The Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) is seeking to hire 20 on-board service staff in anticipation of a rise in passenger demand after the electrified Hualien-Taitung line is launched on Saturday.
Applicants must provide certification proving they have passed at least the first level of language proficiency tests in either English or Japanese, the TRA said as it announced the openings yesterday.
This is the first time the railway operator has made foreign language proficiency a requirement for on-board personnel.
The TRA said it the 20 new hires would mainly serve passengers on the Puyuma Express trains that cover the east coast, adding that it added the language requirement to better accommodate the rising number of international commuters on the express routes.
The agency said that the new batch of recruits will not be classified as either civil servants or contractors whose contracts are renewed annually. However, they will be protected under the Labor Standards Act (勞動基準法) and thereby are to be provided with labor and health insurance, as well as retirement funds and employee dormitories, it added.
In addition to a fixed salary of NT$23,000 per month and year-end bonus, the new hires can earn sales commissions and win prize money for superb performance.
New hires will take a one-month training course and a final test before starting work, the railway operator said.
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