I am from the U.S. and I am planning on traveling to Taiwan this summer and teach English. do I get a work permit once i get there and find a job, or do i have to get it before I leave? also, how long does it take to obtain one once i apply? is it illegal to get one once i'm there? i have a friend that i will be staying with. so legally i will be visiting/being a tourist. i just need to make money while i'm visiting...
Taiwan - 4 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
You need a four year degree and a job offer before you get there.And a work visa. EDIT:I'm not 100% sure,but in most countries, you need to apply for the work visa before you enter the country.If you happened to find work after you were there, you would have to leave the country,apply,and then re-enter.This is how it is for Japan.You can probably find work there on your own,but you could be deported if someone turned you in.You might want to google "working in Taiwan" and see what comes up.I wouldn't want you to take any chances while you're there.
2 :
You can get a work permit upon arrival but you might need to make a visa getaway for a day or two. NOT a problem as many people make visa runs to HK. Now I read in the papers that a return flight to Macau is only NTD2500/- So you can go away for a weekend. Remember as far as Immigration is concerned-You are coming here on a holiday only.
3 :
If you are going to work in Taiwan and want a work permit, you will need a company to sponsor you so you can have your work permit. This is because they will need to file tax information for you and to tell the government when your employment is over. To teach English you need at a bare minimal a 2 yr degree and a TESOL/TEFL certificate that is recognized by Taiwan, but most companies will require a 4 year degree in anything. If you apply for a job once you get to Taiwan and are accepted you will need to leave because you can only have one visa at a time, so in order to get your work visa you must exit the country. Going to HK is an easy thing to do, just about an 1hr flight from Taipei no visa required for Americans. The only thing with this is that Taiwan only issues 1 year work visas and all companies are by law required to issue a minimal 1 year contract. It helps to keep the backpacker teachers who use to come to Taiwan work for a few weeks or months and then leave and not put in any real effort from messing up the education system. Now you didn't hear this from me, but it is possible to work under the table. However you really need to be careful about doing this, because if the Taiwan government finds you odds are you will be deported put on a black list and not allowed back for at least a year. I have heard from some other teachers that you can do private tutoring without claiming it to be a job as long as you don't advertise and you tutor more than one person at a time. Mind you I have never tried this and have no idea if this is works or not, but tutoring or working for a friend might be your best bet. Just know that if you post a question about working short term, or illegally in Taiwan as a English teacher on any ESL page, serious teachers will flame you and tell you not to do it because as it is things are good for us here, and every time someone causes trouble everybody else feels it after you are gone.
4 :
You can obtain a lot of helpful information on the forumosa.com website.
