I was asked to post this by an admin individual who first saw it on Dave’s ESL Cafe.
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.
:bravo:
