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TaoyuanSteve
Joined: 05 Feb 2003
Posts: 1028
Location: Taoyuan
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 Posted: Tue Dec 21, 2004 5:28 pm Post subject: |
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I recall a debate I had with RPD re: hucksters a while back. The feeling I got was that he was for higher standards. Seems he's arguing the flip side now.
I've argued on both sides of this issue. I don't suggest that a degree is the only qualification to teach tefl/tesl. Capability is not the issue here. Legal residence and employment is. (If it turns out Polska is not even a native speaker, then capability can certainly enter into the equation.)
The government has stipulated that a degree is necessary to secure a resident visa. If you don't qualify for this, you cannot live here legally.
That means a lot, at least it does to me. I am able to enter into lease agreements, get telephone, internet and cable accounts in my own name. Register and own vehicles and obtain local licenses for them (I own a car and a motorcycle). I have a legal job which provides the national health insurance (something you won't get without legal residence). If you are not a legal resident, most or all of these will be out of reach for you.
I've compared my lifestyle to that of those without ARCs and have to conclude that it isn't worth it to come here if you don't qualify for some sort of legal residence here. |
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Rice Paddy Daddy
Joined: 11 Jul 2004
Posts: 425
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Tue Dec 21, 2004 5:56 pm Post subject: |
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Steve,
I am not really throwing any heat at you here.
You've obviously spent a lot of time on the island and have found "your" Taiwan.
It's just that I have friends who have made a nice life here doing it without a degree and resident visa.
The police know it. The conversation schools, from HESS, KOJEN to the Mom and Pop buxiban, know it.
'Taiwan' allows it.
If Taiwan wanted to do something about it, it would.
Many Korean EFL'ers do the same thing - a lot of them come to places like Taiwan and Japan on visa runs because they're teaching illegally.
If Korea wanted it to end, they'd take measures to stop it.
At the same time, the Asian EFL industry is much like a 'wild west' scenario.
WTF, we can't do anything about it except make the best of it.
Who am I to say that Joe Blow without a degree can't come to Taiwan and study Mandarin and work on the side?
That's Taiwan's problem to figure out and it doesn't seem to be putting to much energy into solving the problem, so why should I waste time worrying about it.
There are dozens of places that would hire me right now without the proper documents.
That's the way Taiwan, Korea and Thailand work - we can't change that. |
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Rice Paddy Daddy
Joined: 11 Jul 2004
Posts: 425
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Tue Dec 21, 2004 6:07 pm Post subject: |
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Taylor,
I agree with Aristotle.
No one 'owns' any language.
In fact, there are more non-native Engish teachers here teaching in Taiwan, as there are in many parts of the world, than native English speakers.
It's all about business. And a buxiban owner, whether in Korea or Taiwan, is always thinking bottom-line, even if it isn't in the best interests of the students (customers) and education. That's all I'm saying.
From Universities to high schools to BERLITZ - Lots of Philippinas and Italians, etc, teaching English in places like Japan, Thailand and Taiwan. |
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Hap Thorton
Joined: 30 Jun 2003
Posts: 17
Location: U.S.A.
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| Posted: Tue Dec 21, 2004 11:37 pm Post subject: |
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| Taylor wrote: |
| My question for Aristotle and Hap Thornton: If you wanted to learn French (for example), wouldn't you hope that your teacher knows how to spell? How much would you be willing to pay a teacher who has poor spelling? Would you trust this teacher on other matters (i.e. grammar and pronunciation)? |
Nothing in my post should have given you the impression that I feel one way or the other about Polska coming to teach English in Taiwan. You, however, recommended the poster to "Go for it!" My post was completely limited to commenting on your response to Polska's inquiry. Starting off your response by writing It's okay, guys....I'll take this one! seemed a bit rude and snotty to me, kind of like saying, "Okay, I'll deal with this moron and spare you guys the headache." Then you ended with the exclamation that the poster should only teach kids under 6 or 7. Perhaps you didn't mean it all to be rude, but it sure did seem that way. And I wasn't trying to get you going; I just felt that Polska was asking for advice, and the first response she/he got was a bit discouraging and not representative of the advice usually given around here. |
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clark.w.griswald
Joined: 06 Dec 2004
Posts: 2056
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| Posted: Wed Dec 22, 2004 12:50 am Post subject: |
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I don�t believe that anyone is really �attacking� the original poster Polska. I think that the discussion is centered around circumstances that have been brought up as being between the lines. If I am wrong and Polska does in fact meet the criteria then all the best to him/her. If we are correct though and the shoe fits, then it may be in that persons best interests to think twice before coming to Taiwan to teach.
| Rice Paddy Daddy wrote: |
I've done this successfully. I'm not a trained teacher.
