Chinese New Year and Sour Grapes
Chinese New Year Sucks!
Don
You just don’t understand…ah you know it. 
How does your salary compare to that of your local counterparts shifty? Not trying to rain on your rant, but often we aren’t getting bonuses because we make considerably more than our local coworkers.
At the first three places I was making 10% more that the others in my department, at the school I make maybe 200 per hour more. I hear what you are saying, but my rant was more directed to the lie in my face aspect of the whole affair.
Plus my fellow Taiwanese employees get paid sick days, paid holidays and pay less than half the taxes I do. In addition, they do not have to live with the work visa (indentured servitude) as a means to be constantly blackmailed,
At the first three places I was making 10% more that the others in my department, at the school I make maybe 200 per hour more. I hear what you are saying, but my rant was more directed to the lie in my face aspect of the whole affair.
You see what I am saying? :s[/quote]
Sure, I hear you. Like I said, I wasn’t trying to rain on your rant. The fact that we make more than our local counterparts may serve to soften the blow of our exclusion from their New Year’s hong bao tradition, no?
What pisses me off is that 364 days a year you’re expected to work unpaid overtime, work on holidays, not get benefits that the law requires because “you’re in Taiwan, and this is how we treat all of our staff” and so on. Then, on day #365, when it’s time to hand out the bonuses, all of a sudden it becomes, “but, you’re not Taiwanese, and this is a Taiwanese custom, so you’re not included, duh”.
I’ve quit at least three jobs because they pulled this bs on me. Now I get all the bonus arrangements, everything, in my contract, right up front. Call your boss into your office and tell him he’s fired. Simple. While you’re at it, tell him to stick his work permit up his ass.
[quote=“redwagon”]What pisses me off is that 364 days a year you’re expected to work unpaid overtime, work on holidays, not get benefits that the law requires because “you’re in Taiwan, and this is how we treat all of our staff” and so on. Then, on day #365, when it’s time to hand out the bonuses, all of a sudden it becomes, “but, you’re not Taiwanese, and this is a Taiwanese custom, so you’re not included, duh”.
I’ve quit at least three jobs because they pulled this bs on me. Now I get all the bonus arrangements, everything, in my contract, right up front. Call your boss into your office and tell him he’s fired. Simple. While you’re at it, tell him to stick his work permit up his ass.[/quote]
I wish it was that easy. I have been on 10 interveiws in the last two weeks, 7 of the 10 offered me jobs, but when I asked about the work permit I got the Old " oh don’t worry we know how to take care of our teachers… you don’t need a permit then you just have to pay taxes… We are not able to do that… etc …"
You all know the story
[quote=“redwagon”]
I’ve quit at least three jobs because they pulled this bs on me. Now I get all the bonus arrangements, everything, in my contract, right up front. .[/quote]
This is SOP for locals, if not in writing then stated clearly beforehand.
Once while employed by a Taiwanese company while being paid foriegn rate I got a hongbao of 20NT. I would have rather not got anything. Co-workers getting close to a month’s wages in bonuses and I can get a nice cool yogurt drink (a whole six pack at that, if I could get the obasan on a good day).
The whole compensation structure is screwy on Taiwan. Chinese New Year bonus and the now defunct the Mid-Autumn Festival bonus being used to figure into ones annual salary is not very dependable. But I guess that’s why they call it a bonus. Another way for the company to keep themselves competitive and employees hoping for a better tomorrow. Sort of like pension/retirement/stock option plans in the west. Anything to keep the worker ant motivated.
[quote=“shifty”]
I wish it was that easy. I have been on 10 interveiws in the last two weeks, 7 of the 10 offered me jobs, but when I asked about the work permit I got the Old " oh don’t worry we know how to take care of our teachers… you don’t need a permit then you just have to pay taxes… We are not able to do that… etc …"
You all know the story[/quote]I probably have it easier than you for two reasons:
- I don’t rely on an employer for an ARC or work permit.
- I work in a different industry.
That’s as subtle as I can be. 
I hear you brother.