[quote=“itakitez”]so why dont you market yourself as a drug free furriner teacher?
Maybe can get back above the falling pay scale, like
1500-2000 nt/hr = fluent Mandarin foreigner with MTESOL/Cert…
1000 nt/hr = drug free foreigner
7-800 nt/hr = fluent Mandarin foreigner with MTESOL/Cert… plus druug habit
500 nt/hr = qualified local/ unqualified furriner
300 nt/hr = unqualified local
150 = unqualified foreigner with drug habit[/quote]
I am not a teacher… just run a wee small business
They now exoect there’s a good chance of the furriners teaching English to be drug users[/quote]
Well, there’s little I can do about that other than not be one myself, though I’m not sure that it’s all that much more profitable. I know enough people here who are dopeheads and pissheads who earn more than I do because they’re also the dancing, singing clown that everyone loves.
Anyway, my point was that the private sector of education in this country is like the Wild West. It’s like that because parents won’t each fork out an extra 25NT/hour (which would work out at an additional 500NT/hour for many classes) to get quality teachers who have qualifications and have had police checks, drug tests, etc. Of course they’re going to get their fair share of weirdos, party animals and deadbeats here instead. If parents here are worried about getting someone involved in drugs as a teacher for their kids, why don’t they have the sack to scrutinise their part in this whole sordid mess? Because that would entail doing something many Taiwanese couldn’t live without, namely 1) passing the buck, 2) being a cheap bastard. Actually, it would require them to start thinking. These are the same fools who ride around with their kids on scooters (without helmets). They don’t give a flying fuck about their kids’ well being. If it weren’t for the kids, I’d say fuck it, they deserve what they get (the parents I mean).
It is like the father who just complained to me about the students in the kindergarten not acquiring a perfect accent. Go figure, then speak English one hour a day and Mandarin the rest of the day. Other than the rarest of kids, the use of Mandarin most of the day will have a strong influence on their spoken English. This is not a full day English kindergarten.
The problem with drug tests (aside from them not actually doing any) is that even the ones they have only test for marijuana. Qualifications, and sometimes even police checks, don’t weed out the drug users. Loads of uni grads without police records involved.
I thought they could do tests for certain other drugs, though the problem is that most other drugs are in and out of your system within a couple of days at most and some are basically undetectable. Spot checks would do the trick.
As for qualifications, I was referring to having education and/or EFL qualifications. If people had to invest something into being an English teacher to begin with, it might weed a lot of the party crew out. Of course, it would also drive up the cost of labour, and in turn, tuition fees. That’s the real reason nothing is being done.
I don’t believe that personal recreational drug use has anything at all to do with ones ability to teach English, or any other subject for that matter. Of course, turning up for class drunk or high might be an issue to responsibility when in charge of a group of kids, but if you’re not off your face at work, what on earth does it have to do with the authorities what you do in your own time? On-the-spot tests are a gross invasion of privacy, GuyinTaiwan, and advocating them is not going to win you many friends.
[quote=“enzo+”]There we go again.
Seen on TV this afternoon: Teacher ‘Steven’ at golf training center in Taichung caught growing marijuana at home and dealing in local clubs. Police found 57 g of the product and 3,500 ‘seeds.’
Dare I mention his country of origin? To protect the sensitive, here is the censored version: Cxxxxa.
I guess the full story will be in the papers tomorrow morning.[/quote]
Bail is set at NT$5,000,000
By the way… I just visited the prison where they put all the drug dealing foreigners in… it’s not worth it. If you got a drug problem either leave or quit, because from what I understand, they shave you like boot camp all the time, 25 people to a 8 ping cell, and no air conditioning. Most of them are gonna be there for more than 10 years too. Plus once you’re in there they really don’t give a shit about you, as in you don’t get vocational education and all that stuff like you’d get in an American prison, that’s only for Taiwanese. Once you do get parole though they will just deport you. The prison itself seems well kept but I hear they only get to use the yard once a week.
…and was there a significant number of westerners in there when you visited?..didi you have a chance to talk to any?
