Hello,
I am thinking of moving to Taipei for 6 month to 1.5 years with my two kids ages 4 and 1. I was born there and came to the US when I was 4 so my Mandarin is not so great. (It is only conversational) My husband and I try to speak to my kids in Mandarin as much as possible but it is easier just to speak in English. My kids understand it but cannot speak it and I would love it if my 4 year old is able to converse back to her grandparents in Mandarin. If I decide to move to Taipei for short term, I have some questions and would need advice.
Can my kid attend public kindergarten/ elementary school or do I need to find a daycare? We plan to go back end of February 2013, so can she attend public school mid year?
If I have to find a daycare instead of public school, are there daycare that fully speak Mandarin? I see a lot of bilingual day cares online but would prefer only Mandarin speaking ones.
Approximately what are the costs of day cares (full time/ part time) for my kids (age 4 and 1)
Do I have to apply for a resident visa or ARC or both? Do my kids need them as well?
Can I rent an apartment with a resident visa or do I need an ARC?
After applying for the ARC, how soon after do I receive it?
I was thinking of teaching English part time. Is it easy to find English teaching jobs?
What is a good area to live in Taipei? Where are most ExPats?
Any advice would be appreciated! Thanks for the feedback!
Can check this one: school.topschool.com.tw/parten/O … 0707170001 , my daughter went there and loved it.
It’s Montessori style in mandarin, shilin district. Not too sure what the fee was, I think like 16000 NT a month, but better doublecheck with them.
[quote=“ariel7120”]Hello,
I am thinking of moving to Taipei for 6 month to 1.5 years with my two kids ages 4 and 1. I was born there and came to the US when I was 4 so my Mandarin is not so great. (It is only conversational) My husband and I try to speak to my kids in Mandarin as much as possible but it is easier just to speak in English. My kids understand it but cannot speak it and I would love it if my 4 year old is able to converse back to her grandparents in Mandarin. If I decide to move to Taipei for short term, I have some questions and would need advice.
Can my kid attend public kindergarten/ elementary school or do I need to find a daycare? We plan to go back end of February 2013, so can she attend public school mid year?
If I have to find a daycare instead of public school, are there daycare that fully speak Mandarin? I see a lot of bilingual day cares online but would prefer only Mandarin speaking ones.
Approximately what are the costs of day cares (full time/ part time) for my kids (age 4 and 1)
Do I have to apply for a resident visa or ARC or both? Do my kids need them as well?
Can I rent an apartment with a resident visa or do I need an ARC?
After applying for the ARC, how soon after do I receive it?
I was thinking of teaching English part time. Is it easy to find English teaching jobs?
What is a good area to live in Taipei? Where are most ExPats?
Any advice would be appreciated! Thanks for the feedback! [/quote]
Mmmmm…you seem to be a tad lacking prior to your arrival even though you say you are coming here with your husband. So…
Is your husband going to be working? If so, ask his employer about some sort of visa for yourself and possibly your kids. There are many different visas depending on your business here and which country you are from. Try contacting the TECO (Taiwan Economic and Cultural Office), in your city if it is a major city.
Why would you need a resident visa if you are only staying here for six months? Again, you or your husband should probably look into the visa situation for short term stays if you are not working.
You can teach part time if you are from an English speaking country and have post secondary education. That will also get you a work permit, ARC and health insurance.
Mmmmm…you seem to be a tad lacking prior to your arrival even though you say you are coming here with your husband. So…
Is your husband going to be working? If so, ask his employer about some sort of visa for yourself and possibly your kids. There are many different visas depending on your business here and which country you are from. Try contacting the TECO (Taiwan Economic and Cultural Office), in your city if it is a major city.
Why would you need a resident visa if you are only staying here for six months? Again, you or your husband should probably look into the visa situation for short term stays if you are not working.
You can teach part time if you are from an English speaking country and have post secondary education. That will also get you a work permit, ARC and health insurance.
Hope that helps.[/quote]
Hello Wonder,
Thanks for your reply. I should have been more specific. My husband is actually going to HK to work and I was thinking about not joining him there but rather move to Taiwan while he is in HK. (Besides, it is only an hour flight right?) I prefer my kids to learn Mandarin and because I grew up there as well, we have a lot of relatives which I’d like to visit. So your answer regarding getting a visa through his employer is out the window. Since we are unsure how long he (or I) will be staying- anywhere from 6 months to 1.5 years, I was unsure of what type of visa to get. I will however contact TECO since I am in NY. Thanks for the suggestion.
You can ask about a six month extended travel visa at TECO, good for 90 days and I think three renewels. You will not need an ARC if you are not working, but check out the ESL schools and see if you can get at least 14 hours a week. That will give you an ARC and health insurance.
As for the kids, that is difficult to answer. The four year old might be old enough to get into a ESL kindergarten program that teaches very basic English but is otherwise Mandarin. That might be perfect for your child because you say he or she is learning some Mandarin anyway. And there is always a native English speaker on hand if your child prefers English. And of course all the material is in English.
I’m not sure about whether your kids are eligible for public kindergarten, but I can tell you that kindergartens attached to public schools with the space can now take kids from age three years. Whether the school will take them or not would depend on how full their classes are. For example, our kindergarten is nowhere near full (14 children in the kindergarten), and has one three-year-old attending. I can’t see why you couldn’t transfer in mid-year. I’ve written up a little bit about my experience with public kindergarten/lower grades here (scroll down to part one and two): http://www.kidzone-tw.blogspot.tw/search/label/Taiwan%20Education
There are daycare centers that are Mandarin-only all over the place. It’s just a matter of finding one you like.
Another good place to ask is on the Taipei City Playgroup facebook page. There are quite a few parents there whose kids were not born here, and are attending public school. You might get some answers to your questions. If you have trouble finding the page, let me know.
ariel, I don’t think your chidren will be able to attend a public school without an ARC. Both of the schools my son has attended have asked for it, as well as ours.
