Job Discussion Forums

[sa girl]

Hi there

I am currently in taipei city and when i applied for an English teaching post, I was told that the Taiwan Ministry of Education does not recognise my university degree therefor I would not be able to receive a working permit to teach.

WHAT DO I DO??

Ive heard about a student visa, would I them be able to teach on this visa??

Please let me know
thanks

[brian]

The only way to teach English legally in Taiwan is with approval from the MOE, who will then issue authority for you to work here. Although there are other ways to be here in Taiwan legally, these do not necessarily entitle you to work legally. Tourist visas for study purposes are an example of this. If you obtain a visa for the purposes of study then you are meant to be studying and not working. To work on this type of visa would be illegal. Some people do it, but in light of the recent crackdown on foreigners working illegally in English schools, it may not be a wise course of action to take.

The first thing to do would be to try to determine why your degree was rejected.

Do you have a full Bachelor degree or higher? Did you obtain it from a university? Did you have any idea before you came that your university may not be recognized overseas? Is it a private institution and is it recognized back home in SA? I am curious as to why the MOE wouldn�t recognize a certain university.

While it is possible that the MOE do not recognize the institution you studied at, it is also possible that the school that you applied through is not licensed to employ foreigners. They may not have applied to the MOE and may just have shifted the blame for not being able to make you legal over to the government. This is a ploy that some schools may use in securing foreigners with an initial promise of legal employment that doesn�t pan out. What's your take on this? Do you think your school is legit? Do they have other teachers working there legally?

This might be the best first step to take. Determine if indeed it is not possible for you to be processed through the normal channels.

[Mozilla]

To work on this type of visa would be illegal. Some people do it, but in light of the recent crackdown on foreigners working illegally in English schools, it may not be a wise course of action to take.



Ummm...what recent crackdown?

[Aristotle]

The goverment has started to apprehend and deport teachers who are working in kindergartens and were leagally doing so until October. Elections are coming up and votes are expensive.
A.

[daily chai]

SA girl, I'm here too and pretty frustrated with the teaching market. As usual, Brian and Aristotle have offered good insights. You can check out www.tealit.com and a few other Taiwan job sites (friends, what are they? 104.com something or other?) It looks like tealit regularly has listings for part time (illegal) jobs. If you had two part-time jobs, you could probably make a living. I also tried the lists at http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Flats/7947/taiwan.htm
The schools list is several years old so some have gone under, but that is nice--this way you only contact schools that have their act together enough to be in the market for a few years. Ask around for the pay, then consider where the best deal is--that is your primary school. Then call other places and offer to work in your off hours. I'm not saying you won't be deported or catch the attention of immigration... You would definetly have to do visa runs or pay for Chinese lessons. It might be better to move on to greener pastures. Check back in here and let us know. HTH!

[TaoyuanSteve]

It's too bad sagirl hasn't been more specific as to why her credential has not been accepted. In some countries a degree is 4 years, in others it is 3. If her problem is that her degree is of the latter category, she can try to get a work permit outside of Taipei (perhaps Taipei requires 4 year diplomas?). For example, here in Taoyuan I've met people with 3 year degrees who have work permits. Try other jurisdictions or simply try again in the same one. Maybe you'll get lucky the second time around.

[killian]

can't registered international language students legally teach 15 hours a week?

[Aristotle]

Not only can you teach without a work permit you may have more job security doing so.
"Legal" teachers now face both official and unofficial deportation at the whims of the local government or their employers.
I think the recent crackdown on illegal legal teachers has emphasized the importance of not letting your name be associated with teaching in the local government records.
Come on a tourist visa for business purposes. With a little work and planning you can attain a business oriented, multiple entry visa. You will be given a free pass in and out of Taiwan, be exempt from any taxes and significantly reduce the risk of both unofficial and official deportation. Not to mention make more money and have control over your employment.
Here is how to do it,
http://www.voy.com/113223/223.html
Good luck.
A.

[sa girl]

Hi there

Does anyone know the contact telephone number of the Ministry of Education here in Taiwan?? I would like to find out for myself, directly from the department why my degree is not recognised?

Thanks

[Okami]

It all happpened when apartheid ended when shortly afterwards SA changed diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China. Taiwanese gave a lot of money to the ANC to postpone it, but after a year they switched. The ROC gov't feeling wronged decided that it won't recognize some degrees from universities in SA. There's probably a list somewhere of degrees they accept or reject.

Good luck,
Okami

[EOD]

I believe it was the statement made by the departing South African Ambassador that did it. Something about apartheid (institutionalized racism) had ended so now Taiwan and South Africa had nothing more in common.

[TaoyuanSteve]

There are plenty of South Africans working in Taoyuan with valid work permits. They are accepting degrees from South Africa here. sagirl's problem (political possibilities aside) may stem from the program length of BA degrees in her country, which I was told by a South African is 3 years.