So I need some advice from people who have switched jobs in the past. Basically my contract/ARC at my current school ends in mid August and I do not plan on renewing. I’m hoping to find a job in a more convenient location with less hours because I’m planning on focusing more on studying Chinese next year. Basically I’m unsure of when I should start looking and what I will need from my current employer to switch/ get a new ARC from the new school. I was thinking I would just wait until July to start looking but I was curious what others would recommend. Also, does anyone know how long I can stay in Taiwan after my ARC expires? I really don’t want to have to leave the country on a visa run. Thanks in advance!
Check Tealit for a complete guide to switching employers.
tealit.com/article_categorie … e=changing
When I did it a couple years ago, in order to not have to leave the country, it was done in 2 steps. Before your current ARC expires, you add a new employer as secondary. You don’t need anything from your current employer to do this, at least I didn’t at the time. Step 2 is to then drop the original employer and change the secondary employer to sponsoring employer.
[quote=“CraigTPE”]Check Tealit for a complete guide to switching employers.
tealit.com/article_categorie … e=changing
When I did it a couple years ago, in order to not have to leave the country, it was done in 2 steps. Before your current ARC expires, you add a new employer as secondary. You don’t need anything from your current employer to do this, at least I didn’t at the time. Step 2 is to then drop the original employer and change the secondary employer to sponsoring employer.[/quote]That’s not necessary, and not AFAIK the recommended procedure either. The NIA and Ministry of Labor people seem to prefer if you cleanly switch jobs, so your first job finishes (i.e. the contract cancellation document becomes effective) when your second one starts. I changed jobs a couple of times in the last few years, and both times it was the same. Of course I didn’t have to leave the country either time. And there was no break in my employment, either.
The Tealit article seems a bit misleading.
Catch-22, you should really ask the NIA and the Ministry of Labor yourself. They’re quite helpful.
I followed it to the letter, and it worked like a charm, but glad to hear there might be an easier way. It did, however, match my situation more closely than the OP’s as I was in fact making a gradual transition from one job to the next.
I followed it to the letter, and it worked like a charm, but glad to hear there might be an easier way. It did, however, match my situation more closely than the OP’s as I was in fact making a gradual transition from one job to the next.[/quote]I think that might be it. I guess they’re OK with concurrent jobs if in fact you are doing some work at both places for a while. But when you really are just switching jobs, it seems you’re supposed to do it the other way.
Of course, knowing how things are here, it may work slightly differently in different cities! My experience has been in Taichung and Taipei City, with a little bit of Taoyuan too (for a work permit but not for the NIA stuff).
Thanks CraigTPE and Joesox!
CraigTPE- I read the article and I might go that route if a job I find wants me to begin right away.
Joesox- How long before your contract ended with one job did you start your ARC paperwork with the other? Because if I understand everything correctly I have to leave the country 7 days after my ARC expires if I haven’t started the paperwork to get a new one. Or something. I’m a bit confused. How do I get in contact with NIA or ministry of labor?
When ending one’s old job, and applying for a new one, would one still have to submit all one’s official documents, like a new criminal record check, freshly-authorised degree? etc, (ie: things that were needed to get an ARC in the first place) or would a new employer just want to see your actual degree, and trust that all the other ARC requirements are still in order from your previous employment? (seeing as you hadn’t left the country) Ie: you wouldn’t be applying for a new ARC, you’d just be switching ARC sponsors.
I ask this because I’m from South Africa, and getting my degree ‘authorised/apostilled’ and getting a new criminal record check from South Africa, etc, whilst in Taiwan would be a lot of admin…
Any info/ experience would be appreciated 