I broke my contract 3 years ago and want to fix it

Work Teaching English in Taiwan
1

Greetings!

So what’s up with the blacklist?

Three years ago I broke my contract with a cram school in Taiwan. I didn’t want to leave, not even close to be honest, but I don’t think I had much choice in the matter. Perhaps it was for the best, because I did work in a ridiculous money grubbing racist overworking shithole of a cram of school (the kind they warn you about), but still, I was settled in and simply counting the days until I could legally look for a better teaching job. Even though I found the job pretty awful, I found that I did like the kids, and I told myself that this was how this family ran their own cram school, and I accepted it. They weren’t changing for anyone, it was their scene, they were relying on me, and I had enough warnings about places like this that I just accepted my fate. I acknowledged that I was clearly being used, hell I even did manual labor on their damn roof :loco: ! I hated my angry Taiwanese co-teachers (not my fault you are paid less for being Taiwanese!), but I knew it would all pass.

I was still just excited that I made it. Another country, a legal job, an OK apartment, a death trap scooter, all that was feeling like accomplishment, especially for this small town boy, regardless of how lame my situation was looking. Hey, what’s a year at a bad job in exchange for learning more about the world, and then upgrading to that better job? That’s what I kept saying.

So disaster struck. I hope this doesn’t turn into another flamed out thread of older English teachers ranting about how I made a deal, broke it, and simply became another reason for schools to mistrust and abuse and control their teachers, ruining reputations, and being a dishonest person. I see that a lot on Taiwan forums. Hey, lets face it, there is a large percentage of alcoholic douche bags thinking they can turn a teaching job in Taiwan into a mock Thailand vacation, and they come here and party and break their contracts when they realize it wasn’t all they had hoped. I get that.

Trust me, real disaster hit my family, it does happen, and I was freaking out and it was all I could do to hold it together for the two days it took to leave Taiwan. I felt that telling my boss that I had to leave in a day or so would have been nasty, nasty business for me. I had this awful feeling that my cram school boss’s brother was going to come over to my apartment and kick my ass while I was packing haha. Still, I felt guilty, because I was the one that came into their world and asked for an ARC, and they in turn were relying on me. The kids were too, I’m sure, but I am also sure they got over it no problem. Also, those fuckers would have kept all of my last paycheck. I managed to get half of it because it was payday, but they got to keep about 30,000 NT, or rather I couldn’t have stuck around to get it from them anyway. They would only pay half the month’s salary, and then hold the other half for 10 days, then pay you the rest. Another teacher told me that was a tax scam thing, but I don’t know, I think it was more security from runners like me. Can’t blame them for needing security.

So. . . . (hey thanks for reading this by the way) I want to go back. Well, I have been back many times, but I want to live there again. I run an online business now and I wouldn’t even need to work full time to make cash, but I would love to land a 15 hour a week teaching gig just to get my work permit. I would love to find work other than teaching, but foreigners looking for tech jobs in Taiwan, as far as I can tell, is a tough and very underpaid gig, and I’d rather work remotely online and get paid the wages I get paid.

I keep hearing that once you break your contract and lose your work permit, then that’s it. You are officially blacklisted from getting an ARC unless I dig up that old school I worked for, and bribe that old angry gnarler into lying and saying I gave the proper notice through the proper channels to quit. Ha, I don’t see that happening, nor do I really deserve it!

So, am I doomed to do visa runs forever so I can keep up with Chinese language and with my friends in Taipei? It’s been three years. Does that blacklist ever expire :wink:

Thanks so much for your time.

2

You are WAY over thinking things. If you’ve been back several times and didn’t have any problems, I’m sure you’d be fine finding a new job.

3

Oh wow thank you for reading my huge post. I LOOOOOVE hearing that I over think things, because I tend to do that and do appreciate a little grounding. I really hope so, Housecat, that would be great! :slight_smile:

I don’t actually need a visa from my country to travel in Taiwan for 30 days, so I have only been back on that simply no hassle 30 day entry deal without the need for visiting the immigration office. I have been imagining that once I land in Taiwan, get an apartment, and find a job, that then I will be in line in the immigration office and my name will come up as a runner, and I will be told to get lost.

I appreciate some hope :wink:

4

Crickey! I have broken more contracts than I have freckles, which is are a multitude.
There might be some official blacklist, but for sure it does not really entail broken contracts, more like real serious stuff such as theft, assault, and sexual offences.

The local cram schools break contracts themselves much more often that they break wind.

I would suggest the OP has nothing to fear, except fear itself.
Fear is indeed a paralysing agent. Break out of it, snap unto the challenges of everyday evil.

5

lol awesome, thanks for the reply. Good to know. When I searched this forum on the topic I sure saw a lot of posters that seemed absolutely sure that a person would be banned from getting another work permit if they were to be reported for breaking a contract. I read a lot of posts about “blacklisting” here:

forumosa.com/taiwan/viewtop … act#p21645

But there seemed to be a major division in opinion here. Perhaps there’s enough truth in it, or was, to spread some stories, but it’s rare enough to not be a bother for most. I am pretty sure I recall working for my cram school for about two weeks before I got my actual work permit, which is probably illegal anyway, so perhaps they just kept my last half of my paycheck and replaced me the next day and that was that.

