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Malone
Joined: 18 Jan 2005
Posts: 2
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 Posted: Thu Jan 27, 2005 7:48 pm Post subject: Advice for an innocent: starting out in Taiwan |
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Dearest Taiwan veterans
I'm thinking of coming to Taiwan in a about a month and really would appreciate some basic advice from whoever is in the know on some or all of the following. (Hope I'm not repeating previously asked questions but I dont see a good FAQ page like they have on the Korea boards).
1) Illegal work: there's no way that I can really scratch up the money needed to go through the whole visa routine, and seems that this is normally the case. But what are the risks that attend working illegally. Is this just the norm? How often DO people seem to get caught? How can one intelligently avoid the dangers?
2) Starting out: Is it better to organise work BEFORE coming to Taiwan, and if so, how? Does one go through a recruiter, apply directly to schools, or post your credentials on job boards? OR, if it is better to just arrive in Taiwan and start looking that end, what does a young man of meagre means do to get good work and accomodation as soon as possible and generally keep out of the gutter?
3) Schools: When selecting a school, what are the most important indicators to look out for, i.e. are there any definite signs of a really good - or really bad - school that one should be aware of? And what are the basic stipulations that one must ensure appear on your contract?
Any advice along these lines would be really great.
Thanks,
-M. |
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clark.w.griswald
Joined: 06 Dec 2004
Posts: 2056
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| Posted: Fri Jan 28, 2005 12:37 am Post subject: Re: Advice for an innocent: starting out in Taiwan |
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Firstly a lot your questions have already been answered but as you say it is a bit difficult to find them on this forum. You could try www.buxiban.com as there is some pretty extensive and up to date information over there that could be of value to you.
| Malone wrote: |
1) Illegal work: there's no way that I can really scratch up the money needed to go through the whole visa routine, and seems that this is normally the case. But what are the risks that attend working illegally. Is this just the norm? How often DO people seem to get caught? How can one intelligently avoid the dangers? |
Illegal work is not something that most people in the know here would recommend any longer. There used to be some advantages with this kind of work, but most of these advantages have slowly but surely been eroded away. So, while it is relatively common for people to work a second job illegally etc. there are less and less people working here without the appropriate paperwork i.e. work permit, ARC.
If caught working illegally and without an ARC then according to the legislation you could be detained, fined, required to pay back taxes plus a fine for non-payment, your passport stamped with a nasty red stamp, and you would be kicked out of the country with a potential ban from returning for a period of time. In practice though, most people caught for working illegally are likely to be taken to the police station, fined, and deported in a very short period of time with some period of time banning your return.
It is likely that people are getting caught every other week around the island. I state this as it seems fair to assume that around 50 people being deported a year would be a reasonable amount. There have been suggested by one regular poster here that the number is actually in the hundred's however this is not logical and has never been supported. If you were to find a nice job, and keep your head down it is possible to remain here undetected for a long period of time (some people for many years), on average though I would guess that illegals would make it for a year or so before either leaving or being deported.
| Malone wrote: |
| 2) Starting out: Is it better to organise work BEFORE coming to Taiwan, and if so, how? Does one go through a recruiter, apply directly to schools, or post your credentials on job boards? OR, if it is better to just arrive in Taiwan and start looking that end, what does a young man of meagre means do to get good work and accomodation as soon as possible and generally keep out of the gutter? |
Let me attempt to answer a question with a question. Would you take a job site unseen, in a state or city back home that you had never visited before? Now throw in the language barrier, and I think that you get my point.
I guess that there is nothing fundamentally wrong with accepting jobs from overseas, as they well could be the same jobs that you accept locally. I think that the problem that arises with jobs offered to people overseas is two-fold. Firstly, some of the schools that offer work to teachers overseas do so as their bad reputations among foreigners here precludes them from recruiting locally. Secondly, many of the jobs offered to overseas applicants are on offer through recruiters. Now, recruiters aren�t all inherently bad of course, but at times they have interests that are not inline with your interests and this leads to misunderstandings and conflicts.