I have a friend who has been in Taiwan going on 6 years now. He doesn't have a teacher's licence or degree.
He has done well in Taiwan.
Tell that to my friend form Canada who was teaching in a buxiban with his Mom and a few other teachers for the last 2 years.
The owner didn't renew their contracts this past year.
He hired Philippinos to teach English at reduced wages. |
No one is suggesting that it isn�t possible to work here illegally. It is. The point is that there are no longer the advantages to working illegally that there once were.
In all these months of discussing this subject, none of the proponents of working illegally has ever actually put together a list of the apparent advantages of working illegally.
| Rice Paddy Daddy wrote: |
Tell that to my friend form Canada who was teaching in a buxiban with his Mom and a few other teachers for the last 2 years.
The owner didn't renew their contracts this past year.
He hired Philippinos to teach English at reduced wages. |
This is exactly the scenario that I am talking about that illegal teachers face, and is something that I have said time and time again.
1. Any school that is willing to hire a teacher illegally obviously has no respect for the law.
2. Any school that is willing to hire a teacher who cannot meet the minimum criteria set for employment in such a position, obviously has no respect for his/her own school, the students who study there, nor the parents who pay the fees. (Would you patronize a hospital within which you were aware that none of the nursing staff had any qualifications to actually be there)
3. Any school that shows such contempt for the law, the students, and the fee paying parents; is not likely to have a lot of respect for the teachers that work for them.
The scenario faced by your friends seems to me to be the normal situation facing illegal teachers here in Taiwan, and that is � uncertainty. Uncertainty as to jobs. Uncertainty as to the quality of employers. Uncertainty as to whether or not today will be their last day here before they are caught and deported.
I have no doubt that your friends worked hard. The fact that they stayed at the school for two years seems to indicate that they were happy. Despite the loyalty that they showed the school, the school still screwed them over by not renewing their contracts, thereby leaving them out in the cold. As each year passes, it becomes more and more difficult for illegal teachers to find work here as there are plenty of legal teachers willing and able to do the work. The fact that the school your friends worked at turfed them out in favor of cheap illegal Filipino workers doesn�t surprise me in the least. That is the level of the market that the school is working within, and this is the level that most illegal teachers are restricted to. Your friends are therefore going to be searching for work in a rather hostile employment environment within which no reputable school is going to even consider them.
| Rice Paddy Daddy wrote: |
| Until then, those holding a B.A. degree in Biology are no more qualified to teach EFL than those with no degree at all. |
To qualify for any job you need to meet the employment criteria. To qualify for a job teaching English here in Taiwan you need to have a degree in any discipline. Therefore applicants with a degree qualify for work here, applicants without don�t.
I am sure that no one is suggesting that possession of a degree automatically makes one a good teacher. Equally not having a degree doesn�t automatically make someone a bad teacher either. It is however, more likely, that someone who has undertaken three or four years or more of tertiary studies would be more suited to teaching than someone who hadn�t taken the time nor expended the effort to achieve this qualification. While I don�t believe that the discipline studied has much relevance to teaching in Taiwan (even if the degree was education based), I do believe that degree holders have a more solid basis for teaching in Taiwan. Not every degree holder is suited to teaching, but it does seem reasonable for schools to chose from a pool of applicants that meet certain minimum criteria, rather than a free for all.
It is standard practice in recruiting all around the world to set minimum desired requirements for applicants to meet. Applicants that meet the criteria can then be looked at more closely, and the most suitable one chosen from these applicants.
The best advice for potential teachers is to get qualified. |
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TaoyuanSteve
Joined: 05 Feb 2003
Posts: 1028
Location: Taoyuan
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| Posted: Wed Dec 22, 2004 5:36 am Post subject: |
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RPD, I'm not trying to give you any heat over this. This is actually a very productive discussion-- likely one of the most over the issue of illegal teaching we've had here at Dave's.
I agree with alot of what you are saying. Illegal teaching is defacto here and in other places in Asia. It is unofficially tolerated because the industry demands so many teachers (my opinion is that this is changing, however). I also agree that a degree is not the only qualifier for work as an English teacher, though I agree with the sentiment expressed by Griswald that a degree does, generally, make you more suited for this type of work. My main point is one concerning lifestyle.
