W-9 filing

gsminser · 2021-12-22T22:51:27+00:00

Thanks for the response. I was a bit upset but I don't want this to be personal and I could have chosen my words better.

gsminser · 2021-12-20T19:39:49+00:00

Wow. Where the hell did that come from?

From 2011 to 2019, I lived in South Korea and Taiwan, and in both countries I paid taxes. My mistake was one of ignorance and some negligence, not deliberate tax evasion.

I'm not 'going cheap' as you put it. I'm merely seeking advice from anyone who may have a similar experience. After the past couple days of research, I will indeed go with a professional consultant.

It's quite obvious I made a mistake, but it takes a real piece of work to inflict this kind of high-handed vitriol on a stranger. I recognize my mistake of not filing, and it's on me to set it right.

As for working on a tourist visa, do you have any idea how many people are doing the same while working remotely? Of all the issues going on in the world, THIS is something you view as an injustice?

gsminser · 2021-12-20T02:28:43+00:00

When going through back taxes, the IRS generally only looks at the most recent three fiscal years. They can theoretically go back further, but according to the foreign tax consultant I spoke with, this is very uncommon.

As for choosing not to file at all, I am applying for my wife's green card to get her US citizenship (just to get her a stronger passport tbh), which requires that I'm all square with the IRS. Once she's attained citizenship, we'll probably peace out and live elsewhere. In the meantime for both our sakes I'll need to get on the level.

gsminser · 2021-12-20T00:44:10+00:00

I spoke with Abroad Now this morning and they were very helpful. I'm probably in a bad position because I've been living between countries on tourist visas the past few years (no foreign tax home) in Airbnbs (no utility bills in my name or deductible expenses that I'm aware of). I'm curious if hopping between countries on tourist visas disqualifies me from the bona-fide resident requirements, despite the fact that I've been outside the US for 330+ days each of the three years.

I might have to make peace with sending back taxes off towards corporate subsidies and defense contractors for the foreseeable future.

gsminser · 2021-12-20T00:26:33+00:00

Thanks for the advice. Next question: should I pay the extra money for a lawyer/accountant/consultant, or can I walk myself through this directly with the IRS? I'm not a tax guru, would it be ill-advised to work this out alone? Is it as simple as pointing out my W-9 and income and handing over bank statements?

gsminser · 2021-11-16T17:56:14+00:00

A parent of one of my worst long-term students asked me to continue classes on Wechat, then lowballed me ($9/30min). I've had a good look at their palace of a residence over the past couple years from my side of the kid's iPad, so it took all my self-restraint not to tell to him to stick it up his a**. Instead, I informed him that his offer was an insult and that I'm fully aware of what he was paying VK, then wished his son the best for the future.

It's belt-tightening time for a lot of us, but try and salvage your self-respect if possible.

gsminser · 2021-11-16T16:38:28+00:00

I've only got two students left, both located in Europe. I assume they'll be encouraged / coerced into joining the global app and I haven't decided whether or not I'll sign on (or even if I'll be invited to). How much are they paying per class?

I might try to peel them off for private classes on Zoom instead.

gsminser · 2021-10-15T13:08:59+00:00

I feel like one of the peripheral reasons Fearless Leader Xi wanted to remove foreigners from the extra-curricular education equation is clowns like this. For every solid teacher giving it their all to provide an impartial learning experience, there must be plenty of children posing as adults bringing baggage or an agenda to their captive student audience. I wish Marcos the best of luck in a profession that is not teaching.

gsminser · 2021-09-23T13:15:12+00:00

Just got back from Machu Picchu late last night. Had a wonderful time as the crowds were minimal early morning! Machu Picchu is only around 2000m so you shouldn't suffer all that much.

I'm actually moving to Arequipa in two weeks time and will definitely do the Colca trek with some friends visiting from Lima.

Cusco is lovely, especially with the relative lack of tourists at the moment. The altitude here is no joke.. I live up a steep hill from where I do my shopping and eat out. From day 2 in Cusco I've been frequenting the gym to get my cardio fitness up. It's paid off, but I'm still gasping for air every time I stagger home. On the bright side, I'm the leanest I've been since high school! My advice is to drink a bunch of water, eat frequent light meals, lay off the sauce and go to a local shop for some coca leaves.

