Finding a Job in Taiwan

First of all, I am a new member here, just registered yesterday in fact. I am a Taiwanese who is pretty much Chinese illiterate. Studied English in Malaysia for 20+ years.

I am posting here seeking help after over 2years of failed job hunt attempts. I started looking for a job after I completed my compulsory military service on 2009. Its already 2011 and not one company have responded. I’ve been using resume templates provided by major job hunting sites like yes512.com.tw

A little about me:
I am fluent in both spoken and written English, although I do have a little Chinese-English accent but its not as heavy as majority of the English speaking Taiwanese.
I attended a art and design college and was only on the foundation of art and design course before my family have to return to Taiwan due to financial problems. I did not graduate.
I am pretty bad at maths.
2 weeks ago, I went for a walk-in interview at a silicon wafer company at Hsin Chu. No news from them since then. My friend who works there told me its because I had failed the math test they provided.

I am now a 2years unemployed Taiwanese resorting only to odd jobs that I do at home making some measly dollars. I am looking for help and/or advice.
Thanks.

So I take it no one knows what I should do?

I’ve tried going for walk-in interviews but apparently they dont need a local who cant read and write Chinese…

How about becoming literate in Chinese? What kind of jobs are you looking for?

Hello, I am almost in the same situation as you. Graduated from college in California nearly a year ago and haven’t found a job since. Currently am in Taiwan job hunting.

I guess I’m slightly better off than you since I have my B.S (Information Systems Management) and might be a bit more literate in Chinese than you are. While back in the States, I was under the impression that with a degree and proficient English speaking/writing that it would be easy to find a job. So far, all I can say is that grass is definitely greener on the other side.

Stuck in Taiwan for 3 months without a Ju liu zhen or work permit, things are looking grim; I don’t even know if its possible for me to get a job here with only my Taiwan passport.

Like the OP, I am trying to bum some advice off you successful folk. I have applied to a few technical writing positions posted on tealit.com as well as major companies like HTC and Microsoft. I don’t know how well I’d fare working in a Chinese only company, since I’m not confident in my Chinese communication abilities.

Also, if anyone can let me know anything about my legal problems concerning ju liu zhen, work permit, and taiwan passport please let me know.

How about becoming literate in Chinese? What kind of jobs are you looking for?[/quote]
I am trying to by trying out with reading newspapers with a dictionary.
Studying would require money, something which I do not have a the moment.

As to what sort of jobs I am looking for, its basically anything right now. I’ve even applied for a tissue paper packaging position a few weeks back and even that did not go well. No response.
Personally anything that is English related. Sounds pretty vague, I know…

Information about ju1 liu2 zheng4 (居留證) and whatnot:
Immigration Act Chapter 3 Visits, Residence, and Registered Permanent Residence of Nationals without Registered Permanent Residence in the Taiwan Area

Work Permits for Foreign Spouses and Foreigners with Special Status
Note: You can apply for an open work permit if you have a lineal blood relative who has a household registration in Taiwan.

[quote=“townay”]
I am trying to by trying out with reading newspapers with a dictionary.
Studying would require money, something which I do not have a the moment.[/quote]
Even if you are applying to jobs that don’t require much reading and writing, you might not want to advertise the fact that you’re not fully literate in Chinese. But definitely make it a priority to learn as much as possible when you have time.

Can you complete an application form in Chinese without consulting a dictionary? Do you have a cover letter and a biography in Chinese?

[quote=“townay”]
As to what sort of jobs I am looking for, its basically anything right now. I’ve even applied for a tissue paper packaging position a few weeks back and even that did not go well. No response.
Personally anything that is English related. Sounds pretty vague, I know…[/quote]

I’m sorry about your situation, but there are many English related jobs. Think about what you want to do and what you can do. Every application you send should convince the employer that you want the job, and you’re just the right person for the job.

Right now, after having filled up lots of application forms in Chinese, I memorized some of the Chinese characters used and I guess I can say that I can fill up the forms forms in Chinese. I still need a friend to help me when I come across some characters I have not seen before.

I do have a Chinese biography that is translated from English with my friend’s help and Google Translate. Cant say its the best there is since its translated from Google and my friend have to guess its meaning and reconstruct the sentences.

I will try and learn as much Chinese as possible though and avoid stating the fact that I am Chinese illiterate.

Townay, your current situation is pretty dismal. Malaysian English is not exactly the type of English which schools are looking for. Furthermore, Malaysia, like its Southeast Asian countries, is not exactly what Taiwanese would consider to be a country in the upper eschelons. You’re basically SOLed.

Your best bet is to look for English teaching jobs which don’t require a native English tongue. Although the pay is probably low, it’ll get you started somewhere and will help you in your next endeavor.

Good luck.

