Don't Sign That Contract!

I am often asked about signing contracts with companies before you arrive in Taiwan. My advice is, don't even think about it. The offers that you will get while outside Taiwan will be ridiculous. For example, I have spoken with a woman who told me that ELSI recruiters were offering her a contract that would not pay overtime. She would be paid a regular rate for all her hours until she reached a certain numbers, then she would be paid at the overtime rate for everything she worked. Aside from being illegal, you'd have to be pretty hard up for a plane ticket to sign this one.

Unlike Korea, it is relatively easy to find a place to live. Almost anyone can arrive here, find a place to live, and then shop around for a job at a minimal cost. And once you're here, you'll find you're in a much better position to negotiate over working conditions, as well as much more knowledgable about what the market has to offer you.

A second reason not to sign a contract  before you arrive has to do with the nature of contract law for foreign employees. If you have signed a one year contract, you will have to be released from that contract to work legally for another school. Some schools even include financial penaltiues for those who break their contracts. Besides, it's doubtful that someone who has tricked you into signing an inferior contract is going to release you once they have that kind of power.

Of course, if the school offering you a job is a college or university, the situation is different from the case I have described here. But if you're thinking about working in Taiwan, just get on the plane and come here.

10:33:54 PM