It seems to me that most people I've met here that don't qualify for an ARC are not really bettering there lot in life by being here. There are the numerous advantages I've already listed that affect your life while here, but also I've noticed that illegals are not leaving much better off than they arrived. To use the example of my friend, he was in a rut back in our home country. He came here to break out of it and make some money. He did alright for a while. But he has not, in 5 years here, been able to achieve any level of stability in his working life or income. He bounces around from job to job. He has barely saved anything. He is little better of fthan if he'd stayed home. Plus he's always got to deal with the authorities and the hassle of his visa extensions. He wishes he never came, but feels he can't leave for financial reasons.
I'm all for someone who wants to be a legitimate student of Mandarin being able to work a little on the side. But we both know that, with the possible exception of the universities, most western students in the language centers are not really there to learn Chinese.
And it is possible for a truly motivated person to come here and live and work here legally without already possessing a degree. Problem is, most are not motivated enough to follow through with this method. I read an interesting post on Forumosa, written to a young high school grad who wanted to come here, about it. If one were truly motivated, they could actually do a degree here in a few years time. Another option would be to marry a local-- and I'm sure that's been done for residence purposes before.
My main point is not whether or not it is possible to work here illegally-- it is possible. It is not really about the moral right or wrong of someone doing it. It's, basically, that it isn't really worth it for the individual to come here and work that way. That person will not have access to the best jobs and lifestyle available only to the legal residents. The hassle isn't worth it in my opinion. That's why I suggest that non-degree holders stay home. |
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bruniasty
Joined: 01 Jul 2005
Posts: 7
Location: Buffalo, NY
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| Posted: Sat Dec 10, 2005 3:38 am Post subject: |
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| clark.w.griswald wrote: |
| non-native English speaker has no place teaching English here. |
I must disagree with this. Just because someone is not born in any of English speaking countries, that doesn't mean that this person does not qualify to teach English. An individual who proves fluency in English is able to secure working permits even if he or she is non-native. |
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clark.w.griswald
Joined: 06 Dec 2004
Posts: 2056
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| Posted: Sat Dec 10, 2005 4:32 am Post subject: |
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| bruniasty wrote: |
| clark.w.griswald wrote: |
| non-native English speaker has no place teaching English here. |
I must disagree with this. Just because someone is not born in any of English speaking countries, that doesn't mean that this person does not qualify to teach English. An individual who proves fluency in English is able to secure working permits even if he or she is non-native. |
I stand by my earlier comment and the English in your post seems to vindicate my position on the matter. I assume that you are not a native English speaker and although your English is obviously excellent, it is not at the level of a native speaker. That being the case, do you feel that you have the right to pass this imperfect English onto students who may be unaware that what they are learning is not always correct English?
I think that just because someone is a native English speaker does not mean that they qualify to teach English, but I certainly do feel that being a native English speaker is a reasonable expectation for foreigners who want to teach English.
There are plenty of non-native English speaking local teachers whose English is not perfect, but whom can speak the language very well. If a position is available to a non-native speaker then it is these locals that should get the position, not a non-native English speaker from another country. In fact one of the fundamentals of foreign workers being employed in any country is the protection of the work rights of locals as a priority.
The fact that schools employ foreign teachers is generally based upon the premise that the students already have a foundation (or can at least get a foundation) in English through the services of local schools and teachers. The role of the foreign teacher is more often than not to increase fluency among these students, and not all non-native English speakers can really do this well.
There are most surely some non-native English speakers with impeccable English abilities. I certainly don't disagree that this is possible, but the problem is that in most cases local school staff and government agencies cannot determine the foreigners fluency to any degree. They cannot therefore determine which non-native English speakers make the grade and which ones don't. It is therefore quite practical in my opinion to have a regulation which stipulates that foreigners can only teach their native language. If your native language is Spanish then teach Spanish.
