Hello. I just found this site and really find it quite informative.
We are Americans that just found out that we will be moving to Taipei in August. My three children are coming from a very relaxed international school. I’ve heard a little about the Taipei American School, that it is more like a Chinese school. Three hours of homework a night for my 14 year old will be a major shock for him.
Any advice or information on schools in Taipei would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance,
Ingy
I would try the dominican international school, or anothe faith based one like the Grace Christian Academy, or morrison academy.
More info here:
My children attend Taipei American School, tuition is paid for by my company, and I don’t think homework is the major issue. My 8 and 10 year old are expected to have about 40 minutes of homework per night at the most.
The main problem that my family, and most of the families with whom I have spoken, have faced is the fact that in the lower school, K-5, there seems to be a lot of bullying of new kids coming into the school. A majority of the kids within school have never been to a school outside of TAS, so cliques are rampant. I have been told also by former administrators that some of the actions of my child, getting angry when he is being teased and standing up for himself in a non-violent manner, may be acceptable at American schools, but is out of place at TAS. I have had also several friends pull their kids out of school and send them back to the states or transfer them to Yangmingshan Christian School because of issues with bullying and what they thought is below grade-level curriculum at TAS, especially in Language Arts.
Those parents who have sent their younger children to Yangminshan are very happy with the curriculum, far closer to grade-level work in the US than TAS, and the fact that bullying and teasing is taken very seriously by the administration.
What I have heard from the father of a former student is that the following issues are a problem at the TAS:
Student body very Taiwanese - only a few caucasian children left there. It’s not to be understood in a racist manner, but I would very much prefer that you had a decent mix of caucasian, foreign, and eurasian children in an international school, if I were to send my kids there.
Spoiled brats - getting chauffeured to school. Even the child of a chief rep of a major country is poor compared to rich kids of Taiwanese children.
I would therefore look into other possibilities, after all TAs is hardly the cheapest school around.
[quote=“Mr He”]What I have heard from the father of a former student is that the following issues are a problem at the TAS:
Student body very Taiwanese - only a few caucasian children left there. It’s not to be understood in a racist manner, but I would very much prefer that you had a decent mix of caucasian, foreign, and eurasian children in an international school, if I were to send my kids there.
Spoiled brats - getting chauffeured to school. Even the child of a chief rep of a major country is poor compared to rich kids of Taiwanese children.
I would therefore look into other possibilities, after all TAs is hardly the cheapest school around.[/quote]
TAS has been going down hill since they lost control to the locals who bought foreign passports in the early 1990s. It’s now no more than a finishing school for rich Taiwanese. That’s why the Europeans pulled out and set up much more stringent entry requirements.
You may not even get in! There are waiting lists and priority arrangements that seem to benefit some groups over others!
I am seriously considering sending my kids to a private school in the States. The problem is that I don’t want to split up the family.
You should consider one of the many private schools in either Guam or Saipan. Only 3 to 3 1/2 hours from Taipei. And a hell of a lot cheaper.
You should consider one of the many private schools in either Guam or Saipan. Only 3 to 3 1/2 hours from Taipei. And a hell of a lot cheaper.[/quote]
Ah, yes. Thank you Comrade. I will check into that.
Thank you all for being honest and forward. I appreciate it.
We had the same situation in Manila with the local community taking over but not to this extent.
I’m very disappointed 
and surprised to hear that the lower grade levels are not up to US standards. After reading their home page I was worried my kids were going to be behind coming from a small rather relaxed international school.
How is the high school at TAS? I noticed that many of the international schools in Taipei only go up to 8th or 9th grade.
Oh well, I guess I’ll have to investigate this matter a lot further.
Thanks again,
Ingy
[quote=“Comrade Stalin”][quote=“Mr He”]What I have heard from the father of a former student is that the following issues are a problem at the TAS:
Student body very Taiwanese - only a few caucasian children left there. It’s not to be understood in a racist manner, but I would very much prefer that you had a decent mix of caucasian, foreign, and eurasian children in an international school, if I were to send my kids there.
Spoiled brats - getting chauffeured to school. Even the child of a chief rep of a major country is poor compared to rich kids of Taiwanese children.
I would therefore look into other possibilities, after all TAs is hardly the cheapest school around.[/quote]
TAS has been going down hill since they lost control to the locals who bought foreign passports in the early 1990s. It’s now no more than a finishing school for rich Taiwanese. That’s why the Europeans pulled out and set up much more stringent entry requirements.[/quote]
That’s funny. The few kids from my school who can’t get into the American School, sometimes because they lack a foreign passport, often turn to the British School to accept them. I have at least two former preschool students who went this way. Quite a few of my elementary school students have gotten in to the American School. It seems that the best way to get to the top of their list is to be a child with a foreign passport (preferrably American) with two parents who each have foreign passports (also preferrably American)…having a sibling already in the school really boosts your chances…then English ability and educational needs (short-term ex-pats win here) come into play.
I am not a representative of the American School and only know a little about their acceptance by what time I have spent at the school for professional development meetings and from students from my school applying there from both our preschool program and our buxiban programs. It doesn’t seem the British School is as stringent with application and recommendation letters from the child’s current school as the American School is, but again, I am just a teacher observing the process and am not directly involved.
I’ve just gone through the process of selecting elementary schools for my children. In the end I ended up selecting the Taipei European School.
Local Schools: A nightmare to get your kids into if the school is good, even if it is in your district, as the good schools are over subscribed. It takes many introductions to the principal to get a place if you don’t get a lottery draw. For kids from the US, if you’re not into total immersion, full-on culture shock, then local schools are not the way to go.
TAS: Possible to get into if you are AIT or have 2 US passports. Great infrastructure/hardware but crap software. Everything the other posters have said about the school are correct. Don’t forget the crime (computer room destroyedlast year) and the drugs in the high school. Just like the US public schools, but you get to pay for it.
TES/TBS: Slightly easier to get into if not AIT or have 2 US passports, but now is fully subscribed. Poor facilities for the elementary school, good facilties for the High School. Great teachers. I am very, very impressed with the management of the school and the quality of the teachers. There are the usual wealthy Taiwanese, but also many international families. You also have the French and German departments which adds to the international flavour. The British curriculum will take some getting used to for the younger kids as it seems about a year or two ahead of the US system. Strong family involvement with things like Saturday soccer.
Elegua, thank you very much for your very informative message. It has helped me come to a decision and now it’s back to the drawing board.
I also want to thank the others for their contributions. Eventhough the posts have discouraged me, knowledge is power and I now have the knowledge to move on.
Does anyone khow how difficult it is to get into the Christrian schools? Do they expect you to have a personal recommendation from God? 
Ingy
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