did they offer a varied salary range (ie 50000-70000)? You will be only ever offered the minimum of this scale despite qualifications and experience. They will tell you lies and half truths to keep you. Try not to take too long to see through this thinly veiled disguise. But of course, not every recruiter is bad. |
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clark.w.griswald
Joined: 06 Dec 2004
Posts: 2056
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| Posted: Fri Apr 29, 2005 12:53 pm Post subject: |
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| Aristotle, it would probably be more beneficial to everyone reading this forum if you actually answered the questions that I have raised above. Afterall, you do heavily promote these ten steps to success, yet I have pretty clearly shown that about 7 of the 10 are actually invalid. If you are going to continue promoting them here then you may want to actually explain why my comments made above are wrong, and your ten steps to success are right! |
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