Job Discussion Forums

[Polina]

I'm getting a little worried - is this a good time of year to find a job? Because I haven't found anything, and the money's gradually disappearing. Will it be better or worse after Chinese New Year? Any suggestions?

[matchstick_man]

Where are you looking? The Tealit board seems to have a lot on a daily basis. Personally I've just got here but do know my way about and thought just before Chinese New Year wasn't the greatest move but I have a few possibles lined up.

[brian]

Polina, your post is a bit of a concern. It is true that with Chinese New Year just around the corner some schools will avoid hiring now. Despite this you should be getting some offers if you have been looking around.

Do you qualify for employment as an English teacher (BA degree and the right passport etc.)?
Are you within the right age bracket - I mean for the kids sceneanyone over forty may have some troubles?
Are you caucasian?
Are you getting past the interview and being asked to do a demo class?
What have the schools been saying about you?

Hopefully these questions may help to give you some idea of what schools may be looking for.

[Aristotle]

The closer it gets to the Lunar New Year the more difficult it will become. Local superstition dictates that it is bad luck to hire new people before the new year.
Hang in there.
What is your visa situation?
If you need help please contact us at the link below.

[Polina]

Thanks, Aristotle. I'm not on a visitor's visa, so I don't have to worry there - thankfully. Jobs are definitely in short supply right now - it's best not to quit around Western New Year like I did - there could be a longer wait than if you hold out in your job for a few more weeks.

[Aristotle]

You will be breaking your back to find work right now and chances are that you could find something much better after a few weeks. Take some time off, find a nice beach in Thailand and pretend you are a human being again.
Good luck,
A.

[matchstick_man]

There should be plenty of subbing work. She said the money drying up.....although Thailand is cheap...a flight at this time will be ridiculously priced. I got here on Sunday and have no shortage of possibles.

[brian]

I agree with matchstick man. Sure, now wouldn't be the most advisable time to arrive if you could avoid it, but as you are already here, you shouldn't be encountering any major problems getting a job. Some schools won't hire now but it is misleading to suggest that there are no jobs available.

This brings me back to my earlier questions - do you meet the criteria for employment as a legal English teacher here in Taiwan? Of course if you don't then anytime of year would be a bad time of year to be looking for a job teaching English.

[Pop Fly]

Hiring.

[Aristotle]

[brian]

Actually, I was referring to meeting the legal requirements for employment as an English teacher here in Taiwan:

1. A passport from a designated English speaking country.
2. At least a bachelors degree from an accredited university.
3. A willingness to sign at least a one year contract of employment.

Schools offering legal employment would need you to satisfy these criteria before they could offer you a legal job. I am of course assuming that Polina is seeking a legal job. If you don't meet these criteria then a school would be unable to process your paperwork for a working permit and ARC, and they would more than likely not even try.

As far as the racial discrimination issue, yes, there is discrimination here but plenty of ABC's and the like manage to get legal jobs here. It is unfortunate if the search becomes more difficult because of the small mindedness of others, but there are jobs out there. Just keep looking.

[Aristotle]

I strongly recommend that any newbie avoid getting a work visa through their employer.
A multiple entry tourist visa is the best option for nearly everyone coming to Taiwan to teach or work.
Here's how,
http://www.voy.com/113223/223.html
Good luck,
A.

[TaoyuanSteve]

I'm not so sure it's wise to make a blanket statement concerning work permits. There are alot of negatives to consider with regards to working without one:

-having to leave the "country" at regular intervals cuts into savings and can get to be a pain in the ass (especially if SARS returns).
-you cannot legally register a vehicle in your name without a working visa and arc
-you may encounter problems signing leases and contracts of any kind without legal residence (don't think that's a problem? wait till you want to hook up a phone or cable in your name)
-no national health card (I guess you could keep paying for traveller's insurance, but it isn't universally accepted here)
-you've gotta pay for those bogus classes to extend your visa
-you are fully illegal. I say fully because it seems that there are huge shades of grey with regard to legality. Most of us are probably a little illegal in some way (part time jobs, kindies, classes away from the campus listed on our work permits...). That said, I think you need to watch your back more without a legal work permit. It's rare, but deportations do occur from time to time.

So far the only pluses I've heard of are:

-Your company doesn't control your right to abode here. Ie You don't need to leave on a visa trip if things go badly for you and you quit or get fired (but wait. don't you have to leave every six months max on a tourist visa anyway?).
-No taxes (but also no benefits. refer to health insurance above). This gives the government another reason to deport you as well. Not only are you in the country under false pretenes, you are also evading taxes.
-your name isn't registered with the government here as a teacher (this really is only relevent to kindie teachers who began work after October)

It should be pretty obvious that I'm "for" working visas. However, I think each teacher should evaluate his/her own situation individually and decide how much risk they want to take on.

As a further point-- and this just may be my experience alone-- I've met plenty of individuals without legal status here (a close friend even works here on a tourist visa). They often go on about the so-called advantages of the tourist visa option. However, in every case, when I pressed a little further, I've found that these people simply lacked the necessary qualifications to obtain legal status as an English teacher.