I am moving to Taiwan in September. advice is appreciated

Taiwan Living in Taiwan
1

I’m planning on moving to Taiwan, to be an English Teacher, in September. I am not sure of all the ins-and-outs to be aware of prior to arriving. For instance, is it better to get a visitor’s visa initialy then a job, and then apply for a work visa/arc, or is it smarter to line up a job prior to landing in Taiwan?

I have a place to stay, but what other expenses should I factor into consideration? I am worried that there are things that I should be doing now that I am not aware of. If you have any advice, I would appreciate it.

Thanks,

J_

2

[quote=“jason242”]I’m planning on moving to Taiwan, to be an English Teacher, in September. I am not sure of all the ins-and-outs to be aware of prior to arriving. For instance, is it better to get a visitor’s visa initialy then a job, and then apply for a work visa/arc, or is it smarter to line up a job prior to landing in Taiwan?

I have a place to stay, but what other expenses should I factor into consideration? I am worried that there are things that I should be doing now that I am not aware of. If you have any advice, I would appreciate it.

Thanks,

J_[/quote]

Get the best visa you can get…a multiple entry would be best IMHO.

Bring enough cash to get you settled, apprt, furnishings…etc.

Find a job when you get here. You are qualified right? BA?

3

Is a multiple entry, a type of visa?

Yes. I will have a BA in English. I was told this was enough.

4

[quote=“jason242”]Is a multiple entry, a type of visa?
Yes. I will have a BA in English. I was told this was enough.[/quote]

Yes, find your nearest Taiwan “embassy” and get a Visitor’s Visa…mulitple entry if at all possible. Tell them you want to travel in Taiwan and China…do not tell them you’re looking for a job. That will buy you some time if you need it when you get here, as I believe, it can be extended and changed into a work visa.

The BA is enough. Bring the original.

5

A multiple entry visa can be very useful, but not as useful as it once was, during the time of 3 day landing visas. :wink: (I believe you get 30 days on arrival now, but it depends on where you’re from.)

A ME visa can be extended if you’re studying here, if you have family here, etc., but it CANNOT be used to work.

Once you get a work visa, your ME visa will be canceled.

In terms of what to prepare, bring, etc, there are a million such threads on this site. Use the search function and you’ll be in hog heaven. :sunglasses:

6
  1. When I fly to Taiwan, do I have to book roundtrip?
  2. If I do get a ME visa, how long would you guesstimate me working under the table before I could apply for a work visa? Or could I apply for a work visa immediately, upon finding a job in tw?
  3. I plan on taking Chinese classes at NCKU, in Tainan, will that help me obtain a me visa, or should I keep that to myself, untill I get to tw?

Thanks for the responses =)

J_

EDIT*

PS if anyone has time to chat for a bit, you can msn me.

7

When applying for your visa, yes, you’ll need to provide your itinerary (with a return flight/ flight out of Taiwan posted) to the agent, and they’ll keep the copy you give them. As you’re planning on staying here a while, be prepared to explain the details of your departure date if it is outside of 60 days of your arrival in Taiwan. Travelling around Asia is a great excuse for having a departure date outside the 60-day visiting limit.

Also, it’s best to not state your plans to study. Simply put, travelling is enough of an excuse to get the visa you want. Since you plan on studying, you can get extensions past the initial 60-day limit, but again, it’s best kept to yourself when applying for the visa.

8

If you have any advice on how to handle the question of the iternary; it would be of great help. I’m not really sure what to say to their question of itenary, and I really can’t afford to spend money on a return ticket to the US, unless I absolutely have to buy one.

Me : Hi. Yes I’d like to get a ME visa for Taiwan.
Visa Official (VO) : What do you plan to do there?
Me : I plan to visit the sights, and some friends in Taipei, and Jiayi.
VO : How long do you plan to stay?
Me : I plan to go to Taiwan … and then I plan to go to HK on … and I will return to Taiwan on …
VO : When do you plan to return to the US
Me : … :help:

9

Now I worry about you. If you don’t know how to do a simple talk to “embassy” people for a VISA, how will you ever survive once you are in Taiwan ? Don’t forget, Taiwanese people are smart.