6

If you broke your contract within the first twelve months of working in Taiwan, then there could be a problem.

7

Indeed, but that would more of a taxation problem that the OP could readily fix.
Otherwise, cram school?
I suppose it would depend on how much paperwork and time they were willing to put in, but frankly I have yet to hear of a cram school doing same.

As for the blacklist, and our thread about same, I do not buy it.
Otherwise I would be on it, with 5 red flags, and in capital letters.

But word to the wise for the OP: certainly there are laws, but rarely are they upheld. Sometimes one slips through the cracks of Taiwanese mismanagement, but a three year old case is remote in the extreme.

8

taiwanease.com/en/forums/pos … ist#p64313

I think the “rule” seems to be that if you break your contract within the first twelve months and the school files a complaint then the CLA may refuse future applications. Quite a few conditionals in there, but in the OP’s case a refusal remains a possibility.

9

[quote=“tomthorne”]http://www.taiwanease.com/en/forums/post64313.html?hilit=blacklist#p64313

I think the “rule” seems to be that if you break your contract within the first twelve months and the school files a complaint then the CLA may refuse future applications. Quite a few conditionals in there, but in the OP’s case a refusal remains a possibility.[/quote]

Indeed there are more than a few conditionals.
But, Jesus, full speed ahead.
One can always appeal, and in any event I am duty bound to not even mention illegal hours on the side.
Whoops! I meant slide,…
:whistle:

10

Is this a new rule? I broke my first contract six months in and never had a problem getting a new job. Of course, that was a long time ago. And as The Ginger Man says, the schools themselves break contracts as often as the poor shmucks who work for them. Any complaint would be the school’s word against the teacher’s word and if the school is at fault, a teacher should be able to appeal and at least take it up with the labor bureau.

There’s just no reason for the op not to return to Taiwan for work if he thinks that would be a good life choice for him. And if his school did complain and they won’t issue him a work permit, he can always finish up his visit and move on. But he won’t know until he tries. Standing in the door way because you don’t know for certain what might happen if you step outside is no way to live.

11

[quote=“housecat”]

There’s just no reason for the op not to return to Taiwan for work if he thinks that would be a good life choice for him. And if his school did complain and they won’t issue him a work permit, he can always finish up his visit and move on. But he won’t know until he tries. Standing in the door way because you don’t know for certain what might happen if you step outside is no way to live.[/quote]

Agree with all of that 100%. There is still a chance that the OP could have problems with the CLA.

12

[quote=“housecat”]Is this a new rule? I broke my first contract six months in and never had a problem getting a new job. Of course, that was a long time ago. And as The Ginger Man says, the schools themselves break contracts as often as the poor shmucks who work for them. Any complaint would be the school’s word against the teacher’s word and if the school is at fault, a teacher should be able to appeal and at least take it up with the labor bureau.

There’s just no reason for the op not to return to Taiwan for work if he thinks that would be a good life choice for him. And if his school did complain and they won’t issue him a work permit, he can always finish up his visit and move on. But he won’t know until he tries. Standing in the door way because you don’t know for certain what might happen if you step outside is no way to live.[/quote]

Did you break your contract by doing an illegal runner or did you legally end your contract early by filing the correct paperwork with sufficient notice? Your example could be interpreted as either but one of those could carry consequences.

Again all of this is grey area and AFAIK nobody actually knows the answers. My understanding was that if you didn’t file end of contract paperwork (signed by both parties) then the school could file a complaint with the CLA. I also remember (misremember) that you could only be denied a work permit for one year. This of course was from an unreliable source (the internet and forums) and I might have misremembered…

13

Thanks to everyone contributing to this thread, I appreciate advice from the pros. What’s interesting is that I searched this forum and others and it seems that this has been a bit of a mystery for almost a decade now. I guess it’s a 100% gray area still, which means there’s likely a way :wink:

14

Are you on the same passport? If it’s a new one, that can also be in your favour (not always the case, however).

15

Oh good call on the passport! It expires this year so I’m getting a new one.

16

I did the same thing. I left a “fancy private school” after the first semester with no notice. I just didn’t show up. I didn’t feel bad either as they overworked everyone and the other employees were psycho and were not real teachers. Anyway, I came back a year later and found a new job with no problem. Even got a new ARC. Don’t worry.

17

Hi, I’m just wondering did you still have your ARC when you left the country? And had no problems when you went back to Taiwan again? Cause I also left last year (the boss of the cram school I worked for was horrible and a big liar) and still have my ARC with me, don’t know what would happen if I enter the country again…I would love to work in Taiwan again.

18

Only thing I would worry about is your Visa. You said you would come in on a landing Visa. Those cannot be converted to a Resident Visa.

19

He didn’t say that he was coming on a landing visa. He is using visa exempt status and according to several on this forum visa exempt can be converted (by paying a lot of money) into a resident visa (for teachers but apparently not for students).

The issue that the OP will run into is whether or not a school will actually be able to apply for a work permit. The link to Taiwanese in this thread demonstrates that he might not be able to get a work permit.

20

Ah. Read it wrong. Thanks for clarifying. My fault.