Moving to Taiwan with my 5 and 8 year old

Taiwan Living in Taiwan
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So, after a week visit to Taipei, here is what I gathered. Almost all the comments and post from everyone who’s replied to my questions deemed true. After visiting several schools, it seemed like the first question the schools asked is where is my household registration. When I tell them of my situation that we are trying to find the school first then settle on a place, they then tell me that their classes are full in a very polite way. :ponder: The only school that has space for us is XinSheng which is the school that has the remedial Chinese classes few times a week to help with foreign students. Like many mentioned, the great thing about Xinsheng was that you do not need to live in the district but rather register at your local school and transfer to their 2 year program. After visiting, I would say that this is now our first choice school but here comes some minor problems:

  1. In order for my daughter to start second term, they would need us to go back to Taiwan 1/25/16. Because of the mid year school break and Chinese New Years break, they suggest it would take about 2 weeks for the process of enrollment and applying for an ARC. I was planning for Feb/ Mar start date but didn’t think I would need to leave end of Jan but rather mid/ end of Feb. I know it’s only about 3-4 week difference, but it just seems too rushed considering that tomorrow is already Dec 1. So, now we are back to just letting her start 3rd grade in September and going to Taiwan in the summer which gives us plenty of time.

  2. They do not have the same program for kindergarten which means my 5 year old will need to be in the lottery when applying for Xinsheng’s Kindergarten. If we went back in Feb and my daughter was already enrolled, this wouldn’t be a problem for my son because they said he would be 1st priority with his sister already attending. But because now our situation changed and we are not planning to go back until the summer he needs to be in the lottery. AND, that also means that we need to live in the district of this school and after securing a place, he would fall into the 3rd priority which his chances of being chosen are very slim. Also, the registration/ lottery process is in mid May, so we would need to make a trip out there end of April/ May to secure an apartment, apply for ARC and then enter him in the lottery.

I know that the answer to my minor problems is to just go end of January but I don’t think that is feasible for us. So, now I have some questions, I hope someone can help answer.

A. Does anyone know of any private kindergartens around XinSheng? It would be ideal if both kids are in the same school but since that is looking very unlikely, one alternative is to have my son attend a private kindergarten until first grade which he can then enroll into their program. Or, are there any half- day daycare programs around the area?

B. How does an ARC work? If we get an ARC for my kids in May while we are visiting and trying to enter the lottery, are they able to leave the country and come back in July to stay longer? Basically can we come in and out of the country with an ARC or do we need “approval” when leaving and entering?

C. Is kindergarten mandatory for kids in Taiwan or is it just highly recommended? Just wondering if there are limited spaces for kindergartens, what do other families do when they are not chosen to their district? Do they go elsewhere or go private? I can’t imagine everyone would pay for private.

D. What are some sites to look up for renting in Taipei? What should I expect for a 1 bedroom apartment in the area?

On a side note, I visited most of the restaurants and suggested tourist attractions in Taipei and everything was delicious and wonderful! I didn’t realize that Taipei was so big and definitely NOT walkable! I love how every night is so lively and the people are so accommodating and friendly! Thank you for all your comments and suggestions which are really appreciated!

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The biggest and most popular site for renting and purchasing property is 591.com.tw Make sure you click on “renting” first. Prices are determined by the number of ping. The going rate in central Taipei is about $1000/ping, and a one bedroom apartment can be anywhere from 15 to 25 ping.

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[quote=“Incubus”][quote=“ariel7120”]

What are some sites to look up for renting in Taipei? What should I expect for a 1 bedroom apartment in the area?
[/quote]
The biggest and most popular site for renting and purchasing property is 591.com.tw Make sure you click on “renting” first. Prices are determined by the number of ping. The going rate in central Taipei is about $1000/ping, and a one bedroom apartment can be anywhere from 15 to 25 ping.[/quote]

The “ping” = 坪 that Incubus refers to is approximately 3.306 square metres (35.59 sq ft). Deriving from Japanese influence, it’s the Taiwanese way of measuring area for an apartment.

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Yes, the ARC allows you to get in and out of Taiwan anytime you want, as long as it is valid. If you are able to obtain ARCs for your family, you don’t have to worry about any “approval”.

