I’m sure that this has been asked and answered before. I may have even asked it before. But, there are so many threads about visa issues, and I’m just very lazy. So, if someone just wants to direct me to the appropriate thread, I’d appreciate it.
I am currently working for a company doing editing, writing, marketing, etc… I have finished 6 months of a 12 month contract. However, I have a problem that makes me want to quit. I hate my job. Well, that is not exactly accurate. I don’t like my job and I hate my boss. He’s a jerk… an idiot… a fool… a man who thinks he’s “all that and a bag of chips.” However, he’s more like the crumbs that are left on the floor after you’ve eaten all the chips.
Anyway… I would like to quit. However, I’m here in Taiwan mainly because my boyfriend moved back here and we wanted to stay together. So, I can’t just up and quit, if it means not being able to get another job or losing my visa. That would defeat the purpose of me moving here in the first place.
If need be, I’ll grit my teeth and bare it till my contract is up and I can look for something different. But, what would happen if I quit? Are there any options. I vaguely remember someone telling me that, if I tell my employer I have to leave the country for personal reasons, go back to the States for a month or so, and then return, I would be “ok.” Is that true?
May I ask? Will you be getting a Chinese New Year bonus this year? If so (and from what I’ve heard), you might want to mask any indications of leaving until after you receive that. Once you’ve got that (if you get this bonus), then I would consider leaving.
Perhaps you could register as a student somewhere, pay three months tuition, leave Taiwan, and come back on a visitor (“student”) visa. However, I have heard the authorities may take a dim view of a switch from an ARC to a student visa (don’t know if this is correct.)
Best of luck with the situation. Perhaps you can try to hold out until after CNY.
I would get your bonus (if you know you are getting one) and quit a little later. Tell your boss you are leaving Taiwan, leave Taiwan if you must, then slip back in. You might be able to get a visa for a few months if you can prove you have the money to live on. I did this for a few months when I didn’t have a job. My bf at the time went with me during visa extension time and told them he was covering me and it worked. When you need to buy tourist visa time to look for another job, you need to prove you have the money to live on during those months. Either someone is taking care of you or you have the money in your account. Medical treatment is also a legit reason for a visa. You need to visit the Chinese doctor once a week for your aching back for the next three months, don’t you?
Actually, I probably should have said that I wasn’t planning on quitting, if I do at all, until after the Chinese New Year and my year end bonus.
Thanks for the advice, fee and Flicka. Something like that is what I heard before. However, I need to make sure it will work. I can’t afford not to be able to get back in the country. As for coming in on a visitor’s visa and looking for a job, I am familiar with that. That is what I did when I initially moved over. However, I don’t remember being required to prove I had money, since I was only coming for “pleasure” and not planning on staying.