宜興國際有限公司

The company name is not exactly the same, so let me clarify that the following comments concern Yixing International Co., Ltd. in Binh Duong Province, Vietnam, which processes aluminum extrusions.

The advantage is that the associate general manager and vice president who interviewed me were both very polite.

They also followed up throughout the interview arrangements.

Working in Vietnam feels like there is not much protection: there is no labor or health insurance, and the entire salary is paid in Vietnamese dong. You can return to Taiwan four times a year, for what seems to be nine or ten days each time. Negotiate the salary with the company yourself, but offering NT$60,000–70,000 is already considered high.

The final interview was with their general manager in Taiwan. I went to a factory called Yishen in Yongkang, Tainan. I estimate it is part of the same group or perhaps the parent company.

The general manager was a young man, I estimate in his thirties, under forty. But, honestly, I felt that his ideas were very old-fashioned. The entire interview felt like talking to a Taiwanese boss from the previous—or even the generation before that. For example, he asked what I would do if I could not adapt to Vietnam and really could not continue working there.

I answered honestly that I would still have to do it for the money; if I truly could not continue, I would have to leave. It would be better for both me and the company to end the pain sooner rather than later. Unexpectedly, the boss then said that, from the company’s perspective, hiring someone like me involved too much risk, since they would also have to help me arrange a visa and prepare documents. If it were only for a living or for money, they could always find someone more willing to do the job, and the company would not need to cater to my attitude. (This was really strange—I said I would still have to do it for the money, but I never said I would give them attitude.) He said he needed me to give him a commitment. How could I possibly make any commitment when I had not even started the job or been to Vietnam? What exactly was I supposed to promise? If they wanted someone like that, why not look for someone with at least some prior experience in Vietnam?

Perhaps everyone at their company is just a happy wage earner, and money may not be their main reason for working.

They also asked why I cared so much about the salary. I do not know—if I do not care about my salary when I go to work, what am I supposed to care about? Should I care whether the boss can drive a Mercedes and live in a mansion? We had already discussed my previous work experience for a while, and I believed I had expressed my willingness and ability to work. Am I not allowed to ask for a salary commensurate with the position? Or should I pay out of pocket to come to work?

In conclusion, if you want to do charity work, you can go. If you want to make money, it is best not to show that intention, and even less advisable to say it out loud.

Overall, I feel that making the trip was just a waste of my time, money, and energy. If he can find someone more willing to do the job, then let him; I will respectfully decline.

Haha

Overseas assignment with a monthly salary of 20K, without labor and health insurance