Let me start with the conclusion.
Their standards for hiring a skilled worker are roughly that you need to spend at least NT$2,500–3,000 per day, but someone with that level of skill would not go do this kind of work anyway. The work is also very inefficient; people like to slack off, and there are often situations where work is done for nothing. They are looking more for general laborers than skilled workers.
There are probably two semi-skilled workers(?) on-site—two old hands and two apprentices. The only people who could really be considered skilled workers are the boss and his father.
In principle, the work is divided into two groups: metalworking, and polishing, spray painting, and miscellaneous tasks. The atmosphere on-site is for everyone to work slowly and take their time... except when the boss comes over to direct things, in which case people work a little faster.
The old hands there will tell you to use rough construction-style welding. If you cannot do that (and only know standard welding methods), they will basically classify you as an apprentice.
They have a very poor sense of time. People only start putting things away and preparing to leave after the scheduled time has already passed. When the boss asks people to work overtime, he does not really specify what time they will finish. He may say overtime is until 9 p.m., but in practice it could be later (and overtime pay of course does not fully comply with the Labor Standards Act).
They only ask whether you want labor and health insurance on your second day.
They only tell you a very vague salary figure, asking you to come work first and then deciding how much to offer.
Pay (daily wage)
Apprentices: NT$1,100–1,200.
Semi-skilled workers: roughly NT$1,300–1,500. I do not know about anything higher, because I never saw anyone move up further, and I left after working there for only a short time.
They claim overtime pay follows the Labor Standards Act, but take that only as a reference. On one day, I worked until 10:30 p.m. and still was not paid the full overtime amount (they apparently calculate everything at 1.33 times the rate).
Working hours
Monday to Friday; whether you have to come in on Saturday depends on the boss.
Clock-in system + scheduled hours of 8 a.m.–5 p.m., with a one-hour break. No lunch is provided and there is no subsidy. Overtime depends on the boss; if there is overtime, they give you a boxed meal. There is a break from 5–6 p.m. The stated overtime hours are only for reference. For example, they may say overtime is until 9 p.m., but in reality it may last until 10:30 p.m.
If you leave on time at 5 p.m., the others will hint that you should not leave so early. People there like to hang around and chat after clocking out, leaving around 5:30–5:45 p.m. or even later.
On average, people only start putting things away, cleaning, and preparing to leave around 5:03–5:12 p.m. They finish around 5:20, and people clock out at 5:20–5:30 or even later.
I heard that each month there is a 30-minute allowance for being late.
Job duties
If you cannot or are not very good at reading drawings, or cannot work independently, they will all treat you as an apprentice.
The drawings are fairly simple, but when you actually follow them, you may find that the dimensions in some places seem a little strange.
There are not quite enough welding machines on-site. There are basically enough for only two people to use them simultaneously; three is somewhat difficult.
I heard there is a lot of work, but everyone on-site works slowly.
The work includes welding (CO2/TIG, mostly stainless steel; TIG is mostly done using rough construction-style spot welding), grinding, polishing, basic electrical and plumbing wiring, rigging, cutting materials, and so on.
The main projects are steel sculptures, artistic landscaping, and lanterns for festival exhibition venues, among other things.
Impressions: Some materials may need to be handled economically. For certain curved or shaped items, they may ask you to figure out how to cut out an approximate shape yourself and then adjust it until it can be assembled. For some workpieces that will be spray-painted on the outside, it is acceptable to weld them messily, as long as they are strong enough; even cracks do not matter (though if they are too large, they will still be filled by welding or concealed through grinding).