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I am a foreigner and a full-time student in Taiwan pursuing a second degree; I had already completed my first degree in my home country. After notifying me that I had been hired, Melody (hereinafter referred to as “the Company”) required me to start work within two weeks, so I had to suspend my studies and hurriedly resign from my part-time teaching job. When I was in a difficult position, the Company instructed me to lie to my former employer to avoid offending my former boss. Eager to obtain a work visa, I did as instructed. Even though my job with my former employer was only part-time, I still felt guilty toward them.

On my first day at the Company, the position was not the one I had applied for and interviewed for in two rounds. Even the salary had changed from 40,000 + bonuses to just 40,000. The Company said I had started too late and that, because I was not Taiwanese and had an accent, I was unable to perform the position they had originally offered me. But I had gone through two rounds of interviews—didn’t they notice my accent during either of them?! The Company assigned me to another position, which I accepted, but a week later said I was not capable of performing it. They assigned me a third position, reduced my salary to 33,000, shortened the validity period of my work visa from one year to three months, and had three senior managers at a round table jointly pressure me to sign an undated “resignation agreement.” I refused. The Company said that I had to either sign immediately or get out immediately, claiming that they could hire someone to replace me right away. They also said I was incompetent and unable to work across fields, which was why I could not perform work in a position that I had neither applied for nor been offered initially. I signed while crying, hoping to find a new job within three months.

The Company said it was checking whether another position might be more suitable for me, but for three consecutive days it kept making things difficult for me. I worked overtime every day and was still required to shoulder the responsibilities for which I had previously been accused of being “unable to perform,” while there was still no news about the “other position.” On the morning of the fourth day, I completed the final procedure for changing my residence permit at the National Immigration Agency. My supervisor then continued to make things difficult for me on LINE, so I returned to the Company in the afternoon to resign. I had been there for ten days in total and worked overtime every day. Even if I resign without another job lined up, I will not become a cheap laborer. I discovered the deception on my first day of work, so I did not suspend my studies. Otherwise, both my student visa and work visa would have become invalid; unless I resumed my studies, I would have had to leave Taiwan within ten days while undocumented—a fact the Company knew.

I have worked for companies in the United Kingdom and mainland China, with both good and bad experiences; but Melody is the most despicable and poorly managed company I have ever encountered.