Sunday last week I visited Taipei Prison; one of the German guys there. Ain’t no fun. Just cell…factory, cell…factory, and that fancy park where Chen Shui Bian does his rounds on TV is only for him exclusively. 20 people on 16 sqm. All Taiwanese get food and visit once a month from family, he doesn’t. Very nightmarish situation that is.
The attitude in Asia towards crime and punishment is basically once you’re in prison you have no rights. So its natural that prisons in Asia would be a hellhole so to serve as a punishment. I thought Taiwan’s foreigner prison was bad and overcrowded but I hear in less developed countries in Asia its much worse. It’s either so strictly controlled that you literally feel like a slave, or they just let the inmate run the asylum and prevent anyone from escaping (like Latin America). I think the former is safer because if anyone has been to a State prison in the US its a very violent place. It seems that violence isn’t much of a problem at the taoyuan prison since at the Christmas party they don’t even have guys in riot gears and stuff, but they do tell me that the system is set up in a way that if you misbehave you have a much lower chance of getting parole, which means years added to your time. Everyone is shaved like boot camp, and like the guy said its factory, cell, factory again and if you refuse to work you won’t get parole, and the food you eat comes out of your work at the factory, so nothing is free.
There were a fair number of Westerners but most of the inmates I have seen are from SE Asia. I don’t know if they keep any Taiwanese at all but its pretty famous from what I hear for the worst scumbags in Taiwan. Also if you do get into fights in the prison you get sent to the “monkey house” which is Taiwan’s equivalent of the “hole”. Basically a dark room where you have to sit in a meditating position, listen to Buddhist stuff for months on end. The hole in the US they just basically lock you in there and forget about you for a few months…
Someone I know was sent down recently.
His case never made the media.
Did you need to provide ID to pay the prison a visit?
How long do you get there?
What are the visiting hours?
Where is it?
Cheers.
I went there as a part of Lighthouse prison ministry because they were doing a Christmas party. I don’t know the particulars for individual visits or if non family members are allowed visits… they don’t want fellow gang members visiting their leader you know.
I am trying to get further involvement with the prison ministry so I can get to know some of them more, you should too if you want to see them regularly because it’s hard getting into prison (unless you do something as stupid as smuggling heroin into the country)
You will need the full name of the person you want to visit and even better his name short form which they have in prison. Like Bob Edward Smith becoming SBE. And his inmate number. Better is if you know his date of birth as well. The lady on the phone said if you don’t know most of the data you are not close to the inmate and should not come. Webpage says relatives and close related or likewise.
Webpage: http://www.tpp.moj.gov.tw/mp138.html
“Taipei Prison” which is in Taoyuan.
Usually inmates can receive visitors once a month, for mine it was early Sunday morning. Come early not to wait too long, 7:30 at the counter was recommended. Had to go through various queues and wife could handle that with Chinese. Wardens and visitors were very helpful in the process.
This should also work without Chinese, at least a family member from Germany of one inmate managed to get through.
Visit time 30 minutes (or was it 20)?
Ask what the guy wants and then go to the jail shop where you can order presents. The person I visited did not eat anything but the prison food (and the stuff from the xmas party) for years.
BTW: visited because a family member had read my blog and asked me to send regards… They can’t pay the flight ticket and doing it for only 30 min and then flying back is extremely hard, if the inmate is to stay for … a very, very long time.
That website was funny. Pinks and blues, bubbly captions and everything. Almost makes prison look fun!
Except for being incarcerated, that is.
I thought the ex prez was in the Tu Chen prison? Don’t watch the news but I know a guy who works there.
Tucheng is a detention center, where people spend time (should they be denied bail) pending trial/sentencing. The Taoyuan prison is where inmates go to serve their sentence.
Steve is in court Thursday in case anyone is interested. In Taichung. Plus, I know it’s dry out there, but, Don’t do it!
so was there a trial today? anyone with any information?
What’ the name of the thread in temp where the last three days of this thread got sent?
I have a good idea of who just got busted in Taipei, but no infor until it hasd been confirmed.
Snitches everywhere,I tell you. :fume:
there were postings that got moved? and there was another bust?