10

I got my 60 day M.E. visa by presenting the teco office with an itinerary that would have me in the country for most of the sixty day period. I told them I needed the multiple entry feature because I intended to go on side trips to other neighboring countries, leaving and re-entering several times. I also got an open ended return plane ticket with no penalty for cancellations. I set a provisional date for visa purposes and cancelled it upon arrival. I then used the return portion for a trip home near the end of my first contract. BTW, there really aren’t any signifigant savings in getting a one-way versus return ticket. The law states you must have a ticket out of Taiwan and, while there are ways around this, having an open ended return will enable you to set a date for return that works for you (and you will likely want a vacation at or near the end of your first year). A return ticket is only marginally more expensive than a one-way (and a much better deal than buying separate one-ways). If you can’t afford the difference in price, you likely can’t afford to set-up here until you’ve saved some more.

11

Yes, an open-ended is acceptable as well. They will need to see that you plan to leave Taiwan in a reasonable amount of time. Most of the time a roundtrip ticket is close to the same (in price) as a one-way… you can’t afford to buy a roundtrip ticket?

12

the one way ticket it $527.72, and a roundtrip costs $1,050.44.

This is for Detroit to Taipei, I got that price for a few different dates in Nov, and Dec. My girlfriend told me that I could tell the visa people that I was waiting till I got there to find a better ticket price, because tickets out of taiwan are cheaper than out of the US. I’m not sure that would work though. I don’t know how rigerious the visa interview examination is, to be honest it gave me nightmares last night just thinking about it.

13

$1050 is far too much for a roundtrip in September. You should search around a bit. I’ve NEVER paid more than $620 for a roundtrip ticket after Sep. 1. Or, what you could do is buy your first visa run ticket in advance. Get a cheap ticket to HK and that’ll satisfy their need for seeing a ticket out.

14

My suggestion is to definitely search for the right employment for you once you get here. Often the main ‘recruiters’ are chain companies like Hess or Joy. In my experience, and several others I know, they tell you what you want to hear over the phone, then once you arrive it’s a completely different story, and you are basically ‘trapped’ at that point with a hassle out of an often one year contract. They also tend to pay less. It’s best to shop around for the best schedule, environment, income, location etc, that is suited to you once you get a feel for the place and competitors in the market.

An open flight ticket I think is best. I got one that was open for one year. By the end of your probably 1 year contract you might want a vacation, or maybe sooner you’ll decide Taiwan isn’t for you. At least you’ve already got that financially covered and ready to go, incase of any emergency or scenario.

A M.E. Visa is something I too would recommend. It gives you flexible time to search around for the job that’s more likely to be right for you, get settled at your own reasonable pace, and can easily be changed once you find employment; and most importantly helps you avoid being brought over by schools that may not be for you, and that might otherwise have too much control over you for comfort. And yes, keep your story to the guidelines of the Visa, no need to talk about study etc… Worry about that later. Besides, I heard you can still take courses at the Language Institute, as a worker without a student visa (but it won’t be a legitimate language certificate).

Once you arrive here, the first thing you should do is a health check. They are valid for 3 months, but take a week to process. That way, once you find a job, you can be ready immediately to apply for the Work Permit through the school. You’ll need to provide them with the health certificate, and certified copies of your Diploma; bring as many as you can. Also be prepared to provide numerous passport sized photos for your health check, Work Permit application and change of Visa which you will finally do at the Foreign Affairs Police; who will get you that ARC.

September is highest time in competition for a job. You may or may not have an easy time getting a job immediately (under the table or not). Don’t waste time looking. Talk to as many people as you can to also get an idea of where to search. As well, try to keep your employment legit. They have been cracking down on illegal workers (at least in Taipei), and even some schools are getting more demanding about supplying you with an ARC, especially now that teachers can have more than one school on the ARC.

242 huh? :wink: Does that have anything to do with the impeccable Industrial band, Front 242?

15

I was not aware of the Health Check thing. Sounds like a good idea to take care of initially.

