This school is high on our list of possible schools for 2016 when my son starts junior high, but I hear wildly conflicting opinions about it. I’m interested in hearing from parents who actually have a child at the school, preferably the junior high bilingual section. If you have, could you say what you think of it? Also looking for contacts who wouldn’t mind giving their opinion.
1 Like
I’m also interested to learn more about Kang Chiao, especially from those who had personal experiences with this school.
Thanks!!
I work as a teacher in the high school program and have friends who have kids in the preschool program.
Which grades are you interested in knowing more about?
Just link these two related threads
Kang chiao is probably the worst school I have attended. Most teachers could care less about their students or education in general, there are a few good ones among the crowd but not as many as you might think. It’s all about showing parents how great and amizing the school is they generally have very little care for the students.
I found the students there to be extremely racist, everyone speaks Chinese even in the international sections and some teachers don’t even bother to use English during their lessons.
They also tend to care less about students that are not as good as others, they focus mostly on getting the good ones to a higher level.
Wouldn’t recommend KCIS to anyone
4 Likes
Lol yeah for math 
but I still didn’t understand cause the “teacher” didn’t speak any English
Are you two typing next to each other ?
3 Likes
Unfortunately what Lilith said rings true for the vast majority of private schools. It’s all a dog and pony show to impress perspective parents (customers).
Chinese teachers just scream at the kids all day long. English teachers are no better than your run of the mill buxiban teachers. Most just want to punch in, do the least amount of work possible with the least amount of effort and passion and then punch out and go home.
Many, if not all, of the Chinese teachers in private schools are just biding their time waiting to get into a public school. The others couldn’t hack it as real licensed teachers or are friends or family with the owners / management.
Only a tiny minority of teachers actually have their heart in it and strive to better themselves as educators, better the school and better the students learning opportunities.
Kangchiao is the mold that pretty much all other private schools use to create their counterfeit curriculum and system. They are all the same. Pick your poison and hope you get the few good teachers.
We are lol
I have no connection to the school. A few teachers who have worked there long term are supportive, but the majority of people I’ve heard from have had bad experiences there. They seem to have a high turn-over rate, which is never a good sign. Apparently, there are different campuses and they have different types of schools, so it may depend on where you are. I had a roommate who worked at the international school in Xindian, and he said the bosses had changed his curriculum twice in the first semester. For an older school, that’s not a good sign.
And speaking of racism, this:
FIFY
That attitude really showed as their PR kicked in to gear during that little scandal. That involved the kindergarten.
Years ago, the school tried to recruit me, but I turned down an interview based on what I’d heard about them. That was mid 2000’s. I’ve not heard anything to improve my opinion. Once again, this is all hear-say. I’ve never worked there or had kids there. Nor would I.
As a buxiban teacher, my best students disproportionately came from the private schools. But these were the typical ones, not the international schools which I think the askers are asking about. Most of the long-term foreigners I’ve known with young children put them in gov’t schools like most Taiwanese, but those who’ve just arrived put them in TAS or another international school.
I’ve also had many good students from public schools, and some really horrible ones from private schools. It may not have as much to do with the schools but with the families and the kids upbringing. From talking to the students, some private schools seem to have more advanced classes, so it may help to make to faster learning students even more advanced.
The askers are asking about KangChiao. It’s a private “bilingual” school. Not international. They may have hooked up with one school or two schools in an English speaking country to obtain some sort of degree transferring status…but in my book, that’s not international. The only true international schools here are TAS, TES and TJS and maybe, just maybe KAS.
Edit: I stand humbly in the wrong. Kangchiao is indeed recognized as an international school in Taiwan.
1 Like
There is a Kang Chiao International School. You can find it here:
https://www.google.com/search?q=Kang+Chiao
@Nekojan didn’t specify which he was asking about, although the OP, who no one answered, asked about the bilingual section.
It was the international school the roommate I mentioned worked for. He had to move out because he used pot. I don’t know if he kept working there.
So, I agree with all the assessments of Kang Chiao posted above. However, having taught at other schools (including schools in the USA), I’m afraid that it’s the same everywhere. Granted, I don’t see what happens in other teacher’s classrooms… but as a teacher, I can only compare attitudes of the management.
I used to think that Kang Chiao was terrible. Then I left and tried to find a better school. I’ve seen better and I’ve seen worse. I’ve come to the conclusion that if you’re deciding to put your kids Into private school, you’re automatically deciding to limit yourself.
I can’t tell you how many parents I’ve had come to me and complain about x, y, and z. But the thing is that I’ve never seen a private school (in the USA or Taiwan) that does what the parents want.
I’m not saying that good schools don’t exist. They do. But they’re so elite that the chances are your kid won’t be able to go there.
Have you ever worked for a public school in Taiwan, and how does that compare to private schools here generally?
For clarification, there’s only one Kang Chiao. They used to be Kang Chiao Bilingual School but changed their name to International School about 6 years ago, give or take. I think they changed their name when they got accredited by WASC.
Sorry, I can’t compare Kang Chiao to public schools in Taiwan. I know a lot about public schools in the USA and private schools in the USA and Taiwan (both through personal experience and through very close friends) but I know nothing about public schools in Taiwan.
KCIS promote themselves as internationalal but the truth is that they have to follow the local schools regulations from the government. If you graduate from kang chiao ans you plan to continue for university in taiwan ( like many of the kids do) even if you are a foreigner you will not be elegible to apply to university as a foreigner and you will need to take the admission test that all taiwanese take to enroll.
Even though I do agree that many private schools are like this I felt like Lang chiao was expecially focused on money rather than anything else. Second comes the school reputations nd probably last come the pupils education
I have.
Two completely different worlds.
Public schools are not as competitive as private. This translates to a more relaxed, slower paced learning environment.
Public schools have the resources to manage children with learning disabilities as well as social disabilities and behavior issues. They have proper counseling staff as well as proper disciplinary staff who are educated and trained to handle complex situations. Most private schools don’t have this. Most private schools handle behavior problems with a broom and a rug and turn a blind eye to any learning disabilities.
Public schools are not bilingual and most only offer very basic English lessons. There are a few experimental public schools who give a more advanced English program, but nowhere near what a bilingual program would be like.
Public schools outside of Taipei City have no AC in classrooms. It is extremely hot or cold and sucks to teach or learn that way.
Public schools have a PTA who wield power over the principal, but ultimately it’s the principal and deans running the school. Private schools have a board of directors (investors) who wield power over the principal. The investors and the loudest parents (customers) run the school. Often times you get conflicting needs or wants from parents and the school bends to their wishes causing chaos in the curriculum and management.
Private (bilingual or international) = a more fast paced and challenging curriculum, less time for sports and physical education, hit and miss quality in teachers, poor disciplinary system, higher cost and higher pay for foreign teachers.
Public = the opposite.
2 Likes