A moment of silence

Discussion Open Forum
1

…for fellow Forumosan and my dear friend foxfresh. After 6 months in the Taiwan pressure cooker, she is throwing in the towel. Honestly, I’ve never seen anyone in my life have so much bad luck over a 6 month time period.

Between:

  • multiple trips to the ER
  • rampant sickness and other health problems caused by the local
    pollution
  • having $1500 USD stolen from her while on vacation in Thailand 3
    weeks ago
  • having an evil boss who doesn’t really give two shits about her foreign
    teachers (correction: she cares about the money WE bring in)
  • apartment suffering major water damage during the typhoon barrage
    last month
  • other assorted small incidents…

Definitely sad to see her go. I’m sure that at least some of those at Maoman’s wedding remember her. :frowning:

2

FF, say it isn’t so… :frowning:

3

This place is not for everyone, and sometimes it all comes down when you are at your most vulnerable; you first living experience abroad.

I’m always amazed at the variety of experiences newcomers have, myself included. My Taiwan and subsequent travel experiences have been really smooth, despite doing and being in many places and situations I shouldn’t have. Then you’ll hear horror stories like this and realize how lucky you’ve been. Goodness, 1,500US? Why was she traveling with that kind of cash? She was probably so looking forward to that perfect beach too…That really sucks.

Multiple trips to the ER in six months? :astonished:

Please wish her the best for a smooth transition home…

4

I had similar experiences;

Moved to Kaohsiung, got a job, got paid first weeks wages and put them in my wallet and left them on the kitchen table when I went to bed. Somebody abseiled off the roof onto my balcony, into my kitchen emptied the cash out, but left the wallet and then disappeared into the darkness. :frowning:

A month later a typhoon hit. The apartment got flooded, even though it was on the 5th floor of a 10 storey block. Apparently somebody (probably the burglar) left the roof door open and the water flooded down the stairs and filled all the apartments. Once the water was flowing over the ledge there was no closing that roof door. :fume:

Two months later moved to Neihu on the ourskirts of Taipei. My students in Kaohsiung told me Neihu was famous for CostCo and flooding. Sure enough five days after we got there the typhoon hit. The water was up to 10 feet deep, rescue boats were helping old people out of second storey windows. We were trapped in our apartment for 5 days, in 35 degree heat with no water and no electricity. I spent the time in my chair sweating in my underwear. It got worse after the water subsided as the mud and rotten food started piling up in the streets.

The scooter I had bought in Kaohsiung that I had raised up five feet off the ground to avoid the flood was actually completely covered by the 10ft surge and died two weeks later because the engine was full of mud and grit.

The job went well until the boss turned into an evil bitch :smiling_imp: and forced me to leave. I subsequently moved to anonther school where the wages were fantastic, but it turned out to be a dictatorship with Christian overtones that had not been revealed at the interview :loco: :astonished: .

Also developed a kidney stone and had to have surgery not once but twice because they missed the first time :help: .

From this last job I fled in the night, something I had never done before and something I really didn’t think I would ever have to do. :noway:

This all happened over a period of two years.

Immigrated to Canada, opened my own business so I didn’t have to put up with anymore arsehole bosses. So far so good.

Despite all that I look back on Taiwan (and China and Japan) as a great experience, the years I spent in Asia were some of best I am ever likely to have :bravo: and thats why I do what I do now, to maintain that connection.

Sorry for going on. :unamused:

http://www.babashouse.com

5

Now, this situation has gone way beyond foxfresh. A little bit of investigation on my and her part has revealed the following about our boss:

  1. Taking money every month out of our pay and putting it in a “trust fund” as an insurance policy against anyone who decides to leave before completion of their contract.

  2. It is her duty to collect tax every month out of our pay, but she has been taking more than the mandated amount and has been pocketing that “cushion” money.

  3. In many cases, taking a commission out of our pay that meets or exceeds the amount of pay that the teacher himself/herself is getting to work at a 2nd tier school.

I wrote a mass email to the staff at my school regarding these business practices, as well as scathing testimony to incidents I’ve been privy to since I’ve been here. My boss got it as well, and she is threatening to fire me if I don’t take back my claims and fall into line. So, sadly, I might soon be on the out and up as well. But, I of course am looking at other possibilities should I choose to return after a short stint back home. But this has turned into one huge situation. The foreign staff is furious, as you can imagine. I have copies of pay sheets, statements, etc. to prove what she’s been doing, and they have all been presented with these. There may be some semblance of a mutiny here in short order.

6

Moderators, please delete this thread to promote harmony and unity among Forumosans. It is wrong to complain about unfair business practices and evildoers here.

JM, please give my sympathies to FF, and good luck on your fight. I’m sure you can find another position here quickly. Perhaps both of you could come up to Taipei and give it a shot here; you may have better luck in an environment where schools have more competition, and I’m guessing the sanitation may be better up here (else I’d be sick far more than I have been).

7

Thanks, MaPo.

However, as of 12:05 today I offered my resignation from ESL 4 Asia Educational Services, under a one Miss Sally Wu (Wu Ching Lin). I won’t be sticking around, however, as my family will be most anxious to see me after 17 months abroad. My return to Taiwan will be taken into serious consideration although at the earliest maybe not until next fall. I’m sorry that I won’t get to meet so many of you that I really have wanted to.

