Job Discussion Forums

[Miyazaki]

If Hess, as mentioned on a previous post, offers EFL classes in kindergartens, is this legal?

I've heard that teaching English in kindergartens in illegal.

Not clear on this - can anyone offer an explanation?

Thanks.

[Ki]

Kindergarten positions, though ILLEGAL, are common. Just be prepared for the occasional quick exit when the police come to collect their bribes.

[SanChong]

This is a complicated issue. It's one that I think everyone has to make a personal decision on. Generally, teaching in kindergartens will not cause a problem for you. However, it is possible. It really depends on the school and the individual situation. That's a really hard decision for a newbie to make when they don't know much about Taiwan to begin with.

One thing is VERY clear. Definitely do NOT work at any school that can't provide you with an ARC (working permit). That would be a mistake. However, many schools also have a buxiban in the same building as the kindergarten. This would allow you to legally be in the building and GREATLY minimizes any risk.

Many foreigners go through their entire year in TW working in Kindergartens without even knowing it is technically illegal. It's tough to know when you see it advertised on billboards and buses everywhere. Politicians, policeman and everyone send their kids to Kindergartens. It can also be VERY rewarding and fun to teach kindergarten (I've done it for awhile). Anyway, I think if you asked the vast majority of Kindy teachers, they would say they feel totally fine teaching kindy. Some wouldn't though. It really depends on the individual school situation.

[Miyazaki]

Hi,

Are they legal or not?

If they aren't - how do all the high profile companies (HESS, Kid's Castle, etc.) get away with doing it?

Appears to be convoluted.

[clark.w.griswald]

From a western perspective it does certainly seem somewhat unusual but when considered from an Asian or perhaps more correctly a Taiwan perspective it is not so unusual.

From a strictly legal sense foreigners cannot obtain work permits to teach in kindergartens and kindergartens cannot run English immersion programs for kindergarten aged students. These laws however are not widely followed as they are considered by the majority of authorities as being somewhat nonsical. In the west we would no doubt lobby for the laws to be changed but here the practice seems to be that everyone knows that it is ridiculous and therefore it becomes perfectly acceptable. This does not however make it legal and therefore any teacher who chooses to work in a kindergarten does so in the knowledge that it is illegal.

Schools will obtain your paperwork through the legal cram school section of their company.

How do companies get away with it even though they are so blatant? I think the answer lies in the attitude mentioned above and the reality of the situation. The reality of the situation is that the very legislators and police officials in charge of enforcing the law also enroll their own children in such programs as they see them as beneficial and not something to be closed down.

[SanChong]

I think Clark just gave an excellent summary of the kindergarten "legality" situation.

To a certain degree, we need to put aside our Western definition of the word "legal". The word many times has a different meaning here. When I ask my Taiwanese friends why the goverment doesn't just make kindergartens legal in Taiwan, they say the following: "What's the difference what is written on paper? What matters is what happens in practice. What is legal isn't decided by what is written in a law book, its decided by what is enforced. So, what's the difference what we call it... everyone is doing it, so who cares what we call it?"

That is a VERY Asian attitude. I have to admit... they definitely have a point.

Anyway, my opinion on the kindy situation is that it can be a very good experience if the school gets you a work permit to work at the location and is careful. The risk is small. That being said, everyone needs to make their own personal decision.

[Taylor]

Dear Readers,

I would like to make a few more points on this issue. First of all, it is certainly 'easier to get forgiveness than permission' in Taiwan. Moreover, as Clark wrote,

[GavinInTaiwan]

In Taiwan, to work in kindergarten is illegal for foreigners.
Why are the authorities so inflexible or old-fashioned?
There are lots of reasons and debates between authorities and education experts:

1.Most foreign teachers are not all real teachers, but in most immersion schools, these foreign teachers are the main teachers. They may not be able to tell the meaning and difference of, for example, crying between 3 and 5 year-old kids.

2.There are other equally important things need to be considered, such as behavior, respect, trust, culture awareness and self-confidence. They all take skills to be observed and built. Teachers with history, computer science or even English literature degree are unlikely to analyze or understand unless they want to learn. However, these abilities are essential especially at this age.

3.Culture difference: Even adults have culture shock, but older kids can adjust themselves. The foreign teacher quality in Taiwan is mixed. Kids at kindergarten require longer time to get used to their teachers. At this age, they�re just starting to figure out how to manage their mood and emotion.

There are lots of more��


Why can you get work permit from kindergarten?

Only cram schools can offer you work permit. So if you have the permit, it must be provided by the cram schools in the same building or area. These schools are good, at least they obey the rules and give you work permit.

Some legislators are now trying to make new laws to ban teaching English under age 3. Besides the above reasons, it also has to thank some teachers' bad reputation.