The biggest problem with the employment of non-native English speakers in my opinion is the fact that students can almost never tell the difference. As a result students may end up paying top dollar for a foreign teacher while totally unaware that some of the English they are learning is not at the level that they are paying for. |
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TaoyuanSteve
Joined: 05 Feb 2003
Posts: 1028
Location: Taoyuan
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| Posted: Sat Dec 10, 2005 5:19 am Post subject: |
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| bruniasty wrote: |
| clark.w.griswald wrote: |
| non-native English speaker has no place teaching English here. |
I must disagree with this. Just because someone is not born in any of English speaking countries, that doesn't mean that this person does not qualify to teach English. An individual who proves fluency in English is able to secure working permits even if he or she is non-native. |
Incorrect. Fluency is not enough on its own to secure a work permit as an English teacher here. One also needs a degree and a passport, both of which must be from one of the countries the authorities here have recognized as English speaking. If you lack either or both, consider other opportunities because you don't qualify as a legitimate foreign teacher of English in Taiwan. "Qualify to teach English" here, means able to secure a legitimate job and work permit/ resident visa.
As a further point, I also agree that a non-native speaker has no place teaching here as a foreign teacher. There are plenty of non-native English speaking local teachers whose English is actually quite good. Why foreign teachers, then? The answer: fluency, proper useage, pronunciation and accent modelling. These are skills best obtained from exposure to, and practice with, native speakers of a language. There is no place for a non-native English speaking, foreign English teacher in Taiwan precisely because you (non-native speaker) can bring no real benefit to students over and above what their local teachers already provide--so why bring you in from another country and pay you double the local wages when your English is no better than many local teachers'? Simply by definition of what a foreign teacher is and the role s/he plays in language acquisition in Taiwan, it is clear that non-native speakers do not belong. |
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bruniasty
Joined: 01 Jul 2005
Posts: 7
Location: Buffalo, NY
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| Posted: Sat Dec 10, 2005 9:08 am Post subject: |
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Dear Clark and Steve,
I must admit that I am non-native speaker; however, I disagree with both of you. Although I understand that giving best education for children is important, I will not held that non-natives should not teach English. Here in United States, or at least in Buffalo where I currently live, large percentage of ESL teachers are non-native. The reason is obvious - their qualifications are better.
You might not agree with me on this issue, so let me explain my reasoning. I found that many people come to Asia to teach just for money. Furthermore, often they don't take their jobs seriously since they believe that they are native speakers. By assuming that English is their first language. many believe that they know how to teach it. Now please compare such individuals to ones who teach the language professionally, but restraining them to non-native (but assuming they have proper educational training such as MA TESOL,) The conclusion should be clear.
I am not saying that non-native teachers are better than native (although it might sound like that two paragraphs before.) I just want to let you know that there are individuals out there with accented English that possess both skills and motivation to teach.
Oh, and more thing: please do not assume that I am an English teacher. My fiance wanted me to become one, but I decided that it is not what I want.
Oh one more thing. Steve, as long as an individual possess a degree from English speaking country and is fluent in English, he or she is able to get their work permit. The process is long and complicated, but its possible. I forgot where I found that information, but it was on some goverment websites, such as boca.gov.tw. Can't remember, it is 4 am  .
Thanks guys for your responce. I thought that this topic died out long time ago, but I'm glad that you replied. |
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TaoyuanSteve
Joined: 05 Feb 2003
Posts: 1028
Location: Taoyuan
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| Posted: Sat Dec 10, 2005 10:22 am Post subject: |
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Oh one more thing. Steve, as long as an individual possess a degree from English speaking country and is fluent in English, he or she is able to get their work permit. The process is long and complicated, but its possible. I forgot where I found that information, but it was on some goverment websites, such as boca.gov.tw. Can't remember, it is 4 am .
Thanks guys for your responce. I thought that this topic died out long time ago, but I'm glad that you replied. |
The onus is on you to prove you can get a work permit to teach as foreign teacher, while being non-native speaker of English and without a passport from a country the government here considers to be English speaking. It is simply not normally the case here.
You also seem to have completely missed my point about non-native English speakers here, so I'll restate it yet again for you. Taiwan is not short of local teachers who speak English as a second language. Native English speaking foreigners are not brought in for the kinds of things a local teacher can provide; they are brought in for fluency, pronunciation, proper useage and accent modelling. These are things that only a native speaker of a language can properly provide in the majority of instances. You can have all the degrees you want, but if you have a strong foreign accent, you simply should not be modelling English pronunciation.
| Quote: |
| I found that many people come to Asia to teach just for money. Furthermore, often they don't take their jobs seriously since they believe that they are native speakers. By assuming that English is their first language. many believe that they know how to teach it. Now please compare such individuals to ones who teach the language professionally, but restraining them to non-native (but assuming they have proper educational training such as MA TESOL,) The conclusion should be clear |
You state you are not an English teacher. I, on the other hand, am. I have been teaching for some 8 years now and have been involved in the training of many new teachers as well. I believe that makes me much more of an authority than you on who is a suitable teacher and the motivations behind most people's choices to become an ESL/EFL instructor. No, not every native speaker makes a good teacher of a given language. That's a truism. Your statement about native speakers not taking their jobs seriously simply because they are native speakers is simply garbage and demonstrates your complete ignorance of the TEFL/TESL world. Some new teachers are young, immature and not ready for the commitment of a full-time job. Others may have culture shock, language barrier difficulties or other problems associated with settling in to a new culture. Still others have difficulty with the age group or level they are teaching and/ or come to realize that teaching isn't really for them. These groups represent the minority of teachers who are either inexperienced in some way or just not suited to the job. On the whole, however, the vast majority of teachers I've encountered are at least satisfactory or better in terms of competence.
| Quote: |
| ...educational training such as MA TESOL |
Degrees, certificates and so on are great professional development tools. They are not, however, replacements for the basic requirements for English instructor positions, particularly in Taiwan. Just as tesl/tesol/celta (and the like) will not serve as replacements for a degree, even advanced degrees will not satisfy or replace the requirement that a foreign teacher in Taiwan be a native speaker of English, from an English speaking country.
I did not say that a non-native speaker has no roll whatsoever to play in the tesl/efl world. Obviously, a non-native speaker would be useful in introducing members of their own cultural/linguistic group to a new language. However, Taiwan already has non-native English speaking local teachers in large numbers. A non-native speaking teacher whose first language is not Mandarin or Taiwanese is of little use here because of the role the foreign teachers most often play here (ie pronunciation, accent modelling and so forth). You have to ask yourself what role you could play in the teaching scene here. You are (presumably) not Chinese, so could not be used to explain grammar or difficult concepts to students in their native tongue. You are not a native speaker of English, so could not model true accent-free pronunciation or error-free useage. Doesn't leave much, does it? A non-native English speaking teacher simply could not, by definition, fit into the somewhat specialized role the foreign teacher plays here in Taiwan. Therefore, non-Chinese non-native English speaking teachers have no place here. End of story.
Edit: I noticed you are living in the US and not Taiwan. You are describing mostly the conditions that exist in the US. Please be aware that the conditions in Taiwan and a place like the US are very different, and that each place has very different needs and expectations from its English teachers. As someone who has worked in both North America and Taiwan, I must state that the two conditions are not really very similar at all. Your comparison to the situation in America is an apples and oranges comparison. Taiwan imports and employs English teachers for very different reasons than the US.
Final note: This is not a discussion about the quality of teaching a native or a non-native speaker can provide in general. Rather, it is a discussion about the eligibity of a non-native English speaking, would-be English teacher for the specific role of foreign English teacher in Taiwan.What we are talking about is (at this juncture in this thread, at any rate) whether or not such a person could successfully obtain a legitimate job and a legal work permit in Taiwan. Let us keep the discussion to this topic and away from red herrings such as who the better teacher is. |
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bruniasty
Joined: 01 Jul 2005
Posts: 7
Location: Buffalo, NY
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| Posted: Sat Dec 10, 2005 9:00 pm Post subject: |
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Dear Steve,
Thank you for clearing up your position about the issue of teaching English by natives and non natives. That is true that I am living in the United States at this moment, but please do not assume that I am not knowledgeable about teaching situation in Taiwan. Also, do not asume that I am ignorant, because I understand that many teachers come inexperienced. My point is, many of them are driven by quick monetary revenues.
I agree with you that local teachers should get priority of getting job in this market than non natives, but I do not agree that ALL non natives should not teach English in Taiwan.
To be realistic, if I opened my school my first choice would be to hire native speaker and Chinese speaking teachers. However, if I interview non native speaker and see that his or hers qualifications are high and he or she is a hard worker, I would consider them to work for me.
I will come to Taiwan by the end of December to study Chinese and start on my master degree in economics and education. I will not teach English there, but I plan to open a school for my fiance in some future. When I come we can discuss this issue in more details, drink would be on me . Till that time, I will not oppose my opinion that non native should have at least small chance to teach. |
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TaoyuanSteve
Joined: 05 Feb 2003
Posts: 1028
Location: Taoyuan
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| Posted: Sun Dec 11, 2005 3:27 am Post subject: |
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| bruniasty wrote: |
Dear Steve,
Thank you for clearing up your position about the issue of teaching English by natives and non natives. That is true that I am living in the United States at this moment, but please do not assume that I am not knowledgeable about teaching situation in Taiwan. Also, do not asume that I am ignorant, because I understand that many teachers come inexperienced. My point is, many of them are driven by quick monetary revenues.
