10 S e p t - D e c 2 0 1 1 K a i b i g a n 11

Sally is a lovely Filipino lady in her early forties. She speaks fluent Tagalog, English and only a little bit of Mandarin. Her

husband is Taiwanese and speaks English well. She has been married for many years and has several children. Unfortunately, like many of us from all over the world, marriages go through rocky times, and Sally needs to find a job to assure financial support of herself and her children in the case of a divorce. The problem she faces is that she cannot read Mandarin, nor does she have access to computers. As a long time resident of Taiwan, married to a Taiwanese gentleman, she is legally allowed to work and does not need a work permit.

She has a lot of experience not only as a mother, but moreover as a domestic helper. She is talented with laundry and cleaning. She wants to work during the day, while her children are at school. She is not the kind of highly compensated employee that professional recruitment firms target. What is her best outlet to find a job?

Sally’s situation is very much like many here in Taipei. Some English speaking minorities with needed skills have trouble finding employment. Their troubles relate to their abilities with the primary language, Mandarin, added to the fact they do not possess computer skills or access to computers. At the same time, potential employers are having trouble finding Sally!

According to statistics published by the Council for Labor Affairs in Taiwan (CLA) in 2007, 341,871 foreign workers were legally employed in construction, factories, as fisherman, caretakers and nursing aides, and as domestic helpers. These workers came from Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Mongolia, and Malaysia. That same year, it was reported 395,701 people from minority countries were married to Taiwanese.

An idea grew from these and many related situations. The idea is to create an English speaking

registry for these types of employees. This registry could be accessed so local employers can more easily find these individuals. This registry would not charge fees, and would be a part of a nonprofit entity. This project would only include applicants with the legal right to search for jobs in Taiwan, and would not exist to compete with employment agencies. It would exist solely to address a missed opportunity in the employment market to help people.

Specifically, this registry project is under consideration for approval at Taipei International Church. Its sponsor is Pastor Paul Ko, Lead Minister for the Tagalog Worship Service supporting the Filipino Community. The constitution at TIC specifically includes an outreach ministry at the Gateway office that exists in part to serve the community. This outreach ministry would support the Tagalog ministry in the administration and development of this project.

The project includes volunteers who have a heart for these minority English speakers. The first is Fred Voigtmann, a US Attorney. Fred currently now serves on the Board of several service organizations in Taipei, including the Community Service Center. He is a former Elder of TIC, and his wife is a Director with a local orphanage. Both have committed their lives to the betterment of individuals of all types of ethnic backgrounds.

Next is the key visionary, Siew Kang. Siew noticed this missing service in the community. Among her many community involvements, she is a board member for both the Taipei Community Center and the American Club in China (ACC). She also participates in the music ministry at Taipei International Church.

Other key members in support of this initiative

Employment Registry Outreach Project

2. To work together with specialized counselors to develop a list of do’s and don’ts to for both employees and employers that would prevent any initial misunderstanding.

3. To develop a standard employment contract that may help clarify roles and responsibilities of an employer and employee, in some cases.

4. To serve mostly as a reference. The team will work hard to meet and connect with high quality local job agencies that may be able to help individuals, with the assistance of our translators. To publish this registry to the expat community, and to share this registry with English speaking employers.

5. To work together with other English speaking nonprofit organizations with related projects, so that resources can be optimized.

If you think you may be interested in participating in this project, we would like to hear from you. You can email us at gatewaytaipei@yahoo.com.

Visit the TIC Tagalog Fellowship website at www.tagalogfellowship.blogspot.com. Lastly, you can also visit the TIC website at www.taipeichurch.org.

You can also visit the office to fill out an application for employment. See below for details:

Church Office: 7F,No.248 Zhong Shan N. Rd.,Section 6, Taipei 111

111臺北市天母中山北路六段248號, 7FPh: (02) 2833-7444Fax: (02) 2835-2778Office Hours: Monday - Friday; 9:00am -

5:00pm

Anna, Nelly or Grace can provide you with an application to fill out. Kathy will be in the offices on Thursday’s at 10:30 to develop the application into a resume, and to take your picture.

If you have an idea for a Project name, we would also like to hear from you. If you would like to volunteer, we would love to hear from you!

are June and Janet Chua. These talented sisters are Filipino, extremely well educated, and have lived in Taiwan almost 20 years. Each can speak and read Tagalog, English and Mandarin fluently. They can also speak Taiwanese. Both have enjoyed successful careers as executive assistants and teachers. As you can imagine, their skills are critical to the project success.

The last supporting entity includes Gateway volunteers. Gateway is an outreach ministry of TIC. It is associated with the church but includes people from other areas of the Taipei community. The office of Gateway includes all of the TIC church offices in the Shilin District.

This core team together is working to structure a path forward to propose and implement this service. The breadth of this service will grow depending on the area supply and demand.

How can this project serve the community?First of all, templates are now developed to assist

potential employees build a much needed resume with a picture. The Gateway office is open every weekday and has applications that may be filled out manually. After filling out this application, a volunteer would schedule a time with the applicant to discuss the application, take a digital photo and develop an electronic resume. In the process, the volunteer would ask for and accumulate document (copies) proving the legal ability of the applicant to work in Taiwan.

Secondly, these applicant resumes and supporting legal documents would be made available for review by eligible employers. The employer would contact those employees directly for a job interview. At this time, the registry’s work is almost complete.

Most importantly, the registry hopes to help protect both the employee and employer. How can this be accomplished?

1. To provide copies of the law (in English) with associated flow charts that help simplify decisions of employers as to the parameters they must follow in hiring a minority worker. Employers should always be careful to consult with their own attorney or Taiwanese government officials, but this service can give them a beginning level of comfort and direction.

by Kathy Van wilgenburg

Kaibigan