Is this background check a requirement for obtaining a work permit as well as an ARC, or is it just for an ARC? I just landed in Taiwan two weeks ago and only found out about this background check yesterday from the taiwannews article.
Itâs a requirement if you want to work in a buxiban (cram school). If you get work in a public or private school (or Uni for that matter) you donât need one. Good luck. Lots of other newbies are in this uncharted territory so take comfort in the fact youâre not alone at least.
EDIT: Oh, as far as whether itâs needed for a work permit or ARC, I believe itâs work permit. But you need a work permit to even obtain an ARC so itâs a bit of a moot point.
So if I have to bring the criminal background check with me, wonât it look a little fishy when the document has already been opened, outside of the original envelope? Assuming that I apply to multiple jobs and each one wants to see the background check? Maybe Iâm over thinking itâŚ
Envelope, schmenvelope. All that matters is the authenticated FBI document clearing you of any convictions. I know this, because I had to do this crap when I worked in South Korea, which has had this in place for the better part of a decade (and there all ARC holders have to get it, not just those who work at cram schools).
How much longer does it take if you get an FBI check from overseas? Is there an FBI-approved fingerprinting place in Taipei?
Does having any criminal record bar you from getting a job?? Like, a petty misdemeanor??
Speeding tickets, for example, are usually under âinfractionsâ (not even a misdemeanor). They wonât have much bearing, if any, on a decision. If you have a myriad of speeding offenses, it could well hurt your chances.
It is all at the discretion of the authorities issuing visa. Very minor misdemeanors - you may get a pass (1 or 2). But if you have a âhistoryâ of misdemeanors - chances would be slim.
Iâm just bar-room blabbing (humble enough to admit it), as I really do not know anything for sure, save the fact that a few speeding tickets would have little or no effect on a decision.
Best of luck!
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Weâre still waiting for an official clarification about misdemeanors.
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Speeding tickets are not included on an FBI background check. Otherwise 99% of people would be screwed.
Only arrestable convictions are there. Misdemeanors and felonies. Iâd wager most people that are nervous about the new checks are worried about old public intox, DUI or reckless driving charges. All stuff that has nothing to do with being a âwolf teacher.â
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Again, I wasnât sure. I didnât know whether or not speeding tickets would show up on an FBI background check. I knew they werenât disqualifying, if they were to (unless hundreds showed up lol)âŚ
It makes sense that only arrestable convictions are given.
Thank you.
afaik, the local precincts are responsible for reporting to the FBI, so itâs up to what they report as far as misdemeanors. Before 2014 or so, the FBI wasnât interested in misdemeanors, so none will possibly show up if it was before them. Since 2015, it depends on the severity of the misdemeanor. Also take into account that different states have different criminal codes, so offenses could be different depending on the states. I know when I got one for unrelated reasons back in the states, my misdemeanor use of marijuana didnât show up. However, thatâs no guarantee for anyone else.
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It seems that you can do a background check from overseas through a back channeler. Can you get the livescan fingerprinting done in Taipei?
Finalized, eh? 
It turns out the bureaucrats canât agree whoâs actually in charge of sorting out the details. MeanwhileâŚ
Since the amendment took effect, 74 applications for work visas from prospective teachers have remained in limbo at the labor ministry, he said.
Chen asked Yen when the interpretation would be issued, to which Yen replied: âWithin a month.â
The real tragedy, of course, is that
âSome parents who have paid tuition are demanding refunds, but a more serious problem is that cram schoolsâ reputations have been damaged,â Chiu said.
Oh, no! 
Thereâs an easy way they could fix this temporarily.
The ministries should relax the rules by allowing foreigners to sign an affidavit guaranteeing that they have no history of criminal activity in their home nations before granting them a grace period to obtain the documents issued by their governments, he said, adding that in the case of US applicants, it can take up to six months for the FBI to issue such documents.
Of course, that doesnât mean theyâll actually do it. 
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They are saying that the FBI check can take months. But Iâm really hoping they accept an expedited channelerâs as it only took me 3 days. (Granted, not authorized from TECO)
The MOE and MOL are still hashing out the details on whether an affidavit can be used in lieu of an official criminal history report to allow time for such reports to be received.
Yes, YYY, the affidavit part is a sticking point that has yet to be finalized.
You cannot put be holds on hirees like this, particulary in a country with a super high demand of EFL teachers. An affidavit will have to go in place. Teachers come to Taiwan with only a tourist visa (usually). Then, they make a conversion to a work visa.
Who knows? Everything might get scrapped at some point once all the absurd legal niceties are revealed. Very little in way of sureties, for sure. I understand all the articles are translations from Mandarin.
I think everyone will look back and wonder why we all made such a big deal out of this.
I have a hard time believing that Taiwan will ever get as bad as South Korea with work visa bureaucracy.
There are foreigner English teachers in North Korea?
I didnât see any mention of NORTH Korea, the last time I checked. LOL.
I know youâre joking, but yes. North Korea does have a very small number of foreign English teachers. And Iâm not talking about people held against their will either. I recommend everyone reads âWithout You, There Is No Usâ, by an investigative reporter who went undercover as a foreign teacher for the children of Pyongyangâs elite for a year. Okay, tangent over. https://www.amazon.com/Without-You-There-No-Undercover/dp/0307720667
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