Hello, I am new to this forum and I wonder if someone has experience with internship matters.
I was offered an internship in Taipei and it seems that it isn`t as easy as I thought. I have been studying Chinese for almost 10 months and hold an ARC. The ARC belongs to the status “student” and allows not to work. At least not without work permit. For my understanding, under the laws of the ROC an intern does not have the status “employee” and is not work. Therefore, does an intern need to apply for an work permit?
Further, may an intern receive salary or a stipend? If the company pays a compensation or salary, are their any rules for the Accounting Department they have to follow? Does the company have to pay taxes?
Internships don’t seem to be easy to get for foreigners as they have a 2 years experience rule for foreigners to take any job. I’m actually surprised that you even have a chance for an internship here as they seem not to be as popular as they are in the states. I’ve yet to meet a Taiwanese who has actually done a real internship.
If the comapny pays they should technically tax you at 20%. The tax bureau doesn’t care if you work illegally as long as the taxes are paid. The likelyhood of you being turned in is low(for working without an ARC), just don’t tell people about it and don’t piss anyone you work with off or any bf/gf’s.
You’re getting into an area that Taiwan has little experience with and that annoys multinationals to no end. I would suggest talking to Hartzell or asking for legal advice. Maybe AIT can give you some info.
Check with the CLA pronto. There is a new law now that allows students to work for a certain number of hours per week. The CLA are very cooperative and helpful, too (how long that will last is anyone’s guess.) This law is very new – I believe it only went into effect around Jan. 20 or so. The day I went up to obtain the forms, they were delighted to hand them out because it was the first day.
Council on Labor Affairs. They regulate work-related stuff. Mesheel: I saw your post elsewhere about your job search. Have you tried www.104.com.tw? Just type in English words llike ‘writer’, ‘editor’ etc. and you will find lots of jobs.
Also, there’s nothing wrong with working for a Taiwanese company. In fact, contrary to the advice you received, it can be a wonderful experience. Just be sure to negotiate hard over your salary!
Yeah, I have had my CV posted on 104, but must have done something wrong. All get are tons of mails from 104 with job offers, that are not actually suitable.
Look for the second tab on this page entitled 關 鍵 字 搜 尋
In the field, enter ‘writer’ and click 查詢. You will find 25 jobs in the greater Taipei area including one for a German Technical Writer for Asus. Then try ‘translator’ and ‘editor’. You should also try Chinese words like 德文
I have heard that the European Chamber of Commerce, Taipei, has been pushing hard for the establishment of an “internship visa.” Unfortunately, as with other good suggestions offered by the foreign community, it doesn’t appear that the highest levels of Taiwanese officialdom have taken notice of this proposal.