I am a migrant worker currently working in a manufacturing company, I was hired thru a broker. I think that having a broker is more of a CONS because of the excessive expenses that comes with it. I pay a monthly brokers fee of 1800 as a salary deduction, a rent of 3000 per head in a small room for 4-6 people with a flimsy bedbunks, a higher charge for AC for 8 NT per kw/hr instead of 5NT per kw/hr. I understand that coming here in Taiwan to work requires an amount of money to pay to secure a job but I would like to know if this are normal charges or is it too much.
Did a fellow migrant worker here got a job without a broker? What did you do and why I shouldn’t and should not get a broker?
Thanks in advance for a sensible answer. I am contemplating my life decision rn, ngl.
it sounds like a normal charge. 1800 as a service fee of a broker and 8 nt per kw/hr are the maximum legally allowed. Few companies would charge less than maximum, i guess.
not a fellow migrant worker and not know direct answers to your question, but you can change employer if your current employer and new employer agree, while your contract is not expiring. when your contract terminating, you cam choose to stay with the same employer or to find a new one.
in both cases, if employers agree to hire you directry, you don’t need a broker. the probrem is most of employers want to use a broker to avoid doing the complecated procedures by themselves.
government created a platform for direct hiring of migrant workers. till someone will post more practical answers, you could check the contents, and what are the process like, your legal rights and requirements, etc.
the linked site is in chinese, but you can choose a language from 6 languages.
Transfer of Employer for Migrant Workers
you can be listed here as a foreign worker looking for a new employer. if it is in the middle of your contract, you need an agreement from your current employer at least. there may be some other requirements.
there you may also find a list of employers looking for workers. most of their contacts are brokers, but some gives their own numbers.
even with brokers, some employers bear the cost of hiring workers, and workers don’t need to pay broker service fees. don’t know whether employers somehow pass the cost onto workers, though.
don’t know what if living in a room prepared by your employer is a part of your contract, but migrant workers have the right to live where they want. living in a room you rent or a place of family/friend etc is allowed.
Thank you for all the links you posted, such a big help and I appreciate it. Some workers rent out on their own expenses while still charge with the accomodation fee, and most prefers to stay in the dorm to avoid additional expenses.
Ok. If you finished a bachelor’s degree, you have a degree, not a diploma. You didn’t go to college. You went to university. Because degree granting institutions are universities.
This is a very important distinction and would determine if I have advice for you to find a better job here. Please confirm.
I blame the US for making college and university a synonym.
Oh, got me confused there for a bit, but I got what you meant. I was trying to look for a job that I am incline of, I am not sure yet if my current company will allow me to transfer to a different industry. Thanks for the reply
First, need to clarify whether you are a migrant worker or a professional.
If your salary in the range of 17-24K per month, you are a migrant worker. Likely everything below will not applicable for you.
Look at the previous FB page or…
Look here instead.
If your salary above 30K per month, you are either a professional or a intermediate skilled foreign worker.
Intermediate skilled foreign worker may follow this guide.
migrant workers in industry could make ~40k. judging from the monthly broker service fee, hit is OP’s the first year in Taiwan.
With the degree, if OP would find an employer who apply for a new work permit for a white collar job, and the current employer would agree to release, it might be possible to change the status to a white collar worker. The table is the scoring criteria for non-local students graduated from Taiwanese schools, though. I’m not sure if OP’s school is in Taiwan. OP also needs to make sure it wouldn’t cause a problem to break the contract in the middle. Instead of transfer, OP might need to go back home first then could get a new visa again.
Honestly? You have a degree, you’re from an English country. Have you looked into English teaching? You don’t need a broker and would be out of the migrant work industry. Makes way more money. Pathway to an APRC etc…
base on the salary range.