[Moderator’s note: This thread is split form a discussion here
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Could you give us some proof of this “fact,” please.
Also, I saw on your blog that you are a teacher in a kindergarten. Were you trained as a teacher in Canada before you came to Taiwan? Were you trained here? Are you “properly trained” to do your job?
Could you give us some proof of this “fact,” please.
Also, I saw on your blog that you are a teacher in a kindergarten. Were you trained as a teacher in Canada before you came to Taiwan? Were you trained here? Are you “properly trained” to do your job?[/quote]
Ahhh! 
I was waiting for this (was too tired to add other info in lastnight), thank you for asking and giving me opportunity to explain this further, on a public forum:
1: Yes, I am living proof that I have never been properly trained to do my job (I teach all kinds of levels, from Kindergarten to adults), and I’ve complained about that since I arrived here (surely in my Blog as well). Before being recruited to Taiwan, I was assured by the school that I would receive proper training upon arrival (at least 2 weeks, before daring to teach, and then part-time teaching under in-class supervision over the next 3 months - which still isn’t enough in my imagination if you ask my opinion, but most anyone with common sense towards students, positive attitude, and knowledge in their language and phonics, can get the jist of it, given the generally unprofessional environment to begin with). As it turned out, on the first day I was administering exams, and on the SECOND day I was thrown in front of classes, alone; and had been ever since. In one day, training was over. As well, many other foreigners I have spoken with had the same kind of experiences upon arrival.
2: I have spoken to a couple of different tutors of mine, all of which have also said that even in their jobs (Investors for bank corporations and government, and a department store manager) they have never been properly trained, neither have their coworkers. One of my tutors said that it is common to have this in many fields (many of his 40 something year old friends in other professions and careers, never received proper training).
3: One of my Kindergarten bosses has confessed that she knows nothing about the business, but just thought about giving it a try when she inherited a lump some of money (via some or other family bond). The result? A terribly disorganised environment, which is steadily going bankrupt (I have been there for 8 months, and done my damndest to help her out and be patient, while many other teachers just gave up and disappeared after waiting up to 2 months to get the jobs they’ve been offered), filled with lies to conspire her reputation as being more quality than it is, in order to make it look like the school knows what is going on and is really right when it comes to education. She would consult her ‘untrained’ teachers to advise her on what materials to buy, etc etc… claiming she has no idea. To this day, my hours change from 2.5 hours, to 3, to 2, to 1.5, to 1, back up to 2… I still teach in an open foyer (no whiteboard, no materials - so guess which people have to spend extra personal time doing that, after being told at interview there is no prep. needed???), after having been moved around from classroom to classroom, and after being shuffled around between various levels of classes (after changing her mind repeatedly on whether she wants one or two teachers in each class), with a student turn-over rate too vapid to be able to properly introduce each new student to the constantly changing curriculum. The long term results? Parents pay to be lied to about the progess of their kids, the kids miss out on basic levels of English in order to progress to higher levels of English, the students and teachers are being thrown about unrealiable and unsteady environments (sometimes without even a proper desk to be able to sit at and learn how to write), and a student-teacher rappor never gets to be built due to the constant changes.
4: A few months ago I applied for a job, and after having seen my Resumes (Canada and Taiwan experiences) I was invited in for an interview at a school where the boss was really trying hard to convince me to work there. In all honestly, it seemed like the best ‘business’ educationally condusive environment I had seen here yet. In the end he offered me a very low sum of money to do the job, claiming that he tells the parents he hires teachers with all of the following: 1 atleast 3 years teaching experience, 2 a University degree in Education, 3 someone with TESOL; and since I don’t have the above mentioned, that is why he would have to pay me less than other teachers to do this job. I turned it down, as I would be giving up a job which pays me far more as it is. He offered me more, but still not enough to have moved across the globe and give up my other jobs (it would also cut into my evening tutoring time). I explained to him that if he is going to lie to the parents about my qualifications, but then pay me less than the other teachers for the SAME job, then that isn’t very fair to either of us. I would be doing the SAME work in the hopes to produce the SAME results that would reflect on HIS business. And with his thinking: if I am really that inexperienced, yet he is willing to hire me, then shouldn’t he be paying me MORE to do this job, if I am THAT good enough to be able to produce the same results as those who are FAR more experienced than I???
It’s a bullshit economy.
Another interesting fact: Ever noticed the medicine craze in Taiwan? Ever noticed that the same kids, and adults, are chronically going through medicine scarfs, for weeks on end, popping all asssorted kinds of pills? One would imagine they are chronically sick, even though they seem fine…
A local woman I worked with was dating a hospital Doctor for a few years, and he told her that it is common for doctors to deliberately misdiagnose patients (happened to me too), and administer irrelevant drugs, in order to keep them coming back for more, once they are not healed, so as to ‘trouble shoot’ what a simple symptom could actually be. He said it is to keep a steadier flow of income, for every time people visit a clinic or hospital.
Facts are facts: I for one, have met more disgruntled people (local and foreign) in Taiwan, than not, either that or complacently passive people too ignorant to bother caring.
