Hello. I am employed with an ARC and now I want to change jobs “mid-stream.” As I am negotiating my new salary I am wondering if my new employer will somehow, via tax records or otherwise, get information on how much money I made in my current job??? Obviously it isn’t the best negotiating position if the other part can see my “cards.”
Please help - FAST FAST FAST!
Thanks.
I don’t know but I sure would like to find out. ANYONE OUT THERE THAT HAS AN ANSWER?
Me and NeedHelpGuy would like an answer. Or, if you don’t know, do you know where one can get this answer?
Have Fun
As a general matter, I would note that the Taiwanese people do not consider salary levels to be a issue of “personal privacy.” It is quite common for a new acquaintance to ask a foreigner outright “How much do you earn every month?”
Hence, if we are speaking of Taiwanese organizations here (as opposed to foreign organizations), I would assume that if your new employer has the name, address, and other contact data for your old employer, it would be quite easy for him to call up that office and find out your original salary just by asking one of the staff there.
I am not sure how your new employer could get copies of your “tax records.” As for “withholding records”, yes, possibly, from your original employer. I can say that stranger things have happened.
By the way, I got the ARC and resident visa extended. See my posts.
I would suggest that you stand back and ask yourself the following question when considering employment with a Taiwanese company: " What will they/I gain from my working there?" Another one is, “Will working for this company be of benefit to my professional career long term?”
I suggest reading Jeremy Hopkins’ profile page at
oriented.org/profiles/jeremy.hopkins.shtml
I found his career/money observations well-stated and very very true (I’ve worked here for more than 2 yrs.) I’ve never taught English to little kids, but I think that might be a fun part-time activity after I have a reasonable command of Mandarin!
In general, I believe exact salaries aren’t shared but someone can get a pretty good idea. My office is a “foreign company” office of an American international corporation, so I thought salaries would still be regarded highly confidential. But I have a good idea how much almost everyone earns, and once I accidentally received a co-worker’s monthly income statement along with my own! Chinese business is all about relationships, and these are usually forged through the sharing of useful information…so don’t expect your salary to be secure. But also remember what someone else shared with me: “You won’t get paid what you’re worth, you’ll get paid what you manage to negotiate.” If you aren’t already comfortable with Chinese negotiation styles, ask some Taiwanese friends to help you!
Best Regards,
…mike
[Note: This message has been edited by Hartzell]