About wattsco01

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Taiwan: bringing my 8-year old son with me to taiwan:

I am considering moving back to Taiwan. I spent a year there 10 years ago. I'm sure things have changed dramatically. The last time I was there I was working as a photographer, teacher, actor, and handled sales and marketing for a Taiwanese trading company. I have a BA in Broadcast Communications a TESOL certificate and experience teaching English in more than one country. I don't think it would be difficult to get back into the groove but.....I will now have my eight year old son in tow. I am doing research on what would be available to me for him. I.E schools, tutors, babysitters for when I can't be with him, etc. I am hoping to start hooking up with both expats and locals before I actually come there, because I do remember this: It is not what you know but who you know. If anyone on this site reads this, I would be truly grateful for any input you have. I do not want to move my son-who would follow after I have set things up-into a situation that would not be a positive experience. I am not going to be sponsored by a large company, but I do have some monthly income set up from the US, but would not be able to put him in an expensive private school. I'm thinking home schooling with the support of an online school that can help me with the curriculum. I do know from my last visit that there are groups of expats with kids that do a sort of home schooling group. I have not been able to find any info online and know I need to probably be there to find them. But I can hope. I'll be honest; I am not just considering this for him-exposure to the language and culture at this age would definitely be valuable- but also for me. I miss Asia and want to move back, but I do not want to be one of those parents that crams information and experiences down my sons throat with the misconceived idea that it is for his own benefit. I will probably come over in January of 2015 to check things out. I can do this easily because I can fly to pretty much any major international airport for free. Once again any input would definitely be appreciated. Thank you for time and consideration Best Regards, Weston

Taiwan: Should I bring my son? Because if not....I will probably not stay.:

I was in Taiwan for two years ten years ago. I thoroughly enjoyed my experience and want to come back. The issue is, that now I would have an eight year old boy with me. He would not stay year round, but either the school year or summer break. I would prefer, that he stay with me during the school year because my ex-wife is well….lazy….when it comes to helping him navigate his way the through the school year. So my question is: would it be a too much to expect him to adapt to life in Taiwan and, once he has learned Chinese, going to school in the public school system? The major problem, is that I will once again be teaching English and would not be able to afford any of the prominent private schools. I would not be taking him with me initially, but would send for him once everything was set up. I have done a bit of research and did find one group, I have yet to get in touch with them, that have a sort of home school group set up. In addition, there is a US based international online academy that offers material for me to home school him and then I would set him up in a school to specifically learn Chinese. I am also looking for any other alternatives that I have yet to find. All of these are possibilities, but I do not actually have to go….It is not like I am a refugee applying for asylum. I am doing this for two reasons, 1) I would like him to learn the language and culture while he is still young, like I learned French and 2)To be honest, I must admit this, I am bored to tears in the US and really enjoyed all the time I spent abroad as and expat…..which was extensive. Expats are generally an intense but very interesting group of people. I have not just lived in Asia, but also many other parts of the world. I just have an affinity for the language and I think China is the big kid on the block and that any exposure my son has to the Chines culture will be nothing but helpful. I don’t want to be one of those parents that convinces themselves that they are doing this all for their child, I’ll be honest, I am the one that wants to move. I have taken into consideration his personality characteristics, and I think he would go through some significant culture shock, but would probably land on his feet. Thus, I am looking for as much information about the possible move as I can get my hands on. If I do bring him over it would not be until the summer vacation of 2015, and then it would be solely to get a grip on the language and travel throughout that part of the world. I might be coming over in January of 2015. But, once again, would like to say, that I will probably not come over to stay if it is not in his best interest. Any information you might have to share with me would be greatly appreciated. Also, I have a degree in broadcast journalism, I’m a photographer, and I will have a TESOL certificate in hand when I hit the ground. Thanks for any info you can give me. Best Regards, Weston

Date Joined:

7/15/2014

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