I am a US citizen outside Taiwan. Several months ago, I was hired for a public school job in New Taipei City. I was issued a work permit after accepting the job, but was unable to obtain a visa with it due to border restrictions. My company is now working on a second work permit and special entry permit for me for entry at the end of this month.
The relevant official source I can find is this BOCA page, which mentions entry restrictions being lifted for Thai and Indonesian workers, as well as for foreign students, but nothing that would apply to me. Has there been any other official guidance on visas/border restrictions for foreign teachers? Are there other places I should be checking for updates?
EDIT: I was issued a work permit, not a special entry permit. My employer has repeatedly applied for special entry permits for me, but as far as I know, none has been issued.
I’d like to know too. We have our work permits, just waiting for the visa - our school advised us that special entry permits haven’t ever been processed for teachers.
I was mistaken––I also had a work permit issued (my employer has applied twice for special entry permits for me, but I have never received such a permit).
My company said that public school teachers are expected to be allowed in on Feb 15th. This vague article mentions a tentative border restrictions change for foreign workers scheduled for Feb 15th, but it is unclear who exactly would apply to. And I can’t find an official source to corroborate it.
I’m having special permission entry with work permit problems also.
But for business, getting any information is impossible.
The 15th is for migrant workers, factory, home help carer, maids type of work.
MOFA U.K. just say we have been told you need special permission from CECC ask how to obtain, nothing.
This seems to be something a lot of people want the answer to. Fulbright ETAs were all granted an exception from the beginning (an absolute disgrace, as they’re teaching in the public schools but have only an undergrad in something other than education/no licenses). Taipei American School has had teachers slowly trickle in too. Seems like FETs are at the bottom of the priority list though. #bilingual2030
I suspect—I have no inside information here—that this situation is largely due to the MOE and its seemingly perennial ineptness. They need to fight at the table to make you guys a priority (which they are currently not).
One way forward would be to find the agency/ies in charge of executing the Bilingualism 2030 scheme and make sure they know that this is happening—and therefore interfering with their goals. Maybe, just maybe, some fires could be lit under the MOE’s a&&es at that point to finally get things moving.
Yeah but they have Fulbright to provide an unlimited supply of foreigners to play teacher, so they have no motivation for the sake of the 2030 plan – there are Americans working in the public schools and that’s all that matters, even if they’re not qualified teachers and it’s clear that students haven’t learned jack squat (if they don’t have outside English help). To quote one of my predecessors: “The MOE believes that the act of putting a white person in the classroom will allow Taiwanese students to learn English by osmosis.” The qualifications couldn’t matter less. Thus, the MOE doesn’t care if the qualified, licensed, TFETP/ FETs are unable to come. They got their white people and that’s enough for them.
I suspect Fulbright as international exchange is handled via MOFA not MOE.
Even in the darkest depths of limited access, the working holiday kids could still get in to Taiwan.
Why is this happening? With Taiwan’s precarious position internationally, folks involved in these “international exchange” programs handled via MOFA get the green light to enter Taiwan even when dearly needed qualified professionals like the original poster do not.
It’s really a mess. I hope this gets cleaned up soon.
You are probably right that it is MOFA not MOE. Fulbright’s ETA program is able to exist because they are here under the false premise of being “exchange students” (per their visa), even though 100% of what they do is teach in the public schools and do “volunteering” that is absolutely a paid job for anyone else that does it. MOE tried to start an ETA program (let unlicensed foreigners “assist” in English classes in the public schools) and everyone that had been working from Aug - December was told in December that they couldn’t get a work permit because they didn’t have a teaching license (MOL’s decision – teaching license or masters degree required; an undergrad is insufficient to be an English assistant in the schools, even though that is EXACTLY what Fulbright has been doing for over a decade).
The incompetence and corruption is wildly obvious here.
I would agree with you if Fulbright ETAs were not being given the opportunity to participate in conferences (and lead workshops!!) directly related to Taiwan’s bilingual 2030 goals while the MOE FETs are shoved aside. But I have totally derailed this thread. Bilingualism 2030 is a joke, always has been, and people who are actually qualified to be teachers in the public schools are not being let in while the “exchange students” and exclusive private school (TAS) teachers are able to come
It sounds bad but I’m really glad you can relate with us. I haven’t spoken with anyone who is also in the same situation. We were also thinking it’s really confusing and vague in that exact article - hopefully it is correct and in fact we will be allowed in in February.
Unfortunately, if you are referring to the Taiwan News article linked above, that is referencing migrant workers, folks who do the lion’s share of labour in the factories and elsewhere in Taiwan, including domestic work. It is not about your situation, as you folks are on the white collar side of the ledger (and in the oddities of Taiwanspeak, not “migrant workers”).
It also really depends on how much the MOE in your city is fighting for special entry and how much pressure your schools are giving the MOE. I applied to be an English Teacher last May and didn’t sign a contract until early August but because of entry restrictions I couldn’t enter until November. Teachers working in public schools have been granted special entry since October 2021, but with Omicron cases rising the government may not be willing to process many special entry visas. I am assuming they are putting the special entry visa process on pause because the government is overly cautious. Who knows what exactly is going on if you really want to know maybe you can contact your local TECO and see what they say.
It depends on your embassy. Mine was in Denver if I remember correctly. I believe Texas wasn’t allowing people to have Residency prior to entering. I got my work permit and residency before entering and didn’t need a COVID test before flying or when I arrived.
I know that the requirements have changed but I laugh when people say no teachers have come for the last two years. Oh and mine was for a cram school not public.
My mistake, we are going for a cram school too, not public - I should have clarified.
That’s awesome that you got in - our school wouldn’t even attempt to apply for a special permission as they said no permits had ever been processed for teachers.
Looks like it’s still very much a waiting game then, unfortunately
Interesting to hear you were able to enter in Nov 2021, because my employer applied for a Special Entry Permit for me to enter in the same month, and then told me I would not be able to do so due to ongoing restrictions. The updates (Sept 13 and Nov 11) on the BOCA page only mention opening to a few categories (Indonesian migrants, etc.) So I guess exceptions are being made.
So very true
