Job Discussion Forums

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

SSETT Work Advisory Warning for Taiwan!

The foreign affairs police of the Republic of China are currently conducting a police sweep across the island of Taiwan for foreign teachers.
As of December 2003, there has been a alarming rise in the number of foreign teachers apprehended and deported for teaching in schools with a valid Alien Residency Certificate. All of the foreign teachers that have been apprehended and deported to date have had an Alien Residency Certificate issued through a third party.
All foreign teachers currently holding a valid Alien Residency Permit are strongly advised to ascertain that their current employer is the issuing authority annotated on the back of the ARC card.

brian · Joined: 15 May 2003 Posts: 299

Finally an Aristotle warning that is worth heeding. The word is out, and for all those knowingly working contrary to your ARC you have been warned.

As Aristotle points out, this is a good wake-up call for everyone. You need to ensure that the Chinese name of the school (employer) listed on your ARC matches exactly the Chinese name of the school that you actually work for. Even if you can't read Chinese you should be able to see that the squiggles all match up, or better still have a trusted friend confirm it for you. Unfortunately some of the people who get deported are totally unaware that they are actually illegal. They have an ARC in pocket and have no reason to suspect that they are anything but legal, until...knock, knock, knock, the FAP come by.

Sure, schools should be more honest and knowledgable in these respects, but unfortunately they aren't always the way they should be. Protect yourself - after all you are the one who will have to accept the consequences.

If the names vary at all, don't ask, but insist on an explanation. If you feel that the explanation given is anything short of what you deserve, be willing to leave the job and find a fully legal job.

Take particular care when working for schools that have many branches and ask you to teach at more than one branch school. Whilst it can be arranged making it fully legal for you to work at more than one school, you can be sure that in many cases you will be working illegally. Although the English name might be the same, the Chinese names of the individual branches is always different - which may conflict with the name/s on your ARC. People in these situations tend to find that the situation can be sorted out without being deported.

Those working at one school, with an ARC from another, would almost certainly find themselves kicked out of Taiwan if caught.

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

My school does not sponsor my ARC as I have a PARC and an open work permit. I think this kind of action on the part of government of the ROC fully vindicates all foreigners who knowingly and intentionally work without an ARC.

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

The company I work at is a cram school company with multiple outlets. Some teachers were recently arrested and threatened with deportation for working at a branch not listed on their arc (even though they were working for their sponsoring company). They weren't deported in the end (I think someone got paid), but these people were working under the assumption they were legal (arc). There's so much politics and money involved in everything here. What a joke. Why even bother with arc?

Oh, yeah. To answer the poll question, I mostly work out of my home school as listed on my arc. However, I do work at another location of the same company 2 days each week. Nice to know I could get deported.

brian · Joined: 15 May 2003 Posts: 299

It does all seem very ridiculous.

There are plenty of teachers here who do their best to work legally and do the right thing. Why not consolidate things so that these teachers can work with more felxibility thereby ensuring that they will work above board and pay taxes etc. Surely, the FAP should be chasing down those that are choosing to work illegally and not paying taxes etc.

Although it is a fact that some of the larger chains may not be protecting their staff as well as they could, I think the fact that most of the teachers working for these chain schools get off the hook without being deported is reassuring. Perhaps it is a case whereby the FAP recognise that these individuals are essentially doing the right thing. Or it may be that these schools have greater power in resisting deportation of their teachers. Either way, it is a tick in the box for working at the large chains if you ask me. It may not be perfect but it could be a lot worse.

It is times like these that I don't envy those that are working illegally in some little independant school. Those individuals must really have nerves of steel.

WorkingVaca · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 135

None of this should come as a news flash to anyone. Getting a work permit at one place and working somewhere else would be illegal in any country.

However, news of a "recent nationwide sweep" of people doing this is interesting. Aristotle, could you also provide the source of your information when you post one of your advisories? The link to your Yahoo! Geocities website is hardly convincing by itself. Thank you.

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

So far it has only been people with a valid ARC issued before October 1st, 2003. That is when the goverment changed their policy again concerning foreign teachers working in kindergartens.
Seems that the central goverment sends a list to the local police stations and tells them to check out these schools and teachers. If your name is not on the list you are fine. All the teachers apprehended in the last month were legally teaching in there schools until the government changed the laws on October 1st, 2003 . Intitally the Government stated that they would not harass anyone until their contracts were up. In reality that was a blatant lie.
Elections are coming up and the goverment needs money to buy votes. The elected officials tell the cops to pay up or else. The cops lean on local businesses and everybody gets paid but we get deported.
Democracy in action.
A.

brian · Joined: 15 May 2003 Posts: 299

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

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

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

Here are the numbers so far.
4 confirmed in Taoyuan, 1 in Hualien, 1 in HsinChu and 4 more reports from HsinChu that we are in the process of confirming.
If anyone has any more information on recent deportations of foreign teachers anywhere on Taiwan please contact SSETT.
[email protected]

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

With a little luck this should all blow over after the upcoming election next March. Hopefully this will not become a trend for future elections here in Taiwan.

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

In the last two weeks we have confirmed 12 raids on schools in Taipei City and County with 14 semi-official deportations of both legal and semi-legal foreign teachers. We have also received numerous unconfirmed reports from various places in Northern Taiwan.
I would like to take this opportunity suggest that anyone working in kindergartens take an extended vacation .
Good luck
A.

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

I have an APRC and an Open Work Permit. Can I be deported for working in a kindergarten?

brian · Joined: 15 May 2003 Posts: 299

My impresssion from what I have read is that you wouldn't be deported for that alone. Provided that you were working 'legally' you would probably lose your job at that school and the school would be fined for employing you, but you could just get a job elsewhere.

If you were working on a tourist or student visa, or on an ARC held through another school you could be in more trouble.

Best check it with the authorities though, to be really sure.