TAIWAN-FRANCE WORKING HOLIDAY VISA PROGRAM|台法簽協定 海外度假打工增至15國

Taiwan and France have signed an agreement on a working holiday visa program, which will take effect on August 8th. Taiwan now has working holiday visa agreement with 15 countries. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as of the end of 2015, over 193,000 working holiday visas applications have been processed since the launch of the program back in 2004. A seminar on working holiday was held on the 22nd which attracted over 300 people to attend. As a great way for young people to work while experiencing local culture, overseas working holiday has become increasingly popular these days. Belle used to be an industrial designer. She decided to go on a working holiday for a year in Australia before she turned 30. ==BELLE, Working Holiday Traveler== He called me to ask me out for a drink, instead of asking me to work at the coffee shop. He even told me he could pick me up since he was already nearby. New to Australia, Belle was terrified by the stranger's invitation and decided to become a street artist instead. Another working holiday traveler from Taiwan made this suggestion because she is a talented painter. Her trip went well after that. However, some people have to earn a living by working as farm labor. ==BOB, Working Holiday Traveler== Our farm was reported for hiring illegal migrant workers. I thought to myself, "who is the illegal worker?" It turned out they were talking about me. Bob intended to save money by working on the farm, but was exploited by the owner. He joined the union to fight for his rights and even became a certified labor inspector to help other working holiday travelers. ==HUANG, Student== I had not thought about insurance issues before. There's always a risk in traveling abroad. Insurance is like a raincoat that protects your family and yourself. To prevent accidents or exploitation by employers, it's important to do your homework in advance. It's also important to keep in mind that working abroad can be challenging and not to over-romanticize everything. TRANSLATED BY：CHRISTINA LIU 台灣與法國度假打工協定，下個月8號生效，青年海外度假打工的國家增加到15國。外交部統計，從93年推動計畫，到去年年底已有19萬3千多人次，申請度假打工。 一邊打工、一邊體驗當地文化，海外度假打工越來越夯，Belle原本是工業設計師，迎向30歲大關前，決定去澳洲一年。 ==度假打工分享者 Belle== 可是他打給我 他是請我去跟他喝酒 他沒有要請我去咖啡廳上班 然後他甚至直接說 我已經開車開到你家附近 要不要我去接你 才到澳洲，就被沒見過面的餐廳老闆約喝酒，Belle嚇壞了，後來遇到台灣揹包客，建議有畫畫專才的她去當街頭藝人，自此順利。但不是每個人都有一技之長，Bob當初去澳洲，就是到農場賣勞力。 ==度假打工分享者 Bob== 那時候我們的農場就爆發出來 就是說使用非法外勞 然後後來我就想說 誰是非法外勞 後來才知道原來是在講我 原本想存錢，卻被嚴重剝削，Bob加入工會跟雇主抗爭，後來還考到官方勞檢證，協助揹包客，他回想，如果當初出發前，能有更多資訊，也不會如此。 ==黃同學== （原本沒想過）關於保險方面 因為到別的國家一定會有風險 保險就像一套雨衣 所以可以保護家人 也可以保護自己 如何降低意外風險，被雇主剝削，過來人的經驗是，行前盡量做好準備，心理也得調適，畢竟去國外工作本來就不容易，千萬別想得過度簡單與美好。 記者林曉慧 蔣龍祥 台北報導