About Modeling and Doing Other Talent Work in Taiwan

Work Working in Taiwan
1

Hello everyone,

I have been living in Taiwan for about 2 years now, and have done quite a bit of modeling/talent work here in Taiwan on the side of my studies and working after graduating from Uni last year.

I have run into a lot of different kinds of situations and have heard a lot of interesting things both from people working with various modeling agencies and also from other foreigners that do freelance modeling work. I’ve gained a lot of experience, and I just felt like dispelling some of the bigger rumors and misunderstandings that I’ve run into; since some of these rumors are potentially dangerous for our welfare and ability to remain here in Taiwan legally.

Rumor #1
“It is not required for foreigners to get work permits when doing TV commercials or other kinds of modeling work.” OR "The government has only started requiring us to get work permits for these jobs recently.

WELLLLLLLLL… THIS IS COMPLETELY WRONG.

It is now and has always been mandatory for any foreigner doing any type of work to get work permits in order to do work here in Taiwan. While, over the past few months, the government has been cracking down on their demands for these permits and even began auditing television commercials shot in Taiwan where foreign actors are used, THIS HAS BEEN A REQUIREMENT FOR A VERY LONG TIME.
One reason that people believe this is a “NEW” thing is, as I just mentioned, because the government has been cracking down on these witch-hunts only recently. Why? Because they discovered that a number of companies in the industry WERE NOT applying for the work permits for every job.

What could that do to a foreigner in Taiwan, you ask?
Well, if you are found doing any kind of talent work without the proper permit for any commercial, you can 1. be fined very heavily, 2. deported from the country and not allowed to return for 5-7 years, and 3. get a “black mark” in your passport which makes it more difficult for the foreigner to apply for visas in Taiwan as well as other countries in the future.

Why is it that some foreigners may have done this kind of work without having work permits, then?
That answer is fairly simple. It’s because either they did not know this was required (because their agency or the client for the commercial did not mention it to them), or that their agency told them they would apply for the paperwork and never actually did it.

So, what can we do to fix this problem?
The safest thing to do is to sign with ONE (and only one) modeling agency that you know for sure does apply for this paper work for every job. I can recommend my agency, V&L models (vnlmodels.com).

How do I know that they are safe, that they apply for all of the permits for each job, and that they don’t cheat us as foreigners? Because not only has this agency been open for 13 years, but they have done things legally for all 13 of those years.
For example, for every job they send you on, they e-mail you a copy of YOUR work permit for that job. They have clearly laid out case-by-case contracts (if you are one of their freelance models, they have you sign a single-time contract for each job) and they have long-term contracts which guarantee that they will promote you as well as protect you should a client misuse the material that you do. They have experience, and they are also friendly, honest people.

While this may seem like mere promotion, it is not. The truth is, the reason that I thought to post this is because of one thing and one thing only. If a foreigner in Taiwan is caught doing this kind of work and by some random act of chance doesn’t have everything prepared exactly the way that they need it, it could result in deportation and the inability to return to Taiwan for an uncertain amount of time. As a foreigner who often feels more Taiwanese than otherwise, I know that if this were to happen to me, I would be devastated, so I just wanted to pass on the word to anyone who may consider doing this kind of work.

If you have any other questions, feel free to discuss them here, and if I can explain anything I will happily share anything that I know.

I will occasionally add more information about other rumors that I have run into here on this thread, as well.

Thanks for taking the time to read.

2

no worries guys, this is just the owner of the company making his promotion

3

No, it’s not. The owner has been in Taiwan longer than most flobbers.

4

Nonetheless, Toe Save, it does look remarkably fishy. A first-time post with a glowing testimonial right on the heels of some bad press on here. :ponder:

5

Well James…

As far as I know, the “bad press” was not directed at V&L a the time of the OP. I had no idea it was about V&L until kitkat accused them of…well, still waiting for the what, in this thread. If this was a buxiban we were talking about, someone accusing a school with unsubstantiated claims would quickly find themselves binned, nu?

I don’t know anyone in the company other than the owner who could write that well, and he has been here since the 90s, not a mere two years as the OP has. I think he/she is a satisfied client, as am I. I am having the best time in 10+ years in Taiwan. Meeting people from all over the world and actual artistic Taiwanese. That alone is such a breath of fresh air. And it’s thanks to the hard working agents of V&L.

No James, not suspicious at all. I think the OP may have been motivated by the other thread to explain his/her experience and share some cogent facts about travelling Thespia in these here parts.