Hopefully, all of you are still around if and when I return here.

Oh but of course I’ll still post on the 'Mosa. :stuck_out_tongue:

8

Time for a farewell dinner! I’m sure Alleycat could find some room :laughing:

9

Nooo, don’t leave. There are a lot of dishonest business people here in Taiwan. Although I don’t recall any boss lying to me or trying to cheat me out of pay back in the states, it happened to me repeatedly in my first couple of years in Taiwan. I discussed one such situation with one of my students, a bright girl who was heading to the US for her MBA and she was embarrassed. “I don’t know why Chinese people are so dishonest in business,” she said, “but they’ll make excuses to avoid using a contract and if there is a contract they’ll break it.”

But even if the above generalization is true, that’s no reason to leave. Forget about your stupid cheating boss – go get another job. If you want, you’ll find a job that’s as good or better within a few days. Life only gets easier here as time goes by. One gets used to the dishonest bosses, the assholes who almost run you over in crosswalks, the obnoxious fuckers talking loudly on cellphones on the bus, the men who cut in line in front of you, the ladies who jab you with their umbrellas on the sidewalk. Who knows, with time you may even come to appreciate 7-11 taquitos.

Seriously, it’s a good experience living here for a prolonged period (17 months is hardly enough time to unpack ones bags). That which does not kill us makes us stronger, right?

I hope you’ll reconsider. You can easily find a better job, your Chinese will approve, you’ll meet lots of beautiful ladies and maybe even marry one. Your family can wait. You can visit them on Cinco de Mayo. Tough it out soldier. It’s good having you in Taiwan.

10

MT,

I appreciate all the words of encouragement and I know you are right.

But the thing is, there is much more pulling at me to return home at this point than the simple fact that it is home. I have some serious family issues which need to be resolved, and this opens up a window for me. Things that my mere presence back home will help out quite a bit. So, in all likelihood, I’ll be soaking it up back home for the next half year or so, then return here around late summer/fall next year. On the same token, during that time at home I’m going to try and get TESOL and ESL certs to make myself a better teacher. So there is at least that upside to it.

This is not a defeat. I will return. :notworthy:

11

A sad story to be sure.Best of luck to FF. Sorry that we couldn’t help you out more.
You are always welcome down here when and if you do come back.
Eric

12

JM, if you’re leaving soon, it would be great to ctach up with you once more. Come to the Happy Hour tomorrow night, and I’ll buy you a beer.

Brian

13

Good luck Jinete Mortal,

Sorry to hear that you and your friend hit upon such bad luck in Taiwan.

Hope all goes well.

rooftop

14

Ok so the shit gets deeper. The evil boss had her pussified boyfriend call me and try to intimidate me. Threats this and threats that. One thing I’m not willing to deal with at this point is his threat of sending his thug buddies after me. So, on that point, I’m leaving tomorrow. Unfortunately, that means I will miss the HH (I was really looking forward to that too :frowning: ). But like I said before…

This is not a defeat. I shall return. :notworthy:

15

[quote=“Jinete Mortal”]Ok so the shit gets deeper. The evil boss had her pussified boyfriend call me and try to intimidate me. Threats this and threats that. One thing I’m not willing to deal with at this point is his threat of sending his thug buddies after me. So, on that point, I’m leaving tomorrow. Unfortunately, that means I will miss the HH (I was really looking forward to that too :frowning: ). But like I said before…

This is not a defeat. I shall return. :notworthy:[/quote]

Hey, I hope things work out in your favor back home and that you have an opportunity to return to Taiwan soon. Do what you have to do.

Check in with us here when you have a chance. Remember, when you decide you to return, you have a community here to help you out.

Peace.

16

I was going to say that before you go, you need to sabotage the school in some way, but your last post sort of makes that moot.
Really, you are allowing some Taiwanese shithead to intimidate you such that you take the next plane out? That will set a nice example for these thumb-dicks: “Hey! It works. Just make a few vague threats and they get on a plane the next day.”
Not only that, you have uncovered gross negligence and are leaving before you can have anything done about it.
I think you ought to tough it out. But that’s just me.

17

Shit, JM, come on up to Taipei for a few days. There’s no way they’ll track you down in the middle of the city if you want to hang out, unwind, and do some sightseeing.

18

Well, some good news. Due to my and FF’s efforts, the boss has sought her own legal counsel and was advised to cease and desist what she has been doing. The first step to rectifying this is as follows. She has written all her remaining staff and will pay back their “trust fund” immediately with an added 6% interest cut.

This is very good news and makes my departure much happier. I’m glad that our efforts have borne some fruit, now if only for the other 2 issues.

Regardless, I am leaving tomorrow evening for HKG, then from there to LAX. I really appreciate all the words of encouragement and the solidarity I’m reading here in many of you being behind me in this. I will not forget this when I return. I’m going to buy all of you guys/gals a round when I come back. :notworthy: :bravo:

19

Where is the school?

20

Where is the school?[/quote]

In Taoyuan City. She actually operates this business under a buxiban called Kao Chi International School.

The ultimate irony in all of this as that her and pussified boyfriend have a house in LA about 10 minutes driving from where I live:

Maybe I should roll on up with my boys from East Los and pay them a visit, since they are both there right now. We’ll see who is harder…Richard and his mafiosos or me and my cholos. :smiling_imp: