Poice Crackdown in Kindergardens?

Work Teaching English in Taiwan
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Dear All:

I’ve begun to hear disturbing reports recently in regard to the government actually cracking down on foreigners who teach in kindergardens.

I know that it’s never been “legal” for foreigners to work in English speaking kindey’s, but technically, you’re supposed to stop at red lights, and no one does that either. Everyone has just alwasy done it and the government has turned a blind eye to the whole situation.

Does anyone know of specefic examples of police cracking down or raiding schools?

Thanks.

tristach

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[quote=“tristach”]Dear All:

I know that it’s never been “legal” for foreigners to work in English speaking kindey’s,[/quote]

Oh, but it was legal for about 4 months a wee while ago.

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No examples but if the kindergarten changed their name from kindergarten to buxiban then it would be ok to teach there. If it is a kindy, English can not be taught there full time.

This info from a second hand source so please verify.

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[quote=“sticks of fury”]No examples but if the kindergarten changed their name from kindergarten to buxiban then it would be ok to teach there. If it is a kindy, English can not be taught there full time.

This info from a second hand source so please verify.[/quote]

If the “school” is operating as a kindergarten, but has a buxiban licence… the school would then be the one that is illegal.

The authorities are more interested in buxibans operating as kindergartens than kindergartens with foreign teachers. There is a small round-up going on for illegal kindergartens.

5

About two months ago,our school was raided about 4 times in two weeks.I dont why,because it was only in Taoyuan.Im sure other people knows about this too.At one stage we stayed home for four days.I hope its over now and that they will pick another county next time.God bless,because Im still here.My school paid their money,I guess.If you know what Im talking about.

6

Kindergartens are not allowed to register as buxibans. Buxibans are not allowed to teach children under the age of 6 (or maybe it is 6 and under).

Kindergartens are also not allowed to offer ‘whole English’ (immersion) programs, although it seems that up to half English instruction is allowed.

It seems to me that if you got an ARC with a registered buxiban and they then got you teaching kindy kids, it would be them breaking the law, not you, but you can never know how the MOE is going to judge this, considering that …

The MOE claims that it is illegal for a foreigner to teach English to children under the age of 6, but I have yet to see a law stating this. I doubt that there is such a law, but that the MOE bases it on the facts above. The law says that foreigners on a JFRV or with an open permit, can do any work a Taiwanese can do, but the MOE disagrees and says that teachers need work permits from them (and they won’t issue a permit to teach kindy).

Brian

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As far as the “crackdown” thing goes, I’m not so sure. I heard the exact same thing when I arrived 5 months ago.

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I would just like to add that it is disgusting how the government here goes after the foreign teacher when it is the school owner who is more at fault for his own practices. Also, if the general public want --as enrollment would suggest-- early childhood English education, then they ought to push for its legalization, and not simply leave those teachers who would provide it out to dry legally as well as at risk for arrest and deportation… That a foreign national, who is quite likely unaware of the legalities of his actions (How many newcomers know teaching kindy is a crime?), could be arrested for teaching little kids is disgusting. This “country” needs to set better priorities for its enforment of laws and assist its foreign professionals alot more than it does.

Just my “liang kuai qian.”

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The police came by our school in February of this year. In May, some people supposedly from the Ministry of Education came by. In both cases, we were told to take the kids and sneak out the back of the building, which we did.

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People from the Ministry of Education were at our school on Thursday.It was time to run again.
I found out the other day,my school applied for an Editors ARC and not a Teaching ARC,so I’m on the run,and I thought I was safe.

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Getting serious, Be careful kindie teachers !

[quote]
[color=red]Taipei City to crack down on all-English teaching institutes[/color]

2004/7/25
TAIPEI, Agencies

Taipei City will work in tune with the central government’s policy to crack down on all-English instructions for pre-schoolers, Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou said yesterday.
Ma made the remarks when he was asked about the central government’s new stringent measures to clamp down on all-English teaching institutions for pre-schoolers during a college and university expo.

Education Department has distributed pamphlets, which are based on the opinions of experts, to Taipei citizens, advising them not to send their young children to all-English classes.

Ma said that he is not against the use of some English vocabulary in normal instruction, but added that “if pre-schoolers are put in an all-English environment, their development in the local culture will be distorted.”

“It would be a serious problem if the children were punished for speaking Chinese in such an environment,” he added.

Ministry of Education (MOF) officials have said that public or private kindergartens or nursery schools cannot provide all-English teaching. If the pre-schooler classes have full-time foreign English teachers, then they have violated employment regulations, according to the officials.

The government has not issued working permits to any foreign teachers to teach English in any pre-schooler classes, they added. Foreign teachers can only assist with teaching in the pre-schooler classes, but cannot conduct English classes on their own.

The MOE has notified local governments, asking them to take notice of such violations by learning institutions and to crack down on violators if they do not change their ways within a certain period of time.[/quote]

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This looks to be the big escape clause.

Brian

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Escape clause 1[quote]Ministry of Education (MOF) officials have said that public or private kindergartens or nursery schools cannot provide all-English teaching. [/quote]We work from 9-12. CT’s work from 8-5.

Escape clause 2 [quote]Foreign teachers can only assist with teaching in the pre-schooler classes, but cannot conduct English classes on their own. [/quote]There are both a FT and CT in the classroom all of the time.

Escape clause 3 : OWP - Amos is the cook’s helper.

I feel much better now.

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I was working at a kindergarten with 400 kids some time back and the school was raided by the FAP and MOE.

Told the FAP to run away and look for some foreign teachers… saved by my ROC ID Card hehehehehe

The MOE found out that as I only taught 30 minute classes to all 20 kids classes it was ok. The full-time South African teacher who taught the full-time English classes was hiding up on the rooftop. He only had a visitor visa to be in Taiwan. Turns out a competitor school complained about the illegal teachers at our school.

So if your teaching those kindy classes you can be busted.

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[quote]Education Department has distributed pamphlets, which are based on the opinions of experts, to Taipei citizens, advising them not to send their young children to all-English classes.
[/quote]
God, makes me wish we had kindergarten-age kids! My ol’ lady would relish the chance to call up this education department to demand “who the FUCK they think they are? A bunch of ignorant pencil-pushing DRONES trying to tell me how I should educate MY fucking children!
And Ma? What the FUCK do you know about it? Why don’t you stick to fucking up the traffic and ignoring illegal building work – you know – things you’re actually good at?”

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It is truly democracy in action . . . . . . . .

The parents want their children to learn English in kindergarten, so the government officials ban it.

Rights to the people !!!

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WHY DO THEY WANT FOREIGN TEACHERS,IF IT IS SO DIFFICULT TO WORK HERE?
If you need something,and someone wants to help you,why do you wanna make life difficult for the person that is helping you.

AND THEN THEY SAY"WE ARE MORE CLEVER THAN WESTERNERS"

Stupid if you ask me.

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Maybe the police should crack down on tristach regarding his spelling on kindergarten.

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[quote=“amos”]Escape clause 1[quote]Ministry of Education (MOF) officials have said that public or private kindergartens or nursery schools cannot provide all-English teaching. [/quote]We work from 9-12. CT’s work from 8-5.

Escape clause 2 [quote]Foreign teachers can only assist with teaching in the pre-schooler classes, but cannot conduct English classes on their own. [/quote]There are both a FT and CT in the classroom all of the time.

Escape clause 3 : OWP - Amos is the cook’s helper.

I feel much better now.[/quote]

Love it! :bravo: