Teaching English with a Student Visa

If I sign up for full-time Chinese language study at a University am I permitted to work full-time or part-time?

Any info or advice? I’m looking to come to Taiwan from Japan and I’d like to make the transition smoothly and easily.

[quote=“tealady”]If I sign up for full-time Chinese language study at a University am I permitted to work full-time or part-time?

Any info or advice? I’m looking to come to Taiwan from Japan and I’d like to make the transition smoothly and easily.[/quote]

No, by definition that’s illegal.

Actually, after completion of your first year with a high score, perfect attendance, and having a reference from your school’s admin dept, you can apply for a Resident Visa, and ARC and then apply for a student work permit. At university schools you are able to work legaly 16 hours a week maximum under the above conditions…However, this is ONLY true for Universities.

Please check with your anticpated school first. As I have learned, not all things ring true for each scenario…But this is what I understand to be legal.

Refer to this:
http://mlc.sce.pccu.edu.tw/life/default.htm

ROC laws provide legal channels by which foreign students can work in Taiwan. Potential employers must obtain work permits on behalf of foreign students by applying to the Ministry of Education. This includes cases where foreign students are hired to give private tutorials. Any foreign student who is pursuing language study in Taiwan and who wishes to be eligible to work must have following requirements:

  1. Enrolled in an accredited institution for one year or longer,
  2. Have excellent grades (as defined by the institution which the student is attending), and
  3. Must be enrolled on a full time basis,
  4. The work he or she intends to per- form must be related to his or her area of study or language teaching.

And Work Study Programs are another option.
This is from NSYSU:

oia.nsysu.edu.tw/oia_n/index … &picname=i

Work-Study
International students working in the Republic of China are confined to work in the field related to the subjects he or she is pursuing or related to the language program he or she is attending. Prior to working, students have to:

have completed courses required by the department for more than two semesters or language courses for over one year;

have excellent academic performance;

have proofs from the school of one of the following:

that in the case of unexpected events, the student would be unable to continue the instructions and that he or she would be able to give proof of difficulties;

that the research organizations of the school require the assistance of the international student;

that the jobs are related to the study field and that students are required to obtain the experience from such internships;

that the jobs will increase the professional level of related fields. Employers must submit the papers to the Council of Labor Affairs a month before the formal hiring for work permits:

International students hiring application form;

Transcripts from the first and second semester or transcripts of the language program. Students meeting the above (2) criteria are exempted from this requirement;

Documents proving the (1) criteria or certification of language proficiency;

Work permits are valid for one year from the date issued. If employers feel the necessity of extending the permission, they can submit applications for an extension of no longer than one year. Overseas students during the valid period are allowed to work for a limit of 16 hours per week. Summer and winter breaks are excepted.

The final alternative or additional resource for money would be scholarships. All university schools offer them and you can have virtually all your tuition taken care of for you. Look into it, it is worth it.

thanks for the replies

There are already a couple of threads on this. Search.

Derek1978, not entirely true. There are three provisions under which students can work (after 2 semesters at a university, or 4 at a language school):

  1. Events of a serious nature have affected their financial ability to support themselves or continue their education, and the student can provide evidence of such circumstances.

  2. An academic research institution at the student’s school requires a foreign student to provide assistance in its work.

  3. The student needs to take part in an off-campus internship related to his or her field of study.

Bascially, the school you are studying at must sign off on your application. The grades and attendance are not legal requirements, but will influence their decision.

The school’s discretion is pretty wide. I’ve applied to teach English (because I can earn the max money in the min time and devote the rest of my time to my studies). The school - Zhengda - refused to sign off on reason (1) because I have a scholarship (which gives me approx 17000/mth). I’m appealing at the moment, and will let you all know what happens.