Public education for descendant children

Taiwan Living in Taiwan
1

Hi everyone, this is my first post. I’m impressed on how large this forum is, I just hope I am posting this on the right location.

My wife is a Taiwanese descendant, and we currently live in Brazil. Her father moved to Brazil many years ago, got married to a Brazilian and had a daughter. Then after a couple of years they all came back to Taiwan, where they lived some years and it was during that period that he got his daughter the Taiwanese documentation and passport (so she has dual citizenship, Brazilian and Taiwanese). When my wife was 6 years old, they all came back to Brazil again, for work reasons, and stayed here ever since, and her father only went back to Taiwan for short visits, as his whole family lives there.

Well, he’s getting old and always talks to me about how great it would be if I could take our family to Taiwan, so that we could all experience that culture. I know he would love to see his 2 grandsons (my kids) learning Chinese and living close to their Taiwanese relatives.

I started thinking about that, because I would really like to make that happen, not only because of him, but because I think it would be a great experience for all of us, specially for my children’s development. So, I am researching every aspect of this endeavor and, as a good PMP, I am taking this as a very important project (probably the most important of my life).

I have already consulted the Taiwan embassy in Brazil and learned that my 2 sons can acquire the Taiwanese citizenship based on their mother’s situation, and therefore have dual citizenship, just like her.

My current work position (software development project manager) allows me to work from wherever I want, so I can keep earning some income from Brazil, and at the same time can look for some work opportunities in Taiwan as well.

Thinking about some aspects of going to Taiwan, one of my main concerns is the living cost. I have to learn how much money we need to maintain about the same lifestyle we have in Brazil.

We shall probably go to Taipei, where all their relatives are. I would like to know if there are good public schools for children, and if there are any kind of special public education for Taiwanese children who are not Chinese speakers (my kids are 10 and 8 years old). I am asking that because public schools for children in Brazil have poor quality, so here we have to pay for private school.

So, I would be very grateful to anyone who might share some information about the education system and other aspects of living in Taiwan, for a family like mine. Any other tips or experiences would be of great help, too, please see my contact details.

Thank you,

2

Schools are good, though strict here. The children must study a great deal.
I know people who have found excellent schools - education is almost free - must buy uniforms and pay a small fee.
If they do well on tests to get into a good junior high, it is easier to get into a good high school (tests for everything). Students who do poorly on the tests often opt for a private high school rather than the public high school they qualify for. I have heard of fees for private schools ranging from $200,000 NT to $400,000+ NT, BUT I KNOW LITTLE ABOUT THIS, hopefully you can do a search on private schools. Most students I know do NOT go to private schools, as the public ones are good.

Your kids are young enough that they would pick up Chinese easily.
Cost of living is much lower than North America, but I have no idea about Brazil. I pay $15,000 NT for a 3 bedroom apartment in the poor end of town (Banqiao, on the outskirts of Taipei - one subway/MRT stop to Taipei - 5 minutes.)

3

My kids are 7 and 10 and go to public school here. They are both doing just fine, and I’m fairly happy with the education the public school provides.

BUT

Our kids grew up speaking, reading and writing Chinese. I can’t imagine thowing a 3rd grader and (more importantly) a fifth grader (by the time they get here) into any public school if they don’t understand Chinese.

The international schools (where their English could be used) are expensive. I’m guessing you’d pay US$30,000 per year to send two kids to an international school. (Someone correct me if I’m wrong.)

Kids will learn fast, but to learn to read and write Chinese if they “only” know Portuguese and English, would mean a monumental “catch-up” period.

There may be some cheaper private schools that I don’t know about that could suit your kids. Anyone?

Good luck.

4

zender: I know someone who wants to send her son to an international school. She said it’s 40,000NT/month, so you’re about right. Of course, there’d be other fees on top, so your estimate wouldn’t cover everything.

5

If you are considering public schools, and where exactly in Taipei city you will live is open, you could look at schools with lower rolls, like the one in Muzha that has about 10 kids per class. Another is Gongguan Elementary School. I know kids that have gone there with no Chinese skills and done well. You could use the money you save from attending private school to hire a Chinese language tutor for your children.

The public schools I know of range from about 12,000 per semester (5 months) for first grade to about 20,000 per semester for 3rd grade and up. As first grade is only half day, there is an afterschool program you can attend at the school for about 3-5000 per month, if you wish to.