I agree with you that local teachers should get priority of getting job in this market than non natives, but I do not agree that ALL non natives should not teach English in Taiwan.
To be realistic, if I opened my school my first choice would be to hire native speaker and Chinese speaking teachers. However, if I interview non native speaker and see that his or hers qualifications are high and he or she is a hard worker, I would consider them to work for me.
I will come to Taiwan by the end of December to study Chinese and start on my master degree in economics and education. I will not teach English there, but I plan to open a school for my fiance in some future. When I come we can discuss this issue in more details, drink would be on me . Till that time, I will not oppose my opinion that non native should have at least small chance to teach. |
You are allowed to have whatever opinion you wish. It is a different matter for that opinion to be based on facts and information. It is also a different matter for that opinion to be a correct one. You may believe the earth to be flat. That doesn't make it so. Non-native speakers of English and those without passports and degrees from approved countries cannot work legally here as foreign English teachers in Taiwan (unless they are married to ROC citizens). Believe otherwise if that is your compulsion. It won't change the realities here, nor the laws.
The word ignorant simply means lacking knowledge. You assert that you are knowledgeable about Taiwan, yet you have not lived here. You assert you are knowledgeable about English teaching here, but you have not taught here and you are not a teacher. I, on the other hand, have lived and worked here in Taiwan for quite some time now. I think it is fair to say you lack knowledge.
I'll restate again: If a teacher is not a citizen of one of the countries recognized as English speaking by the authorities here, does not have a credential from one of said countries and is not a native speaker of English, that person cannot obtain a work permit to teach here as a foreign English teacher. Your hope and opinions on the matter will not change the laws.
Last edited by TaoyuanSteve on Mon Dec 12, 2005 4:28 am; edited 2 times in total |
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bruniasty
Joined: 01 Jul 2005
Posts: 7
Location: Buffalo, NY
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| Posted: Sun Dec 11, 2005 3:58 am Post subject: |
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| TaoyuanSteve wrote: |
You assert that you are knowledgeable about Taiwan, yet you have not lived here. You assert you are knowledgeable about English teaching here, but you have not taught here and you are not a teacher.
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Steve, you are assuming so many things about me without even knowing me. It is so paradoxical to tell me that I lack knowledge of Taiwan while you have no idea of how close my bonds are to Taiwan.
Anyway, I never said that you are wrong. I agree with most of what you said, and yet, there is that one issue that is difficult to accept. Call me ignorant, if you wish, but please do not assume my knowledge about this issue just because I have different opinion than yours. |
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TaoyuanSteve
Joined: 05 Feb 2003
Posts: 1028
Location: Taoyuan
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| Posted: Sun Dec 11, 2005 10:04 am Post subject: |
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| bruniasty wrote: |
| TaoyuanSteve wrote: |
You assert that you are knowledgeable about Taiwan, yet you have not lived here. You assert you are knowledgeable about English teaching here, but you have not taught here and you are not a teacher.
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Steve, you are assuming so many things about me without even knowing me. It is so paradoxical to tell me that I lack knowledge of Taiwan while you have no idea of how close my bonds are to Taiwan.
Anyway, I never said that you are wrong. I agree with most of what you said, and yet, there is that one issue that is difficult to accept. Call me ignorant, if you wish, but please do not assume my knowledge about this issue just because I have different opinion than yours. |
My conclusion that you lack knowledge is based on what you have told me: 1) you do not live here. 2) you are not a teacher. It logically follows that you lack knowledge concerning teaching English in Taiwan. It has nothing to do with the fact that you have an opinion about teaching and teachers in Taiwan and everything to do with the accuracy of the information you have. You haven't proven anything in this discussion, but continually assert your right to have an opinion. You have that right, but don't assert that it has anything to do with the realities here facing teachers if you cannot provide evidence. The largest part of what I have been writing has to do with the eligibility of foreigners for work permits to teach English. You seem to want to turn this into an opinion-based argument over who is better: native speakers or non-native speakers. It is irrelevent who is better if the Taiwanese schools won't hire non-native speakers, or the government won't approve them for work permits. But I suppose if you believe hard enough the government really does give work permits to non-native speaking foreign English teachers  |
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