You are far better off to come here first and check out the school, teachers, and students at the school you choose to work at before making a commitment. If you do feel the need to secure a job before you arrive then I would recommend the big chain schools as at least you know that you will be dealt with fairly.
As far as doing a job search, there are a number of sites including this one that offer job information. Do yourself a favor though and check out any schools that you are interested in over at www.buxiban.com, before you make a commitment.
| Malone wrote: |
| 3) Schools: When selecting a school, what are the most important indicators to look out for, i.e. are there any definite signs of a really good - or really bad - school that one should be aware of? And what are the basic stipulations that one must ensure appear on your contract? |
This depends on your personal needs. For example, some people love the chain schools like Kojen, Joy and Hess because they give you the lesson plans and materials to teach without really having to think too much. Other teachers hate this system as they like the freedom to teach what they want, when they want.
I think that you can look at the contract and decide for yourself if you agree with the terms or not. If you don�t agree then re-negotiate or find another job. Too many people sign contracts when they need a job and then start complaining about the conditions stated in the contract that they agreed to and signed.
Keep copies of all documentation such as contracts, pay slips etc. as you never know when you may need this information. |
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Aristotle
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Posts: 1388
Location: Taiwan
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Ki
Joined: 23 Jul 2004
Posts: 475
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| Posted: Fri Jan 28, 2005 1:04 pm Post subject: |
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| 3) avoid anything which makes you pay any sort of bond or has excessively large penalties for lateness or breech of contract. Many schools put these clauses into their contracts and then wonder why the foreigner teacher disappears one month directly after pay day. |
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EphemeralReal
Joined: 05 Dec 2004
Posts: 35
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| Posted: Sat Jan 29, 2005 11:51 am Post subject: |
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Don't come here. If innocence could help, you'd be safe. But you have to assert yourself to a degree, as the Chinese expect this otherwise as an act of saving face on their behalf.
Some do, and don't know this here. To play along with this mindset, you can only disrupt their thinking with action. The best course of action is to ignore their game. |
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crespo
Joined: 28 Nov 2004
Posts: 29
Location: Taiwan
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| Posted: Sat Jan 29, 2005 1:09 pm Post subject: |
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I'd agree with the other comment about finding work here over finding it from wherever you may be now. There are so many jobs here which are unadvertised and as the cost of living here isn't so prohibitive, it just makes sense to come here and find work (I'm currently considering heading to Japan and it seems pretty tough to go there without a job...mostly because of money). Because of this, I would recommend coming with a 2 month visa (preferably multiple entry) as you might not find an ARC job right away and so be required to do a visa run.
When you arrive, head out and start looking around you for schools and go in and inquire and if you see a foreigner...heck, ask him or her. Most people are aware of some place that is hiring.
In terms of illegal work...umm, yeah i know it's still readily available, but it is on the decrease. I worked illegally for a while and it's a nuisance...if possible, find an ARC granting school.
As for getting busted, I really have no idea about the statisitics, but i have heard some funny stories of schools having "codes" to warn the teachers that the police were coming. A friend once had to crawl out of the classroom window and escape out into a nearby field...all while the students watched in curiosity (got away cleanly, though).
I think word of mouth is probably the best indicator of how good a school is. Talk to some of the other teachers at the school....I'm sure they'll be honest to you.
Finding accommodation could prove difficult if you have no friends here or don't speak the langauge. Of course, it also depends on where you're living. If in one of the larger cities, head to an expat coffee shop where there will hopefully be some listings of shared apartments, etc. I came and crashed with a friend for my first two weeks.
good luck!
christopher |
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robert45
Joined: 03 Feb 2005
Posts: 8
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| Posted: Thu Feb 10, 2005 4:47 am Post subject: |
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Once you're in Taiwan, check out using XXXXXXX to find private students. Teachers can post profile for free to find Taiwanese that are interested in learning a foreign language.
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