Moving to Taipei in 2 months... Some Qs

Taiwan Moving to Taiwan
1

Hi guys,

Signed a contract with a company in Taipei, moving from Hong Kong in two months with the wife. I was hoping if you guys could help with some questions.

[ul]
[li]Work will be in Neihu technology park, but when we visited in March, we were very taken by the area around Daan Park. Particularly the neighborhood to the west, south of Dongmen MRT station. MRT apps I check say that a commute would be about 25 minutes. I won’t mind too much such a commute, but am I missing something? Is the distance too much?
[/li]
[li]We’ll get support from the company (agent) to find a new place in the first 4 weeks that we arrive. Budget should be in the 40-50k NT range. From what I can see from the little English real estate sites I can find, this should be enough to find a decent, modern 3 bedroom place of >700 sq ft. Is this a fair assumption?
[/li]
[li] My wife has been teaching languages for >20 years in Mexico, the UK and Hong Kong. Mainly Spanish in the last 10+ years, but also English as a 2nd language. She has TESOL qualifications, but no University degree. She’s Mexican but with a British passport as well. From what we can read so far, there would be some limitations to where she could teach without a University degree, but the information is scattered and sometimes contradictory. If someone could point me in the direction of a good summary on this topic, that would be great.
[/li]
[li]Last question is an odd one: anything you wish you would have known before moving to Taipei?[/li][/ul]

Thanks a lot!

2

Hi ThomasP,

Welcome to Taiwan!

  1. By Western standard (well American), heck no. The distance is manageable. Taipei’s mass transportation is very well-developed. You could probably opt for bus. Bus stop might also be closer to your workplace than MRT. There is a lot of people commuting to work. So judge yourself which option is better.

  2. With that budget range 40-50K per month, you are living well beyond the average. Way beyond. This is for just monthly rent, correct?

Judging by your budget, you could probably also afford someone to drive you daily. :notworthy:

  1. Not in the teaching sector.

  2. One word of advice. Learn telepathy and don’t be too idealistic. :roflmao:

3

Not teaching English but I think one needs a two year degree and a teaching certificate, if not a four year degree? Her Brit Passport will qualify her as far as passport requirement.

4

[quote=“ThomasP”]Hi guys,

Signed a contract with a company in Taipei, moving from Hong Kong in two months with the wife. I was hoping if you guys could help with some questions.

[color=#0000FF]Welcome to The Island[/color]

[ul]
[li]Work will be in Neihu technology park, but when we visited in March, we were very taken by the area around Da’an Park. Particularly the neighborhood to the west, south of Dongmen MRT station. MRT apps I check say that a commute would be about 25 minutes. I won’t mind too much such a commute, but am I missing something? Is the distance too much?
[color=#0000FF]
Not really, but it is the elevated Mucha line, which has smaller cars and gets pretty crowded at rush hour. Not really a biggie but you may have to add time waiting one or two trains to get on. So your 25 commute might actually be 40.[/color]
[/li]
[li]We’ll get support from the company (agent) to find a new place in the first 4 weeks that we arrive. Budget should be in the 40-50k NT range. From what I can see from the little English real estate sites I can find, this should be enough to find a decent, modern 3 bedroom place of >700 sq ft. Is this a fair assumption?

[color=#0000FF]
Real estate pages in English are severly overpriced. If you have no one to help you here… even then I would still repeat the mantra: do not rent by yourself have a local look at it.

Daan is one of the most expensive areas in Taipei. Some areas worthy looking too are actually in Neihu, around the Dahu lake or the Miramar complex. onvenient, close to nature, nice.[/color]
[/li]
[li] My wife has been teaching languages for >20 years in Mexico, the UK and Hong Kong. Mainly Spanish in the last 10+ years, but also English as a 2nd language. She has TESOL qualifications, but no University degree. She’s Mexican but with a British passport as well. From what we can read so far, there would be some limitations to where she could teach without a University degree, but the information is scattered and sometimes contradictory. If someone could point me in the direction of a good summary on this topic, that would be great.

[color=#0040FF]She would have to use her British passport to teach English. Degree is a must to work legally. Spanish is also an option but it doesn’t pay that well. Yes, it is a pity with all her experinec, but she would be better off freelancing then. Writing teaching materials and such. She needs to get her own ARC and work permit though for any job she takes. She can live here as a dependent based on your ARC but she won’t be allowed to work legally if she does so.[/color]
[/li]
[li]Last question is an odd one: anything you wish you would have known before moving to Taipei?[/li][/ul]
[color=#0000FF]
Yes, Alice, this is the other side of the mirror.[/color]

Thanks a lot![/quote]

5

Thanks for the advice so far everyone, much appreciated!

[quote=“Icon”][quote=“ThomasP”]

[li] My wife has been teaching languages for >20 years in Mexico, the UK and Hong Kong. Mainly Spanish in the last 10+ years, but also English as a 2nd language. She has TESOL qualifications, but no University degree. She’s Mexican but with a British passport as well. From what we can read so far, there would be some limitations to where she could teach without a University degree, but the information is scattered and sometimes contradictory. If someone could point me in the direction of a good summary on this topic, that would be great.

