Job Discussion Forums

[Kirumu]

Hi everyone,

I posted a similar thread on the Japan forum, and as I stated there, I�ve been reading these forums for a while now, and only just recently registered. Taiwan is a country I�ve wanted to visit for some time now, and I�ve also thought about working there. If I landed in Taiwan, with what I believe would be a 30 day landing permit as an American, what documents would I need besides my diploma and official transcripts to seek employment? Since I would probably be working with children, wouldn�t I need a criminal background check? If so, is that something I can and should get here in the United States before I depart? If a background check is required, and I leave without getting one, can I get one in Taiwan?

Thanks, I appreciate any responses.

[Dr_Zoidberg]

First, you cannot get a working visa if you come on a 30-day non-visa entry. Seeing as how you will only have to fly out of country and get one anyway, you might as well get one before you leave home.

You should apply at your nearest TECO office for a 60-day extendable tourist visa.

Second, it seems foreigners wishing to teach are now being asked to have their credentials verified. This was not so when I arrived 6 years ago, but when I applied for a new ARC last year, I was asked to provide transcripts from my college. Also, a couple of people I know who arrived within the last year were told to have their degrees verified before arriving.

Whether or not such verification is enshrined in law, or just another layer of red tape that Taiwanese bureaucrats pull out of their arses from time to time, I don't know.

As for a criminal background check, the only time I was required to provide one was when I got married. When I arrived here 6 years ago, I brought one with me; however, nobody was the least bit interested in it when I offered it to them. Most buxiban laobans simply want a white face. They wouldn't give a fart if you were Jeffrey Dahmer.

[Kirumu]

Dr_Zoidberg, thanks for your advice and detailed response.

I wasn't too familiar with that Jeffrey Dahmer character, so I looked him up. Pretty gruesome stuff.

[NEP]

Yo, I still have never heard of criminal-records checking here. I've been here 5 years. My roomie just got a new buxiban job this month, and he didn't need such a check.

Bring the diploma (try for English-language version: my Latin one proved an annoyance), forget the rest.

[Kirumu]

Thanks for your response NEP. I was actually worried that I would have to fly back home to get a check.

[NEP]

You're welcome!
P.S. I'd recommend you apply for/get a 60-day Visitor Visa IN USA, through a Taipei Economic and Cultural Office. If you arrive in TW on the 30 day thing, I bet you'd be doing the fabled "Visa run" to another country.