Job Discussion Forums

TaoyuanSteve · Joined: 05 Feb 2003 Posts: 1028 Location: Taoyuan

This is a related thread to one already appearing on this forum. I'd like to narrow the discussion down a little. Do you think an ARC is the best way to work in Taiwan? I have one now, but I'm approaching the end of a contract. I'm wondering if I should bother with this route again.

EOD · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 167 Location: Taiwan

I have an ARC but I don't boogy. That's because it's a PARC. Basically it is a self sponsored ARC. After working in Taiwn for four years and jumping through the hoops it is posible to get your own ARC.

Aristotle · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 1388 Location: Taiwan

Yes, you can get a Permanent Alien Residency Certificate after working for at least four years under a legal ARC/ work permit and paying a minimum amount of taxes. You also must have been in Taiwan for at least 9 months for all four years. Another hoop as you call them is that you have to have over 100,000 US dollars in a Taiwan bank account for a specified amount of time.
Once you have done all of those things you can apply for a PARC but it does not guarantee that you will get one. If at any time you don't meet the requirements set down by some administrator in the government (they change all the time), you loose it and must start over again.
Another option is to marry a local (scary).
_________________

Okami · Joined: 25 Jan 2003 Posts: 121 Location: Sunny Sanxia

This is an open ended question. I've recently been quite appalled at what passes for qualified info here, so I'll give you my take on the situation.

Hands down under the right circumstances an ARC is your best option. Having to explain away all those extension stamps can be a very tedious boring business. I've had to do that. People you do business with or rent from have more faith in an ARC than a passport. With an ARC, they can see who you work for and have a better chance of you sticking around in their mind.

I've done the math before and an ARC only becomes more profitable after your 2nd year. This is assuming you start in the 2nd half of the year, like most people do. This is not taking into account the multiyear multiple-entry visas that Americans can get if they ask right for them. You want to stay away from salaried ARC positions because though you may get paid for the rare holiday(holidays on Saturdays do not count), even rarer typhoon day, and Chinese New Year. It still doesn't make up for the lower average hourly pay.

The best situation is a part-time hourly-rate ARC job with supplemental untaxed work in your remaining time. You get the benefits of an ARC with only about half of your time getting taxed if you play it right.

BTW PARC is not permanent, don't believe the hype. If you get one and then leave Taiwan for a certain amount of time, then you will lose it.

In the end, it's all about how you play the game. Don't hate the player, hate the game.

CYA
Okami

TaoyuanSteve · Joined: 05 Feb 2003 Posts: 1028 Location: Taoyuan

I guess it's arc again. The more I think about it, the more I realise it has been a pretty good arrangement thus far. I like my employer, so I don't have a problem remaining beholden to them somewhat. It was my arc that prevented me from having to leave the country during the sars epidemic. It's my arc that allows me to own my scooter legally, rent my place, have my home telephone account and even get my Costco card (my favorite place to shop for groceries) all without hassle. Some people work without arc's. I'm assuming most are underqualified. If not, what are the advantages to not having arc?

Okami · Joined: 25 Jan 2003 Posts: 121 Location: Sunny Sanxia

There are certain advantages to going without an ARC. I no longer go into it or give out the information. Look it up on your own.

An ARC is not a document that makes you qualified or unqualified. It just means you're legal to stay in the country. Don't assume.

CYA
Okami

TaoyuanSteve · Joined: 05 Feb 2003 Posts: 1028 Location: Taoyuan

I will "assume," however, because the vast majority of ex-pats I've met without work permits don't have them precisely because they don't qualify for them vis-a-vis their academic credentials. Therefore it becomes an empirical statement to say that most without arcs are not able to obtain them (and I know that having or not having an arc is really just a matter of working legally or illegally). However, I do know that some don't possess arcs deliberately. I also believe that there may be some advantages to this arrangement, hence my poll. Rather than being coy in your responses, perhaps you'd like to share some of your experiences and knowledge either through this open forum or through a pm.

EOD · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 167 Location: Taiwan

Money, it really is that simple. There is much greater potential to make much more money over a shorter amount of time if you skip the ARC and taxes. Recently it has become possible to get student ARC for six months and Star Cruises has been marketing their midnight cruise as a very affordable option for visa runs.
I think what it really comes down to is how well you play the game. Since I got my PARC I have taken a 20%to 30% pay reduction. For me that amounts to a very substantial amount over a one year period. I work about 30 hours a week for 650 an hour. After taxes, health insurance and the pay my boss cheats me out of, I am rethinking my visa and/ or work situation.

Aristotle · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 1388 Location: Taiwan

Money is the primary motivation for so many who come to Taiwan. Even if you take the money issue out of the equation, not giving your employer the control over your residency rights makes for better education of the students. How many schools put the welfare of the students above profits. I have never worked for or heard of a chain school that would make such a foolish business decision. Maintaining control over your visa gives you the right to refuse any or all absurd request made by your employer. Your students get a better education and you get paid for what you teach. If you have an ARC your employer can and will deport you for reporting child abuse, requesting lost wages or if they just feel like it.
Welcome to Taiwan,
A.

TaoyuanSteve · Joined: 05 Feb 2003 Posts: 1028 Location: Taoyuan

I guess the tax thing is a plausible explanation for some people choosing not to have an arc. However, and perhaps this is just my experience, my taxes are absurdly low. I think the advantages of health insurance and not having to leave every 6 months serve as a counterbalance. Then there is the advantage of being able to lead a somewhat normal life; by that I mean, being able to own things, enter contracts and work legally. I suppose the control over your working life and or right to abode in Taiwan is the most attractive feature of arc-free existence. Even though I have a constructive relationship with my employer, keeping control over my right to be here is something I wouldn't mind having. This will be something I'll be thinking about over the next little while. I'm going to be entering Mandarin classes that would qualify as full time here. It's tempting to let them hold my residency rights. But then again, it does get hard to explain away all those extension stamps in your passport. I have a friend who did the no arc thing for two years. He has difficulty getting visas now.