I have had a Gold Card for over half a year now. Was under the impression that I’d be highly desirable and the cream of the crop to employers in Taiwan. But I’ve applied for every technical writing job (and similar) I’ve seen online and I only had one interview (which went nowhere), and even that I think is only because somebody I know in Taiwan put me forwards for it. It could be the case that my experience just isn’t as impressive as I (and the Gold Card office) think, though I doubt that, so I’m left to assume that the reason why nobody is getting back to me is because I’m not in Taiwan and they don’t even bother looking at my applications to see that I have a Gold Card and won’t need sponsorship.
Does anybody have advice for how I can get my applications looked at while I’m not in Taiwan and any other tips for finding a job while not there? Or will I have to bite the bullet and go to Taiwan and look for work while there? (I’m very worried that if I do that, I’ll drain all my savings before finding anything, but it is a contingency if nothing else works.)
do you need to be employed by a company in Taiwan? cannot you work for uk customers or employer from Taiwan? or for taiwanese customers.
this might not mean much, for companies that can get work permits for foreigners. small companies that cannot meet the requirements to employ a foreigner might appliciate it.
From my own experience, it is definitely possible to find a job in Taiwan even if you don’t currently live in Taiwan.
In my case I was able to use my Taiwanese relatives’ address as a c/o address, but also indicated my then current address in Europe. That was many years ago, btw. I put my resume up on the 104 website and received an email shortly after asking me for a first informal phone interview which was actually the department head calling me to make sure I’m suitable for the position and willing to move to Taiwan for the job.
I believe though it helped that I had family in Taiwan and speak the language passably, so they viewed me more like a local who lived temporarily abroad. If you’re a true blue foreigner, I could imagine it’s harder, so it would help to emphasize your connection to Taiwan in some way or other.
In the end though, I believe what counts most is whether they think you’re the right person for the job or not and how difficult it is for them to fill the position. If they think you could be just what they need most, then they’d want to talk to you and may ask you to fly to Taiwan for an in person interview, but be prepared that that will be at your own expense and risk.
Then again, my experience is from two decades ago. Nowadays, since video calls have become such a common thing since COVID, I’d simply offer to get on a quick video call via zoom or line, etc if there’s even the slightest interest on their side. I don’t really recommend moving to Taiwan to look for a job for the reasons you mentioned.
Another thought I had is that you being a Gold Card holder could lead potential employers to believe you’re overqualified or expecting a higher salary than they’re willing to offer.
Besides, the market for technical writing is probably smaller than you were hoping. From what I’ve seen, oftentimes technical writers are recruited from current or former English teachers living in Taiwan, so there probably is no lack of potential candidates already in Taiwan. Add to that that ChatGPT will likely shrink the demand for technical writers even more. That may also explain your difficulties in finding a job in that field.
Thanks for the replies! Some good suggestions here. I have to specify my location on LinkedIn, but maybe I can scrap that part on my CV or even put down a friend’s Taiwanese address.
I did wonder if the Gold Card might make people think I’m “over qualified”. I find that most technical writing jobs in Taiwan are really just English editing jobs. I don’t mind doing that, but maybe they’d think I’m too big for my britches. Hence I’ve been trying to look at similar positions like copywriting and legal writing, but so far no luck.
