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zipper
Joined: 14 Dec 2009
Posts: 237
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 Posted: Sun Mar 28, 2010 12:45 pm Post subject: |
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| Rooster_2006 wrote: |
I think it's important to:
1. NEVER admit to or let on about any extracurricular work, even if your boss seems like your best buddy and even if it explicitly says in your contract that extracurricular work is allowed. She could use this to blackmail you later.
2. Always have a few job interviews lined up, even if your current job is going great. It can't hurt, and if your boss suddenly decides to pink slip you, you'll be happy that you had three interviews lined up over the next two weeks. Since Taiwan only gives you seven days to switch jobs, it is wise to have an interview lined up BEFORE you get fired.
3. Give as little notice as possible when quitting, because A) most laoban would never give you the notice stated in the contract, so why give it to them, and B) because it gives her less time to figure out how to screw you.
4. Always live on a tight budget no matter how well you think you're doing financially. I could very well take home 40,000 NTD after taxes for the month of March -- but my budget is 15,000 NTD for this month. The reason for this is that I can basically *assume* that I will either get canned, or that the situation will become unbearable, and I'll need that extra 25,000 to get me through the depression.
5. Never talk about anything besides light fluff with your co-workers and boss. The slightest accidental slip, particularly in regard to your character, the law, etc. could be turned against you at a not-too-much-later time.
6. Remember that no matter how nice your co-workers are, no matter how cool your boss is, they are NOT your friends. They are your enemies, and you're currently in a ceasefire.
7. Try to get double-sponsored. If you can have a kindy in the mornings and a buxiban in the afternoons, each giving you a work permit, do it. Switching evening or morning jobs is much easier if you have another school to hold your ARC for you.
Anything else to add? |
These rules are spot on, and I can tell that you have had a lot of experience here as well as in Korea. These rules become self evident as one navigates, works and gets screwed in the EFL market by Taiwan bushibans, Thailand and Japan private schools and Korean Hagwons. Especially in Korea, if you find yourself in a position where the boss owns your visa and apartment, behold these rules, for they will save you a lot of grief later on...The EFL market in Asia is about Survival! You must be two steps ahead of your boss�s next more. These businesses are about money, and if your school looses students then it�s going to be your fault regardless of what really happened.
Thanks for putting down this list. I think that it will be very helpful for newbies as well as some oldies.  |
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JZer
Joined: 16 Jan 2005
Posts: 3898
Location: Pittsburgh
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| Posted: Sun Mar 28, 2010 3:01 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| 2. Always have a few job interviews lined up, even if your current job is going great. It can't hurt, and if your boss suddenly decides to pink slip you, you'll be happy that you had three interviews lined up over the next two weeks. Since Taiwan only gives you seven days to switch jobs, it is wise to have an interview lined up BEFORE you get fired. |
I agree with most of your points except this one. I understand that most foreigners are not aware of this but if one is fired they can file for a hearing with the board of labor. You are allowed to remain in the country until the hearing. It is one way to bide more time to look for a new job if your boss fires you. But that is why I have three bosses that can give me an ARC encase one fires me, I can just switch my ARC to another school. |
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JZer
Joined: 16 Jan 2005
Posts: 3898
Location: Pittsburgh
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| Posted: Sun Mar 28, 2010 3:03 pm Post subject: |
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| Rooster_2006 wrote: |
| JZer wrote: |
| creztor wrote: |
| yamahuh, definitely a bummer. I honestly believe that "surviving" in Taiwan means you just need to screw everyone else and look after yourself (of course within reason, I am not talking about leaving without telling people etc). That kind of thinking would get you nowhere back home, but if you try to do the right thing here people just take advantage of you and employers honestly, on the majority, don't seem to care. I was told one week before my contract expired that they didn't want me to resign, so I do know how you feel. Majority of schools here do not seem to take your effort, track record or anything into consideration. Welcome to Taiwan |
What do you expect when you get a job without the employer actually called your previous employers?
One friend of mine told the school he was living and then cut his hours down to six a week during the final two months that he was at the buxiban. |
Was that friend me? |
No, a British guy in Taipei that could not longer handle Taiwan. He was trying to be nice and give the school fair notice and see what they did to him. Cut his hours to six a week. How was he supposed to live? |
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Rooster_2006
Joined: 24 Sep 2007
Posts: 984
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| Posted: Mon Mar 29, 2010 5:40 am Post subject: |
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| JZer wrote: |
| Rooster_2006 wrote: |
| JZer wrote: |
| creztor wrote: |
| yamahuh, definitely a bummer. I honestly believe that "surviving" in Taiwan means you just need to screw everyone else and look after yourself (of course within reason, I am not talking about leaving without telling people etc). That kind of thinking would get you nowhere back home, but if you try to do the right thing here people just take advantage of you and employers honestly, on the majority, don't seem to care. I was told one week before my contract expired that they didn't want me to resign, so I do know how you feel. Majority of schools here do not seem to take your effort, track record or anything into consideration. Welcome to Taiwan |
What do you expect when you get a job without the employer actually called your previous employers?
One friend of mine told the school he was living and then cut his hours down to six a week during the final two months that he was at the buxiban. |
Was that friend me? |
No, a British guy in Taipei that could not longer handle Taiwan. He was trying to be nice and give the school fair notice and see what they did to him. Cut his hours to six a week. How was he supposed to live? |
The exact same thing happened to me when I gave my two months' notice. They cut my hours to an unlivable amount (in my case, less than six hours).