“Don’t think too much”.
Ofcourse I can not provide you with a website, etc…, it surely isn’t concisely written down, or admitted, anywhere as that would undermine the success of these businesses, and Taiwan’s laws, regulations and their enforcements (or lack of), as a whole (unless you come to forums like this one, where people speak of personal experiences), especially considering this is a society which is Collective, and since 5000 Confuscious years ago, was drilled into being passively silenced.
Regarding job ability of Taiwanese:
Doctors often are on the “just make a 5 sec diagnosis, main thing is I get money” trail. Just had this experience with a false diagnosis and assignment for unneccessary operation in Tri Service hospital NeiHu. A close checkup by another doctor whom I merely told what he needs to do revealed I am 100% healthy.
It is carelessness combined with greed (low icome ?) in my point of view, not missing job training.
In my Taipei computer hardware company, people are skilled and the management has a natural instinct for business. That is totaly different than in my old company back in Germany, where the management consisted of incompetent morons (and the thing whent broke).
On the other hand, the technical people in my company sometimes seem to be much more passive than engineers in the companies where I worked back home. Often not thinking by themselves / being passive. Could be related to the strict management style here where the boss wants to do everything by himself…
I never worked in education/teaching whilst in Taiwan so I cant comment on that industry. But in the finance, consulting, IT, advertising, branding, government and academic folk I mixed with socially and professionally - I was consistenly impressed with their level(s) of training.
If I knew I could just turn up in, say, Germany and get work as a social worker, lion tamer, or pilot based on a university degree in any subject, I"d logically conclude that the system of social work/lion taming/flight crews were substandard in any of the places willing to hire me.
But to then act all outraged that these damn Germans don’t know what they want and ask unreasonable things of me, and don’t train me, but simply throw money my way to make the best of it…
Well, that just seems dumb to me.
They hired you. You admit you are not qualified. Many buxibans are just money making places, with a veneer of education (not all). If it really bothers you, go back to school, become a real teacher and then get yourself a job at a real school.
Tetsuo: I don
[quote=“rooftop”]If I knew I could just turn up in, say, Germany and get work as a social worker, lion tamer, or pilot based on a university degree in any subject, I"d logically conclude that the system of social work/lion taming/flight crews were substandard in any of the places willing to hire me.
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False analogy. If I were a native-born lion tamer and had been taming lions all my life, and could therefore tame lions better than 99.9% of Germans, then I wouldn’t need a degree in Lion Taming to be a Lion Taming teacher in Germany. I can speak, write, and read English far, far better than 99.99% of Taiwanese: FACT. Most Taiwanese English teachers are deficient in their command of the English language, in my experience. Many of them work hard at it, no knock against their struggle to master a foreign language, but that’s the way it is. Half the time in the office I’m getting asked all sorts of questions about English pronunciation and grammar and vocabulary from the Taiwanese teachers, because their grasp of English isn’t so hot and they recognize my superior expertise in the English language. Because, duh, I’ve only had nearly 3 decades experience speaking English every day of my life. Therefore, I am more qualified to teach English than the vast majority of Taiwanese with degrees in teaching English.
As a useless good-for-nothing dipso qualified for nothing, I fit right in here. God bless Taiwan!
[quote=“mod lang”]
False analogy. If I were a native-born lion tamer and had been taming lions all my life, and could therefore tame lions better than 99.9% of Germans, then I wouldn’t need a degree in Lion Taming to be a Lion Taming teacher in Germany. I can speak, write, and read English far, far better than 99.99% of Taiwanese[/quote]
The analogy was the pits. The point I was trying to make though was that we shouldn’t moan about certain buxibans bearing no resemblance to actual schools when they will hire anyone off the street, with the sole caveat that employees have to come from English-sepaking countries.
Obviously, a native speaker’s language skills do qualify them beyond a non-native speaker. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll be a good teacher (In fact, I think I heard a collective sigh of relief when I threw in the gravitas towel…).
Shaky analogies aside, fly-by-night operations that will hire unqualified people are pretty easy to spot. Be advised.
[quote=“bob_honest”]Regarding job ability of Taiwanese:
Doctors often are on the “just make a 5 sec diagnosis, main thing is I get money” trail. Just had this experience with a false diagnosis and assignment for unneccessary operation in Tri Service hospital Neihu. A close checkup by another doctor whom I merely told what he needs to do revealed I am 100% healthy.[/quote]
Of course compare this to the U.S., where you make an appointment (this takes a least a week in most cases) to see your primary care doctor (if you can afford insurance) orders as many test as possible (to up the cost) and then sends you to a specialist (he is affliated with) who orders more tests (to up the costs)…all before possibly giving you a false diagnosis or telling you that you are fine – it depends on the weather that day. Naturally, if you don’t have insurance, then you are just SOL or you can go to a free clinic.
Personally, I go to Adventist (where I can get an appointment for the next day) for any test or serious consultations and a local small time clinic (where I can walk in a see the doctor within 20 minutes of arriving in most cases) for refills on medications. Yes, I pay more at Adventist but it’s worth it.