What is the difference in legal status between an anqinban and a buxiban ? What are the characters for anqinban ?
I think if you are starting or jumping into opening a school and you choose a partner make sure your grilfriend and or wife’s name is on the partnership or license. I do not think foreigners have much come back if the taiwanese partner fucks them round the place, when teh foreigner is on their own
A while back an American woman established an English school chain that gradually became failry well known. She had put her own time and money into it and her own name on it. She had a local partner who officially owned the chain for legal reasons. Then one day the American “owner” comes back from a vacation to find, in effect, all her belongings on the office doorstep with note saying, thanks for the help, I can handle it myself from here on out. To add insult, she couldn’t even use her own name to open a new school.
Another friend of mine lost all interest in his successful buxiban when he and his wife divorced.
That’s the type of screwing I was talking about. Those are the only cases I know of offhand and they happened a while back, so I was wondering how common it is.
安親班
The fact is that even with the changes in official policy mandated by the WTO, Taiwan is still a bad place for foreigners to invest. Large corporations with government backing from back home may have the clout and ability to protect their investments. Small and medium sized business investments are very risky and the profits are nowhere near what they used to be. Better to send the money home or take it into China.
Didn’t Ms. Hess lose everything, including her family name when her husband divorced her?
What money? You’ve got to invest something to get something. I for one am happy with the profits I’m making in the bushiban business.
Take it to China? Eeeewww.
Watch your back in a partnership, that is for sure. I wouldn’t leave myself open to a situation where something like the above-described nightmares could happen.
The only way to protect yourself is not to have a partner. Foreigners cannot legally own a school without a Chinese partner.
The profit margin in China is significantly greater than here in Taiwan with about the same amount of risk.
If you want something like real security invest in countries that do not allow race or ethnicity to determine your legal rights as it applies to financial security.
The only way to protect yourself is not to have a partner. Foreigners cannot legally own a school without a Chinese partner. The profit margin in China is significantly greater than here in Taiwan with about the same amount of risk. If you want something like real security invest in countries that do not allow race or ethnicity to determine your legal rights as it applies to financial security.[/quote]
My friend is now processing a license through the bushiban assc. with him as the owner. So I believe your first assertion is no longer true. I will post when i find out more about his case.
I am protected because my partner is my wife, who I trust implicitly. OK, that could change. I am protected because my services as a teacher at the school are indispensable. This is real security, and I don’t have to go to–shiver–China.
Foreigners can own bushibans, but the still require a Taiwanese office manager.
what, the “banzhuren?” completely a paper position if you so desire.
[quote]My friend is now processing a licence in his own name through the bushiban assc., so I believe your formerly true first assertion is no longer true. I will give more details when I get them.
My partner is my wife who I trust implicitly. If that trust should fail my services as a teacher at the school are indispensable. Thus, I am protected in the form of bushiban I am running, and I don’t have to go to–shiver–China.[/quote]
ESL teachers are a dime a dozen. It really doesn’t matter how well you teach so long as you look the part. You could be replaced tomorrow by Ken and Barbie backpackers and the parents would not complain.
In all the years I have been in Taiwan, I have never even heard of a completely foreign owned bushi ban or ang jing ban.
I have known a great many that have tried and failed. I think it may be possible for over seas Chinese to do so now, but they have to prove that they have family ties to Taiwan or China. Again the laws and regulations on this are a far cry from the reality of the situation.
[quote=“EOD”] ESL teachers are a dime a dozen. It really doesn’t matter how well you teach so long as you look the part. You could be replaced tomorrow by Ken and Barbie backpackers and the parents would not complain.
In all the years I have been in Taiwan I have never even heard of a completely foreign owned bushi ban or ang jing ban.
I have known a great many that have tried and failed. I think it may be possible for over seas Chinese to do so now, but they have to prove that they have family ties to Taiwan or China. Again the laws and regulations on this are a far cry from the reality of the situation[/quote]
You obviously have my school confused with—some other kind of bushiban EOD.
Good luck in your endeavours.
Your school wouldn’t be Dalton would it?
[quote=“EOD”]
ESL teachers are a dime a dozen. It really doesn’t matter how well you teach so long as you look the part. You could be replaced tomorrow by Ken and Barbie backpackers and the parents would not complain.
In all the years I have been in Taiwan, I have never even heard of a completely foreign owned bushi ban or ang jing ban.
I have known a great many that have tried and failed. I think it may be possible for over seas Chinese to do so now, but they have to prove that they have family ties to Taiwan or China. Again the laws and regulations on this are a far cry from the reality of the situation.[/quote]
I think you’ve got some good points, EOD. Quick – name a famous foreign-owned school. You’d think in the 15 or so years of Taiwan English Inc., there’d be at least one big name English school founded by a foreigner (that’s still run by one).
BTW, you mentioned Ken and Barbie Backpacker, but what about Skipper or Christie Backpacker?
Are there any special qualifications you need to open the anchinban or the English bushiban? For example, to actually be a qualified teacher? A degree?
What if you are an open work permit holder? Would that exempt you?
You must be Chinese or have a Chinese partener. From what I have seen there are no exemptions, WTO be damned.
No, not Dalton.
As my friend tells me CW, requirements are same as a Chinese “fuzeren”, high school degree only. He is doing it now through the Taipei Bushiban Assc.–and the guy there Zhang Haoran is the kind of guy who follows the letter of regulations. I’ll post more when I know more.
Where can I find a copy of the regulations regarding opening a buxiban / English cram school?
Let’s say I wanted to get the start up cash for a school - what is the best way to do it? The bank - through my wife? Slog hard hours of overtime to save the cash?
What are the penalties like for having an “illegal” studio cram school?
Do you have to pay or can you just close down and open again in another location?
What are the loop holes if any?
Where can I find a copy of the regulations regarding opening a buxiban / English cram school?
Let’s say I wanted to get the start up cash for a school - what is the best way to do it? The bank - through my wife? Slog hard hours of overtime to save the cash?
What are the penalties like for having an “illegal” studio cram school?
Do you have to pay or can you just close down and open again in another location?
What are the loop holes if any?[/quote]
The jiaoyuju can give you a copy of the regulations. I read it and it seems to be just as Fox said.
As for starting up, it depends on the scale of your business. If your current job pays well enough, it isn’t inconceivable that you could save enough cash to do so–perhaps with some overtime. However, starting up a school that is completely legal from the get-go is expensive and nearly impossible, at least for a single person. I don’t know what the penalties are for operating an illegal buxiban but I know people who ran such businesses for years before becoming legal. As far as I know, they never had any serious legal hassles. They were all married to locals.
Loopholes? I assume there are many more than the few I’ve exploited.
I am married to a Taiwanese.
Does the “JiaoYuJu” have a website where I can look at the information?
I just have to worry about the competition here, they have a nasty habit of turning their illegal competitors over to the authorities. 
It happens all the time here when your business steps on anothers toes.