clark.w.griswald
Joined: 06 Dec 2004
Posts: 2056
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 Posted: Sun May 15, 2005 4:05 am Post subject: Re: Teachers working under MOE in rural schools? |
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| pompomouse wrote: |
| Just wondering if I could receive some feedback from teachers who are currently working in public schools in rural Taiwan under MOE. |
There is at least one user of this forum working in this program, but we haven't heard from this person since he/she actually started working in the school in Kinmen. Maybe there is no internet access readily available, but hopefully this question will encourage that person to let us all know how he or she is going.
| pompomouse wrote: |
| From my understanding this is a newer program. |
The program is entering it's third year, and seems to have fallen well short of the MOE's expectations. I think the fact that the individual schools were expected to fund a portion of the costs of the foreign teacher put a considerable damper on interest from the target schools. It is not that the schools don't want the foreign teachers, it is that the rural and underpriviledged schools that the MOE was targetting for inclusion in the program just can't afford the foreign teacher.
| pompomouse wrote: |
| What is living in rural Taiwan like? |
Rural Taiwan can be tough for some, but an absolute pleasure for others. If you like being the center of attention and knowing that everywhere you go people know who you are, then you may enjoy it. You will of course see your students and their families every time you go outside, and even if you don't see them, they will see you. There is really nothing to do in the evening hours, but if spending time at home is not a problem for you then things should be fine. Hiking and bike riding etc are a real possibility in the daylight hours of course. And finally crime would almost non-existent for you I would suspect.
| pompomouse wrote: |
| How have your experiences been within the school you teach? |
Government schools tend to treat foreign teachers very well. Probably the biggest problem you would face is problems with the local English teachers. While some of the local English teachers can be extremely friendly and happy to be working with you, there will be resentment by others, particularly some of the older teachers. I think that this resentment is three fold:
1. They resent the fact that even after years of dedicated service, the school has decided that the students need more English practice by way of the introduction of a foreign teacher. I guess that they are offended in some way by this.
2. They resent the fact that you are getting paid more than them even though you may have very little to offer other than the fact that you speak English. Let's face it, even though you need to have an education degree, and may even have been teaching back home, the teaching situation in government schools in Taiwan is very different then back home. Foreign teachers have very little to offer kids in government schools and the local teachers know this. I think that the greatest benefit to having foreign teachers in these schools is that it can enthuse some students to try harder as they can feel the reward of actually communicating in the language rather than just memorizing it. The cultural aspects are also often interesting for the students. Very few foreign teachers in government schools can really attain the status of serious educator however, and I think that this is the problem that these older teachers have as they consider their job as educators to be a serious one.
3. They will no doubt come to resent the fact that you the foreign teacher will be more popular than they are.
The good news is that even these teachers who harbor resentment will not cause problems for you. They will either sit back and not talk to you, or will inundate you with inane grammatical questions about the intricacies of the English language. I think they sometimes do this out of genuine curiosity, but more often than not it is their opportunity to attempt to justify that they are the better teachers because they know the answer! My advice is that you study your grammar before you attempt to teach in a government school. You won't need it in the classroom that often, but you will need it when dealing with questions from these teachers who are referring to obscure textbooks on the English language.
| pompomouse wrote: |
| HOw easy or difficult is it for you to go into a larger city when the small town life is driving you nuts? |
This will depend on where you are. I think that it best to consider that this will not be an option.
| pompomouse wrote: |
| What is the salary like? |
The salary is quite good considering that accomodation is provided and that you won't really have the opportunity nor need to spend much of the money you do earn. If you were eating out for breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day you would probably only spend about NTD150 on food per day.
The salary is a range, but is online and a little in excess of the standard here in Taiwan. The bonus is that your accomodation is free. The downside is that you will have a lot of hours.
One final warning - To my knowledge the official MOE positions are only available through a couple of recruiters and to foreign nationals from England and Canada (due to arrangements with their governments). I have noticed that a lot of local recruiters have begun jumping on the bandwagon in offering positions that are described in such a way as to suggest that they are part of the MOE's program when in fact they are not. It is illegal for foreign teachers to work in government schools with the exception of the few schools in rural areas covered by this initiative. Teachers should exercise care to ensure that the position they are considering is a legal one. |
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