Ah, those ‘snowbacks’ sneaking into the not-exactly-fragrant isle to teach without giving Big Brother his cut…
How difficult is it to sign up for Chinese language lessons in order to stay a while in the country in order to teach under the table (ouch, my aching back!)
I mean outside Taipei, say Chiayi, Taitung or Tainan.
A buddy in Bangkok who taught in Taipei last year said that it was a no-brainer - the Immigration cops own (virtually or actually I don’t know) the biggest school right across the street from borderland HQ. This guy said it was all about graft, but unlike Cambodia where it is cash plus ‘consideration’ in Taiwan there is a veneer of officaldom about it - no doubt to increase the price or save face.
But I read of that changing - one actually has to go to class or prove that one speaks putong-qua. Maybe smaller cities don’t have the fake schools. Anyone done the ‘I am a student’ routine in small cities? What did it costs in cash and b.s.? Personally I like a straight-up corrupt country where it is strictly palm-greasing to individuals or the state - but I recognize that Taiwan is not Yemen or Rwanda.