Are you sure about that? 
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But, if the kids are born and raised in Taiwan. They may have a different opinion.
Those schools feel like a complete waste of money and a lazy way out for lazy kids to pick up English.
it depends on how they are raised.
I still think the kids should learn how to make their own decisions when they grow up. Sometimes, it is their parents’ decision. Sometimes, parents think what it is the best for them. But, they may not agree later.
I agree. Chinese only schools up to 10 or 12.
I went to all Chinese schools till I was 21. I even minored in Chinese literature.
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Congratulations.
OK, I have little interest in Chinese or English. My concern is academic stress.
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There are still good kids going there. I can’t really say anything negative about those schools. Because I didn’t attend any of them. Sometimes, I think the teachers and mentors play more important roles. It doesn’t matter which school. But, my question is related about searching other methods to educate children in a Bilingual Environment.
What are we calling bilingual here? I thought the schools described above were all considered international schools with all classes taught in English or other languages with some Chinese-language classes. I’ve only seen a few private schools that had a claim to being bilingual, though with most classes taught in Chinese.
I stand by what I posted.
I attended this Municipal Vocational High School. http://www.ykvs.ntpc.edu.tw/web/english/ I have to tell you guys the English classes there were very basic. Not useful at all. Because this school is more related to Arts. But, I didn’t learn English there. I learned it because I studied at home and pretended I was in an English environment. My sister was my mentor. She didn’t allow me to watch Taiwanese TV Shows because she said they were crappy. But, she got me tons of English books since I was 4. She is 10 years older than me. Vocational High Schools in Taiwan are not helpful in English. But,the good thing was because I didn’t have to spend long hours at this school. So, I could use my time to improve my English while I wasn’t at school. My sister was living in USA and she would speak with me on Skype on weekends to see if I am lazy. I enjoyed the years at this Vocational High School because I had many activities. Sometimes, creativity helps me to be more motivated to learn things.
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Cool. But what is considered a bilingual school? Is Kang Chiao or Dominican? Is the term being misapplied in this thread? Are there any true bilingual schools here? I’m just looking for clarification.
Why is this difficult? A bilingual school claims to teach in two languages. TES and TAS clearly don’t.
As to whether there is a true bilingual school in Taiwan is open to debate.
I reposted the OP. I mean Bilingual or International Schools. Both are expensive schools. Some Bilingual Schools claim they are International Schools. But, we know the difference. I have seen some kids studying in Bilingual Schools and attending prestigious Colleges in USA. My sister has never been to any of these schools. She attended NYU and earned scholarship there. But, my post is looking for ways to educate kids as Bilingual kids without sending them to these schools. Some parents can’t afford them. Some can afford, but I don’t know if it is really necessary.
Are they only exposed to Mandarin media?
I suppose it’s not difficult if you already understand how the schools here teach, which I’m trying too. I wasn’t challenging anything you said.
Hopefully avoiding debate, are there any true bilingual schools in Taipei? I know I can’t afford TAS or one of the actual international schools, but I don’t have a very high opinion of the public schools (not in my country either, though I graduated from one). I thought a bilingual school might be a good middle ground. If they exist.
My Municipal Vocational High School wasn’t stressful. Well, it was a school for Arts. But, I can’t say it is helpful if the kids want to attend prestigious Universities in Taiwan like “University of Taipei”. But, I didn’t plan to. My sister suggested me to move to USA to live with her and her husband to study there. I could enroll in a Community College first and transfer to a State University later. But, I don’t want to. I have other plans. I have LVN in Nursing in Taiwan. I could use my credits to transfer to RN nursing in USA. But, I would need to retake many courses again. Currently, I am a Nurse in Taiwan. I am 22 years old. There are 50 year old people still studying to become nurses in USA. While I am still living in Taiwan, I think I can order some English Nursing textbooks to study first before enrolling in any Colleges in USA plus I can use some years of experience working here.
Not at all, there are many foreign network TV channels, Netflix, MOD to choose from, mostly English media actually. Doraemon is very popular though ! My kids also vacation in SEA and Europe sometimes and talk with relatives in English, they know English is the lingua franca.
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If you are considering where to send your kid I would not recommend any school that sells itself as bilingual.
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