On the TECO website, it said that open-ticket departing dates are not acceptable. It was not very clear as to whether they meant from the US or Taiwan. A friend of a friend, in Taiwan, told me that he got his visa, before he got his ticket. So who knows…

Last year in Germany, I stayed 5 days over the expiration date of my student visa. When I went to the Auslandersamt (foreigner office) they asked me how long I wanted an extension, stamped it and let me go without a fine or a charge, of any sort, for the extension. I wouldn’t want to try my luck again. Typically they are really nazis about that kind of stuff.

I have no idea of what to expect as far as competition. I was told the town, I will be living in, is small, and that there are not many foreigners in the area. It is in a part of Kaohsiung though, so I’m not sure how small it really could be.

242 :wink:

Yes. You guessed right. One of my biggest regrets. My advice is, get the cds back you like, before breaking up with a girl. I used to do a college radio show, The Industrial Experimental Noise Show, and I lent a large duffel bag of those cds to my girlfriend at the time. I broke up with her while I was in Germany, and now she uses those cds for her radio show…

Which one of D’meyer’s side projects would you say is your favorite? I’d have to go with C-Tec.

16

When I came to Taiwan, I got a one-way ticket but a round trip itinerary on paper from my travel agent to show the TECO Office for my 60-day visa. I’m not sure if they actually check on return tickets at the airport / immigration now or not…I did this a few years ago.

17

I simply got a M.E. Visa BEFORE I came here. For sure! Then got the flight ticket. But ja, things may have changed since I last checked. Maybe you could argue that you aren’t sure if you are going to stay the entire 60 (?) days or not, so the open ticket was best suited for that kind of visit, AND it was cheaper than the others, etc etc…

D’meyer’s, didn’t get too much of a chance to expand to recognize enough. Believe I have some remixes, etc, but my life prior to Taiwan seems very distant, unfamiliar and surreal.

18

I’m really diggin on this whole notion of hitting up HK, for a nice 3 or 4 day trip. Cheap rooms, cheap food, and a lot to see. Only 6800 NTD also for roundtrip, can’t beat that.

Postmodernfunk, if you’re interested in hearing some Recoil, or C-Tec I can probably send some music your way if ya want. I’m not sure how much C-Tec, I still have on my computer, but I know where my Recoil albums are atleast.

I appreaciate all the helpful suggestions everyone’s thrown my way. It’s helped ease some of the confusion, I had regarding the unknowns concerning Taiwan.

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[quote=“jason242”]If you have any advice on how to handle the question of the iternary; it would be of great help. I’m not really sure what to say to their question of itenary, and I really can’t afford to spend money on a return ticket to the US, unless I absolutely have to buy one.

Me : Hi. Yes I’d like to get a ME visa for Taiwan.
Visa Official (VO) : What do you plan to do there?
Me : I plan to visit the sights, and some friends in Taipei, and Jiayi.
VO : How long do you plan to stay?
Me : I plan to go to Taiwan … and then I plan to go to HK on … and I will return to Taiwan on …
VO : When do you plan to return to the US
Me : … :help:[/quote]

I’ll chime in with a bit of ‘general’ wisdom. When dealing with folks you are trying to get something out of, don’t be the ‘expert.’ You started your questions by asking for a ‘ME visa’ - make that a ‘visa’ and escalate it to an ‘ME.’

Next, always answer the question asked. Even here, when asked, ‘How long do you plan to stay?’ You respond with a laundry list of places. How long = Time.

Being precise in terms and general in content, allows the other party to build whatever structure around your comments that they wish. Makes them feel comfortable.

Also, I do know first hand that folks in some TECO offices read this forum. As soon as ‘tricks’ get posted here, there are counter-measures in the works. That’s one reason so many offices are clamping down on the forwarding ticket.

OOC

Oh. The answer -
VO : When do you plan to return to the US
Me : “When my parent’s money runs out,”

20

Thank you OutofChaos. You offered some really good advice.

I felt pretty insecure in terms of answering an interviewer’s questions, and your critiques hit at the heart of the matter. I plan to try and avoid the whole interview thing, by mailing my application in; 1) because I can avoid being interrogated. 2) No car, and my friend, Crystal has to be tired of me always asking her to drive me everywhere. 3) lists are better in threes.

btw. thanks for the heads-up about being naive. Sometimes it’s too easy to overlook the obvious concerns.