6

Fair enough. :bow:

7

I take a couple days off of checking the site and my post has exploded… wow, didn’t expect that one.

Allow me to clarify my motivations in posting this before any more speculation can continue to boil.

I was, in no way, responding to the bad press that someone mentioned before. At the time of my posting, I honestly had no idea that there was anything else about modeling brewing on the site.

I am in the same boat as all of those who say that they don’t want to see other foreigners screwed, and I know for an absolute fact that V&L has never been a company that narked on foreigners to send them out of the country. The owner, director, and staff are all moral, honest individuals, and unlike some people that I continue to run into, do not participate in the whole mud-slinging game.

I didn’t mean to plug the company as my main point, thus I put it in the very last part of my lengthy original post. I only mentioned the company because after working with them for 2 years now, I have never had an experience that matches those of some friends who’ve worked with other companies in the past. Plain and simple.

Continue the skepticism as you may, I encourage it, but frankly the biggest reason I wanted to create this thread was to increase awareness before more people get into trouble for doing something that (though they may not know) has rules and regulations that they need to follow.

8

Again, not the owner, just a satisfied talent who has had experience in the field and wanted to inform others, that’s all…

9

[color=#000080]Moderator Note:[/color]

Ladies, gentlemen and all of you other fine posters:

I have removed all unsubstantiated accusations and replies to them from this thread. Please let us bear in mind that accusations concerning businesses and individuals are potentially very harmful, both financially and personally. If finger-pointing is done, it needs to be backed up with solid evidence and proof, not baseless innuendo.

May we continue to hold each other in mutual respect with this in mind.

10

[quote=“ac02946851”]…
I am in the same boat as all of those who say that they don’t want to see other foreigners screwed, and I know for an absolute fact that V&L has never been a company that narked on foreigners to send them out of the country. The owner, director, and staff are all moral, honest individuals, and unlike some people that I continue to run into, do not participate in the whole mud-slinging game.

…[/quote]

You know that you’re in Taiwan, right?

11

I do know that I’m in Taiwan, however I also know the director personally and know his background. He is a foreigner, not Taiwanese. It seems to make approaches at some aspects of business a bit different of a ball game, at least from what I’ve experienced.

12

ac02946851, I just have a clarification question here: I’ve never heard of “talent work”, and so am wondering if by this you mean “modeling and acting”? What does your “talent” signify?

13

Talent can act. Models can pose.

14

Toe Save is correct.
“Model” is the term in the industry that refers to people who mainly do print work, or pose for photo shoots.
“Talent” refers more to actors or people who use other talents and mainly do television advertisements, television shopping networks, television shows, or other various types of media.

15

[quote=“Belgian Pie”][quote=“ac02946851”]The owner, director, and staff are all moral, honest individuals, and unlike some people that I continue to run into, do not participate in the whole mud-slinging game.

…[/quote]

You know that you’re in Taiwan, right?[/quote]
I’m in Taiwan too, and have no trouble with this claim. I don’t know anything about the industry or the people concerned, but I know plenty of decent trustworthy Taiwanese people that are professional in their businesses.

Also, the company in question is vouched for by none other than the Mighty Toe. He and I have crossed swords many times in the past, but I don’t smell bullshit on this one.

16

[quote=“ac02946851”]
“Model” is the term in the industry that refers to people who mainly do print work, or pose for photo shoots.
“Talent” refers more to actors or people who use other talents and mainly do television advertisements, television shopping networks, television shows, or other various types of media.[/quote]

A decided oxymoron in many cases.

Um, acXXXXXXXX, have you considered the wisdom of using your ARC ID nuber as your handle? It may mean you will still be able to recall it if you do forget it, but it’s a bit like putting your Social Security umber online.

Unless of course it’s Belgian Pie’s number.

Then we’ll ALL use it to buy more stuff online.

17

Actually, that’s my old ARC number, I thought the anonymity was a plus… haha untouchable of sorts…

This is my new account, so I will use this from now on~

<3

18

cunning.

19

[quote=“linguistandmodel”]Actually, that’s my old ARC number, I thought the anonymity was a plus… haha untouchable of sorts…

This is my new account, so I will use this from now on~

<3[/quote]
But we will still know it’s you. Obviously your talent doesn’t extend to anti-stalking measures. Wouldn’t that be a useful characteristic for a media celebrity?

20

He’s Talent in Taiwan. Going up, he needs to be found. Why not? Does he really have to fear the psycho xiao Jie? Who will stalk him?