| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
karenannehope
Joined: 17 Aug 2004
Posts: 25
Location: Dublin, Ireland
|
 Posted: Sun Sep 18, 2005 8:13 am Post subject: I want to volunteer! In Taoyuan... |
 |
|
Dear all
I am a South African who has been teaching in Taoyuan for nearly a year and I am loving it! Taiwan is awesome.
I am saving up to go back to university to do my Masters degree in Clinical Psychology. Places offered are very limited so competition to get in is high, and I have been told that any relevant volunteering experience really helps.
'Relevant' experience could include anything from helping out at women's centres, centres for disabled children, autistic children and childrens' homes/orphanages to visiting (English-speaking) prisoners. It should preferably have some kind of counselling element.
I would sincerely love to volunteer - not only to help me to get into my MA programme, but also because I'd like to give something back to a country that has been unfailingly kind and generous to me.
I live in Taoyuan City and would GREATLY appreciate any information or contacts that anyone might have for me.
Thanks
Karen |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
clark.w.griswald
Joined: 06 Dec 2004
Posts: 2056
|
| Posted: Sun Sep 18, 2005 9:59 am Post subject: |
|
|
Strange as it may seem, foreigners with work permits and ARC's are not permitted to do any work for anyone other than the employer stated on their ARC - paid or unpaid.
If you want to do volunteer yourself you need to ensure that the organization that you volunteer with receives the relevant approval for you to be active within their organization. In all likelihood no one would ever know, but it would be best to protect yourself and get the appropriate approval. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Aristotle
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Posts: 1388
Location: Taiwan
|
| Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2005 9:34 am Post subject: |
|
|
Be advised!
Non Chinese on Taiwan are routinely deported for doing charity work because non Chinese on Taiwan are deemed cultural pollution by the occupational government on Taiwan.
All non Chinese are required to obtain special permission from the Ministry of Education / Government Information Office before doing any public performance.
Non Chinese who make public political statements on Taiwan are in violation of the election and recall law promulgated by the occupational Chinese government on Taiwan and will be charged for political crimes.
Naruwan!
A. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
clark.w.griswald
Joined: 06 Dec 2004
Posts: 2056
|
| Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2005 1:02 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Aristotle wrote: |
| Non Chinese on Taiwan are routinely deported for doing charity work because non Chinese on Taiwan are deemed cultural pollution by the occupational government on Taiwan. |
Mmm. So routinely in fact that there is not a single case of a foreigner ever having been deported for doing charity work and I welcome Aristotle to prove me wrong.
I am sure that he will refer to the Scott Ezell case which has been discussed so many times before. While what happened to Scott is not something the government here should be proud of, it certainly does not fit under the category described by Aristotle above. The fact is that he was a professional musician who earned his money from music in Taiwan. He was apparently deported after performing at cultural events, not charity events, without the appropriate permit which he as a professional musician should have known about. I think that he should have been given a warning, but then maybe he had been given warnings in the past. We just don't know. In that case he appealed, and the CLA approved his request for a stay on his deportation during the appeals process. At the end it was found that he was in breach of his visa conditions and he was deported on these grounds. For a more detailed view of this story please see this article.
Probably closer to the charity cases would include the story of a missionary who had been here for something like 30 years but who was deported for overstaying her visa. Once again a silly clerical decision that was later reversed by the government as it should have been. So although the deportation of this person was counterproductive it was based upon visa concerns and not the fact that she was doing charity work.
People do not get deported for doing volunteer or charity work, they get deported for breaching their visa conditions. If you want to do charity or volunteer work then you need to get permission from the government for this. My understanding that this permit is issued free of charge and is just a matter of providing the details to the government - there is no real approval process. It would seem unfair that your employer (visa sponsor) should be responsible for you while you are undertaking work outside of their employ, and this system ensures that they are not.
| Aristotle wrote: |
| All non Chinese are required to obtain special permission from the Ministry of Education / Government Information Office before doing any public performance. |
What's the problem with that? As I say, I believe that such a permit is free of charge and easily obtained. It is an issue of accountability to your visa sponsor.
| Aristotle wrote: |
| Non Chinese who make public political statements on Taiwan are in violation of the election and recall law promulgated by the occupational Chinese government on Taiwan and will be charged for political crimes. |
That's not correct.
Foreigners here on resident visas often participate in political rallies voicing their support for one cause or another. Nothing ever happens to these people.
The cases of deportation of foreigners who protest applies to individuals that come to Taiwan for the purposes of protesting under the guise of tourists (those American miners a while back) or those who conduct a protest without government approval (approval is required for all protests in Taiwan as street closures and police presence are generally required) or those incite violence or participate in violent protests. These are all illegal activities and as we all know your visa can be cancelled and you deported if you behave illegally in Taiwan. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
karenannehope
Joined: 17 Aug 2004
Posts: 25
Location: Dublin, Ireland
|
| Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2005 4:03 am Post subject: Thanks all but.. |
|
|
Thanks a lot for the info guys. As soon as I find some kind of volunteer work I can do, I will make sure I have the relevant permit (its the finding of something to do that seems to be the most difficult part).
Cheers
Karen |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Ki
Joined: 23 Jul 2004
Posts: 475
|
| Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2005 2:10 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| If you wanted to visit English speaking prisoners, for example, on a non-official basis then surely you don't even need to call it volunteering. You could just be visiting a friend. Didn't you, Aristotle, mention something recently with regards to visiting incarcerated foreigners every christmas? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