Yeah, looking through all the job hunt sites for English teaching, they all require American/Canadian/England native English accent.
I am pretty much out of choice.

Currently I am living in Chang-Hwa City though I wouldnt mind any outstation jobs.

There should be more things that you can do than teach and compete with native english speaking foreigners. You probably could speak pretty good Bahasa why not take advantage of that?

No I cant speak good Bahasa. Just easy enough Bahasa to get me some food. Back then when studying in Malaysia it wasnt compulsory for foreign students to study Bahasa in international schools.
I just used English/Mandarin to communicate with the locals back then

Have you tried TutorABC? They have (or had…not too sure) Filipinos/nas working for them and so you might be somewhat qualified. You need to be persistent with them though.

You also need to have at least a 2 year degree whether you like it or not. Without it, your desire of getting a higher salary is probably getting a 250 NT/hr job doing house cleaning…do you want to do that for the rest of your life?

From the site’s teaching requirement

[quote]Four-year college or university degree
Previous ESL teaching experience (preferred) [/quote]
Unfortunately, I dont have a 2 year degree. Does that mean that I cannot apply for TutorABC or I will just get lower pay?
I was only studying Foundation of Arts and Design before I had to return to Taiwan.

Ooops, I didn’t realize that they need a four-year university degree as a requirement. My bad.

Like I said previously, you’re basically SOLed due of these reasons: 1) you probably only have a HS diploma, 2) you speak Malay English and is not fluent in Chinese and 3) your current work experience will only get you minimum wage in Taiwan.

You really need to take care of #1 if you want to earn higher than minimum wage in Taiwan (we’re talking legal employment here) and that’s not even a guarantee since Taiwan is practically littered with folks who’ve earned 4-year and/or graduate degrees. I know you’re saying that you can’t afford it but I think you can if you really try. Lotsa Taiwanese work and study full time with minimal sleep and they get it done, albeit in years.

There are many colleges in Taiwan that offer 2-year degrees in various fields. You need to research it first, apply to those colleges, get acceptance, and find work close to the college (although most likely a minimum wage OR lower). If you continue this path of trying to find work with no degree whatsoever, you’re going to hit a wall soon (and I hate to inform you this but you’ve already hit it). Have you noticed that there aren’t many folks who are responding to your questions? I’m trying to be both helpful and blunt.

[quote=“townay”]Yeah, looking through all the job hunt sites for English teaching, they all require American/Canadian/England native English accent.
I am pretty much out of choice.
[/quote]

The job ads will ask for that; however, it doesn’t mean that it’s always the case. I certainly wouldn’t write this off. I’ve met several people in similarish situations who managed to land teaching jobs. The boss just sells them to the punters as an ABC. They get paid considerably less, though. A guy I was working with recently in an adult school was Taiwanese but had studied in Singapore and he was getting 450 an hour, if I remember correctly. Twenty hours a week and you’re on the average Taiwanese monthly salary.

Kindy would be a good area to look into, too. You get more hours and there are considerable advantages for the boss.

Don’t ever use Google translate in any resume or cover letter. Especially since education level and literacy are not your strong points, you can’t make poor communication skills stand out from the start.

[quote=“PigBloodCake”]Ooops, I didn’t realize that they need a four-year university degree as a requirement. My bad.

Like I said previously, you’re basically SOLed due of these reasons: 1) you probably only have a HS diploma, 2) you speak Malay English and is not fluent in Chinese and 3) your current work experience will only get you minimum wage in Taiwan.

You really need to take care of #1 if you want to earn higher than minimum wage in Taiwan (we’re talking legal employment here) and that’s not even a guarantee since Taiwan is practically littered with folks who’ve earned 4-year and/or graduate degrees. I know you’re saying that you can’t afford it but I think you can if you really try. Lotsa Taiwanese work and study full time with minimal sleep and they get it done, albeit in years.

There are many colleges in Taiwan that offer 2-year degrees in various fields. You need to research it first, apply to those colleges, get acceptance, and find work close to the college (although most likely a minimum wage OR lower). If you continue this path of trying to find work with no degree whatsoever, you’re going to hit a wall soon (and I hate to inform you this but you’ve already hit it). Have you noticed that there aren’t many folks who are responding to your questions? I’m trying to be both helpful and blunt.[/quote]
Thanks for your advice. I’ll try and find those colleges. Will tuition centres help? I need to brush up on my Chinese first if I am to take a college degree.

No offense taken :slight_smile:
I appreciate your helpful advice and your bluntness because its a fact that, like you said, I’ve hit a wall.

AFAIK, many colleges in Taiwan are screaming out for students and the failure rate is low (because failing means losing revenue), I know they are very lenient with some overseas Chinese with poor to non-existent Chinese skills. So I think you have a good chance to go back to college here and get qualifications.