Job Discussion Forums

[phil82]

just wondering if anyone can clear some things up.

i have been in taiwan for a week or so now and intend to stay for 6 months.

what id the best thing to do regarding visas? should I get an ARC, then leave?

at the minute i am here on a 60 day tourist visa. i have been told i can extend this at a police station or enrol in mandarin lessons to avois doing a visa run.

it would be great if someone could explain how all this works

[Aristotle]

Since you already have a 60 day visa just take it down to the police station with your plane ticket showing the departure date and a certificate of residence from the local FAP. You can get a 30 day extension just for asking.
If the visa says multiple entry then you have little to worry about. If it is a single entry visa then you must re- apply for another visa on you next visa run or get an extension.
If you want to get extensions for up to six months enroll in Chinese classes at a "Government Approved" school. They should walk you through the process after you enroll.
I don't recommend you get an ARC as you must waive many of your most basic human rights to do so.
Good Luck
A.

[TaoyuanSteve]

[killian]

i am a legal arc'ed teacher. or am i?

no health card. my boss "can't" get such as her legal classification is "farmer" and farmers can't run bushibans. the school is "legal."

i have never gotten a tax receipt from any employer here in taiwan irrespective of holding a valid arc or not. have i paid taxes? money has been withheld from my pay. did that money ever find its way to the tax office? how can i know...but for sure, i am liable.

my legal school sends me out-site to teach at illegal "friend" locations. what happens if i am caught off-site? deportation. what happens if i refuse to go? my legal pay gets reduced.

i, despite my legal arc status, cannot register for a cell phone package that charges sane rates. all foreigners in taiwan are to use the pre-paid, non-subscriber plans.

i, despite my legal arc status, can get neither telephone or internet access in my home. the telephone company says it is taiwan's law that prevents such.

i, despite my legal arc status, have been refused assistance at taiwanese hospitals because of my lack of a healthcard.

i, despite my legal arc status, am still subject to the "foreigner rate" on my taiwanese bank accounts. oh...0.03 percent. yes, they tax the interest.

i, despite my legal status, will be subject to deportation if i catch the wrong sickness. yes, taiwan kicks out people who contract diseases here.

arc or non-arc we are subject to discrimination everyday here on the most basic of issues. being illegal used to be easier. if i was to do it again anew under today's conditions for the first time i would come in and register as a student. students can now teach legally. there is a time limitation of a couple of years, but for the vast majority of english teachers in taiwan a couple of years is enough.

[brian]

[Mozilla]

I think it's great that you guys have had no problems with your employers and your ARC. However that is not the case with me, nor is it the case with a majority of the people I have worked with.


I have found that once you have an employer sponsor your ARC, then many times they feel as if they "own" you. That is the case with Hess. I have spoken to people from six different branches across the island, not including my own. Their consensus is that once you have your ARC through them, you are their bitch.


Of course this isn't the case with everyone, and I *hope* that my experience is the exception rather than the rule, but from my own gatherings, the "you are my bitch" thinking is rather common.

[Aristotle]

I think two of the biggest reasons for the discrepancy in opinions is perception and location.
If you really want to maintain your Anglo-Christian morals and ignorantly follow the law intended only for the ignorant. Stay in Taipei.
This island gets increasingly corrupt the farther you get from the capital. The central government on Taiwan really maintains very little control over the actions of local government officials outside of Taipei.

A.

[killian]

four years here has been revealing: being illegal sucks, being legal sucks.

what are the benefits of being legal?
what are the benefits of being non-legal?

after having been on both sides, i can honestly say they feel like the same pair of cheap shoes; one has a busted shoestring while the other's sole is coming unflapped.

when i was illegal, if i had a cruddy boss, i could leave at no real cost. now that i am legal, leaving my boss is a major hassle.

enroll in a language school and teach "on the side." the best of both sides happily in one.

[Aristotle]

I agree that being in Taiwan as a student is the best way to teach here for most people. However, foreigners who come to Taiwan to study are not legally allowed to work. This may be overlooked in areas of Taiwan where laws and regulations are interpreted by dollar value, but you are just as illegal as the the business oriented teachers or those who have their ARC's issued through a third party.
When the government officials begin looking for other ways to extort money from the people on Taiwan they may choose to harass and persecute those illegal working students. So long as Taiwan continues to be governed by businessmen/gangsters the government will never harass business oriented tourist.
A.

[brian]

killian, I respect the fact that you have experienced both and that you are speaking from personal experience. This is obviously very valuable for a forum such as this. It seems that your experience with being legal hasn't been a smooth one, however it is the exception rather than the rule.

[killian]

in all honesty, i cannot agree with your assessment that the difficulties encountered in being legal have been exceptional. a large percentage of folks who work for a non-chain schools can tell of similar headaches.
many just leave. many don't access the internet. many don't know that they are being manipulated. many(such as I) simply live with it after failing to find rectification, make their money and relocate.

everyone coming to taiwan to consider teaching would be well advised to study the laws of the land. such can be found at
http://www.evta.gov.tw/english/lawevta.files/lawevta1.htm

closer inspection of said laws will reveal that many of the rules protecting fishermen/laborers/factory hands are curiously suspended for english teachers. work in taiwan at your own risk. benefits/pay/human rights are more advantageous in other pacific rim industrialized nations.

[Okami]

My take and my views on this matter:

Killian has fallen on hard times. To read what Killian is going through and chooses to go through is extremely painful to me. Killian is the one who taught me how to play the illegal game. I am no longer illegal at one of my jobs. I found a good job through my connections that requires very little work and a decent pay. Killian has been here much longer than I, that he should be in such a situation is pathetic to me. Like an able bodied man that chooses to beg for a living instead of working.

My advice for Killian: get off your a$$, work your connections and lose the victim mentality. If we were in the states and I was like you; the best thing a friend could do is slap some sense into me. Consider this a verbal slap, hopefully it imparts some sense into you.

As far as if it is better to be legal or illegal, it depends on the circumstances. In Taiwan, no 2 circumstances are the same.

CYA
Okami

[killian]

slap me all you want because i'm numb. with three different schools/entities i have procured legal ARCs. each one has screwed me harder than the last. often, they fail to understand that they are even screwing me (e.g.- the current ARC blunder; how can the huge bureaucracy here overlook that ARC issuing schools refuse to issue health cards?)

yes, in my opinion taiwan is sliding down in terms of net benefits. with the devaluation of the US dollar (to which the NT$ is tied) the equivalent benefits are dropping compared to japan. 250,000 Yen per month used to be low end. but at 108-110 to the US dollar it is something like 2,300 US per month for 100 hours. taiwan and her silly "now you're legal, now you're not" schtick has fatigued me. her "guess what the laws are because the departments give conflicting requirements" is equally distasteful. i go on job interviews, despite the fact i can speak chinese (it was my major) and have been here for years makes no difference. in their eyes i am a "new" teacher and offer me 500 an hour.

i can make more money, with less hassles, higher quality of life and be accorded basic human rights elsewhere? yes, you are right...i am gonna bide my time and when the time is right i am out of here. when is payday? i am heartsick. i will miss my kids and that i will be villifed in all this is all too predictable... just another greedy foreigner taking advantage of taiwan.

[EOD]

I think that is the conclusion we all will come to sooner or later if we haven't already. Luckily for you have no family or commitments to bind you to this place.
Farewell and safe travel.
EOD

[brian]