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[teach2005]

I must preface this by saying that I had intended to post this in the Job Information Journal due to its length. If you are intending to work in preschool in Taiwan or for Kojen please read it!!

This is a factual account of my year with Kojen. I will briefly tell you who I am. I�m a certified elementary teacher who has worked with many ESL students in the U.S. I decided to teach in Taiwan to gain more experience.
A recruitment company found me the job with Kojen. When I first arrived in Taipei, I naturally felt a bit overwhelmed at being in a completely foreign country. Kojen did not offer any kind of orientation on Taipei for new foreign teachers, and I didn�t have much time to get comfortable on my own, as I started work almost immediately. During my first meeting with a Kojen recruiter I was told that, after reviewing my qualifications, preschool was the best place for me. Though skeptical about teaching such young children, I happily accepted and was given a �training schedule.� However, with the exception of observing current teachers, the �training� did not have much to offer. On the days that I didn�t observe I was put in a tiny room to watch videos of previous workshops that Kojen had conducted. Things like curriculum overview and introduction to Kojen�s internal structure made no appearance. Just five days into my �training� I was told that one of the preschools needed a teacher immediately. When I asked if the fact that my work permit had not been processed yet was a problem, I was assured it wasn�t. I was placed at the preschool in Shilin. The director immediately made me feel very welcome and did her best to make me comfortable while I jumped into teaching. She provided me with thorough explanations of the curriculum and the schedule I would have. I wondered why the head office couldn�t have presented some of this to me earlier. I had to start working very quickly so the director did not have time to tell me as much as she wanted. Despite that I finally felt at home and she quickly became a good friend and ally.
I started teaching on August 27th and the first day of the new semester was September 1st. On that day I was in the middle of teaching the alphabet when a fellow foreign teacher rushed into my classroom telling me to run. I was confused and stood like a deer in headlights. Obviously my reaction was very delayed. He quickly pulled me out of my room. The following happened all at once. I saw some teachers running out the back door. There were several men tramping up the stairs. There were flashes of light as our picture was taken. I could hear them saying, �Stop teacher!� Those of us that did not escape were escorted downstairs. The director and I exchanged glances and I searched her face for an answer to what was going on. The men were foreign affairs police and they had accompanied officials from the government who were conducting raids on schools. We were taken out of the preschool to the police station and asked to make a statement. The reality is that on October 1, 2003 the Ministry of Education declared it illegal for foreigners to teach English in preschools (ages 3-6). Like many laws there are several loop holes that all preschools take advantage of. (For further information regarding this regulation you can search any ESL abroad website). Kojen did not inform me of this situation and so I was left to fend for myself. Thinking quickly, I told them that I was only observing and had not taught yet. I also said I wasn�t being paid. Needless to say we were all pretty shaken up at the end of the day.
The following day the owner of Kojen, Mr. Hou, and his son, Jason, came to the school. At no point did we hear an apology. We were told that it was okay and that we weren�t in any trouble. We were assured that nothing could happen to us personally. The truth was that nothing could happen to the teachers whose work permits were valid and processed. These teachers have work permits that are attached to various kids or adult branches of Kojen, not the preschools. Some teachers don�t even have a permit for the building they work in. However, having no work permit at all, I alone was in danger of being deported. After the incident, Mr. Hou patted me on the back for being �so smart and saying all the right things.� I was told that my work permit would be in my hand soon and that there was nothing to worry about. Soon after that a more secure door was installed at the school with an alarm to warn us when to run. These raids happened a few other times in the following months. Otherwise, things settled down and I was really enjoying my job. I bonded with my students and had a great relationship with my Chinese co-teacher.
One afternoon in December I was called into the head office. I sat down at a table with my director, Mr. Hou, his son, and some other administrative people. They told me that they had talked to their lawyers and it was no longer safe for me to stay in Shilin. Apparently they thought the government would come back looking for me in particular. I was to be removed in two weeks. I wondered why they had allowed me to teach for almost four months. My director requested that I be allowed to finish the semester and was denied. When I asked why this had to happen I was met with the response, �better not to offend while we try and work out this problem.�
I was devastated to leave my students and a school I had come to really love. My co-teacher and I had a very hard time telling the children. Many of them were very upset. Despite their age they understood that I did not want to leave but that I had no choice. We also had to write a letter to the parents. I discovered that it was suggested the parents be told, �She misses her boyfriend and wants to go back to America.� I made sure a more truthful letter was sent to them. It took many meetings to work out what would happen with my job. One week before I had to leave Shilin I was called back to the head office. Mr. Hou asked me how things were. I told him that it had been very difficult to explain this situation to the children and parents. He acted very surprised and said, �What? You told the parents? You can�t tell the parents in a letter. That is evidence! You should tell them it is something personal.� I told him I thought that was ridiculous and all of this was Kojen�s fault not mine. Later, they told me that I would substitute teach at the Gongguan preschool for a while before spending January in the office helping to write curriculum. Following that, they proposed that I teach in some other departments and that my contract end on September 10th instead of the original August 17th. I had to explain to them that being a teacher I needed to go back to the US much earlier than that to secure a job. Basically I had to fight to get what I wanted. After I complained I was told that, in fact, there would be a new preschool class opening at the Gongguan school after Chinese New Year. Mr. Hou asked that I go to the hospital to get my health check immediately so that I could apply for the work permit for that school. At that point I only had a few days left with my students. When I said �no� he was appalled. Someone else present had to explain to him that it was a sensitive time and that I could do it the next week.
In the days to follow I met the new teacher who would replace me. She was literally fresh off the plane. To my astonishment they were asking her to start working without her work permit. Kojen�s decision to remove me left the director, parents, children, and me very unhappy. Obviously they were much more concerned with their own image.
A few days before the Chinese New Year holiday, the manager of the Gongguan school called to tell me only two students had signed up for the new class. It would not be opening. The administration had been aware of this for a while, but no one had thought to tell me. I found myself back at the head office asking them what they were going to do this time. The head office has a preschool as well and they told me that a teacher there had to go home due to sickness. The director had been teaching the class. I accepted the position hoping that I could finish out the year on a good note. Only after I accepted the position did I learn Kojen had promised the job to another teacher before me. They had no other place to put me and therefore brushed off this other teacher. So I proceeded to get work permit number three.
Recently I attended the Shilin school graduation in order to say goodbye to my students. Several teachers from the school told me that the students still asked about me. At the end of the ceremony one boy that I was particularly close with came to find me. When I saw him start to cry I picked him up and reassured him as much as I could. I saw Jason Hou coming towards us. He looked at me and said, �Wow the kids still remember you huh?� I was speechless. I managed a very firm, �Of course they do� and he quickly walked away.
This is only one example of how clueless the administration is. They are in the business of educating people and yet they treat their employees like disposable items. Yes, teachers come and go and that is the nature of the business. However, they never acknowledged the fact that I endured more than I should have. I was treated more like a thorn in their side than a dedicated teacher who stuck it out. They need to take a serious look at the way they treat people. Over and over I kept hearing, �This has never happened before.� Well it did happen and they better realize it is going to keep happening if teachers are not informed and asked to work without permits. The raids are only going to increase as the Ministry of Education and Labor Department crack down on offenders. I should have been removed from the Shilin preschool immediately after that day. Any decent company would apologize for putting an employee in personal danger and would compensate that person for the mistakes they made. After all I only did my job when they asked me to.
Even as I prepare to leave I have had complications. There was talk of holding my pay in case I didn�t complete my final week. You would think that my character as an individual would speak for itself. I am a teacher and I have chosen that as my career. Leaving early would only hurt the students and the director who are the people that made this worthwhile.
My final months were very positive and I owe that all to the people I worked with at the head office preschool. The director is an experienced and very knowledgeable man who cares deeply for the students and the well being of the school. The teachers are excellent and many of them plan to stay another year. If the administration appreciated their directors and teachers more, many of the problems I, as well as others, experienced would never arise. My wish is that this situation is not repeated. I know for a fact that Kojen does not inform their new preschool teachers of this situation until after the contract is signed, or in my case it is left for the director to explain. I have seen countless examples that I haven�t even mentioned that lead me to say that this company is on a downward spiral. I�m not the first to say so and I certainly won�t be the last. If Kojen wants to stay at the top of this market they need to stop obsessing about saving money or saving face and show some regard for the people whose hard work makes their company successful.

