I’ve heard recently that my school (TLI) will, from next semester, reqiure all students to attend a minimum of 3 hours of class everyday. This is for students that require the school’s assistance to obtain an ARC. Has anyone else heard about this? Are all the schools the same?
Guess that’ll be the end of my Chinese learning dream then…
Last thing I heard the government requires you to study ten or more hours per week, so the number of hours per day depends on how many days per week you have classes. Most Chinese learners study five days a week so that’s two hours per day. When I was at Pioneer we did three and a bit hours each time, three days a week.
Yeah i heard something similar. From what i gather the government, in all its wisdom, wants students who have a student visa to study 12 hours a week next semester and then 15 hours a week the semester after that.
That’s no real problem for people here purely to study but i work full time and barely have time to do 10 hours a week. 15 would be impossible.
Yeah, i have a work visa but i can only study at uni in the evening which will mean 3 hours everyday. The alternative is to do one-on-one classes but i’ve found that to be a complete waste of time.
I understand that the government, quite correctly, wants people who come here to study to do just that. However changing the number of hours to 3 everyday leaves people like myself with no real opportunity to study chinese.
I was studying at shida in the evening and almost everyone in my class was working and studying but i doubt very much that any of us will be able to continue now.
I was also told this by my teacher at Shi-Da a couple of weeks ago. As well as meaning more time at school it also means fees will increase significantly.
Still ten hours is a very light work load. I know the standard number of class hours for students studying ESL with a student visa in Australia is 20 hours.
Currently 10 hours per week for $15,000 a semester.
Next semester 15 hours per week for $25,000!!
They have actually put the hourly price up, not down!
There is no way I can afford the cash or time to continue studying under these conditions. I don’t need a study visa so in theory I can continue to study at 10 hours a week in group classes, but I’m sure they will arrange all the group classes for 3 hours a day.
At CCU you can request a class be made for you. You of course have to form the group, but if you can get at least 4 people in on it, then you can request CCU to create a class that meets your study needs, including time restraints. They price by the hour pretty reasonably. (500 NT an hour)
*This is of course only possible if you do not need a visitor visa through your school.
I can understand how a lot of people on a vistor visa working illegaly teaching English will be put into a hard spot with the increase in required study hours. However, if you have a work visa and don’t want to stay for the full 3 hours…perhaps you can explain your situation to the school and have them discount your tuition (as long as you leave an hour early every day). CCU did this for a girl in my very first class with them. It can be done.
Yeah but they are learning English and we are learning Chinese. If you are learning to write Chinese you have to do a lot of homework. When I first came to Taiwan I had the good fortune to be at Shi-Da on a scholarship. I was told I could have private tutoring and do any number of hours’ lessons per day. I started out on four hours a day but the next semester I cut it to two because I really needed more time for scribbling characters in the library.
Anyway the clever government has now given people even more reason to learn Chinese on the mainland instead of here. :bravo:
Just as an update. Shi da (NTNU) classes will still be 2 hours a day this semester according to their website and the woman I spoke to in the office there yesterday.