Can I volunteer in the Military and start as soon as possible?

[nealtaiwan]

Happy New Year Guys!! I am new here so please help me with my questions.

I am Neal, born in the Philippines and I also hold a Taiwan Citizenship. I am planning to go back in Taiwan to join the Military Service/Training.

Here’s my questions:
- I don’t want to wait for 180 days before I receive a letter asking me to join the Military Training. Can I just volunteer instead?
- When do new recruits start? Is it every month or every other month?
- How long would be the Military? Is it still 1 year, lesser or ever more?
- I don’t have perfect eyesights, so I wear contact lenses or eyeglasses. Is there any rule or process for someone like me?
- My Mandarin speaking, reading, and writing skills is not the good, but I guess can survive the life there. But where would I be assign?
- What does “hukou” means?

Those are my questions for now, I will ask more incase I think of anything else. :roflmao: Thank you in advance! :discodance:

[hansioux]

It depends on what do you mean by volunteer. Do you mean you want to serve out your compulsory military service instead of doing some type of alternative service? Or do you mean you want to serve in the military for real, becoming a career military, which is what “volunteer service” actually means.

It seems like what you want to enlist for your mandatory service as early as possible. In that case you should stay away from using “volunteer service” to describe what you want to do, otherwise the subsequent confusion might be no fun at all.

First, are you sure if you have Taiwan citizenship? or are you a unregistered national? Hukou 戶口 means household registration, and without it makes serving more complicated. If you have household registration, then go to your local District Office’s (公所) Department of Compulsory Military Service (兵役科) and request a military physical evaluation (a routine health check up). You may also ask if you can enter service early, however, the likely response is no. You have to wait until you assign you a date and a hospital to go to for your physical evaluation. Though that also means the sooner you start this process and be done with physical evaluation, the quicker you get enlisted.

Glasses or no glasses makes no difference (unless your eyes are worse than -10 diopters, then you either have to serve alternative service or don’t have to serve at all), contacts would be highly impractical during your service.

Service assignment is based on lottery after the physical evaluation. Unit assignment is also usually based on lottery after you finished basic training (boot camp), unless they needed someone to fill a position that requires a relevant degrees in engineering/medicine or something.

If you are born after 1994, then you might only have to serve 4 months, otherwise it’s usually 12 months to 18 months, depending on your age and whether or not you took military training sources at school.

This blog seems relevant.
baladaily.blogspot.tw/2011/02/next-stamp.html
baladaily.blogspot.tw/2011/03/type-2.html

There are several books written by Americans who have served in Taiwan’s military. One was mentioned recently.

Barbarian at the gate
camphorpress.com/background-bar … apter-one/

[nealtaiwan]

[quote=“hansioux”]It depends on what do you mean by volunteer. Do you mean you want to serve out your compulsory military service instead of doing some type of alternative service? Or do you mean you want to serve in the military for real, becoming a career military, which is what “volunteer service” actually means.

It seems like what you want to enlist for your mandatory service as early as possible. In that case you should stay away from using “volunteer service” to describe what you want to do, otherwise the subsequent confusion might be no fun at all.

First, are you sure if you have Taiwan citizenship? or are you a unregistered national? Hukou 戶口 means household registration, and without it makes serving more complicated. If you have household registration, then go to your local District Office’s (公所) Department of Compulsory Military Service (兵役科) and request a military physical evaluation (a routine health check up). You may also ask if you can enter service early, however, the likely response is no. You have to wait until you assign you a date and a hospital to go to for your physical evaluation. Though that also means the sooner you start this process and be done with physical evaluation, the quicker you get enlisted.

Glasses or no glasses makes no difference (unless your eyes are worse than -10 diopters, then you either have to serve alternative service or don’t have to serve at all), contacts would be highly impractical during your service.

Service assignment is based on lottery after the physical evaluation. Unit assignment is also usually based on lottery after you finished basic training (boot camp), unless they needed someone to fill a position that requires a relevant degrees in engineering/medicine or something.

If you are born after 1994, then you might only have to serve 4 months, otherwise it’s usually 12 months to 18 months, depending on your age and whether or not you took military training sources at school.

This blog seems relevant.
baladaily.blogspot.tw/2011/02/next-stamp.html
baladaily.blogspot.tw/2011/03/type-2.html

There are several books written by Americans who have served in Taiwan’s military. One was mentioned recently.

Barbarian at the gate
camphorpress.com/background-bar … apter-one/[/quote]

@hansioux thank you for your answers and for making clear regarding the volunteer service and mandatory. And yes I am referring to the Mandatory service, I don’t want to be in the military as a career HAHA

I am turning 24 years old this year, so I guess I would fall to the the 12-18 months of service. I am sure that I am also a Taiwan Citizen. Hukou is the Taiwan ID right? I know I have that and just last September, I visit Taiwan with a Taiwan passport and when the time I was going back here in the Philippines. I was asked by the immigration office to go down stairs because I need to ask for a stamp so that I can pass through the immigration. So I’m sure I am also required to join the mandatory service.

How long would I need to wait from the medical exam up to the start of the training? Would it take me 1 year of waiting?

While in the military, is there any rest day during the weekends where we can go out of the camp? or can we ask for leaves?

I have a BS in Computer Science. How do they choose from the 3 types of service?

If they put me on alternative service, can I insist on putting me to the military service?

Thanks!

[hansioux]

[quote=“nealtaiwan”]

How long would I need to wait from the medical exam up to the start of the training? Would it take me 1 year of waiting?

While in the military, is there any rest day during the weekends where we can go out of the camp? or can we ask for leaves?

I have a BS in Computer Science. How do they choose from the 3 types of service?

If they put me on alternative service, can I insist on putting me to the military service?

Thanks! [/quote]

I would say a month or two of waiting on average. Ask your district official to get a better idea.

you can’t ask for leave. if you or the group you are in performed well in certain events, you might earn a extra day off or something. you get assigned day off, no regular weekend off day though.

If you have BS in CS, you are in type 3.

Usually if you are in alternative service or get disqualified, it means you have real physical condition which makes you unfit for regular compulsory service. If have have a masters or above, then you can choose to enter R&D alternative service without having any physical condition.

[nealtaiwan]

[quote=“hansioux”]

I would say a month or two of waiting on average. Ask your district official to get a better idea.

you can’t ask for leave. if you or the group you are in performed well in certain events, you might earn a extra day off or something. you get assigned day off, no regular weekend off day though.

If you have BS in CS, you are in type 3.

Usually if you are in alternative service or get disqualified, it means you have real physical condition which makes you unfit for regular compulsory service. If have have a masters or above, then you can choose to enter R&D alternative service without having any physical condition.[/quote]

Thank you . Okay I will ask that once I get back there. I hope 2 months of waiting is the most.

For the day off, is that on a weekly basis?
I just have my BS in CS. What does “R&D alternative service” mean?
Since all of my documents are here with me in the Philippines, so what documents do I need to bring, is there any requirements?
Do I need to bring my diploma with me as a proof that I really have BS in CS?

[Black_Beauty]

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