Retrospectively, I should have left immediately when they did that. They would have had no case with the CLA or Labor Bureau, since that's de facto firing me, and I could have moved on sooner. |
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JZer
Joined: 16 Jan 2005
Posts: 3898
Location: Pittsburgh
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| Posted: Mon Mar 29, 2010 2:04 pm Post subject: |
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I once had an instance with a school in Jongli. The students liked me and unsolicited the teachers told me I was the kids favorite teacher. I was basically laid off for the summer and went to work at a summer camp. At the end of the summer the school told me that they would not give me any more hours. They did not say that they fired me but that they wanted to hire a married teacher instead.
The teachers said I was the favorite teacher before being let go even came up.
Then I found a job at Happy Marian. It is great that my boss knew what he was doing. He told them to give me a release and we postdated it to give me enough time to get a new visa. Then it becomes really funny, the school tried to sent in the termination letter before the date that we agreed to terminate the contract. The Labor Board rejected the letter and sent it back to the school. That was pretty stupid trying to submit the termination letter before the termination date that the employer and I had agreed upon.
Last edited by JZer on Mon Mar 29, 2010 2:34 pm; edited 3 times in total |
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Rooster_2006
Joined: 24 Sep 2007
Posts: 984
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| Posted: Mon Mar 29, 2010 2:22 pm Post subject: |
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| JZer wrote: |
I once had an instance with a school in Jongli. The students liked me and unsolicited the teachers told me I was the kinds favor teacher. I was basically laid off for the summer and went to work at a summer camp. At the end of the summer the school told me that they would not give me any more hours. They did not say that they fired me but that they wanted to hire a married teacher instead.
The teachers said I was the favorite teacher before being let go even came up. |
I can't wait until the day when I have permanent residency in Asian Country X and then don't have to worry about letters of release, cancel contract agreements, which "sector" my visa is for, who "owns" my visa, or that kind of BS ever again. Oh man, I can't wait.
Last day of work:
Me: Guess what! I got permanent residency!
*Does a dance all over the boss' desk.*
Boss: Hey, get down from there or you're fired!
Me: You can't fire me, because I quit!
*Stuffs a sandwich containing my letter of resignation in the boss' mouth.*
Epilogue:
*Moves to the middle of nowhere and buys a plot of land, farming during the spring, summer, and fall, and writing shareware during the winter.*
Oh man, I can't wait until I get PR somewhere. If I move to Japan right after this contract is up and take advantage of their qualified foreigner fast track, I can have Japanese eijuuken at 29 (people who do well on their points system can get PR in five years starting this year)... |
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JZer
Joined: 16 Jan 2005
Posts: 3898
Location: Pittsburgh
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| Posted: Mon Mar 29, 2010 2:32 pm Post subject: |
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| Well make sure you don't go to China then since I don't think a foreigner can ever get permanent residency or at least to work. I am sure that if you spend money earned abroad that the Chinese government would have no problem allowing one to spend their money in China. |
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Rooster_2006
Joined: 24 Sep 2007
Posts: 984
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| Posted: Mon Mar 29, 2010 2:44 pm Post subject: |
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| JZer wrote: |
| Well make sure you don't go to China then since I don't think a foreigner can ever get permanent residency or at least to work. I am sure that if you spend money earned abroad that the Chinese government would have no problem allowing one to spend their money in China. |
Yeah, both China and Korea are still in the middle ages with regard to permanent residency.
China does actually allow permanent residency in RARE cases. For example, if you live in Hong Kong (okay, not mainland China, but still part of the PRC), you can get permanent residency after seven years (Right of Abode, and yes, I personally know an Indian guy who has it). Supposedly this is also possible in Shanghai, but not possible outside of these areas for the vast majority of human beings (e.g. less than hundreds of thousands of USD to invest).
In Korea, well, you lived there. Did you ever meet a permanent resident, except for an F-4 gyopo or a married guy? Didn't think so. Korea's is the most air-tight anti-immigrant, pureblood-favoring system I have ever seen in my life. The F�hrer would be proud. 
I think that Taiwan (five-year APRC), Japan (ten-year PR being shortened this year to five for qualified immigrants), Hong Kong (seven-year Right of Abode), and (most of all) Singapore (ridiculously fast PR if you have an MA) are the best choices for people who plan to live in Asia long-term.
On certain good days, I've wondered if I should just put my roots down here. Heck, I'm only about four years away from PR, since I've been here almost a year. Trouble is, China will no doubt re-work the entire system of laws and governance the minute it takes Taiwan back, and I'd hate to be 50 years old, with a house and land, and find myself served with a deportation notice. I don't trust China one bit. |
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JZer
Joined: 16 Jan 2005
Posts: 3898
Location: Pittsburgh
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| Posted: Mon Mar 29, 2010 2:55 pm Post subject: |
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Well I am probably going to go into the health care field and maybe work in Australia.
Maybe if I get an M.A. in a health care related field I can move to Singapore.
I would like to do some health care work abroad. |
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timmyjames1976
Joined: 26 Jan 2005
Posts: 148
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| Posted: Mon Mar 29, 2010 4:25 pm Post subject: |
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I consistently left my job anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours early for 2 months, and yelled at the admins every time they tried to talk with me.
It eventually worked, and they canned me. It was great. |
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