[clark.w.griswald]

Your story was an interesting one and I am sure that you are not the only one who has faced this sort of problem. I agree with you that schools should tell teachers of the situation involving kindergarten teaching and let the teachers choose whether or not they want to take that position. I disagree with the school philosophy of 'we know that nothing will happen so you needn't worry about it.' If that is the way that they choose to run their business then that is their right, but I believe that it is the teachers right to choose if they want to get involved or not.

What I don't understand is how you ended up teaching in a preschool without knowing that it was illegal? I assume from the content of your story that you started work there on August 27, 2004. As you yourself pointed out, the fact that foreigners have not been permitted to teach kindergarten has been well publicised since October 2003. Many reports about this have been made in the local newspapers (available online) and every single message board that mentions teaching in Taiwan. Just about every foreigner in Taiwan knows that it is illegal, and it seems from your story that even your fellow co-teachers knew that it was illegal.

So I guess there are two possibilities here:

1. You legitimately didn't know that teaching kindergarten in Taiwan was illegal.

Did you not know that it was illegal before you took the job (or soon after you took the job), and if so how come? Did you research the topic of teaching in Taiwan, and the company that you were working for? I assume that you didn't as if you did then you would have found the truth. So assuming that you didn't do any research about this, well this begs the question why not? If you didn't take the time to research the position then why should the school take the time to tell you as you haven't shown a lot of concern?