If you get to junior high/senior high, or if you want flexibility in schooling, you can consider homeschooling. There is a thread about this in parenting, with some links. You can select the classes your children attend if there are things you would like them to be in a class situation for.

One thing to prepare for when you come is, bring your own clothing. It’s really hard to find good clothes at reasonable prices here. Schools do have uniforms but generally, they don’t wear them everyday.

I’m sure others have more information for you. My son is only in public kindergarten, but so far I am very happy with his education, and the cost (20,000 per semester including all materials, outings, uniform, even mouth wash for each child.)

6

Overseas Chinese do get special preparatory courses if they want to pursue higher education. There should be something similar at lower levels. OCAC has you covered. :thumbsup:

Actually, getting into public schools is harder, mopre competitive than private, and the rat race starts early, so don’t delay coming back if you want your kids in the system.

If by mantaining the lifestyle you mean maid and chaufer, well, it is going to be expensive. You need to have a special need in teh family -elderly/handicapped- to qualify for a foreign maid. Furthermore, Taipei housing prices have gone through the roof, it’s unbelievably expensive. And you must choose wisely: the zone where you live determines where the kids will go to school, so, the areas with teh best public schools are also the most expensive.

7

Thank you all for the information provided. I had already heard that children have to work very hard at school in Taiwan.

I was thinking of taking my kids for a 2-3 month trip to Taiwan, leaving in December, so that they could spend their summer vacation there. That way we all could have a good idea of the environment, before making a decision of moving. Is that a good period for such a visit ?

Is there any short-term intensive Chinese courses that we could arrange for that period (December to February) ? Any special courses for children of their age ? Would OCAC (or another government agency) provide some kind of support for language adaptation, maybe a special school for expatriates ?

Thanks again !!!

8

Of course the OCAC provides for these casaes. There are special summer courses in Shida -both in Linkou and in the Taipei city center, though I am not sure how things are managed for children as young as yours. Nevertheles, there is usually a lot of support.

Summer here is actually a good time… as kids go to summer school and buxiban. Yep, they work hard.

I’ll start here: edu.ocac.gov.tw/home_spanish.htm#

ocac.gov.tw/index.asp

The kids from the spring courses just left, so, this would be a good time to inquire about summer programs.

9

OP is from the Southern Hemisphere. Brazil’s summer (“coming to Taiwan in December”) does not coincide with summer in Taiwan…

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Imagine coming to this weather from Brazil! They’re going to get the shock of their lives.

11

Depends guys, we in the tropics got two seasons: rain and more rain.

Usually, private schools follow US schedules.

12

Yes, our summer starts in December, it would be winter in Taiwan.
But we live in the south of Brazil, it does get a bit chilli here in winter.

So, what are your opinions about that period, thinking about language studies for us and the overall experience of having a taste of Taiwan’s life ?

13

That is why most kids from Latin America como for the Spring -well, winter to be honest, but that’s teh name given. Check out teh link I gave for the dates.

Come and see, start with short courses, see if teh place suits you. Generally speaking, it is safe and quite convenient. The rest is up to you.

14

You can contact國語日報http://www.mdnkids.com/ , they have classes for children from overseas. My friend told me today they put their nieces in class over summer , and the only problem was the teacher spoke too much English, but apart from that they were happy with the class.

15

NT$ or US$ (as a previous post quoted in US$)?

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Chris: NTd, surely. If it were in USD, that would make it more for one semester than the average person makes in a year.

17

That’s what I figured, but another poster mentioned fees like US$30,000, making US dollars plausible; and anyway, it’s not usually average people who send their kids to private schools.

Whatever the case, it’s always a good idea to include currency units in these international discussions.

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NT$ or US$ (as a previous post quoted in US$)?[/quote]

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[quote]Chris wrote:
asiababy wrote:
The public schools I know of range from about 12,000 per semester (5 months) for first grade to about 20,000 per semester for 3rd grade and up.

NT$ or US$ (as a previous post quoted in US$)?[/quote]

That is NT$ and for public school. I also forgot to mention, the base rate is actually lower, I can’t remember how much exactly. My prices here include all the meals the school provides. Some schools have their own kitchen on campus, and some choose to use caterers. You can check out the food situation before paying the meal allowance, but then you have to provide your child’s lunch.

Half-day kindergarten is around 12,000NT, and full-day (8am-4pm) 20, 000NT, for one semester (about 5 months).