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Xinzheng school area means Da’an District, which is one of the most affluent -and expensive- in Taipei -due to the cluster of universities/famous schools there. Hence, finding a private kindergarden will not be an issue. Finding an apartment and securing household registration might be. Hope you have a flexible budget then.

Now, one bedroom apartment means you will be competing with local and international students for the taofangs or studios in the area. Another choice -actually cheaper- is 2 bedroom place. Price will be remarkably the same or even cheaper. Maybe aim for an older place -bigger but also more affordable. However, it is highly recommended to come then to Taiwan before the summer rush.

I would recommend to get a place through airbnb temporarily while you look at the places here after arrival. Yes, you can rent a whole apartment, no sharing with landlord or anything, through airbnb. Then you do not have the heavy price pressure and can look calmly at the options. Again, please do not rent anything through the Internet, no matter the pressure -actually, especially if there is pressure- and always take a local -family, friend, acquaintance, anyone- as witness when signing any paperwork.

Another site used by locals and foreigners because it is a non-profit is www.tmm.org.tw Their office is also located in Da’an so you can even go there in person and get assistance from the volunteers.

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HI

Can anyone please let me know when public schools end in June 2016? I am purchasing my flights and would like to know when to come back to the States for the summer.
Does anyone have an official public school calendar or can look up on the web? I cant’ seem to find anything on my end. thanks

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^Schools usually end at the end of June. Like 30th or something.

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I can’t find a calendar for the 2016 academic year. Here is the schedule for 2015. School ends on June 30th this academic year. Sorry, I couldn’t find one in English.

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It’s usually the same every year, give or take (28th, 29th, 30th, sometimes 1st of July or something). Flying during the first week of July would be fair.

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As others have said, it’ll be around June 30th. Tests are usually during the penultimate week and the final week is spent clearing out desks etc. So don’t worry too much about getting the exact date. Many parents go away after the exams and miss the final week.

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OK, So I’ve finally made my decision to come in mid February (yes, I flip flop) but the tickets have been purchased so there is not turning back. I am getting more nervous everyday but thanks for everyone for all your comments, advice and recommendations.

Next step- looking for housing. I have some relatives who will help me search but I want to know if anyone knows how to look up school districts when apartment searching? How do I know what school is zoned to the apartment address I choose? XinSheng gave me a list of what “ling?” I have to live in but I don’t know how to even find that when apartment hunting unless I go to an agent which I am not inclined to do. I doubt the landlords would know when renting from them if they do not have school aged children.

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Sorry, I can’t answer your question but I just wanted to say I think you made the right decision about coming in Feb. Good luck with sorting out your housing.

(I thought for Xinsheng you could live anywhere in Taipei City if your children don’t speak Chinese?)

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Can you post a picture of whatever document/map they gave you? Maybe that would help.

I am thinking that logically anything within walking radius of the school -which is the one across Daan Park if I am not mistaken- should be OK. So we are basically covering the most expensive part of Taipei, no more, no less. But won’t compete much with the students.

Yet February is good as long as it is not during Chinese New Year. Then the air tickets have overprice -but you paid already, so we’re good- and finding owners/agents will be a bit more complicated -everyone heads Southward. So after the 15th would be nice, there will be parades and celebrations -Lantern Festival- and that will ease the transition a bit -at least for the kids.

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[quote=“Petrichor”]

(I thought for Xinsheng you could live anywhere in Taipei City if your children don’t speak Chinese?)[/quote]

Yes you can live anywhere, however the program is only for grades 1-6. My son will be attending Kindergarten in September and if I want him to attend the same school as his sister who is in the program, I need to live in the district. :doh:

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I can’t figure out how to do an attachment. :cry:

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See fourth FAQhere.

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[quote=“ariel7120”][quote=“Petrichor”]

(I thought for Xinsheng you could live anywhere in Taipei City if your children don’t speak Chinese?)[/quote]

Yes you can live anywhere, however the program is only for grades 1-6. My son will be attending Kindergarten in September and if I want him to attend the same school as his sister who is in the program, I need to live in the district. :doh:[/quote]

Not only live there, but have a hukou there, or at least the kids have the hukou there.

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[color=#BF0000]Edit: Please disregard this post, and see Icon’s post, immediately below this one. I grossly underestimated the number of eligible neighborhoods.[/color]

I don’t know if this will help. If it doesn’t look helpful, please feel free to ignore it.

I don’t know Chinese, and I don’t know much of anything else about Taiwan, but one Chinese word for neighborhood is lín (鄰). I don’t know if that’s the word the Xinsheng folks gave you, but I’ve seen that word in reference to neighborhoods.

I’ve also seen the word lǐ (里), a word that can mean neighborhood or village. Again, I don’t know if this will help, but Xinsheng Elementary School (新生國小/Xīnshēng Guó Xiǎo) seems to be located in Lóng Ān Lǐ (龍安里). The pink area here looks like Lóng Ān Lǐ (龍安里), containing Xinsheng Elementary School, on Google Maps:

goo.gl/maps/kWwGc9Z8SRJ2

Here’s an enlargeable image of a map of Da’an District (大安區/Dà Ān Qū); this map contains the various li, including Lóng Ān Lǐ:
ca.gov.taipei/public/Attachment/31101437437.jpg

The yellow patch on the left side of the map is Da’an Forest Park (大安森林公園/Dà Ān Sēnlín Gōngyuán). Xinsheng Elementary School appears just to the left of that park.

Here’s another enlargeable map of the district, also containing the li:
ca.gov.taipei/public/Attachment/3199222128.jpg

Da’An Forest Park is a more-or-less vertical green patch on the left side of that map.

Of course, the Xinsheng folks may be talking about some other way of dividing up the district, and that would render my entire post irrelevant. Or I could just be 'way off base for some other reason. If either is the case, I apologize.

And I hope that Feiren or Icon or somebody will correct any errors I may have made, or advise you to ignore my post if it’s not helpful. But I do hope this helps.

Charlie

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[quote=“headhonchoII”][quote=“ariel7120”][quote=“Petrichor”]

(I thought for Xinsheng you could live anywhere in Taipei City if your children don’t speak Chinese?)[/quote]

Yes you can live anywhere, however the program is only for grades 1-6. My son will be attending Kindergarten in September and if I want him to attend the same school as his sister who is in the program, I need to live in the district. :doh:[/quote]

Not only live there, but have a hukou there, or at least the kids have the hukou there.[/quote]

There might be a way to get the hukuo through the landlord but heaven knows what to do. The OPs advantage is that she has family here. People often buy apartments in the fancy districts and many help friend put their hukou in that zone o their kids can go to the famous schools. That is why Daan is so expensive.

As per the school website, these are the areas/neighborhoods included:

[quote]單一學區：

(1)福住里(1.2.5.6.9.10.11.17鄰)   [strike]Fuyu[/strike] Fuzhu neighborhood

(2)錦安里(11.12.15.16鄰)        [strike]Yingan[/strike] Jinan

2.新生、金華共同學區 Two schools districts available

(1)福住里(3.4.7.8.12.13.14.15.16鄰)  [strike]Fuyu[/strike]  Fuzhu

(2)錦安里(3.4.7.9.10.13.14.17鄰)    [strike]Yingan[/strike]  Jinan

(3)龍安里(11-17鄰)    Longan

3.新生、龍安共同學區：龍安里(1-10鄰) Longan
[/quote]

Now we correlate this with the map above provided and have the ideal apartment search areas…

Please note though this is Icon’s Pinyin, not the official.

Fuyu is from Xinsheng/Xinyi intersection -basically Daan park -covering all Yongkang street, up to Tamkang University campus branch.

Yingan goes from Jinhua Park down to Hoping East road, and Jigshan. Meaning around Shida’s Mandarin Training Center and Library.

Longan is the area between Jinan park and Hoping/Xingseng intersection - old NHI building.

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  1. Should be Fuzhu
    2(2) Should be Jinan.

A li (neighborhood) is made up of several lins (sub-neighborhood). It is possible for some neighborhoods to have sub-neighborhoods in different school districts. Check the sub-neighborhood number carefully.