2. You knew that it was illegal to teach in kindy, either before you took the job or soon afterwards.

In that case you chose to continue working there even though you knew that the job was illegal. If that is the case then wouldn't you agree that your choice absolves some of the responsibility of the school?

From your story it seems that you chose to continue working at the school even after the raids, and therefore you chose to accept that you were working in an illegal position. If that is the case then it seems that you are as responsible for your circumstances as the school is. I assume that you were collecting money for your work there, and therefore it seems to me that the school no longer has to provide for you should there be repercussions from your decision.

I understand your reasons for posting here, and I certainly sympathize with any teachers who are employed in a illegal position after receiving a promise that their job would be fully legal. I don't include kindergarten teachers in this group as it has been widely publicised that these positions are illegal, and anyone who chooses to work as a kindergarten teacher in Taiwan is doing so either because they have failed to do any research, or because they have chosen to work illegally regardless!

[Taylor]

Dear Teach2005,

Thanks for posting. You should definitely post this info on the Job Information Journal.

Best wishes. So are you going to stay in Taiwan?

Sincerely,

Taylor
Kaohsiung

[teach2005]

In response to both postings, I am now back in my country and will not return to Taiwan for work purposes. As I mentioned I intended to post this in the Job Information Journal but that part of Dave's website is being fazed out. I did not, Mr. Griswald, post this to justify my choices or behavior in the past year. I was naive to trust my recruiter only and to not do research myself. Circumstances in my personal life made it difficult for me to do much of anything in the months leading up to my departure from the US. I stayed with my job because I wanted to complete my contract and I truly wanted to live in Taiwan for a year. I don't think that my accepting the position and deciding to stay in the school warranted all of the things that happened to me. I don't know who you are or what you do in Taiwan but it sounds to me like you're forgetting something. Taiwan is not the center of the world and every webite does NOT explain this situation explicitly. I wrote this so that other people may be informed. Not for you to pass judgement on my decisions.

[clark.w.griswald]

[Ki]

I cannot speak for Kojen personally,

I do not blame anyone who has unwillingly found an "illegal" job here. Yes, kindergarten jobs are illegal but with the amibuity of the law and its frequency to change who knows what is going on?

Teach, I have sympathy for you. I find this to be a common issue in Taiwan. Don't expect management to tell you anything at all until it neets to be done, or is too late. They will never acknowledge that you have been good unless it is preceded by an 'except by...' Things like them being more concerned about their own immage are a reality here. What you describe seems to be the norm rather than any real exception.

Forget about your love for your students. I returned to say 'hi' to mine and all of the other teachers were amazed. Apparently it had never happened before. But I missed them.

Clark, what would you suggest to a teacher who has already started working somewhere illegal (ie a preschool) but who is obligated under contractual obligations to keep working or forfeit things like bond money and other subsidies against the teacher? I did note your opinion about sticking with the school for the contract term. This is a difficult situation and difficult to advise in either direction. I'm just not sure about what degree of responsibility should occur. It is a diificult possition. I would think that the teacher should be resolved of all responsibilities, paid in full, and not required to fullfill any further contractual obligations. I'm sure this is open to any disagreement out there.

It seems like a bad situation with maybe too much wrong or outdated information interfering with the more up-to-date information.

If okay though. I was informed that I don't need to run. I have enough time to just walk. Seriously. I was told this in my interview when I asked about police raids. All schools believe their own lies.

My appologies for passing judgement. Whether intended or otherwise, you did post here expecting it.

[clark.w.griswald]

[Aristotle]

The fact is that most all teachers on Taiwan are working illegally in one form or another. This can and will happen again until the occupational government quits being an occupational government.
In this case the Kojen / Elsi administration had not paid the required bribes and they got leaned on by the government to pay up or else. They paid and the problem went away. The teachers were replaced as a face saving measure and in the end only the teachers and their students suffer any real loss.
On Taiwan all non Chinese are deemed "foreigners" and are unwanted and unwelcome by the occupational government on Taiwan. Non Chinese are treated as cultural pollution in the eyes of the current government even if you were born here. The message that the government on Taiwan is sending you is quite clear (If your are not Chinese you are not wanted!).
The best you can do in a situation like this is to do your job as a teacher.
You can start by adding some new material to your current lesson plan.
Corruption Fighters� Tool Kit

Welcome to Taiwan!
A.

[Incredible Ape]

[Forumosa Maoman]

Thanks for your account of your experience. The more stories like these come to light, the sooner there can be positive resolution. (Aren't I the eternal optimist! )

[teach2005]

Thanks! As I mentioned before, my sincerest wish is that this story merely acts as another tool to inform prospective teachers. I hope that individuals in the future can avoid some of the mistakes I have made. It is great to get feedback like yours Maoman

[TaoyuanSteve]

[clark.w.griswald]

[Fortigurn]

[Fortigurn]