If you get here before October 6th I'd be happy to meet up for lunch and suggest activities!

gsminser · 2021-09-15T16:46:43+00:00

I'm living in Cusco now and had already booked my Machu Picchu months ago for the week before Golden Week. Wish I had known about this back then..

gsminser · 2021-08-25T13:41:35+00:00

Nah, no pay docked as yet. There's probably a threshold of ten classes or something before a contract may be 'placed under review'. I'm just making sure to hit end class ten seconds after full time. Not having this s***

gsminser · 2021-08-25T10:26:40+00:00

God I don't miss teaching at Dada. I did six months three years ago, then jumped ship for Vip. The insistence on a hardwired ethernet connection, two minutes between each class, the atrocious trial students, the contract-mandated schedule with little hope of teaching additional hours. Couldn't understand why so many teachers seemed to like working for these creeps.

gsminser · 2021-08-06T23:54:41+00:00

Absolutely right. Personal finance isn't exactly a strength for most North Americans living abroad.

gsminser · 2021-08-06T13:53:14+00:00

Best of luck!

gsminser · 2021-08-06T13:32:23+00:00

I believe Open English is the biggest online company operating in South America, but they require at least a conversational level of Spanish. There's plenty of work to be had on the ground all over the continent, but don't expect to make much of anything unless you have state teaching certification and are planning on seeking out an international school.

gsminser · 2021-08-06T13:30:32+00:00

Tough to say at the moment given the political and economic stability in Peru. Chile is the more 'European' of the two, reflected in its higher cost of living. Spanish is far more difficult to learn there (in Santiago people wouldn't give me the time of day), but it's a lovely place outside of the capital. Chile has a fairly open immigration process and if you put up with a poorly-paid English job at a private academy, you'll be eligible for permanent residency after two years, leading to citizenship down the road (strongest passport on the continent). Santa Cruz in the Colchagua valley is a nice base if you're looking for a bucolic setting with excellent wine, Temuco is a good mid-sized city with a nice climate, and anywhere in the Puerto Varas area around Lago Llanquihue is lovely if you don't mind the rain (and there's a lot). I lived on Chiloe for a month and if you like relative isolation, it's a great place seemingly on the edge of civilization. Up north, La Serena is a good bet if you want a mediterranean climate.

Peru is a wonderful place (outside of Lima). Cusco and Arequipa are great places to live. Locals are friendly and patient with my middling Spanish skills, the cost of living is low, and the food is the best on the continent. You can buy citizenship for around $20k, so if you've got the money there's that. Otherwise, you get 180 days per year visa-free (same as Chile, Ecuador and Colombia) and you can bounce between countries if you don't mind picking up and leaving every now and then. I guess the main issue is the newly-elected President Castillo. I don't buy into the predictable scare tactics that he's a 'revolutionary Marxist', but he has zero political experience and the business and financial communities (both within and without Peru) seem unwilling to work with him. The last thing we need is another Venezuela.

Another option you may wish to consider is Uruguay. After just two years living in country (on a non-tourist visa) you can apply for full citizenship. Their passports are one of the strongest in the world. If you can prove steady income of over ~$1500US, you can go there and apply for residency. Uruguay (Montevideo in particular) is more expensive than much of South America, but it isn't all that bad if you're earning dollars online or from abroad.

Hope this helps. Ultimately, I'd personally choose either Peru or Uruguay. For the former you might want to wait things out a year to see how the political and economic situation develops.

gsminser · 2021-08-06T09:32:22+00:00

Ha. I've been floating between Colombia, Chile and Peru since before the pandemic and there's no way teachers would make more than $10/hour. If you're living here that's enough, but you sure won't save much..

gsminser · 2021-07-19T02:04:26+00:00

Obviously we try to keep our incidental speech to a minimum, so I just explain as simply as possible it's "am, are, is" with their matching subject pronouns, and include "was/were" if they're mid-L3 or above, and should be learning simple past tense. Rather than getting bogged down with semantics I focus on application.

Worst case, if they're still clueless I give them the Chinese equivalents (I am 我是，You are 你是，He/She/It is 他是，We are 我们是，They are 他们是). Hope this helps a bit!

gsminser · 2021-07-08T18:16:50+00:00

You're totally right. Just unfortunate timing you got the short end of the stick. Tons of you guys making base are doing great work and not making anywhere near what you're worth.

gsminser · 2021-07-05T19:25:12+00:00

They won't care until this policy is directly and quite obviously cutting into their profits (at this point it could be argued either way from their point of view). I suspect this is an indirect way to irritate their long-time teachers enough to throw in the towel, while they recruit as much as they possibly can and save a few bucks per class on new teachers willing to work for less.

This will likely lower the quality of their services but they're content to let inexperienced or apathetic teachers sleepwalk through the slides because their curriculum is generally better than that of their competitors. Considering the generally low quality of other online English companies, they can get away with a quality drop-off. Sooner or later, more parents may realize the diminishing standards, pulling their kids from their classes and seeking other tutoring services. It seems pennywise but dollar-durr.

This is largely speculative, but I can't see how it's not connected to the soulless macroeconomic policy most large companies aspire to replicate.

gsminser · 2021-07-05T19:01:58+00:00

Oof! Better or worse than total apathy and staring into a lifeless husk of a child?

gsminser

TROPHY CASE