[color=#0040FF]She would have to use her British passport to teach English. Degree is a must to work legally. Spanish is also an option but it doesn’t pay that well. Yes, it is a pity with all her experinec, but she would be better off freelancing then. Writing teaching materials and such. She needs to get her own ARC and work permit though for any job she takes. She can live here as a dependent based on your ARC but she won’t be allowed to work legally if she does so.[/color]

[color=#00BF00]Thanks, yes I had seen references to this requirement before. Few follow-up questions if you don’t mind.
[ul]
Is this degree requirement only for English? Or all languages?[/li]
[li] The degree requirement I saw only stipulated this for college and university level teaching. For cram schools TEFL/TESOL was sufficient. Correct?[/li]
[li] Would you have a good official link with all this info? I can’t seem to find a good source…[/li][/ul]

Thanks again!

[/color]

[/quote][/quote]

6

I am pretty sure the degreee requirement is for all languages/educational levels, as it is a requisite for being legally hired. It is just that cram schools will be more willing to hire illegally -they do not care, there is a revolving door of teachers. Caveat emptor: easy to hire, easy also to “forget” to pay you -look around the boards.

Somone with better Google-fu wil be back with the respective linkie. Please note websites in English will NOT be updated -most are several years behind- and in Chinese sometimes it takes them a whie to catch up. Which is why we always tell people to go in person to the respective office so to get it from the horse’s mouth.

7

[quote=“Icon”]I am pretty sure the degreee requirement is for all languages/educational levels, as it is a requisite for being legally hired. It is just that cram schools will be more willing to hire illegally -they do not care, there is a revolving door of teachers. Caveat emptor: easy to hire, easy also to “forget” to pay you -look around the boards.

Somone with better Google-fu wil be back with the respective linkie. Please note websites in English will NOT be updated -most are several years behind- and in Chinese sometimes it takes them a whie to catch up. Which is why we always tell people to go in person to the respective office so to get it from the horse’s mouth.[/quote]

You mentioned freelancing? Exactly what would that entail in terms of work permit (requirements etc…)? I can’t find anything in the labor law particular about this point.

Thanks!

8

[quote=“ThomasP”][quote=“Icon”]I am pretty sure the degreee requirement is for all languages/educational levels, as it is a requisite for being legally hired. It is just that cram schools will be more willing to hire illegally -they do not care, there is a revolving door of teachers. Caveat emptor: easy to hire, easy also to “forget” to pay you -look around the boards.

Somone with better Google-fu wil be back with the respective linkie. Please note websites in English will NOT be updated -most are several years behind- and in Chinese sometimes it takes them a whie to catch up. Which is why we always tell people to go in person to the respective office so to get it from the horse’s mouth.[/quote]

You mentioned freelancing? Exactly what would that entail in terms of work permit (requirements etc…)? I can’t find anything in the labor law particular about this point.

Thanks![/quote]

Eh, because it would be off the books. No one gets a work permit for freelancing. And if caught, out she goes. Expelled.

Please also remember that the work permit belongs to the company, not to the person hired. Meaning they own your ARC’s visa and hence its validity. This is a good time to also remind you that the period for which an ARC is valid is NOT what is printed on the card. As long as you are hired, your visa is valid and so is your ARC. If you quit or get fired, your visa is nullified and, even though on your ARC it might be printed that you have more time, maybe months left, it is not true/right. The moment your company tells NIA that you are no longer working for them and plug the plug on your visa, then your ARC is no longer valid. Please also note that they are in no way obligated by law to tell you when this was done. You do, however, have the provision, once knowing that your ARC is about to be killed, to ask for an extension at NIA saying you are looking for another job/need time to uproot/whatever and by law they do give it to you. However, you have to be aware of the situation to do so. You cannot present a cadaver at NIA.

9

[quote=“Icon”][quote=“ThomasP”][quote=“Icon”]I am pretty sure the degreee requirement is for all languages/educational levels, as it is a requisite for being legally hired. It is just that cram schools will be more willing to hire illegally -they do not care, there is a revolving door of teachers. Caveat emptor: easy to hire, easy also to “forget” to pay you -look around the boards.

Somone with better Google-fu wil be back with the respective linkie. Please note websites in English will NOT be updated -most are several years behind- and in Chinese sometimes it takes them a whie to catch up. Which is why we always tell people to go in person to the respective office so to get it from the horse’s mouth.[/quote]

You mentioned freelancing? Exactly what would that entail in terms of work permit (requirements etc…)? I can’t find anything in the labor law particular about this point.

Thanks![/quote]

Eh, because it would be off the books. No one gets a work permit for freelancing. And if caught, out she goes. Expelled.

Please also remember that the work permit belongs to the company, not to the person hired. Meaning they own your ARC’s visa and hence its validity. This is a good time to also remind you that the period for which an ARC is valid is NOT what is printed on the card. As long as you are hired, your visa is valid and so is your ARC. If you quit or get fired, your visa is nullified and, even though on your ARC it might be printed that you have more time, maybe months left, it is not true/right. The moment your company tells NIA that you are no longer working for them and plug the plug on your visa, then your ARC is no longer valid. Please also note that they are in no way obligated by law to tell you when this was done. You do, however, have the provision, once knowing that your ARC is about to be killed, to ask for an extension at NIA saying you are looking for another job/need time to uproot/whatever and by law they do give it to you. However, you have to be aware of the situation to do so. You cannot present a cadaver at NIA.[/quote]

Thanks man, you’ve been hugely helpful.

Is setting up a small business to do private tutoring an option?

10

Mmm, I think so. Not that hard. There is a special thread about that.